Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words, PJ! 😃 I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the video. I'm planning the next one for this series. Hopefully soon. Have a blessed day, my friend!
Nice video. Confession: when I first looked at the title, my brain confused Meister Eckhart with Eckermann's Conversations with Goethe, and who knows, maybe Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship got entangled in there, as well, so there was a gap before I started to get what author you were discussin, lol. I myself am more an Aristotelian. I love the Nicomachean Ethics. I'm not particularly big on Aquinas, though I went to a Catholic university founded on Thomistic studies (we had to take a lot of philosophy--which I loved). But thanks for this introduction. Very thoughtful, as usual, and I love the ethical elements you emphasized in his writing.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting, Christopher! 😃 I can see the "Meister" connection with Goethe, yes, haha. And he was a Johann too! The Nicomachean Ethics, what an amazing text. I definitely need to revisit it. I love Aristotle, though I haven't read as much by him as I would like. (The other texts I've read are the Poetics and De Anima.) I'll admit I enjoy reading Aquinas because of the familiarity one develops with his argumentative structure. (Objections, counterpoint, responses, etc.) Maybe I could say that "intellectually" I love Aquinas (and Aristotle), while "spiritually" I love Augustine (and Plato and Plotinus). But... Ignatius and Francis of Assisi have also been tremendously influential for me... Haha, I'm all over the place, as you can see. I guess in a sense we all are. (More to come about this.) Have an amazing day, my friend!
Great video on a very interesting topic. Thank you so much, my friend! Well, I see myself decidedly as a child of the Enlightenment, I appreciate rational thinking etc. And yet Meister Eckhart appeals to me. - But I don’t really see a contradiction in it. 😃 A few years ago, I came across Meister Eckhart in Dorothee Sölle's book “Mystik und Widerstand” ("Mysticism and Resistance"). In this book she quotes Meister Eckhart extensively. (She was a Protestant theologian, involved in the peace and environmental movements of the late 20th century; she also felt very connected to liberation theology.) And yes, Meister Eckhart's idea of detachment from the ego and every thing is really impressive. Also his idea of "sunder warumbe" / “ohne warum” / "without why": life has no fixed purpose, roses bloom because they bloom, “ohne warum” / "without why" - and so we should do things “ohne warum”/ "without why", which means without calculation, without expecting anything in return. Unfortunately, I could not decide to read Meister Eckhart at that time. I had doubts: can we still read a medieval author today? (And I am far from being an expert on the Middle Ages). But yesterday I had a long conversation with a friend of mine who has read a lot of Meister Eckhart and he has allayed my concerns. So, I think I will start reading Meister Eckhart in the fall when it is no longer hot… 🥵 Gracias de nuevo por este vídeo tan interesante. ¡Que tengas un buen domingo, querido Jorge! (Please, let me know if this is not correct. I would not be offended, I promise!)
¡Muchísimas gracias, querida Merle! 😃 I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the video. I don't see a contradiction either in appreciating both rational thinking and the type of perspective that Meister Eckhart offers. He was quite a revelation to me! Mystik und Widerstand sounds very interesting. It is available in English as The Silent Cry (which is also the title of a novel by Kenzaburo Oe, haha). I'll do some quick research on it. I love that concept of "ohne warum," yes! The disinterested way of doing things. (I'm told many English speakers mistake the terms "disinterested" and "uninterested," but I never had a problem because the Spanish word "desinteresado/a" means exactly that: working without thinking of a reward, with no selfish motives.) Personally, I love medieval texts. Of course, it's impossible for us to read them in their "original" context, but I feel that as long as one understands and accepts that, there is still much to be gained by reading these authors. I'm a big fan of the medieval epics, Dante, Chaucer, and many others, so there will be more to come on this time period. 😃 Gracias a ti por ver el video y por tus excelentes comentarios. ¡Que tengas un muy buen domingo también, querida amiga! (Ihr Spanisch ist perfekt!)
