The Way of Perfection is perhaps the simplest and most practical work of Teresa of Avila, one of the great religious figures of all time. She exhorts readers to nurture a lasting love of prayer by fulfilling three requirements, which are discussed in the text. Also included is her impassioned version of the Lord's Prayer.

Of all of Teresa of Avila's works, The Way of Perfection is the most easily understood. Written at the height of the controversy surrounding the reforms Teresa instituted in the Carmelite order, it instructed the nuns in the practice of prayer. Teresa discusses the three essentials of a prayer-filled life -- fraternal love, detachment from material things, and true humility. Her counsels on these are the fruit of her practical experience. The book develops these ideas and takes up directly the matters of prayer and contemplation. Teresa gives various maxims for the practice of prayer and concludes the book with her masterful and impassioned version of the Lord's Prayer. How is it that Thou canst give us so much with Thy first word? she says of the Our at the beginning of that prayer.

The simple and practical nature of this mystical classic will appeal to all who seek a life of wholeness.