Abstract

The faculty of will has held a prominent place in the philosophical investigations since the time of Socrates. Will is an experiential reality in our decisions and in our actions. This book is an attempt to understand the formation and transformation of the faculty of will with special focus on the teachings of John of the Cross.

In his teachings on human dynamics, the active transformation, John explains how one can prepare the faculty of will with a life of discipline and by means of the virtue of love. John also explains how God transforms human will through the mystical infusion of love, the passive transformation or the divine dynamics of love. 

Human will, in its full development, constitutes an integral branch of the systematic handling of the human self. Therefore, an appropriately formed will is necessary to direct the self with mature decisions. Hence, best decisions are the function of a transformed will (Cover text).

"This book deals with a rare subject of exceptional relevance which, with the author's presumed permission, I would like to reformulate as the Role of the human will in the spiritual progress of man. Being a doctoral thesis, it is thoroughly researched and meticulously written. The area investigated is vast and varied. It covers several specialized disciplines - psychology, philosophy and theology, to mention only a few. Classical writers such as Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas have been studied and their precious insights incorporated into the text. But the book's main focus, as the title indicates, is on the sixteenth century Spanish Carmelite Theologian, Saint John of the Cross ..." (Foreword, A. Adappur S J). 

Transformation of Human Will (John of the Cross), Har-Anand Publications PVT Ltd, New Delhi 2007, 303 p. 

(Project: I 317.000-94/016)                

Sr. Kochuthressia, C.P. (Sr. Eushma) belongs to the Congregation of Mother of Carmel. After her post-graduate studies in Christianity she did her Licentiate in Rome. As she is deeply interested with the writings of St. John of the Cross, she did her Ph.D. in the works of St. John. She reflects and teaches Indian, Eastern and Carmelite Spirituality since the last 20 years.