Contents.History The Cloud of Unknowing draws on the mystical tradition of and Christian, which focuses on the road to discovering God as a pure entity, beyond any capacity of mental conception and so without any definitive image or form. This tradition has reputedly inspired generations of mystical searchers from, and, to (the latter two of whom may have been influenced by The Cloud itself). Prior to this, the theme of The Cloud had appeared in the (IX, 10) written in AD 398.The author is unknown. The English Augustinian mystic has at times been suggested, but this is generally doubted. It is possible he was a Carthusian priest, though this is not certain.A second major work by the same author, The Book of Privy Counseling (originally titled Prive Counselling), continues the themes discussed in the Cloud.
It is less than half the size of the Cloud, appears to be the author's final work, and clarifies and deepens some of its teachings. In this work, the author characterizes the practice of contemplative unknowing as worshiping God with one's 'substance,' coming to rest in a 'naked blind feeling of being', and ultimately finding thereby that God is one's being.Contents The book counsels a young student to seek God, not through knowledge and (faculty of the human mind), but through intense contemplation, motivated by love, and stripped of all thought. Experience of a 'cloud of unknowing' is introduced Chapter 3:When you first begin this work, you find only darkness, and as it were a cloud of unknowing. Reconcile yourself to wait in the darkness as long as is necessary, but still go on longing after him whom you love. For if you are to feel him or see him in the life, it must always be in this cloud, in this darkness.This is brought about by putting all thoughts and desires under a 'cloud of forgetting,' and thereby piercing God's cloud of unknowing with a 'dart of longing love' from the heart.
Little is known about the author of The Cloud of Unknowing except that he was an English priest, most likely raised in the East Midlands, who wrote in the second half of the fourteenth century. Editor’s Note. For comparison, here are a few sentences by Franklin Merrell-Wolff from Pathways Through to Space.
This form of contemplation is not directed by the intellect, but involves spiritual union with God through the heart:For He can well be loved, but he cannot be thought. By love he can be grasped and held, but by thought, neither grasped nor held. And therefore, though it may be good at times to think specifically of the kindness and excellence of God, and though this may be a light and a part of contemplation, all the same, in the work of contemplation itself, it must be cast down and covered with a cloud of forgetting.
And you must step above it stoutly but deftly, with a devout and delightful stirring of love, and struggle to pierce that darkness above you; and beat on that thick cloud of unknowing with a sharp dart of longing love, and do not give up, whatever happens.' Chapters 39 and 40 recommend the focus on a single word as the means to invoke the fullness of God:When we intend to pray for goodness, let all our thought and desire be contained in the one small word 'God.' Nothing else and no other words are needed, for God is the epitome of all goodness. Immerse yourself in the spiritual reality it speaks of yet without precise ideas of God's works whether small or great, spiritual or material. Do not consider any particular virtue which God may teach you through grace, whether it is humility, charity, patience, abstinence, hope, faith, moderation, chastity, or evangelical poverty. For to a contemplative they are, in a sense, all the same.
Let this little word represent to you God in all his fullness and nothing less than the fullness of God.Chapter 23 of The Book of Privy Counseling glorifies experience over knowledge:'And so I urge you, go after experience rather than knowledge. On account of pride, knowledge may often deceive you, but this gentle, loving affection will not deceive you. Knowledge tends to breed conceit, but love builds. Knowledge is full of labor, but love, full of rest.'
Other works by the same author In addition to The Cloud of Unknowing and The Book of Privy Counseling, the Cloud author is believed to be responsible for a few other spiritual treatises and translations, including:. Deonise Hid Divinity, a free translation of the Mystical Theology. A vernacular translation of the Mystical Theology was unprecedented; however, it was clearly not widely read, since only two manuscripts survive.
