The Cloud of Unknowing ~ Christian Mysticism

Wisdom of the Masters - A podcast by Samaneri Jayasara

Selected excerpts from the text, "The Cloud of Unknowing" - formatted for meditation/contemplation. A number of translations have been used but most were taken from Carmen Acevedo Butcher's translation. The Cloud of Unknowing is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism, most likely a Carthusian monk, written in Middle English in the latter half of the 14th century. The text is a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer in the Late Middle Ages. The underlying message of this work suggests that the way to know God 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. The Cloud of Unknowing draws on the mystical tradition of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and Christian Neoplatonism, which focuses on the via negativa road to discovering God as a pure entity, beyond any capacity of mental conception and so without any definitive image or form. 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email address: [email protected] with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or become at Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/jayasara 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.