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Meditations with Meister Eckhart
Meister Eckhart was a 13th-century mystic, prophet, feminist, declared heretic, and an early advocate of creation-centered spirituality. This tradition affirms humanity’s potential to act divinely, and it embraces life--living and dying, growing old and sinning, groaning and celebrating--as the creative energy of God in motion. For Eckhart, to be spiritual is to be awake and alive; creation itself was for him the primary sacrament that begins from “the spring of life” or the heart.
Eckhart’s pathway and that of the creation tradition is a simple way. It demands no gurus, no fanciful methods, no protracted exercises or retreats. This is why he called it a “wayless way” that is available to everyone, and why he points out that the person “who has found this way needs no other.”
Eckhart’s pathway and that of the creation tradition is a simple way. It demands no gurus, no fanciful methods, no protracted exercises or retreats. This is why he called it a “wayless way” that is available to everyone, and why he points out that the person “who has found this way needs no other.”
132 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1983
About the author
Matthew Fox
152 books157 followersTimothy James "Matthew " Fox is an American priest and theologian. Formerly a member of the Dominican Order within the Catholic Church, he became a member of the Episcopal Church following his expulsion from the order in 1993.
Fox has written 35 books that have been translated into 68 languages and have sold millions of copies and by the mid-1990s had attracted a "huge and diverse following"
Fox has written 35 books that have been translated into 68 languages and have sold millions of copies and by the mid-1990s had attracted a "huge and diverse following"
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 3, 2017
کتاب متن 4 مکاشفه (یا راه) از مایستر اکهارت، یکی از بزرگ‌ترین عارفین آلمانی است که هرچند مختصر است ولی بسیار مفید و راهگشاست. مکاشفه (راه) اول که آفرینش نام دارد در حقیقت یگانگی و وحدت خداوند با موجودات است و در حقیقت در سنت اسلامی، الهیات تشبیهی عرفان اکهارت را نمایندگی می‌کند. مکاشفه (راه) دوم ترک هستی و حضور نام دارد که از خدا ماسوی موجودات سخن می‌گوید و شاید بتوان آن را معادل الهیات تنزیهی در سنت اسلامی دانست. مکاشفه سوم (راه) با عنوان ظهور خود، ظهور خدا در حقیقت به درون‌نگری انسان می‌پردازد و در نهایت، مکاشفه (راه) چهارم که با عنوا�� «خلق جدید: شفقت و عدالت اجتماعی» است، بدیع‌ترین تعبیرهای اکهارت و دغدغه‌های اجتماعی او را به تبع دستاوردهای الهیاتیش به نمایش می‌گذارد. هرچند متن کتاب بسیار کوتاه است ولی حاوی نکات بسیار جذابی است که شاید نقطه مشترک همه متون عرفانی است؛ شاید نظامی منسجم دستاورد مطالعه این قبیل کتب نباشد ولی، روشن است که ایمان از خلال همین هدایت‌ها و راهبری‌های زیباشناسانه بدست می‌آید و نه نظام‌پردازی‌های تئوریک.
دو عبارت جذاب از مکاشفه چهارم را در اینجا منعکس می‌کنم تا شمایی کلی از نظرات او بدست آید:
«به جای غرقه شدن در جذبه‌ها و خلسه‌ها، باید به تقریر حقیقت و تقلیل مرارت مردم بپردازیم.»
«جایی که مساوات نیست، جایی که کسی درد مساوات ندارد، در آن‌جا از عشق خبری نیست. بی‌مساوات، هیچ کس روی شادمانی را نمی‌بیند...»
دو عبارت جذاب از مکاشفه چهارم را در اینجا منعکس می‌کنم تا شمایی کلی از نظرات او بدست آید:
«به جای غرقه شدن در جذبه‌ها و خلسه‌ها، باید به تقریر حقیقت و تقلیل مرارت مردم بپردازیم.»
«جایی که مساوات نیست، جایی که کسی درد مساوات ندارد، در آن‌جا از عشق خبری نیست. بی‌مساوات، هیچ کس روی شادمانی را نمی‌بیند...»
May 8, 2009
This is the only Christian mystic that I have ever read from this time period, so I have nothing to compare it with. The book is full of reflections on God, some of which are enlightening and others which are confusing. Its a mixed bag but I am glad I read it.
January 14, 2010
A Zen master in Germany 600 years before anyone in Germany heard of Buddhism. Pretty amazing stuff.
September 27, 2016
این عارف بزرگ مسیحی نفوذ و نگرش ژرفی در عرفان مدرن جهان دارد آیا کسی کتاب یا مقاله دیگری به فارسی درباره مایستر اکهارت میشناسد که معرفی کند ؟ لطفا؟.