Such substantive and beautiful thoughts, especially from one so young. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words, PJ! 😃 I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the video. I'm planning the next one for this series. Hopefully soon. Have a blessed day, my friend!
Nice video. Confession: when I first looked at the title, my brain confused Meister Eckhart with Eckermann's Conversations with Goethe, and who knows, maybe Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship got entangled in there, as well, so there was a gap before I started to get what author you were discussin, lol.
I myself am more an Aristotelian. I love the Nicomachean Ethics. I'm not particularly big on Aquinas, though I went to a Catholic university founded on Thomistic studies (we had to take a lot of philosophy--which I loved). But thanks for this introduction. Very thoughtful, as usual, and I love the ethical elements you emphasized in his writing.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting, Christopher! 😃 I can see the "Meister" connection with Goethe, yes, haha. And he was a Johann too! The Nicomachean Ethics, what an amazing text. I definitely need to revisit it. I love Aristotle, though I haven't read as much by him as I would like. (The other texts I've read are the Poetics and De Anima.) I'll admit I enjoy reading Aquinas because of the familiarity one develops with his argumentative structure. (Objections, counterpoint, responses, etc.) Maybe I could say that "intellectually" I love Aquinas (and Aristotle), while "spiritually" I love Augustine (and Plato and Plotinus). But... Ignatius and Francis of Assisi have also been tremendously influential for me... Haha, I'm all over the place, as you can see. I guess in a sense we all are. (More to come about this.) Have an amazing day, my friend!
Great video on a very interesting topic. Thank you so much, my friend!
Well, I see myself decidedly as a child of the Enlightenment, I appreciate rational thinking etc. And yet Meister Eckhart appeals to me. - But I don’t really see a contradiction in it. 😃
A few years ago, I came across Meister Eckhart in Dorothee Sölle's book “Mystik und Widerstand” ("Mysticism and Resistance"). In this book she quotes Meister Eckhart extensively. (She was a Protestant theologian, involved in the peace and environmental movements of the late 20th century; she also felt very connected to liberation theology.)
And yes, Meister Eckhart's idea of detachment from the ego and every thing is really impressive. Also his idea of "sunder warumbe" / “ohne warum” / "without why": life has no fixed purpose, roses bloom because they bloom, “ohne warum” / "without why" - and so we should do things “ohne warum”/ "without why", which means without calculation, without expecting anything in return.
Unfortunately, I could not decide to read Meister Eckhart at that time. I had doubts: can we still read a medieval author today? (And I am far from being an expert on the Middle Ages). But yesterday I had a long conversation with a friend of mine who has read a lot of Meister Eckhart and he has allayed my concerns. So, I think I will start reading Meister Eckhart in the fall when it is no longer hot… 🥵
Gracias de nuevo por este vídeo tan interesante.
¡Que tengas un buen domingo, querido Jorge!
(Please, let me know if this is not correct. I would not be offended, I promise!)
¡Muchísimas gracias, querida Merle! 😃 I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the video. I don't see a contradiction either in appreciating both rational thinking and the type of perspective that Meister Eckhart offers. He was quite a revelation to me!
Mystik und Widerstand sounds very interesting. It is available in English as The Silent Cry (which is also the title of a novel by Kenzaburo Oe, haha). I'll do some quick research on it.
I love that concept of "ohne warum," yes! The disinterested way of doing things. (I'm told many English speakers mistake the terms "disinterested" and "uninterested," but I never had a problem because the Spanish word "desinteresado/a" means exactly that: working without thinking of a reward, with no selfish motives.)
Personally, I love medieval texts. Of course, it's impossible for us to read them in their "original" context, but I feel that as long as one understands and accepts that, there is still much to be gained by reading these authors. I'm a big fan of the medieval epics, Dante, Chaucer, and many others, so there will be more to come on this time period. 😃
Gracias a ti por ver el video y por tus excelentes comentarios. ¡Que tengas un muy buen domingo también, querida amiga! (Ihr Spanisch ist perfekt!)
Wonderful 👍
Thank you so much, my friend! 😃 Glad you enjoyed it. Have a great week!