An elegant rendering of the great mystic’s thoughts on the mysteries of the authentic life
This is a little book about soul freedom. It is a book about discovering the secret to all the things we most desire: contentment, meaning, peace of mind, and true freedom. This skillfully edited translation of selections from the writings of Meister Eckhart (c. 1260–1328) provides a road map to the spiritual life for contemporary seekers. Eckhart takes us on a journey of discovery, a journey in which we learn to let go, relinquish our need to know everything, and lose those things that we think are important for a life of worth. And in the end he shows us that the true secret is this: to find yourself, you must lose yourself.
Here is timeless wisdom from a medieval mystic who has influenced a wide range of spiritual teachers and mystics both inside and outside the Christian tradition. Erich Fromm, Arthur Schopenhauer, Dag Hammarskjöld, Eckhart Tolle, Richard Rohr, D. T. Suzuki, Rudolf Steiner, and Matthew Fox have all credited Eckhart as being an important influence on their thought. In addition, his work has influenced the development of twentieth-century American Buddhism and the Theosophical tradition.
This book, divided into five sections—“Seeking the Light,” “Facing Darkness,” “Risking Love,” “Knowing Nothing,” and “Embracing Everything”—leads readers on the path to an authentic spiritual life.
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“Meister Eckhart’s words dance and invite the reader into an intimate encounter with the divine. Reading these poems sets the heart ablaze and the spirit soaring.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, author of The Artist’s Rule, praise for the translation
“These short poems, filled with the Dominican mystic’s insight and levity, will make for a fine introduction to Eckhart’s thinking.”
— Publishers WeeklyBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Jon M. Sweeney is an independent scholar, critic, and writer. Several of his books have been selections of the History Book Club, Book-of-the-Month Club, and Crossings Book Club, among others. After cofounding SkyLight Paths Publishing in Vermont, he served as editorial director at Franciscan Media. He is the editor-in-chief at Paraclete Press. He wrote about his evangelical childhood in the memoir Born Again and Again, which received an Award of Merit from Christianity Today.
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.