Wandering Joy: Meister Eckhart's Mystical Philosophy [Paperback]

Meister Eckhart (Author), Reiner Schürmann (Translator), David Appelbaum (Introduction, Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2001

In this remarkable work, Reiner Schürmann shows Meister Eckhart, the thirteenth-century Christian mystic, as the great teacher of the birth of God in the soul, which shatters the dualism between God and the world, the self and God. This is an exposition of Eckhar's mysticism-perhaps the best in English-and, because Eckhart is a profound philosopher for whom knowing precedes being, it is also an exemplary work of contemporary philosophy. Schürmann shows us that Eckhart is our contemporary. He describes the threefold movement of detachment, release, and "dehiscence" (splitting open), which leads to the experience of "living without a why," in which all things are in God and sheer joy. Going beyond that, he describes the transformational force of approaching the Godhead, the God beyond God: "A man who has experienced the same no longer has a place to establish himself. He has settled on the road, and for those who have learned how to listen, his existence becomes a call. This errant one dwells in joy. Through his wanderings the origin beckons."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Meister Eckhart has become one of the touchstones of modern spirituality and liberal Christianity, a type representing the misunderstood and ultimately persecuted mystic. And, indeed, there is much value in his writings. This newly translated selection does not much alter that, although Eckhart's own rather terse, not to say cryptic, mystic messages are somewhat overwhelmed by lengthy commentary. For larger collections, especially where Eckhart is lacking.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Essential reading in Eckhart studies and mysticism studies.... Highly recommended." -- Michael Sells, Haverford College, author of Mystical Languages of Unsaying

"It is a boon for all students of Eckhart to have this ground-breaking book available." -- Bernard McGinn, University of Chicago, author of The Presence of God and The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Lindisfarne Books (March 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970109717
• ISBN-13: 978-0970109712
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #886,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A phenomenological tour de force, July 12, 2001

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This review is from: Wandering Joy: Meister Eckhart's Mystical Philosophy (Paperback)

First published over 20 years ago, this book has lost none of its power. As a phenomenological treatment of the mystical philosophy of Eckhart, it is a classic. Schurmann takes the postion that Eckhart's Latin works are like signposts, while his German works invite one to a way--the way of detachment. According to Schurmann, Eckhart's mode of thought is not indicative, but imperative: herein lay the the difficulty Eckhart ran into with the Scholastic language of his accusers. The translated sermons are well done, and the use of the epigrammic poems of Angelus Silesius in the footnotes are an added joy. Schurmann also abstains from making facile comparisons of Eckhart with Zen or Heidegger, as the last chapter indicates.

One flaw in this edition: some paragraphs of the sermons, which should have wider margins to set them off from the surrounding analysis, were not formatted that way, making it tricky sometimes to see where Eckhart ends and Schurmann begins. This is a minor problem which the publisher ought to correct in subsequent printings. But this also indicates how thoroughly Schurmann is steeped in Eckhart's mode of thought. This work is not an easy read, and Mathew Foxian New Agers may find themselves in over their heads. So be it: this book is a the fruit of a trained, keen philosophical mind, not a guru.