The Teachings of Meister Eckhart: An Invitation to Experience God in Every Moment
Course objectives:
- Discuss the mystical teachings of Meister Eckhart—the vision and path aspects of non-dual consciousness, or sense of oneness that pervades all of our lives
- Explain how the soul, as the interiority of ourselves, is capable of recognizing both the generosity of God, as well as inherent nothingness
- Define the three ways of being a human being, three states of consciousness, or ways of being in the world—the life of the natural person, the human being illumined by faith, and the awakened path of seeing the intimacy of the unseen
- Describe the importance of suffering, as well as the path of detachment, leading us toward disidentification—the path of inner liberation through the transformation of consciousness
- Discuss surrender, silence, stillness in relationship to Eckhart's teachings—living the immediacy without a why and coming home to a state of wonderment
The 13th-century mystic Meister Eckhart was the most brilliant Christian scholar of his day, but he was also legendary for the way that he opened listeners to the direct experience of God during his public talks. Today, his written wisdom remains alive as ever, ready to illuminate us.
With Meister Eckhart’s Living Wisdom, James Finley, one of today’s best-known teachers of the Christian contemplative tradition, invites us into Eckhart’s insights in the same way that this luminary teacher delighted in sharing them—through the spoken word.
“The eye with which I see God is the eye with which God sees me.”
If the Divine dwells in all things, including ourselves, then why do we experience His presence only in fleeting moments, if at all? How do we let go of the illusions that imprison us to discover direct and felt liberation—not conceptually or in the afterlife—but right here and now? These were the questions that compelled Meister Eckhart to reflection, spiritual practice, and discovery.
In this in-depth learning program, James Finley guides us through teachings and meditations for bringing Meister Eckhart’s wisdom into our daily lives—to find for ourselves “the indestructible joy that that transcends even death,” and to experience God not as a separate being, but as the loving eternal center that sustains and embraces each of us and all of creation.
Highlights
- Meister Eckhart’s vision for finding God
- Stillness, the intimacy of detachment, and the path of inner liberation
- The transformation of consciousness
- The fathomless depths of God
- Surrendering to the unfolding, and opening our hearts
- Coming to a state of wonderment
- The birth of the Word in the soul
- Eckhartian meditation practice
- How to read Meister Eckhart
- Living the immediacy, and breaking through into the Godhead
- The life of contemplation in action