A Letter of Prayer ( A Pistle of Prayer), which survives in seven manuscripts. ;. A Letter of Discretion of Stirrings ( A Pistle of Discrecioun of Stirings). It is possible, but doubtful, that he wrote A Treatise of Discernment of Spirits (originally titled A Tretis of Discrecyon of Spirites), a free translation of Sermones di Diversis nos 23-24, by,. It is possible, but doubtful, that he wrote A Treatise of the Study of Wisdom that Men Call Benjamin (also called Pursuit of Wisdom, and, in its original, A Tretyse of the Stodye of Wysdome that Men Clepen Beniamyn), an abbreviated and free translation of the Benjamin Minor by.Manuscripts The Cloud of Unknowing has 17 known manuscripts.
The two best known are Harley MS 2373 and Kk.vi.26. These contain all seven of the works attributed to the Cloud author, the former extensively glossed in Latin. Another important manuscript is British Library Harleian 2373, which contains all but Deonise Hid Divinity. Later influence Given its survival in only seventeen manuscripts, The Cloud of Unknowing was not as popular in late medieval England as the works of or, perhaps because the Cloud is addressed to solitaries and concentrates on the advanced levels of the mystical path. Two Latin translations of the Cloud were made in the late fifteenth century. One was made by, a Carthusian of the Charterhouse of in, and finished in 1491.
The other is anonymous. Neither, however, enjoyed wide dissemination.This work became known to English Catholics in the mid 17th century, when the Benedictine monk, (1575–1641), wrote an exposition on its doctrine based on a manuscript copy in the library of the monastery of in. The original work itself, however, was not published until 1877. English mystic edited an important version of the work in 1922.The work has become increasingly popular over the course of the twentieth century, with nine English translations or modernisations produced in this period. In particular, The Cloud has influenced recent contemplative prayer practices. The practical prayer advice contained in The Cloud of Unknowing forms a primary basis for the contemporary practice of, a form of developed by monks, and in the 1970s. It also informed the meditation techniques of the English Benedictine.The contemplation method urged in The Cloud is similar to and modern.
For example, the last paragraph of chapter 7 says:If you want to gather all your desire into one simple word that the mind can easily retain, choose a short word rather than a long one. A one-syllable word such as 'God' or 'love' is best. But choose one that is meaningful to you. Then fix it in your mind so that it will remain there come what may. This word will be your defence in conflict and in peace.
Use it to beat upon the cloud of darkness above you and to subdue all distractions, consigning them to the cloud of forgetting beneath you. References in popular culture. This section needs additional citations for. ^. ^. The Cloud of Unknowing, (James Walsh, ed.) (New York: Paulist Press, 1981), p. 2.
^ McGinn, Bernard. The Varieties of Vernacular Mysticism, (New York: Herder & Herder, 2012), p396. Penguin Classics. Translated by A. Spearing. Johnston (1996), pp. 98-101.
Cloud (version), Underhill (2003), Accessed 23 May 2010. Cloud (original), Gallacher (1997), 19 February 2009 at the, Accessed 23 May 2010. Johnston (1996), p.
188 (paperback). ^ Bernard McGinn, The Varieties of Vernacular Mysticism, (New York: Herder & Herder, 2012), p398. The Cloud of Unknowing and Other Works, trans. Spearing (London: Penguin, 2001), p. Xl. The Cloud of Unknowing, ed James Walsh, (New York: Paulist Press, 1981), p16. Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel (2006/1986).
By Thomas Keating. Continuum International Publishing Group.
Paperback:, hardback:. The Cloud of Unknowing and Other Works, trans. Spearing (London: Penguin, 2001), p. Xviii; Ninian Smart, 'What Would Buddhaghosa Have Made of The Cloud of Unknowing?' , in Mysticism and Language, ed.
By Steven A, Katz (New York, 1992), pp. 103-22.
See verse four of the song. Don DeLillo, Underworld (New York: Scribner, 1997), p. Appears at:10. Retrieved 8 June 2018.External links Wikiquote has quotations related to:.
read by. with analysis and bibliography. in, 2528 lines in 75 chapters on one page. John Watkins 1922 with introduction by. John Watkins 1922, London edition, multiple formats.
public domain audiobook at.
