The work of the soul that most pleaseth God

[ajdiamond]

LIFT up thine heart unto God with a meek stirring of love;
and mean Himself, and none of His goods.
And thereto, be loath to think on anything but Himself.
So that nothing work in thy wit, nor in thy will, but only Himself.
Do that in thee and forget all the creatures that ever God made and the works of them;
so that thy thought nor thy desire be not directed nor stretched to any of them,
neither in general nor in special, but let them be, and take no heed to them.
This is the work of the soul that most pleaseth God.
Thyself art cleansed and made virtuous by no work so much

Let not, therefore, but travail therein till thou feel list.
For at the first time when thou dost it, thou findest but a darkness;
and as it were a cloud of unknowing,
thou knowest not what, saving that thou feelest in thy will a naked intent unto God.
This darkness and this cloud is, howsoever thou dost, betwixt thee and thy God,
And therefore shape thee to bide in this darkness as long as thou mayest.
For if ever thou shalt feel Him or see Him, it may be here,
it behoveth always to be in this cloud in this darkness.
(from Cloud of Unknowing, chapter 3)
-------
I spent many years saying words into the air, verbalized thoughts from my egoic consciousness, aka the carnal mind, directed at a god out there, somewhere. And then I found another way. A way spoken of by many in many places. I just started reading this 700 year-old book and it is spoken of very well here in chapter 3. Spirit knows what we have need of before asking. Trust and Be still.

 

[day]

Sounds like it is strongly influenced by Eastern mysticism and the concept of becoming one with the divine, like a drop of water in the ocean.

 

[Dodo_David]

LIFT up thine heart unto God with a meek stirring of love;
and mean Himself, and none of His goods.
And thereto, be loath to think on anything but Himself.
So that nothing work in thy wit, nor in thy will, but only Himself.
Do that in thee and forget all the creatures that ever God made and the works of them;
so that thy thought nor thy desire be not directed nor stretched to any of them,
neither in general nor in special, but let them be, and take no heed to them.
This is the work of the soul that most pleaseth God.
Thyself art cleansed and made virtuous by no work so much

Let not, therefore, but travail therein till thou feel list.
For at the first time when thou dost it, thou findest but a darkness;
and as it were a cloud of unknowing,
thou knowest not what, saving that thou feelest in thy will a naked intent unto God.
This darkness and this cloud is, howsoever thou dost, betwixt thee and thy God,
And therefore shape thee to bide in this darkness as long as thou mayest.
For if ever thou shalt feel Him or see Him, it may be here,
it behoveth always to be in this cloud in this darkness.
(from Cloud of Unknowing, chapter 3)
-------
I spent many years saying words into the air, verbalized thoughts from my egoic consciousness, aka the carnal mind, directed at a god out there, somewhere. And then I found another way. A way spoken of by many in many places. I just started reading this 700 year-old book and it is spoken of very well here in chapter 3. Spirit knows what we have need of before asking. Trust and Be still.

The book quoted in the OP of this thread is not Scripture. So, it would be wrong to present its teachings as having scriptural authority.

 

[aspen]

The Cloud of Unknowing is a classic of Western Christianity. The fact that you guys do not recognize the text and teaching is troubling.

 

[Dodo_David]

The Cloud of Unknowing is a classic of Western Christianity. The fact that you guys do not recognize the text and teaching is troubling.

Why? It is not Scripture. It is not a requirement of the Christian faith.

 

[aspen]

Scripture is great, but it is not the end all of the Christian experience. Classics like The Imitation of Christ, The Cloud of Unknowing, Practice of the Presence of God, and The Introduction of the Devout Life are spiritually enriching texts that pass along hundreds of years of experience in prayer for all of Christ's Body. We are blessed to have access to all of this experience from those who have gone before us. Seems like a waste to disregard 2,000 years worth of knowledge because it is excused as nonessential reading just because it is not scripture

Finally, reading the Bible is not a requirement of the Christian faith either, but it certainly enriches it.

 

[Dodo_David]

Christian doctrine comes from Scripture.

 

[aspen]

So you only read the Bible?

 

[FHII]

Don't mean to answer for Dodo David, but for Christian doctrine, yep! Not saying there aren't other things worth reading and can't aid in what the Bible teaches.... But if they are worth anything, they will point to the Bible as it's foundation. Afterall, we are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. And.... The Bible is where you find their teachings.

 

[aspen]

That is a given, FHII. Do you think that the writings I posted do not point to the Bible?

 

[ajdiamond]

David, perhaps if you saw the OP as a teaching about take no thought, be still and know, enter into thy closet and shut the door, keep silent oh all flesh before me, casting down imaginations and bringing into captivity every thought, etc etc., it would help your understanding.

 

[Dodo_David]

All I see in the OP is a quotation from an old book written in archaic English. If it were translated into modern English, then perhaps I would understand what it says.

Meanwhile, the Bible itself tells me the following:

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." (Romans 8:26-28)