Meister Eckhart's Book of Secrets

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 provides a roadmap 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 20th-century American Buddhism and the Theosophical tradition. Divided into five sections - Seeking the Light, Facing Darkness, Risking Love, Knowing Nothing, and Embracing Everything - the book leads readers on the path to an authentic spiritual life. "Poet Burrows and scholar Sweeney collect meditations derived from the writings of 14thcentury mystical Dominican friar Meister Eckhart in this moving selection of poetic interpretations based on his quotations. The authors have translated Eckhart's original sermons and academic texts, both from Latin and German into English and from prose intopoetry. They consider their work a "carrying over" of his insights for readers "for whom the style of his writings might not be easily accessible." The book contains five loose sections with titles that suggest the paradoxical nature of Eckhart's work, including "Knowing Nothing" and "Embracing Everything." The meditation poems create a satisfying thematic arc if read from start to finish, or they can be selected at random as part of a meditation practice. While most of the poems feature God (and some specifically reference the Bible), the insights often speak to a broader spirituality, such as: "So you want to learn to love God? Well there is no particular way, since God is not to be found in any way..." These short poems, filled with the Dominican mystic's insight and levity, will make for a fine introduction to Eckhart's thinking. - Publishers Weekly