Thesis--Tübingen. / Vita. Bibliography: p. 115-120.

This thesis investigates the role of practical activity in the union of the soul and God in Meister Eckhart. Since Eckhart’s attitude toward temporal works is highly inconsistent, the thesis begins by examining the complex and intimate relationship between God and the temporal order in Eckhart’s discussions of creation in principio. Next it considers the creation of man and how he, through the natural function of the intellect interacting with the created order, is transformed into the image of God. Finally it examines the relationship between the intellectual and practical acts and considers the possibility of a union between God and the soul which takes place in practical activity in Eckhart’s thought. Throughout, the thesis makes reference to Eckhart’s creative use of the term indistinctum (indistinct) and its Middle High German equivalents with respect to God, the soul, and the union between the two.

Depuis ses débuts, la recherche eckhartienne somme toute relativement récente s'est fréquemment et assidûment penchée sur les grandes inspirations philosophiques et théologiques de Maître Eckhart; on ne compte plus les travaux valorisant les influences néoplatoniciennes, maïmonidiennes ou bien encore thomistes de la production du Maître thuringien. Celui-ci fut néanmoins inspiré par d'autres penseurs auxquels la communauté scientifique a accordé jusqu'à présent moins d'intérêt, c'est notamment le cas des mystiques rhéno-flamandes. Dans ce travail de recherche, nous nous proposerons d'analyser la pensée eckhartienne au regard de plusieurs oeuvres béguinales que sont Le Miroir des âmes simples, La lumière fluente de la Divinité ainsi que les Lettres, les Poèmes et les Visions hadewigiens afin d'affiner l'approche théologique et philosophique d'Eckhart et, ainsi, de mettre en valeur son originalité, de mieux comprendre sa quête singulière d'universalité et de mieux saisir son point d'ancrage. Comment la prodigiosité de la théologie eckhartienne s'est-elle affinée au contact de ces textes en langue vernaculaire? / Overall, Eckhartian research has frequently and assiduously leaned on the great philosophical and theological inspirations of Meister Eckhart since its beginnings; works that value Neoplatonist influences, as well as those of Maimonides and the Thomists of Thuringia are no longer given a second thought. This work, however, was inspired by other thinkers to whom the scientific community has, until now, accorded less interest, such as the Rhinish-Flemish mystics, who have notably been the subjects of this kind of indifference. In this paper, we will compare Eckhartian thought to several beguine works, namely, The Mirror of Simple Souls, The Flowing Light of Divinity, as well as the letters, poems, and visions of Hadewijch of Antwerp, in order to refine Eckhart’s theological and philosophical approaches, as well as to highlight his originality, to better understand his singular quest for universality, and his point of focus. How is it that the grandness of Eckhartian theology is refined through the analysis of these texts written in the vernacular of the period?

Meister Eckhart exhibits an unprecedented confidence in the transcendental way of thought in medieval philosophy. Eckhart, unlike his predecessors, identifies being as such (ens commune) and God, allowing the most primary determinations metaphysics – ‘being,’ ‘one,’ ‘true,’ ‘good,’ – to function as both metaphysical and theological first principles. Eckhart placed them at the head of his projected Tripartite Opus, a vast work of quaestiones and commentaries whose intelligibility, he insists, requires the prior foundation of a supposed series of a thousand axioms. The table of contents remains, the opus propositionum does not. This thesis argues that what enables Eckhart to pursue the direct application of the transcendentals to the divine also makes it unrealizable. His determination of unity is twofold: as (i) indivisibility, and the standard transcendental conception of unity as a negation of the given positive content of being (ens); as (ii) indistinction, comprehending both the negation of otherness which produces the indivisible and the otherness that is negated. There is an inherent tension between Peripatetic metaphysics and Procline henology. Consequently, the Good is devalued when the Procline One appears within the transcendental perspective. Metaphysics, theology and, a fortiori for Eckhart, ethics, take no consideration of Goodness. I show how this tension gives rise to Eckhart’s association of the divine essence with the Neoplatonic One, while the Peripatetic One and the transcendental “true” function as the explanans of the Trinitarian intellectual self-return. This, in turn, gives rise to the constitutive function of the imago dei, and every imago as such, within that self-relation. Ultimately, this produces a standpoint wherein every essence, only as idea, contains the divine uniform infinity.

