There's something terribly disconcerting ...

[tree_and_leaf]

There's something terribly disconcerting about the nagging feeling that a dead fourteenth century German Dominican knows exactly what your problem is:

"Die menschen sprechent: 'eyâ, herre, ich wölte gerne, daz mir alsô wol mit gote wære und alsô vil andâht hæte und vride mit gote, als ander liute hânt, und wölte, daz mir alsô wære oder ich alsô arm sî,' oder: 'mir enwirt niemer reht, ich ensî denne dâ oder dâ und tuo sus oder sô, ich muoz in ellende sîn oder in einer klûsen oder in einem klôster.'
In der wârheit, diz bist dû allez selber und anders niht zemâle. Ez ist eigener wille, alein enweist dû es niht oder endünket dich es niht: niemer enstât ein unvride in dir ûf, ez enkome von eigenem willen, man merke ez oder man merke ez niht. Swaz wir daz meinen, daz der mensch disiu dinc so vliehen und jeniu sol suochen – daz sint die stete unf die liute und die wise oder diu menige oder diu werk -, daz enist niht schult, daz dich diu wise oder diu dinc hindernt: dû bist ez in den dingen selber, daz dich hindert, wan dû heltest dich unordenlîche in den dingen.
Dar umbe hebe an dir selber an ze dem êrsten und lâz dich. In der wârheit, dû envliehest dich denne ze dem êrsten, anders, swâ dû hine vliehest, dâ vindest dû hindernisse und unvride, es sî, swâ daz sî."

People say: "Oh sir, I wish I was as close to God and as prayerful and had as much peace with God as other people do, and I wish I was like them, I wish I was so poor [undistracted/ untempted?]", or: "I will never be satisfied unless I am here or there, or can do this or that, I must go into exile [the country??] or an anchorhold or the cloister."
But in truth, that's all you, not external things. It is your own will that is the problem, although you do not or cannot know it: no lack of peace arises in you that does not come from your own will, whether you realise it or not. If we try to flee these things, and seek others - whether it be places, people, manner of life, or the number of things, or work [or: works in the religious sense of pious actions] - it is not their fault, it is not your manner of life or things themselves that are an obstacle to you: you make things into obstacles, because you approach things the wrong way.
Thus: begin with yourself, let yourself go. In truth, if you do not first flee from yourself, wherever you flee, you will find obstacles and a lack of peace in anything you flee to, whatever that may be.

Meister Eckhart, "Rede der Underscheidung", MHG ed Largier, rough translation mine (with thanks to schreibergasse for a correction!)

Comments

[estelyn-strider.livejournal.com]

Brilliant! And that long before modern psychology tries to tell us the same thing, only more complicated.

[tree_and_leaf]

I love my dead theologians :)

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

There is much here that addresses me, too. Low and theologically illiterate interpretation alert: Is Eckhart saying that changing one's situation is pointless unless one's attitude to life changes also, and that unless one proceeds through life with a determination to find Peace/God and not fall before obstacles, one will always fail?

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, more or less (though with the proviso that 'determination' sounds a bit misleading; Eckhart likes to talk about 'letting go' of the self, or 'going out of' it)

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

I think that there is a tree which I need to stop barking at before I can really understand what Eckhart is saying; perhaps I am too far involved with the self to let go yet.

[tree_and_leaf]

Eckhart remarks somewhat later in the work that there is always something more to let go of throughout life - it's not a matter of finding the right formula, and that's human existence sorted; it's also not something you can do all at once.

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

Definitely something worth remembering. I begin to see[*] why you like your medieval theologians so much.

[*]Only because writing 'I see' would seem presumptuous!

[tree_and_leaf]

It's not all angels dancing on heads of pins, you know (though actually, the angels-on-pins is quite a serious question about the nature of reality, and the sort of people who were interested in it would probably be doing theoretical physics today).

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

I wasn't thinking in those terms, more that I was generally ignorant of the writers and issues concerned - it's longer than I care to repeat since I was doing a little Aquinas at A-Level, and I've forgotten almost all of it.

[lizw.livejournal.com]

Wow, apart from the language, that could be from one of the yoga texts I've been reading. Not that this should surprise me, because I've been finding lots of parallels between yoga and Ignatian writings, too, but somehow it always takes me aback. I really must get round to reading some Eckhardt some time.

[tree_and_leaf]

There's certainly been a lot of critical interest in parallels between Eckhart and (Zen) Buddhism; it sometimes seems that every second Eckhart scholar is Japanese and/ or a Buddhist.

And yes, Eckhart is really good, although I don't know what the English translations are like. The stuff the Paulist press puts out is usually pretty reliable, though.

[lizw.livejournal.com]

I can read the German (either modern or original). Is there a particular edition that you'd recommend?

[tree_and_leaf]

I use the 2 volume Deutscher Klassiker edition of the sermons and treatises, which is probably the best place to start; it's bilingual (facing page translation). Both volumes together cost €40, but a university library ought to have them.

Alternatively there's the Quint translation, which is old but reliable.

[lizw.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

Wow. Thank you for that.
(The late-medieval german mystics were really into getting away from the self, weren't they? I'm reminded of Claus von der Flueh... (whose name I'm misspelling, but whatever. The swiss hermit.]]

One niggling suggestion: in l. 9 (daz enist niht schult, daz dich diu wise oder diu dinc...), might wise be "manner [of doing things]"? Lexer's got art und weise as one possible translation.

[tree_and_leaf]

Aargh, yes, you're doubtless right. This is what you get for not re-reading before posting things...

[tree_and_leaf]

Flües, I think!

[scionofgrace.livejournal.com]

Nothing new under the sun, eh? Brilliant.

[tree_and_leaf]

It's amazing how many things you think are modern (or, alternatively exotic to your own tradition) are nothing of the sort...)

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Mmm. Thanks for posting that.

[(Anonymous)]

Glad you found it interesting - I am ashamed to admit that I hadn't realised how brilliant Eckhart is until I started reading him properly. I shall be buying books as soon as my grant finally comes through....

[tree_and_leaf]

The anon was me, of course....