اگرچه سبک ترجمه آزاد چندان باب طبع من نیست اما این کتاب ظاهرا تنها کتاب فارسی از مایستر اکهارت وقطعا عالی است - درباره مایستر اکهارت تنها چیزی که هست ظاهرا از آثار اقای کاکایی است
اگرچه سبک ترجمه آزاد چندان باب طبع من نیست اما این کتاب ظاهرا تنها کتاب فارسی از مایستر اکهارت وقطعا عالی است - درباره مایستر اکهارت تنها چیزی که هست ظاهرا از آثار اقای کاکایی است
July 29, 2009
I know that Matthew Fox employs a somewhat dubious position for most, but I loved his poetic arrangement of lines from Eckhart's sermons. Magical.
November 25, 2014
I have carried a copy of this book around the world with me... literally! I read it again, and again, and again!
February 23, 2015
I had been longing to read this book ever since learning of Eckhart from Peter Rollins' How (Not) to Speak of God. Short snippets of incredibly beautiful and dense philosophy/theology, this will be a well to which I return many times throughout my life, I hope.
The Breakthrough section is particularly interesting and applicable in my own life today. The sense of being Created out of God, through the rupturing of God, emerging and returning, being made by the ultimate Maker, is beautiful. As I work through this first term of seminary, I hear these words very clearly:
"Our Breakthrough is nobler than our flowing out. For when I flowed out from God and all creatures shouted 'God!' they were saying that I was a creature. And this cannot make me happy. In my Breakthrough, on the other hand, I am neither God nor creature. Rather, I am what I was and what I shall remain now and forever." (p. 66).
As one who is becoming, and in that becoming, realizing I am becoming who I always was, these reflections are breathtaking.
The Breakthrough section is particularly interesting and applicable in my own life today. The sense of being Created out of God, through the rupturing of God, emerging and returning, being made by the ultimate Maker, is beautiful. As I work through this first term of seminary, I hear these words very clearly:
"Our Breakthrough is nobler than our flowing out. For when I flowed out from God and all creatures shouted 'God!' they were saying that I was a creature. And this cannot make me happy. In my Breakthrough, on the other hand, I am neither God nor creature. Rather, I am what I was and what I shall remain now and forever." (p. 66).
As one who is becoming, and in that becoming, realizing I am becoming who I always was, these reflections are breathtaking.
February 5, 2017
I enjoyed this. Read it all through the first time, and plan on revisiting it now and again to think a little deeper or meditate on certain passages. I marked my top favorite pages to revisit first!
October 12, 2023
The Word of God
is always 'in the beginning.'
And this means
that it is always in the process of being born
and is always already born.
Now,
it is the nature of a word
to reveal what is hidden.
The Word that is hidden
still sparkles in the darkness
and whispers in the silence.
It entices us to pursue it,
to yearn
and sigh after it.
For it wishes
to reveal to me
something about God.
Philip once said: "Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us."
Do you want the marrow out of which goodness springs?
Do you want the nucleus from which goodness flows?
Do you want the root,
the vein,
from which goodness exudes?
And all beauty?
Then you want the Creator.
And you want your breakthrough.
For remember this:
The shell must be cracked open if what is inside is to come out.
If you want the kernel,
you must break the shell.
We must learn to break through things
if we are to grasp God in them.
What is my name?
What is your name?
What is God's name?
Our name is:
that we must be born.
And the Creator's name is:
to bear.
The soul alone
among all creatures
is generative
like God is.
We are all meant
to be mothers of God.
Because this Word is a hidden Word
it comes in the darkness of the night.
To enter this darkness put away
all voices and sounds
all images and likenesses.
In stillness and peace
in this unknowing knowledge
God speaks in the soul
and becomes fully expressed there.
For no image has ever reached into the soul's foundation
where God him/herself
with his /her own being
is effective.
In this birth
you will discover
all blessing.
But neglect this birth
and you neglect
all blessing.
Tend only to this birth in you
and you will find there
all goodness and all consolation,
all delight,
all being and all truth.
It is good for a person
to receive God into himself or herself
and I call this receptivity the work of a virgin.
But it is better
when God becomes fruitful within a person.
For becoming fruitful as a result of a gift
is the only gratitude for the gift.
I call such a person a wife
and in this sense the term wife is the noblest term we can give the soul,
it is far nobler than virgin.
Every day
such a person
bears fruit a hundred times
or a thousand times
or countless times,
giving birth and becoming fruitful
out of the most noble foundation of all.
