Meister Eckhart on Divine Knowledge

Of all Christian mystical teachings, those of the Dominican theologian Meister Eckhart (c. 1260c. 1328) are increasingly recognized as the most compatible with the non-dualistic traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism. Based on the author's three decades of formal study and spiritual practice, this book offers a clear path to understanding the breadth and depth of Eckhart's unique achievement. C.F. Kelley argues that the fundamental principle that elevates Eckhart above all other Western mystics, and links him to Eastern spiritual approaches, is his insistence that we "think principally"in divinisthat is, from within the mind or orientation of the Godhead or "Divine Knowledge" itself. Kelley begins by identifying Eckhart's fundamental tenets and clearing up common misconceptions about his teachings. Then he devotes individual chapters to key topics including "God and Man," "The Word," and "Detachment." Like Eckhart, Kelley can be seen as teacher and preacher, leading contemporary readers through his subject's most difficult philosophical and theological principles in a manner that appeals to both our mind and our heart.

The late C.F. Kelley was a Benedictine monk at Downside Abbey, UK, who became a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. Aldous Huxley and two major Eckhart scholars encouraged Kelley to write this book, the culminating work of his career, originally published in 1977. William Stranger is the founder of DharmaCafé.com and DharmaCafé Books. He lives by the Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary in Seigler Canyon, CA.