Meister Eckhart

Rating:
Summary: Eckhart good, translation bad...
Review: A student of spirituality and mysticism will do no better than to study Eckhart, but one must always be careful of one's translation. Blakney's "modern" translation, written in 1941 and based on an 1857 uncritical edition of Eckhart's sermons and treatises, contains many writings which were almost certainly not Eckhart's at all. The reader would do better to look at _Meister Eckhart: The Essential Sermons, Commentaries, Treatises, and Defense_ by Colledge and McGinn, _Breakthrough: Meister Eckhart's Creation Spirituality in New Translation_ by Matthew Fox, or translations by M. O'C Walshe or James Clark (or Clark/Skinner) if you can find them.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the Mystic Tradition
Review: Agree with previous reviewer's views. It is a deep read. A classic in the western Christian mystic tradition comparable to Shankara's commentaries in the Eastern tradition. Worth its price for Sermons 20 and 28 alone! I have gone back to this book several times over the years. And am currently reading it again, preceeding my morning meditations. After 45 years of meditation this book still pushes the meditation deeper. One must read this a page or two a day. It isn't really possible to absorb much more than that at a sitting. The selection of Eckhart's writings and the clarity of the translation have made this one of the most treasured books in my library.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless
Review: This book is a well-chosen and remarkably comprehensive collection of Eckhart, in an absolutely enchanting translation. For someone who would like a readable and usable volume of Eckhart, this is a super choice. For someone who is a devotee of Eckhart, this volume simply can't be missed and should go on the shelf with other works of/on Eckhart. It contains the Talks of Instruction, the Book of Divine Comfort, the Aristocrat, a somewhat less well-known piece called "About Disinterest", and 28 sermons, plus an introduction to Eckhart. Also in the book are some legends concerning Eckhart that are deeply moving, and there is a copy of Eckhart's defense (which I have not seen elsewhere). As I said, the translation is marvellous and very readable. My only caveats are as follows. First, for someone entirely unfamiliar with Eckhart and needing something easier to "approach", probably the best book is "Meister Eckhart from whom God hid nothing" (compiled by Steindl-Rast), since it starts with short quotes and builds to longer excerpts from Eckhart's best works. But in the end Steindl-Rast's work leaves one wanting more of Eckhart and that's where this book satisfies (and continues to excel in its beautiful prose). And second, this edition is unfortunately done with "cheap" paper and eventually with passing years it will be yellowed, cracking, and possibly falling apart. It's a shame because it deserves good acid-free paper and a better binding. Maybe Harper and Row will come through someday, but even so this book is a gem. Enjoy!