The aim of this thesis is to define, develop, and defend an interpretation and application of the mystical ontology of Meister Eckhart. Briefly, mystical ontology should be understood as a distinctive theology insofar as it presents God's being, the being of the world, and the individual's being as an essentially unified whole. My research focus for this thesis will then be to situate Eckhart's theology within current debates on mysticism and amidst the post-Kantian philosophical turn toward ontology. The cumulative effort of this thesis will reach its height when I apply my conclusions on the mystical nature of being that can be found in Eckhart's medieval writings and transcriptions in order to address the modern, theological problem of secularity. This effort will be implemented with the objective of creating a space for dialogue between Christian theology and the generally secularized culture that, in part, defines the present age. In so doing, this thesis will demonstrate the philosophical and cultural relevance of this particular understanding of the nature of being when treating modern problems in theology. The guiding question for this thesis will be the following: what insights can Meister Eckhart's thought offer to theologians today in addressing the problem of secularity? My overall thesis will then be: the mystical ontology of Meister Eckhart can be interpreted and applied in a manner that successfully opens a space for constructive dialogue between secular culture and the presence of God in the world. Overall, this thesis should be read as a scholarly project on Eckhartian theology and its applicability toward productively treating the problem of secularity. All of my conclusions will be derived as a result of having been situated and argued for amidst current debates on relevant topics, as well as in relation to other major works that are indispensable for such a project. To be clear, my aim will not be to appropriate Eckhart's work and to assimilate it to a post-Kantian perspective. Rather, I will look to Eckhart for his clear and definitive theological statements. I will then interpret those statements and apply them in a manner that efficaciously engages specific principles of secularity in demarcating a common ground for dialogue.

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不同於過去將密契經驗侷限於一特殊意識狀態的經驗，本文試圖從艾克哈特關於超脫 的觀點來說明密契主義和其經驗的形式如何受到其社會與時代背景所影響。 過去學者的研究說明艾克哈特關於超脫的概念，是其形而上學和密契主義的核心。但 超脫此一概念不僅是密契主義中用以顯示辯證法和否性神學的形而上概念，從艾克哈特的德 文著作中我們還可以發現該辭彙的產生與其所面對的聽眾和當下的信仰情境息息相關。 艾克哈特將信徒在信仰操作上所遇到的困境和壓力視為一種苦難的來源，因而以童貞 婦人的形象要求信徒應當轉而重視信仰的態度，以超脫的態度在入世或既有的宗教生活中實 踐其信仰，最後達到沒有原因的生活與意志的貧乏。艾克哈特關於超脫所建構出來的密契經 驗有著與其時代相關社會的、實踐的或倫理學上的生成因。 此外，透過對 Gezücken 等辭彙的探討，我們發現超脫一概念包含著形而上學、倫理 學和密契的不同層次。這些層次說明了艾克哈特對密契經驗的概念並指導他的聽眾如何正確 的對待自己的宗教經驗。超脫因而是艾克哈特密契經驗的主題，實踐和內容。 我們因而可以說，在艾克哈特的範例中，密契主義及其經驗具有不同層面，並且如同 史蒂芬卡茲所說，是一種處在宗教、文化等生活實境中所建構的經驗形式。 / By studying the concept of "Detachment" of Meister Eckhart, this article presents that the forms of mysticism and mystical experience are influenced and restricted by its own social and religious contexts. According to previous studies of scholars, the idea of "Detachment" is a central and metaphysical idea of Meister Eckhart's Mysticism. However, the idea of "Detachment" is not only a concept that contents neoplatonical idea of dialectic and negative theology but also a concept that responds to its contemporary religious trends which we can find in Eckhart's German works. Eckhart considered the heavy pressure of religious practices as sufferings and persuaded his audiences to concentrate on their own detached attitudes instead. He suggested that the life of detachment was a model of "virgin wife" that presented purest religious life in the normal daily life, and the purpose was to live without a why and to reach spiritual poverty. The mysticism of Meister Eckhart, which has "detachment" as its central idea, therefore has its social, practical, and ethical causes. Meanwhile, by studying the concept of Gezücken, we found that the idea of "Detachment" is a concept combined with metaphysical, ethical, and mystical layers. These layers presents in Eckhart's discourse about mystical experience and direct his audiences to treat their religious experiences with correct attitudes. "Detachment" therefore is both the main theme, the criteria, and the content of Eckhart's idea of mystical experiences. We can finally conclude that, like Steven Katz's theory, in the situation of Meister Eckhart the mystical experience is a experience formulated by its own religious and cultural situations, a experience that "Sitz im Leben".

