Conversations With Meister Eckhart ('Conversation with')
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £1.40
Trade in Conversations with Meister Eckhart for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £1.40, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
THE NEW YORKER August 30th 2010 SIMON PARKE SPEAKS WITH THE DEAD Book trailers-the low-budget previews modelled on those used by the film industry-have quickly grown tiresome. They're never very interesting, often overly impressionistic and pretentious, and rarely rise above the level of those silly historical reA"nactments you see on cable. They might get better over time, or die out; either is preferable to their current state. An exception, though, are the finely wrought previews for Simon Parke's Conversations with - A" biographies, published by White Crow Books. In this series, Parke bypasses the more quotidian aspects of historical biography by conducting interviewsA" with his subjects-Jesus, Meister Eckhart, Arthur Conan Doyle, Vincent van Gogh, and Leo Tolstoy-with the answers coming from their published writings. The trailers are stagey-with Parke and the actor playing his subject shown in the recording studio while a musical score soars behind their voices-yet the interviews nonetheless feel natural. Much of this feeling owes to the straightforward and unadorned nature of the exchanges, as when Parke asks Vincent van Gogh why he drinks, and the master answers, If the storm gets too loud, I take a glass too much to stun myself.A" The shot cuts to At Eternity's Gate,A" van Gogh's portrait of a man with his head in his hands, but you can imagine the whorls and swirls of the artist's favored darkened skies as well. Here, Parke conducts his interview with Tolstoy in the assured and chatty style of a British talk-show host: http://whitecrowbooks.com/conversations/page/conversations_with_leo_tolstoy This gambit may be viewed as simply a clever gimmick, but there is something compelling about Parke's style, which in a way that is always promised but rarely delivered, does, in fact, bring his subjects to life. Parke's role as the good-natured interlocutor seems to be an essential component of the project, a disposition on display in this cheeky description of his imagined time spent with Tolstoy: He also proved an appalling husband, hated Shakespeare, never came to terms with his sexual appetite and yet had a profound influence on the non-violence of the young Gandhi. My time at Yasnaya Polyana, Tolstoy's country estate, was never dull; and sometimes, surprisingly comic. Soon after I left the great man, at the age of 82, he ran away from home. by Ian Crouch Loose leafs from the New Yorker Books Department.
Product Description
In many ways, Meister Eckhart has had to wait seven centuries to be heard. Born in 13th century Germany, much of his life was spent in a monastery. 'Meister' means 'Master', and is an academic title from the University of Paris. An admired member of the Dominican Order, he was often sent to reform ailing priories. He was known as a spiritual counsellor; a safe haven for many who sought God in their life, but found themselves troubled by the state of the institutional church. He was best known, however, as a preacher - who used his native German language to startling effect. Eckhart preached a spiritual vision which distrusted both ritual and church dogma. Instead, he aimed at nothing less than the spiritual and psychological transformation of those given to his care. To this end, Eckhart made the disposition of the human heart the key to all things. 'Conversations with Meister Eckhart' is an imagined conversation with this 13th century mystic, around such themes as detachment, which he famously placed above love; spirituality, God, the soul and suffering. But while the conversation is imagined, Eckhart's words are not; they are authentically his own. One of his controversial claims was that God cannot be described. Indeed, in one sermon, he went so far as to say 'We must take leave of God.' 'The church became very hostile towards him,' says Simon Parke, 'accusing him of heresy; and he spent his last days on trial before the pope. They also tried to ensure he'd be forgotten when he died, and nearly succeeded. But he's more popular now than ever.' Eckhart's teaching is an adventure, not a system; a call, not a creed. The depth and universality of his work means it can be contained by no established religion, but draws to itself seekers of truth from all backgrounds. 'Here we have a teaching open to all, but possessed by none,' says Parke. 'And therefore free like a butterfly, in the garden of the soul. Its perhaps my most challenging and rewarding conversation.'
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was the first time that I've taken a journey with Meister Eckhart. In the past I have read numerous books on spiritual teachings and development, some I found instantly enjoyable and accessible, others took more time to connect with, a few remain undiscovered, this book, in this conversational format, was a joy from the very beginning. Simon Parke has found a way to highlight the meaning that lies beneath the text, his prompts & probes take you deeper into the message that Eckhart is expressing. Some of the questions I might have asked myself had I had the opportunity, but most I would have missed, the intimate bond that Simon Parke has with these teachings is obvious, and my journey without his help would have been much, much poorer.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I tried to read Meister Eckhart writings before but never got very far. In fact I thought he was a Master of obfuscation.
Not any more - thanks to Parke's slim volume of 'conversations' with the great man, my cloud of unknowing (or rather uncomprehending) has lifted a little bit. I still have a long way to go, for example when one thing is asserted and then directly and cheerfully contradicted in the next paragraph. But then perhaps logic and mysticism were never easy bedfellows at the best of times.
The author's skillfull handling of the material is truly admirable - he makes the conversations seem totally natural, despite the chasm of centuries between his interlocutor and our times. And despite aspiring to be no more than a humble and invisible presenter, Parke's humanity, intelligence and humour all shine through.
It's a great introduction to Meister Eckhart thought. It made me want to read other books in this series by Parke, even if not immediately reach for big volume of Meister's own writings.
Not any more - thanks to Parke's slim volume of 'conversations' with the great man, my cloud of unknowing (or rather uncomprehending) has lifted a little bit. I still have a long way to go, for example when one thing is asserted and then directly and cheerfully contradicted in the next paragraph. But then perhaps logic and mysticism were never easy bedfellows at the best of times.
The author's skillfull handling of the material is truly admirable - he makes the conversations seem totally natural, despite the chasm of centuries between his interlocutor and our times. And despite aspiring to be no more than a humble and invisible presenter, Parke's humanity, intelligence and humour all shine through.
It's a great introduction to Meister Eckhart thought. It made me want to read other books in this series by Parke, even if not immediately reach for big volume of Meister's own writings.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Simon Parke has made Meister Eckhart accessible. The format of personal interviews carries the reader along in a logical and thought-provoking path into Eckhart's mystical thought. This is a book that provokes serious thought and which leads the reader into the essence of the religious experience. It is also a book to dip into more than once, as Meister Eckhart's meaning is oftenfar from obvious.
John Ridout
John Ridout
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Questions
The dialoque with the questioner and his qustions are painful. The questioner is simply not in the same world then Meister Eckhard .. Read more
Published 5 months ago by greta
The best Eckhart for me
I have tried a number of books on Eckhart including Cyprian Smith's and Ursula Flemming's. I also have the M.O.C'Walshe translations. Read more
Published 5 months ago by DilCam
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