Pay attention now to exactly where this birth takes place:
This eternal birth
takes place in the soul
totally in the manner
in which it takes place in eternity,
neither more nor less.
There is only one birth-
and this birth takes place in the being
and in the ground and core
of the soul.
This birth takes place in darkness.
And not only is the Son of the heavenly Creator
born in this darkness-
but you too
are born there
as a child of the same heavenly Creator
and none other.
And the Creator
extends this same power
to you
out of the divine maternity bed
located in the Godhead
to eternally give birth.
Let me express myself in even a clearer way.
The fruitful person
gives birth
out of the very same foundation
from which the Creator begets the eternal Word
or Creative Energy
and it is from this core
that one becomes fruitfully pregnant.
And in this power of birthing
God is as fully verdant
and as wholly flourishing in full joy
and in all honor
as he/she is in him/herself.
The divine rapture
is unimaginably great.
It is ineffable.
-Path III: Breakthrough and Birth of Self, of God, of Self as Son or Daughter of God (Via Creativa)
p. 72-80
is always 'in the beginning.'
And this means
that it is always in the process of being born
and is always already born.
Now,
it is the nature of a word
to reveal what is hidden.
The Word that is hidden
still sparkles in the darkness
and whispers in the silence.
It entices us to pursue it,
to yearn
and sigh after it.
For it wishes
to reveal to me
something about God.
Philip once said: "Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us."
Do you want the marrow out of which goodness springs?
Do you want the nucleus from which goodness flows?
Do you want the root,
the vein,
from which goodness exudes?
And all beauty?
Then you want the Creator.
And you want your breakthrough.
For remember this:
The shell must be cracked open if what is inside is to come out.
If you want the kernel,
you must break the shell.
We must learn to break through things
if we are to grasp God in them.
What is my name?
What is your name?
What is God's name?
Our name is:
that we must be born.
And the Creator's name is:
to bear.
The soul alone
among all creatures
is generative
like God is.
We are all meant
to be mothers of God.
Because this Word is a hidden Word
it comes in the darkness of the night.
To enter this darkness put away
all voices and sounds
all images and likenesses.
In stillness and peace
in this unknowing knowledge
God speaks in the soul
and becomes fully expressed there.
For no image has ever reached into the soul's foundation
where God him/herself
with his /her own being
is effective.
In this birth
you will discover
all blessing.
But neglect this birth
and you neglect
all blessing.
Tend only to this birth in you
and you will find there
all goodness and all consolation,
all delight,
all being and all truth.
It is good for a person
to receive God into himself or herself
and I call this receptivity the work of a virgin.
But it is better
when God becomes fruitful within a person.
For becoming fruitful as a result of a gift
is the only gratitude for the gift.
I call such a person a wife
and in this sense the term wife is the noblest term we can give the soul,
it is far nobler than virgin.
Every day
such a person
bears fruit a hundred times
or a thousand times
or countless times,
giving birth and becoming fruitful
out of the most noble foundation of all.
Pay attention now to exactly where this birth takes place:
This eternal birth
takes place in the soul
totally in the manner
in which it takes place in eternity,
neither more nor less.
There is only one birth-
and this birth takes place in the being
and in the ground and core
of the soul.
This birth takes place in darkness.
And not only is the Son of the heavenly Creator
born in this darkness-
but you too
are born there
as a child of the same heavenly Creator
and none other.
And the Creator
extends this same power
to you
out of the divine maternity bed
located in the Godhead
to eternally give birth.
Let me express myself in even a clearer way.
The fruitful person
gives birth
out of the very same foundation
from which the Creator begets the eternal Word
or Creative Energy
and it is from this core
that one becomes fruitfully pregnant.
And in this power of birthing
God is as fully verdant
and as wholly flourishing in full joy
and in all honor
as he/she is in him/herself.
The divine rapture
is unimaginably great.
It is ineffable.
-Path III: Breakthrough and Birth of Self, of God, of Self as Son or Daughter of God (Via Creativa)
p. 72-80
April 16, 2019
I mostly enjoyed these short meditations which purport to be translations of Meister Eckhart. However, it seems to me that they are imaginative interpretations rather than translations in the strictest sense of the word. Matthew Fox has done a lot of groundbreaking work in creation spirituality. He was way ahead of his time. Some of the things you read in Richard Rohr, Fox was asserting over 30 years ago. And yet, as hard as I've tried, I just haven't been able to warm up to Fox. There's an adversarial, almost bitter, quality to his writings that just doesn't do it for me. I thought I might be interested in reading his "Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times," but after previewing the book on Amazon I decided to pass.
