Beyond Scholasticism
Meister Eckhart（约1260-1328）
Dominican friar——
Trained in scholastic theology（like Aquinas）——
但超越它——
Into mystical experience和paradoxical语言
他代表另一种medieval philosophy：
不是pure reason（scholastic）——
而是direct experience of divine（mystical）
他的sermons和writings——
Profound、poetic、有时heretical——
Influence至今
生平
Academic career
出生于Thuringia（德国）
Join Dominicans年轻时
Study和teach：
- Paris（获theology doctorate）
- Cologne
- Strasbourg
成为"Meister"（master）——
既academic title也spiritual title
Responsibilities：
- Professor
- Preacher（德语sermons，very popular）
- Prior of Dominican houses
- Provincial（管理Dominican province）
Controversy
1326：被指控heresy——
By Archbishop of Cologne
某些propositions从他的sermons——
被extract和condemned
Eckhart appeal to Pope——
1327：去世before final judgment
1329：教宗condemn 28 propositions——
从Eckhart’s teachings
但Eckhart本人never formally condemned为heretic
Ambiguous status：
Influential但suspect
核心思想：Godhead vs God
Eckhart最radical distinction：
Godhead（神性）
“Gottheit”（德语）
Beyond God——
Ultimate reality——
Before distinctions
特点：
- Absolutely simple、undifferentiated
- Beyond all attributes
- Beyond Trinity
- 不可言、不可知
- Pure being或even beyond being
这是apophatic theology（否定神学）极致：
连"God"这name都too limited
God（上帝）
上帝=Godhead as manifest——
With attributes、Trinity、creation
上帝acts：
- Creates
- Knows
- Wills
- Loves
但Godhead beyond action——
Pure stillness
Shocking claim：
“God and Godhead are as different as heaven and earth.”
甚至：
“I pray God to rid me of God.”
意思：
从limited concept of上帝（with attributes）——
到pure Godhead（beyond concepts）
灵魂中的"ground"或"spark"
Eckhart teach：
在灵魂最深处——
有divine spark（Funke）or ground（Grund）
什么是spark？
不是part of灵魂——
像faculties（intellect、will）
而是deeper：
灵魂的innermost core——
Where灵魂touches Godhead
特点：
- Uncreated（未被创造！）
- Eternal
- Identical with Godhead某种sense
Controversial claim：
“There is something in the soul that is uncreated and uncreatable; if the whole soul were such, it would be uncreated and uncreatable; and this is the Intellect.”
意思：
灵魂’s ground=divine——
不是creature！
这was condemned因为：
Seems deny creature-Creator distinction
Detachment（Abgeschiedenheit）
Spiritual path的key：
离弃（Gelassenheit）
Let go of：
- Attachments
- Desires
- Even religious images和concepts
- Self-will
- 甚至desire for上帝（as object）
完全emptying
Why？
因为：
只要你cling to anything——
甚至spiritual things——
你not completely open to Godhead
比较：
道家的"无为"
佛教的"无执"
Detachment不是cold indifference——
而是perfect freedom from bondage
Poverty of spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit”（Matthew 5:3）
Eckhart’s radical interpretation：
真正spiritual poverty=
不仅放弃possessions——
而是放弃：
- 自己的will（“wanting nothing”）
- 自己的knowing（“knowing nothing”）
- 自己的having（“having nothing”）
甚至：
不should want上帝——
因为wanting creates distance
Just be——
In perfect detachment
Then上帝can fully manifest
The Birth of God in the Soul
核心mystical teaching：
“God’s ground is my ground, and my ground is God’s ground.”
不只是：
上帝creates灵魂（一次性act in past）
而是：
上帝eternally born in灵魂（ongoing）
如果灵魂perfectly detached——
上帝can be born in it——
Like Christ born in Mary
但这不是external event——
是灵魂’s innermost reality
The divine与human unite——
Not two separate things——
But one in the ground
Breakthrough（Durchbruch）
Mystical experience的goal：
不只是union with上帝（God）——
而是breakthrough到Godhead
超越：
- 主客分别
- Creature-Creator distinction
- All duality
Into pure unity
在那里：
我和上帝不是two——
而是one in Godhead
这是不可言说的experience——
Eckhart只能用paradox、metaphor表达
Paradoxes和Negative theology
Eckhart充满paradoxical statements：
Examples
“The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me.”
主体和客体collapse
“God is not found in piety…but in detachment.”
Reverse normal religious assumption
“If I am to know God directly, I must become completely God, and God must become completely me.”
Identity，不只是union
Via negativa extreme
Even negative语言inadequate：
不能说上帝"是"good——
因为"is"暗示limitation
不能说上帝"exists"——
因为existence是category
Godhead beyond being itself：
“God is nothing. No thing. God is nothingness.”
