Books by Meister Eckhart

Composed during a critical time in the evolution of European intellectual life, the works of Meister Eckhart (c. 1260-1327) are some of the most powerful medieval attempts to achieve a synthesis between ancient Greek thought and the Christian faith. Writing with great rhetorical brilliance, Eckhart combines the neoplatonic concept of oneness - the idea that the ultimate principle of the universe is single and undivided - with his Christian belief in the Trinity, and considers the struggle to describe a perfect God through the imperfect medium of language. Fusing philosophy and religion with vivid originality and metaphysical passion, these works have intrigued and inspired philosophers and theologians from Hegel to Heidegger and beyond.

"In whatever way you find God most, and you are most aware of God, that is the way you should follow. But if another way presents itself, quite contrary to the first, and if, having abandoned the first way, you find God as much in the new way as in the one you left, then that is right. But, the noblest and best thing would be this: if a person were to come to such equality, with such calm andcertainty that one could find and enjoy God in any way and in all things, without having to wait for anything or chase after anything: that would delight me!... Every work helps towards this.If anything does not help towards this, you should let it go." With these words Meister Eckhart set out to Avignon to defend himself from Pope John XXII who seemed to have set up two tribunals to inquire into the case of heresy.After his death Eckhart was largely forgotten but he gained recent revival from nondualist spiritual teachers who have based their own teaching on Eckhart's sermons.