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Description
“Within each of us is a divine treasure, and if we hope to discover it we need to go deep into the heart of who we are.”—Meister Eckhart
Meister Eckhart has been a huge influence on spirituality for more than 800 years, including to philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, Eckhart Tolle, Richard Rohr, D. T. Suzuki, Rudolf Steiner, and Matthew Fox—all crediting Eckhart as being an important influence on their thought.
This book of Meister Eckhart meditations is for people seeking the “wayless way.” It is not for those looking for a simple path. Many people in our time still go looking for a straight path toward a defined goal, without detours, led by a guide who tells them what to do and what not to do. They would be uncomfortable with Meister Eckhart—a Christian mystic from the century of Rumi and Francis of Assisi—who said to “take leave of God for the sake of God.” And, “Learn not to love in order that you may learn to love.” And, “All things are equal and alike in God and are God.”
These fresh, stunning renderings of his writings in poetic form bring life to one of the great spiritual voices of any age. They reveal what it means to love God and find meaning in darkness. In a culture that craved light—and what culture does not?—Eckhart dared to imagine that the darkness is what matters most. Not darkness in general, but your darkness, because it is the one thing you know something about, and without facing your darkness, you’ll never know what it means to desire the light. You’ll never even imagine what light is about. Only when you are in the darkness, Meister says, do you have even the possibility of seeing the light.
Meister Eckhart has been a huge influence on spirituality for more than 800 years, including to philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, Eckhart Tolle, Richard Rohr, D. T. Suzuki, Rudolf Steiner, and Matthew Fox—all crediting Eckhart as being an important influence on their thought.
This book of Meister Eckhart meditations is for people seeking the “wayless way.” It is not for those looking for a simple path. Many people in our time still go looking for a straight path toward a defined goal, without detours, led by a guide who tells them what to do and what not to do. They would be uncomfortable with Meister Eckhart—a Christian mystic from the century of Rumi and Francis of Assisi—who said to “take leave of God for the sake of God.” And, “Learn not to love in order that you may learn to love.” And, “All things are equal and alike in God and are God.”
These fresh, stunning renderings of his writings in poetic form bring life to one of the great spiritual voices of any age. They reveal what it means to love God and find meaning in darkness. In a culture that craved light—and what culture does not?—Eckhart dared to imagine that the darkness is what matters most. Not darkness in general, but your darkness, because it is the one thing you know something about, and without facing your darkness, you’ll never know what it means to desire the light. You’ll never even imagine what light is about. Only when you are in the darkness, Meister says, do you have even the possibility of seeing the light.
Reviews
“Sweeney and Burrows, in poems that are as elegant as they are scholarly, revoice Meister Eckhart’s grounding and expansive instructions to ‘seek the light that shines / out of the darkness.’” —Pádraig Ó Tuama, poet and host of Poetry Unbound, from On Being Studios
Meister Eckhart is one of the greatest of Christian mystics, but because of his depth he can be challenging to read. Jon M. Sweeney and Mark S. Burrows unlock the poetry in his words to allow his light to shine. What Coleman Barks has done for Rumi, they have done for Eckhart—making his insight accessible and his wisdom sing.” —Carl McColman, author of The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism and Eternal Heart
Author Bio
Jon M. Sweeney is an independent scholar, critic, and writer. Several of his books have become History Book Club, BOMC, Crossings Book Club, and QPB selections. He served as an editor at Jewish Lights and Paraclete Press and is currently the editorial director at Franciscan Media. He lives in Shorewood, WI.
Mark S. Burrows is a poet, translator, and professor of religion and literature at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences in Bochum, Germany. His poetry has appeared in Poetry, the Cortland Review, the Southern Quarterly, Weavings, and a number of other periodicals.
Mark S. Burrows is a poet, translator, and professor of religion and literature at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences in Bochum, Germany. His poetry has appeared in Poetry, the Cortland Review, the Southern Quarterly, Weavings, and a number of other periodicals.
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