不是nihilistic——
而是beyond all categories
Meister Eckhart vs Aquinas
Both Dominicans——
但approach very different：
| Aquinas | Eckhart |
|---|---|
| Systematic theology | Mystical theology |
| 通过reason approach上帝 | 通过experience approach Godhead |
| Emphasize difference between Creator和creature | Emphasize identity in ground |
| Analogy（can speak of上帝analogically） | Apophatic（must transcend speech） |
| 上帝as being itself | Godhead beyond being |
| Union with上帝as goal | Breakthrough to Godhead |
Aquinas会说：
Eckhart too much blur creature-Creator distinction
Eckhart会说：
Aquinas too much conceptualize不可conceptualize的
Influences
From哪里Eckhart draw？
1. Neo-Platonism
Plotinus’s One——
Beyond being、knowing
通过Pseudo-Dionysius传给Eckhart
2. Augustine
灵魂’s return to上帝
Divine illumination
3. Aristotle
Via scholastic training
但超越into mysticism
4. Rhineland mysticism
Earlier German mystics
Eckhart’s influence
1. Immediate followers
Tauler、Suso（disciples）
Rhineland mystical tradition
2. Later mystics
Nicholas of Cusa（会讲）
Jakob Böhme
3. German philosophy
Hegel读Eckhart——
Influenced by God’s self-manifestation idea
Schopenhauer
Heidegger（关于being）
4. East-West dialogue
20世纪：
学者note similarities：
Eckhart和禅宗、Vedanta
D.T. Suzuki（禅学者）write on Eckhart
Eckhart vs Eastern mysticism
Striking parallels：
vs Vedanta（吠檀多）
Eckhart’s “ground”=Atman（真我）
Godhead=Brahman（梵）
“我和上帝=one"类似"Atman=Brahman”
超越duality
vs Buddhism
Detachment=无执
Emptying self=无我
But differences：
佛教generally避免absolute Being语言
（空性，not Godhead）
Eckhart仍在theistic framework（虽然超越）
vs Daoism
Godhead=道（beyond名）
无为=detachment
道生万物vs上帝’s birth in soul
但Eckhart more personal language（despite paradoxes）
为什么condemned？
哪些propositions problematic？
1. Uncreated spark in soul
似乎说part of soul不是creature——
Blurs Creator-creature line
2. Identity claims
“我和上帝=one”
Sounds like pantheism
3. Detachment over virtue
说detachment>charity（爱德）？
Reverses Christian priorities？
4. Devalue religious practices
如果直接union possible——
Why need Church、sacraments？
Eckhart的defense
他distinguish：
Levels of语言：
- Popular sermons（简化、provocative）
- Technical theology（nuanced）
Paradoxes不mean literal——
Pointing toward ineffable experience
他protest：
Condemned statements out of context
但damage已done
现代意义
1. Spirituality beyond institutions
Eckhart appeal to many seeking：
Direct spiritual experience——
不necessarily through institutional religion
“Spiritual but not religious”
他show：
Mystical experience可能within tradition——
但also transcends it
2. Apophatic theology revival
在dogmatic certainties时代——
Eckhart remind：
Ultimate reality beyond our concepts
Humility before mystery
3. Interfaith dialogue
Eckhart’s mysticism——
Resonates across traditions：
Christian mystics、Sufis、Hindu advaita、Zen——
Share certain experiences
Common ground in ineffable
4. Letting go
Eckhart’s detachment——
Practical wisdom：
Clinging=suffering（also Buddhist insight）
Letting go=freedom
适用beyond religion：
- Psychological health（不过度执着）
- Relationships（爱without possessiveness）
- Material possessions（minimalism）
批评
1. Pantheism？
如果我=上帝in ground——
这是pantheism（泛神论）？
Eckhart说no：
Distinction between：
- Creature（as manifested）
- Divine ground（innermost essence）**
但line确实blurry
2. Elitism？
Mystical experience=for few？
多数人不能达到？
Eckhart会说：
潜力在everyone——
但requires effort、grace
3. Devalue creation？
如果detachment from all——
包括world——
这devalue creation？
Eco-theology might critique
4. 不可验证
Mystical experience=subjective——
How verify？
可能是delusion？
Eckhart：
不可prove——
但transform life的人know
实践
1. 片刻stillness
在busy life中——
Pause——
Let go of thoughts、worries、plans
Just be
这是detachment的taste
2. 超越concepts
当think about ultimate questions——
Notice when concepts fail
“上帝”、“meaning”、“truth”——
Point beyond themselves
Don’t cling to words
3. Find the ground
在daily experience中——
Where do you feel most:your self：
Not roles、not thoughts——
但deeper presence？
Eckhart’s spark可能不是theological claim——
而是phenomenological reality
4. Let go gently
Practice small detachments：
- Opinion you cherish
- Possession you like
- Plan you made
Notice：
Letting go=loss或liberation？
Meister Eckhart——
Medieval mystic——
Speaking paradoxes——
Pointing beyond words——
To ineffable——
To Godhead——
To ground——
To那里：
没有我和你——
没有time和space——
没有words——
只有——
Pure——
Being——
Or——
Beyond——
…
（Words fail）
But his legacy：
Reminder——
Mystery remains——
Beyond all our systems、
All our theologies、
All our concepts——
Inviting us——
To let go——
And simply——
Be