Title: Letting go and detachment in the Tao Te Ching and in the works of Meister Eckhart Type: Diploma thesis Author: Alena Michutová Supervisor: doc. Pavel Hošek, ThD. Site: Neratov Year of solving: 2013 Pages: 120 This diploma thesis is divided into five chapters. The first one deals with goals and methods of the work and the fifth chapter is the conclusion. The theme itself is divided into three chapters: (2) theme of detachment in the Tao Te Ching, (3) theme of detachment by Meister Eckhart, (4) comparison of the detachment in the Tao Te Ching and in the works of Meister Eckhart. The first part is concerned with the character of Laozi, the book of Tao Te Ching and its position in the Taoist canon. Then the basic terms of the Tao Te Ching, Tao, wu-wei and sameness, are examined. Consequently, the necessary analyses, which is interspersed with numerous citations from the Tao Te Ching and also from the secondary literature, follows to approach the topic "detachment in the Tao Te Ching". In the end, I briefly outline, how the idea of detachment has been devepoled in Taoist praxis from the very beginning up to the present time. The similar method for the topic of detachment by Meister Eckhart has been chosen - at first I deal with the character of Meister Eckhart, then with his Latin and German...

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-06-24T13:56:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 adrianaandradedesouza.pdf: 786976 bytes, checksum: 1786e04c5379bbcb5d4ffe6872499136 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-13T15:45:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 adrianaandradedesouza.pdf: 786976 bytes, checksum: 1786e04c5379bbcb5d4ffe6872499136 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-13T15:45:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 adrianaandradedesouza.pdf: 786976 bytes, checksum: 1786e04c5379bbcb5d4ffe6872499136 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-19 / O tema central deste trabalho, “Entre o um e o dois: Mestre Eckhart e o aberto da Abgeschiedenheit” baseia-se na compreensão de que o pensamento eckhartiano acerca do desprendimento (Abgeschiedenheit) oscila entre três dimensões. Uma destas dimensões se refere ao que se poderia chamar uma “pedagogia” da conversão, na qual está em jogo a necessidade do esforço do homem em desapropriar-se de si mesmo. Outra dimensão do desprendimento seria a compreensão da busca da identidade com Deus como um “em si”, ou seja, como dádiva previamente dada, assim expressa nas palavras de Eckhart: “o fundo da alma e o fundo de Deus são um fundo.” A partir desse permanecer em si, o desprendimento ainda se descobre em uma dimensão vivida, ou seja, trata-se de um permanecer “em si”, no próprio da ação sem porquê, tal como é expresso na célebre frase eckhartiana: “frutificar a dádiva é a única gratidão para com a dádiva.” Assim compreendido, o desprendimento revelase como uma negação da negação, que é pura afirmação sem porquê, a que neste trabalho chamamos o aberto da Abgeschiedenheit. O “sem-porquê” é a dinâmica de retração na qual a Deidade se mantém ao criar o mundo. O próprio do pensamento de Eckhart é que essa dinâmica se estende imediatamente à existência humana, pelo ser uno de homem e Deus no fundo. Tornar-se interior no fundo da alma significa, para o homem, desprender-se da perspectiva de dualidade própria do seu ser criado, para tornar própria a pureza que não é, nas palavras de Eckhart, “nem no mundo, nem fora do mundo.” Ou seja, aquela pureza do fundo da Deidade da qual é próprio um brotar-se em si mesmo – sem nenhum porquê. O “semporquê”, em Eckhart, é essa idéia que diz não ser o desprendimento somente uma interiorização extática, mas plenitude efetiva, bem exercitada – muito mais do que só de dentro. Para nós, este é o modo como Eckhart une um dos grandes temas dos místicos renanos, a saber, o fundo sem fundo da Deidade e a abertura sem porquê, ao tema maior do nascimento de Deus na alma – nascimento que implica uma reciprocidade, porque a alma só é verdadeiramente bem-aventurada quando em retorno ela “gera Deus”. Esse “gerar” é o cumprimento da perspectiva da Deidade na existência humana, é o “sem-porquê” vivido. É o caminho do distinto à pura indistinção de Deus (da Abgeschiedenheit) em seu brotar-se em si mesmo – o caminho de volta para dentro da vida vivida. / The central theme of this work, "Between the one and the two: Meister Eckhart and the open of the Abgeschiedenheit", is based on the understanding that Eckhart’s thought about the detachment (Abgeschiedenheit) ranges in three dimensions. One of these dimensions refers to what one might call a "pedagogy" of conversion, in which the need of human effort to evict itself is at stake. Another dimension of the detachment would be the understanding of the search for identity with God as a "per se", ie, as a previously given gift, which is expressed in Eckhart’s words as "the depth of the soul and the depth of God are one depth". From this remaining in oneself, the detachment still finds itself in a live dimension, ie, it refers to remaining "in itself" in the very action without reason, as it is expressed in the famous words of Eckhart: "to make the donation fruitful is the only gratitude for the gift." Understood in this way, the detachment is revealed as a negation of the negation, which is pure assertion without reason, and in this work is named the open of the Abgeschiedenheit. The "no why" is the dynamics of contraction in which the deity remains as it creates the world. The thought of Eckhart is properly that this dynamics is immediately extended to human existence, by the being one as man and God in the depth. To become interior in the depth of the soul means to man, to loosen up from the prospect of a created being’s own duality, in order to make proper the purity that, in the words of Eckhart, is "neither in the world nor out of the world ". That is, the purity of the depth of the Deity to whom is proper to spring in itself - without any reason. The "no why" in Eckhart, is this idea that says the detachment is not only an ecstatic internalization, but effective plenitude, well-exercised - much more than just the inside. For us, this is how Eckhart takes one of the major themes of the Rhineland mystics, namely the depth with no depth of the Deity, and without reason, and links it to the major theme of the birth of God in the soul - a birth that involves reciprocity, because the soul is only truly blessed when in return it "creates God." This "generating" is the fulfillment of view of the Deity in human existence, it is the lived "why not". Is the path from the separate to the pure indistinctness of God (the Abgeschiedenheit) in its spring in itself - the way back into the lived life.

