Mystical Experience in Meister Eckhart's Selected Writings
This essay analyzes how the fourteenth-century mystic and theologian Meister Eckhart expresses mystical experience across his major writings, including his German and Latin sermons and instructional texts. Drawing on Eckhart's Selected Writings and The Complete Mystical Works, the paper examines five core elements of mystical experience as Eckhart presents them: the feeling of oneness or interconnection with God and the universe, transcendence of time and space through a free mind, a sense of the sacred rooted in humanity's divine image, positive mood lifting through divine joy, and lasting transformative change in the soul. The essay concludes that these elements together form the foundation of Eckhart's spiritual teaching.
- Introduction: Eckhart's life, context, and five major writings
- Oneness and Interconnection: Unity of self, God, and universe
- Transcendence of Time and Space: Free mind, prayer, and God's will
- The Feeling of the Sacred: Divine image and the Holy Spirit within
- Positive Mood Lifting and Divine Joy: Ecstasy and bliss through reliance on God
- Transformative Change and Conclusion: Noble man, eternal life, and Eckhart's legacy
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay follows a clear, consistent structure by treating each element of mystical experience as a discrete section, making the argument easy to follow.
- Direct textual evidence from Eckhart's sermons is cited with specific references (e.g., "Sermon 2 (LW XXIX)"), grounding each claim in the primary source.
- The paper situates Eckhart historically — noting his Dominican audience, his condemnation for heresy, and his influence on Christianity — giving context to the textual analysis.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses a thematic analytical framework, identifying five named elements of mystical experience and then demonstrating each one through targeted quotation and paraphrase from Eckhart's writings. This structure-through-theme approach is a reliable method for literary and theological analysis at the undergraduate level.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a brief introduction to mystical experience and Eckhart's biography, then moves through five body paragraphs — each devoted to one element of mystical experience. A short concluding paragraph synthesizes the findings and notes Eckhart's ongoing influence. The Works Cited section follows MLA format with four sources: two Eckhart primary texts, one secondary scholarly monograph, and one web reference.
Introduction
Throughout history, mystical experience has been related to spiritual maturity. It describes a particular state of consciousness in which the individual feels connected to something greater than the self. Meister Eckhart was a fourteenth-century mystic, academic theologian, and administrator whose Selected Writings focus on his teaching and preaching (McGinn 40). He believed that one can reach God spiritually and not necessarily through the institutional church. Church leaders condemned his teachings, and later in life he was accused of heresy (Eckhart XV).
Eckhart's original audience were Dominicans, whom he taught ways of developing a deep spiritual life. His writings are classified into five main categories: The Book of Divine Consolation, The Noble Man, The Talk of Instruction, German sermons, and Latin sermons. This essay analyzes how Meister Eckhart expresses mystical experience in his writings.
Oneness and Interconnection
The feeling of oneness or interconnection is the first element of mystical experience. The philosophy of oneness is equated with the universe — the universe is one and undivided, and so, in Eckhart's view, is God. "Sermon 2 (LW XXIX)" defines God as "all that you can see and all that you cannot see" (Eckhart 258). This definition applies equally to the universe itself. Because nature prevents human beings from perceiving the whole of the universe, the feeling of oneness ultimately describes the unity between the self and nature.
Transcendence of Time and Space
The feeling of transcendence of time and space is the second element of mystical experience. In this state, the mind is free from the constraints of time and space. Eckhart believes that a "free mind can achieve all things" (4). An open mind is one that focuses on God's will, and prayer flows naturally from such a mind. "Sermon 1 (LW XXIV, 2)" teaches that we communicate with God through prayer (Eckhart 253). To experience the feeling of freedom, one must love God and wish for his goodness (Eckhart 257).
Works Cited
Eckhart, Meister. Selected Writings. Kindle ed., Penguin UK, 1994.
Eckhart, Meister, et al. The Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart. PDF file, The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2009.
McGinn, Bernard. The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart: The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing. 1st ed., PDF file, Herder & Herder, 2001.
"Mystical Experiences." The Australian Institute of Parapsychological Research, 2 Aug. 2017, www.aiprinc.org/mystical/. Accessed 25 March 2019.
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