Meister Eckhart's Book of Secrets

August 5, 2019
Poet Burrows and scholar Sweeney (Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart) collect meditations derived from the writings of 14th-century mystical Dominican friar Meister Eckhart in this moving selection of poetic interpretations based on his quotations. The authors have translated Eckhart’s original sermons and academic texts, both from Latin and German into English and from prose into poetry. They consider their work a “carrying over” of his insights for readers “for whom the style of his writings might not be easily accessible.” The book contains five loose sections with titles that suggest the paradoxical nature of Eckhart’s work, including “Knowing Nothing” and “Embracing Everything.” The meditation-poems create a satisfying thematic arc if read from start to finish, or they can be selected at random as part of a meditation practice. While most of the poems feature God (and some specifically reference the Bible), the insights often speak to a broader spirituality, such as: “So you want to learn to love God?/ Well there is no particular way,/ since God is not to be found in any/ way...” These short poems, filled with the Dominican mystic’s insight and levity, will make for a fine introduction to Eckhart’s thinking.

October 1, 2019

Positioned as a follow-up to Meister Eckhart's Book of the Heart: Meditations for the Restless Soul, this book by collaborators Sweeney and Burrows collects meditations from the 14th-century priest and mystic Eckhart von Hochheim, better known as Meister Eckhart. Though presented as a combination of prose and poems, the work notes that Eckhart himself did not write poetry. Rather, these are curated theological reflections presented in poetic form with many lines taken verbatim from Eckhart's more formal theological discourses and sermons. In this, Sweeney and Burrows have crafted something akin to a road map to centering prayer. Eckhart's mystical musings lead toward an "undoing, letting go of our need to manage our lives, freeing ourselves to seek this treasure." VERDICT With an economy of language, these words read like Buddhist koans, encouraging a path toward the richness of an interior life.--Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

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