Keiji Nishitani, philosophe de l’École de Kyoto, a développé sa philosophie de la religion en étudiant les sermons allemands de Maître Eckhart à la lumière de la notion du « néant absolu » de Kitarô Nishida. Nishitani applique cette dernière à la « Déité » (Gotheit) exposée dans la prédication d’Eckhart, où il découvre l’idée d’un éveil à la subjectivité originaire dans l’âme humaine. Cet éveil ouvre à l’âme une liberté « en Dieu sans Dieu », accessible à la vraie intelligence religieuse, détachée de tout dualisme. Dans cette perspective, comment pouvons-nous intégrer la métaphysique que Maître Eckhart expose dans ses œuvres latines ? Dans le Commentaire de l’Évangile selon Jean, Eckhart déploie sa vision sur Dieu, Être-Un, « Principe sans principe », et il enseigne à « vivre » l’unité entre « être » et « connaître », en laquelle consiste la béatitude. Notre réflexion s’articule autour de l’idée de « vivre la vie ». Nous essayons d’unifier le détachement dans le « néant de la Déité » selon Nishitani et l’« Être illimité » selon le commentaire biblique, de manière à représenter la pensée eckhartienne comme une synergie de la spéculation métaphysique et de la pratique existentielle pour expérimenter le Transcendant dans notre vie immanente. / Keiji Nishitani, philosopher of the Kyoto School, developed his philosophy of religion, studying the German sermons of Meister Eckhart, in the light of the notion of “absolute nothingness” of Kitarô Nishida. He applies that notion to the “Godhead” (Gotheit) outlined in Eckhart’s preaching, where he discovers the idea of awakening to the elemental subjectivity in human soul. This awakening opens up to the soul a liberty “in Godwithout God”, accessible to the religious intelligence detached from all dualism. In this perspective, how can we integrate the metaphysics exposed by Eckhart in his Latin works ? In the Commentary on the Gospel of John, Eckhart explains his vision of God, Being-One, “Principle without principle”, and he teaches to “live” the unity between “being” and “knowing”, of which the beatitude consists. Our study revolves around the thinking on “live the life”. We try to unify the detachment in the “nothingness of the Godhead” according to Nishitani and the “unlimited Being” according to the biblical commentary, so as to show the Eckhartian thought as a synergy between metaphysic speculation and existential practice to experience the Transcendent in our immanent life.