Publication dateLate 14th centuryFollowed byThe Book of Privy CounselingThe Cloud of Unknowing (: The Cloude of Unknowyng) is an anonymous work of written in in the latter half of the 14th century. The text is a spiritual guide on in the late. The underlying message of this work suggests that the way to know is to abandon consideration of God's particular activities and attributes, and be courageous enough to surrender one's mind and ego to the realm of 'unknowing,' at which point, one may begin to glimpse the nature of God. ^ a b Introduction by Evenlyn Underhill, 1922.
^ a b Introduction. ^ The Cloud of Unknowing, ed. James Walsh (New York: Paulist Press, 1981), p. 2. ^ For this argument, though acknowledging the many possible objections to it, see The Cloud of Unknowing, ed. James Walsh (New York: Paulist Press, 1981), pp.
3-9. ^ a b c d Bernard McGinn, The Varieties of Vernacular Mysticism, (New York: Herder & Herder, 2012), p396. ^ Translated by A. Spearing. ^ Cloud (version), Underhill (2003), pp. 69-72, Accessed 23 May 2010.
^ Cloud (original), Gallacher (1997), lines 1426 - 1471, Accessed 23 May 2010. ^ Johnston (1996), pp.
98-101. ^ Johnston (1996), p. 188 (paperback). ^ a b c Bernard McGinn, The Varieties of Vernacular Mysticism, (New York: Herder & Herder, 2012), p398. ^ The Cloud of Unknowing and Other Works, trans. Spearing (London: Penguin, 2001), p.
Xl. ^ The Cloud of Unknowing, ed James Walsh, (New York: Paulist Press, 1981), p16. ^ Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel (2006/1986). By Thomas Keating. Continuum International Publishing Group.
Paperback: ISBN 0-8264-0696-3, hardback: ISBN 0-8264-1420-6. ^ The Cloud of Unknowing and Other Works, trans. Spearing (London: Penguin, 2001), p. Xviii; Ninian Smart, 'What Would Buddhaghosa Have Made of The Cloud of Unknowing?' , in Mysticism and Language, ed. By Steven A, Katz (New York, 1992), pp. 103-22.
^ See verse four of the song. ^ Underworld.
Delillo, Don. NY, Scribner, 2003. P.295. ^ links.Introduction to Online text with analysis and bibliography.Online text in, 2528 lines in 75 chapters on one page.John Watkins 1922 London edition with introduction by.John Watkins 1922, London edition, multiple formats CCEL.
This article was sourced from Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. World Heritage Encyclopedia content is assembled from numerous content providers, Open Access Publishing, and in compliance with The Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR), Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Public Library of Science, The Encyclopedia of Life, Open Book Publishers (OBP), PubMed, U.S.
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This second edition, with tex.ations, and new index, is published by the Author, Donald Broadribb, owner of the publication rights. Copyright © 1995 and 2006 by Donald Broadribb. T.gious experiences. As a child, as I lay beside a river looking up into the clouds and merging into the world around me, I had rather similar experienc.-to entity. Plants, trees, rocks, mountains, birds, beasts, the water, the cloud, the sky, the darkness, and so on, all have their own orenda which ma.ent ap- proaches the woman; he and the woman are then enveloped by a great cloud which presently lifts to reveal the hunter reduced to bones, with sna.
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This Portable Document file is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. Any person using this document file, for any purpose, and in a.e, for any purpose, and in any way does so at his or her own risk. Neither the Pennsylvania State University nor Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, nor any- o.ument or for the file as an electronic transmission, in any way. The Poems of Goethe, trans. Edgar Alfred Bowring, the Pennsylvania State University.o fair view repose, in mournful veil conceal’d, the world seem’d dead; The clouds soon closed around me, as a tomb, And I was left alone in twilight g.ength to see, For all around appear’d to burn and glow. Then saw I, on the clouds borne gracefully, A godlike woman hov’ring to and fro. In life I ne’.w could dare T o draw yet closer, and observe her there.
Through the light cloud she then stretch’d forth her hand, As if to bid the streaky vapour fl.