May 21, 2021
I’ve joined the individuals that have added this book to their bookshelf. This book grows on me a little more each time I pick it up, too.
This is something I’ve NEVER seen written down before let alone contemplated:
God is
voluptuous
and
delicious.
I wasn’t expecting that one to come at me from the 13th century and I see why Meister Eckhart’s mediations are still being talked about and ruminated over today. I’m glad to finally know some of his mediations. I’ve been seeing his name pop up in a lot to the books I’ve been reading lately.
This is something I’ve NEVER seen written down before let alone contemplated:
God is
voluptuous
and
delicious.
I wasn’t expecting that one to come at me from the 13th century and I see why Meister Eckhart’s mediations are still being talked about and ruminated over today. I’m glad to finally know some of his mediations. I’ve been seeing his name pop up in a lot to the books I’ve been reading lately.
December 5, 2017
همه یگانه‌اند. بی‌شیوه. میان اشیاء نه در اشیاء. میان ناملایمات نه در ناملایمات. بگیرد و گرفته شود.
July 5, 2022
Finished it in one sitting at late night as I had so much joy reading the book. I'd say a must read for everyone to realize the power of compassion and being true self.
October 24, 2022
Inspirational
Matthew Fox does an exceptional job with this translation-interpretation. Elkhart is mystical, moving, and motivational. May all be on the wayless way.
Matthew Fox does an exceptional job with this translation-interpretation. Elkhart is mystical, moving, and motivational. May all be on the wayless way.
Read
October 26, 2022God waits on human history / and suffers as she waits.
May 16, 2023
Each page is about one paragraph. It’s formatted like poetry. Each page is a separate thing, and is very good.
About love, relating to god, etc.
About love, relating to god, etc.
August 15, 2023
i love meister eckhart and will read anything about him or written or translated by him. this was very good, a little deeper than i have read before but i truly liked it and was inspired by it.
October 19, 2023
کتاب صوتی
اول کتاب میگه اکهارت با اینکه خیلی عالم و با کمالات بود زبان ساده‌ای داشت، که اصلاً اینطور نیست 😁
شاید هم ترجمه اینطور بود.
به هر صورت جذاب بود چون فیوریت سابجکت من بود ✌🏻
اول کتاب میگه اکهارت با اینکه خیلی عالم و با کمالات بود زبان ساده‌ای داشت، که اصلاً اینطور نیست 😁
شاید هم ترجمه اینطور بود.
به هر صورت جذاب بود چون فیوریت سابجکت من بود ✌🏻
March 30, 2015
With words both simple and profound, M. Eckhart manages to bypass our mental artificial constructs and show us glimpses of what life is truly all about. I am sure I will be reading this one time and again, and if ever get stranded on an island with only a handful of books, this would most definitely be one of them.
It puts the Middle Ages in a whole new perspective for me if it was able to produce and thinkers like Meister Eckhart.
Translation wise, Matthew Fox seems to have done a terrific job.
It puts the Middle Ages in a whole new perspective for me if it was able to produce and thinkers like Meister Eckhart.
Translation wise, Matthew Fox seems to have done a terrific job.
December 5, 2011
Written as though poetry and presented as four pathways, this book continues to inspire me and is one I pull off the shelf from time to time to re-read.
The four paths: Via positiva, via negativa, via creativa, via transformativa.
It is called a Centring book and that it is.
Standard on my bookshelf!
The four paths: Via positiva, via negativa, via creativa, via transformativa.
It is called a Centring book and that it is.
Standard on my bookshelf!
February 27, 2012
These are very short meditations, which are good for daily reading. This translation is very readable. Meister Eckhart is one of my favorites-anytime someone is labeled a prophet, mystic, feminist and a heretic in the same sentence "has me" at the word go!
December 27, 2015
This was my final book for the 2015 Reading Challenge--category: a book your mom loves. It was short, but not the sort of thing I usually read, so it took me a while to get through it. Definitely interesting, a lot of things to think about, but still not really my thing.
April 1, 2016
I got this book after listening to an interview with John O'Donohoue on On Being. He suggested it as source material. I just couldn't get into it this time around. I'll have to stick to rereading Anam Cara for now.
May 8, 2010
Definitely a writer I will have to spend more time getting to know, even if he has been dead for over 600 years.
February 8, 2017
Was hard for me to get anything out of this. The writing was poetic and obscured the meaning for me
April 3, 2016
Excellent concise retelling of the great master's thoughts.
January 27, 2021
The path is beautiful
A mystery’s mystery
Possessed with resolve
A mystery’s mystery
Possessed with resolve
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews