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Ruysbroeck 10051396 PDF
Ruysbroeck 10051396 PDF
E d ted
Q u es t S er i es
by
M ea d
R UYSB R O E C K
T H E Q U E ST
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RUY SB ROECK
CHAPTER I
R U Y S B R O E CK
tr e e
TH E
I g d r a s i l, wh i c h h a s
it s
M AN
h ead
in
h e a v en a nd
t h e i ma g e
i t s r o o t s i n h e l l ( t h e l o w e r pa r t s O f t h e ea r t h ) ,
I n pr o po r t i o n t o t h e d i v i n e h e i g h t s
o f t h e t r u e ma n
wh ic h
t o w h i c h i t a s c e n d s mu s t b e t h e o b s c u r e d e p t h s
t h e t r e e i s r o o t e d , a nd f r o m w h i c h i t d r a w s t h e m s t i c s a p
f
e
o f i t s s i r i t u al
p
CO V E T R
P MO R E
Th e
li
is
in
y
Y AT
RU Y S B R O ECK
as of inspirati on may do
.
a sparkling stone
which reects the actual
radiance Of the U ncreated Light Absorb
ing from the rich soil O f the Middle Ages all
the intellectual nourishment which he needs
dependent t o o as all real greatness is o n the
human environment in which he grows
that mysterious interaction and inter pene
t r a t i o n o f personalities w ithout wh ich human
consciousness can never develop its ful l
T H E M AN
,
,
RU YSB R OECK
4s
THE MA N
h uman
i a na ,
v ol .
z a o
iv
pp
er u s
57 ff
a ec a
RUY S BRO E K
TH E M AN
'
overned
his
existence
at
Groenendael
g
This course which he trod in the tem
poral order seems like the rough sketch o f
that other course trodden by the advancing
RU YS B R OECK
of
Go d
S uch adventures
chil dhood o f the
.
THE MAN
RUYS B OE K
10
TH E
MA N
t he
11
R YS B
1Q
R O EC K
TH E M A N
13
RU Y S B R O ECK
14
MAN
TH E
15
RU YS B R O ECK
16
THE
wh o
MA N
R UYSBROECK
18
peace is
an
than humility gentleness
i ntegral part of that paradoxical thing the
C h ristian character
like all great
Th e fourteenth century
spiritual periods was a century fruitful
in mystical heresies as well as in mystical
saints In particular the extravagant pan
theism preached by the Brethren of the
Free S pirit had become wi dely diff used in
Flanders and was responsible for much bad
morality as well as bad theology ; t h ose
on whom the S pirit had descended b e
lieving themselves to be already divine
and emancipated from obedience t o all
human codes of conduct S oon after Ruys
broeck came as a boy to Brussels a woman
named B l o e ma r d i n n e placed herself at the
head of this sect and gradually gained
extraordinary inuence S h e claimed super
n atural and prophetic powers
was said to
be accompanied by two S eraphim whenever
she went to the altar to receive Holy Com
munion and preached a degraded eroticism
under the ti t le of S eraphic love together
with a quietism o f the most exaggerated
and soul destroying t yp e All the dangers
and follies of a false mysticism dissociated
fro m the controlling inuence of tradition
and the essential virtue of humility were
exhibited in her Aga i nst this powerful
woman then at the height o f her fa me
Ruysbroeck declared war ; and prosecuted
,
TH E M A N
19
oo
re
ru
ca
RU Y S B R O ECK
20
habit
i n which the quietists l ove to i m
merse themselv es as Go d i s above His
creatures
Here is the distinct i on always needed a nd
constantly ignored between that veritable
fruition of Eternal Life which results from the
interaction of will and grace and d em a nds
o f the soul the highest intensity and most
active love and th a t colourable imitation
o f it which is produced by a psychic trick
and is independent alike o f the human
effort and the divine gift
Ruysbroeck in
ghting the Free Spirit w a s ghting the
battle of true mysti cism against its most
T H E M AN
21
RU YS B R O E CK
22
THE
MA N
23
RU Y SB R OECK
$24
MAN
TH E
25
works
the t h ree types o f Christians com
pared with birds who can y but prefer hopping
about the earth birds who swim far o n the
waters of grace and birds w h o love o nl y t o soar
high in the heavens For the free exultant
life o f b irds he felt indeed a special sympathy
and love ; and many feathered is the best
n ame that he can nd f o r the soul o f the
contemplati ve ascending to the gl a d vision
,
of
Go d
RU YS B R O E CK
26
TH E
MA N
27
RU Y S B R O ECK
28
he
was
a
focus
of
distribution
;
which gave out that j oyous life again to other
souls His retr eat at Groenendael h i s c c
s t a s i e s of composition never kept him from
those who wanted his help and adv i ce
In his highest ascents towards Divine Love
the rich complexities O f human love went
with him O ther men alwa ys me a nt mu ch
to Ruysbroeck He h ad a genius for friend
ship and gave himself without stint to his
friends ; and those who knew h i m said
that none ever went to him for consolation
without returning with gl adness in the i r
hearts There are many tales in the Vi ta 1
of
his power over and intuitive under
standing o f other minds ; o f conversions
effected motives unvei led and clouds dis
l
l
e
e
d
His
great
friend
Gerard
l
e
N
a
h
p
g
TH E M A N
29
Th e
surviving friends
grace of God shone in his face ; and also
in his modest speech his kindly deeds his
humble manners and in the way that every
action of his life exhibited uprightness and
radiant purity He lived soberly neglected
his dress and was patient in all things and
with all people
Plainl y the great contemplative who had
seemed in Brussels a negligible man kept
to the end a great simplicity of aspect ;
closely approximating to his o wn ideal of the
really humble man without any pose or pre
tence as described i n Th e S p i r i tu a l M a r r i age
That profound s e lf immersion in God which
was the source of his power manifested itself
i n daily life under the least impressive forms
ever seeking embodiment in little concrete
acts of love and service
ministering in
the world without to all who need in love
1
and mercy
We see him in his Franciscan
love o f living things hi s deep sense o f kin
ship with all t h e little children O f Go d going
to the help of the animals in all their needs
thrown into a torment of distress by the
brothers who suggested to him that during
a hard winter the little birds of the forest
might die and at once making generous
and successful arrangements for their enter
t a i n ment
We see him giving Mary and
Mart h a
r endez
v o us
in
his heart
of
Ru y s br o e c k
Th e Twel v e B gu i nes ,
c a p.
R U YS BROECK
30
,
,
'
MA N
TH E
31
IRUY S BROECK
32
tion
apparently so careless yet really
plumbing human nature to its deeps
Yo u
are as holy as y ou wish t o be shows him
possessed o f this same power o f stripping o ff
the husks o f unreality and penetrating at
once to the fundamental facts of the soul s
life the purity and direction of its will and
love
,
TH E MAN
33
RU Y S B R O ECK
34
Ruysbroeck d i ed at Gr oenendael on
Dece mber 2 1 3 8 1
He wa s eighty eight
years old ; feeb l e in bo d y nearly blind
yet keep ing to the last his clear S piritual
vision h is v igour and eagerness o f soul
His death s a ys P o mer i u s speaking o n the
authori t y of tho se who had seen it was f u ll
n o t the
o f peaceful j o y of gaiety of heart ;
falling asleep o f the tired servant but the
leap to mor e abundant life of the vi gorous
child o f the Innite at last set free With an
immense gladness he went out from that time
world which in his o wn image i s the S hadow
to those high mountains of the
o f God
land o f promise wher e no sh a dow is but
only t h e S u n
O ne of the gre atest of
Christian seers one of the mos t manly and
human of t h e mystics it is yet as a lover
in the noblest and most vital sense o f the
word tha t his personality lives for us
Fr om rst to last under all its ext ernal
accidents we may trace i n h i s life the
'
MAN
THE
35
from the In
nite as a tendency an instinct endowed
wi th liberty and life and passed across the
stage o f history manifested under humblest
inconspicuous forms but ever growing in
passion and power ; till at last achieving
the f ull stature of the children o f God it
r eturned to its Source and Origin again
When we speak o f the mysticism of Ruys
broeck i t is o f this that we should think :
o f this grow i ng spirit
this ardent u nc o n
creative
thing
A
veritable
part
u er a b l e
q
o f o u r own order therein it was transmuted
from unreal to real existence ; putting o n
Divine Humanity and attaining the goal o f
all life in the inter ests of t he race
out
CHAP
ER II
W O RK S
HI S
hav e
u n d e r s t o o d , f e l t , o r wr i t t e n , I s u mi t
l th at I
Ch u r c h ,
a nd o f H o l
m s e l f t o t h e j u d g me n t o f t h e
Ch r i s t i a n F a i t h
f o r I wo uld
e a n d d i e Ch r i s t s s e r v a n t
T H E B OO K O F S U P R EM E TR UT
In
al
liv
s ai n t s
in
B E FO R E discussing R u y s b r o e c k s view of
the spiritual world his doctrine of the soul s
development perhap s it will be well to
consider the traditional names gener a l
character and contents o f his admittedly
authentic works O nly a few o f these works
can be dated with precision ; f o r recent
criticism has S hown that the s o called
1
chronological l i st given by P o mer iu s cannot
be accepted As to several of them we
cannot tell whether they were composed
at Brussels or at Groenendael at the b e
ginning middle Or end of his mysti cal life
All were written in the Flemish vernacular
Vi t a ,
ca
36
x
v
p
.
WO RKS
HIS
RU Y SB RO EC K
38
W O RKS
H IS
of
39
.,
D e V r ee s e h a s d e n t ied
M S S o f R u ys b r o ec k
l
60
Fl e mi s h
an d
4 6 La t in
RU YS BR OECK
40
by S u r i u s I n Ta ber na cu lu m M os i s ) Th e
longest most fantastic and in spite of some
ne passages the least interesting of Ruys
Probably founded up on
b r o e c k s works
the D e Ar ca M ys ti oa of Hugh o f S t Victor
this is an elaborate allegory thoroughly
med i aeval i n type in which the Tabernacle
o f the
Israelites becomes a gure o f the
spiritual life ; the details o f its c o n s t r u c
tion furniture and ritual being given a
symbolic S ignicance in a ccordance with
the methods of interpret ation popular at
the time In this book and perhaps in the
astronomical treatise appended to Th e Twel v e
B eg u i nes ( No
I believe that we have the
only surviving works of R u y s b r o e c k s rst
period ; when he had not yet transcended
images but was at that p oint in his mystical
development in which the young contem
l
a
t
i
v
e
loves
to
discern
symbolic
meanings
p
in all visible things
2 TH E
TW E L V E
P O I N TS O F T R U E
FA I T H ( D e F i de et J u d i ci o )
This little
tract is in form a gloss up on the Nicene
Creed ; in fact a characteristically Ruys
b r o e c ki a n confession o f faith
Without ever
over passing the boundaries of Catholic doc
tri ne Ruysbroeck is here able to turn all
.
'
HI S
WO RKS
41
L O VE R S ( R egnu m D eu m A ma n ti u m) This
and the following work The A d or nment
of
the S p i r i tu a l M a r r i age
contain Ruys
b r o e c k s fullest and most orderly d e s c r i p
tions of the mystical life process The
K ingdom which God s lovers may inherit
is the actual life of God infused into the
soul and deifying it Thi s ess ential life
reveals itself under ve modes in the sense
world in the soul s nature in the witness o f
S cripture in t h e life of grace or
glory
.
R UYSB RO ECK
44
'
HI S W O RK S
Cu s to di i s )
45
This
RU Y S B R O ECK
46
o
r
tion
stairway o f love
metaphor
a
originat i ng in Jacob s Dream which had
already served S t Benedict Richard of St
Victor S t Bonaventura and many others
as a useful diagr a m o f the mystic way
Originality o f form however is the last
thing we should look f o r in R u ys b r o ec k s
works He pours his strange wine into any
V essel that com e s to hand As often his
most sublime o r a ma z ing utterances or i gin
,
,
,
H IS
W O RK S
D ei )
This priceless work is said to have been
written by Ruysbroeck at the request o f a
hermit who wished for further light o n the
high matters of which i t treats It conta i ns
the nest ower of his tho u ght and shows
perhaps more clearly than any other o f his
writings the mark of direct i nspiration
Here again the sca ffolding o n which he
builds is almost as old as Christi a n mys t i
c i s m itself : that three fold division of men
into the faithful servants secret friends
and hidden sons o f God which descended
through the centuries from Cl ement o f Alex
a n dr ia
But the tower w h i ch he raises with
i t s h elp ascends t o he ight s u nr ea ch ed by
,
'
RU Y S B R O ECK
48
S
n
and by uri s S a mu el ) This is the tract
,
H IS
W O RK S
49
of
RU YSBR O ECK
5O
H IS
W O RKS
51
CHA P T E R
HIS
O C T RI N E OF
w ords ar e s tran g e ;
My
TH E
s t a nd .
II I
MI
G OD
bu t t h o s e w h o
R R O R O F ET ER
l ove
NA
w i ll
u nd e r
A ATI O N
LV
O ne
kind O f mystic
whom William James
accused with some reason of turning the
soul s relation with God into a duet
makes
little attempt to describe the ultimate Obj ect
of the self s love and desire the great
movements of the spiritual world ; for such
description the formul ae of existing theology
are felt to be enough Visions o f Christ
C R I NE
H I S DO T
OF GOD
53
other kind o f
indeed usually as orthodox in his beliefs
RUY SB R OECK
54
can include
indeed demand
both the
concept of that Abyss o f Pure Being where
all distinctions are transcended and the
soul is immersed in the dark light of the
O ne and the distinctively Christian and i n
c a r na t i o na l experience of loving communion
with and through the Person of Christ For
him the ladder of contemplation is rmly
planted in the bed rock o f human character
C R I NE
H IS D O T
OF G OD
55
RU Y SB R OECK
56
C R I NE
H IS DO T
57
OF G OD
RU Y S B R O ECK
56
H IS
C R I NE
DO T
57
OF G OD
RU Y S B R O E CK
58
wild desert
O blique suggestive musical
language which enchants rather than i n
forms t h e soul ; opens the door to e xper i
ence , but does not
convey a ny accur at e
C R I NE
H IS D O T
OF GOD
59
ua
arr a
e,
ca
RU Y S B R O ECK
60
C R
H I S D O T I NE OF G OD
61
ah
e ve
es , c a
RU YS BR O ECK
62
Th e S pi r i tu a l
M a r r i a ge li b i i
,
c a p.
x xx
v ii
C R
HI S D O T I NE OF G OD
63
0p
ci t
i bi d
RU Y SB R O ECK
64
abideth
discerned best by man under
the image of the three circles yet in its
profound and clear substance i n divisibly
O ne
The S imple light of th i s Being is limit
less i n its immensity and tr a nscending
,
Th e S ev en D egr ees
L o v e,
c a p.
xi v
C R I NE
H IS D O T
OF G OD
65
Th e K i ngd o m o f G o d
L o v er s ,
ca
p xxix
.
CHAP T E R I V
HI S
O CTR I N E OF
wa s b
r will
M AN
G
r a c e , 1 8 a c c o mpl i s h e d
e un
Th a t wh i c h
g
l
n
o
d
w
r
k
m
i
e
t
h
a
h
e
o
t
o
t
t
s
G ra c e a nd F e e
;
n
s e a r a t e l , s i mul t a n e o u s l
o t s u c c e s s i v e l , i n e a c h a nd
p
ER
RD
B
S
T
a l l o f t h e ir
r o c es s e s
p
by
NA
by
66
C R I NE
HIS DO T
OF M A N
1 8 In
'
RU Y S BR O ECK
68
or
Archetype of man his Platonic i dea
Now m an mus t b ri ng fr om i ts hiddenness the
latent likeness the germ of D i v i ne huma n i ty
t h at is in him and develop it until it r eal i ses
the Platonic i dea
a ch i eving thus the
implicit truth of his own n atur e a s i t exists
in the mind o f God This a ccor d i ng to
Ruysbroeck i s the whol e ar t a nd obj ect of
the spiritual life ; th i s actualisation of the
etern al s i de o f hum a n nature a tr o phied i n
Th e
Th e
M i r r o r o f E ter na l S a l v a ti o n
c a p. v ii
C R
H I S D O T I NE OF MAN
69
he becomes deiform
both acti v e and
fruitive ever at work and ever at rest
a t once a deni z en o f Eternity and o f Time
Th e Twel v e B gu i nes ,
ca
i
x
p
.
RU YS B ROECK
70
C R I NE
H IS D O T
M AN
OF
71
Th e Twel v e B gu i n es , c a p xi v .
Th e B o o k o f Tr u th , c a p xi
.
RU Y SBR O E C K
72
H IS
C R INE
DO T
OF
MA N
73
'
RU YS BR O ECK
74
'
says Ruysbroeck
ever to give a nd ev er
to receive
p our i ng its dower o f energy into
the soul and drawing o u t from that sou l
new vitali t y new love new surrender
Hung ry love
generous love
stormy
love he calls it again and aga i n
S treaming
out from the heart o f Reality the impersona l
a spect of the very Spirit of God its cre ati v e
touch e v okes in man once he becomes con
scious o f it an answering storm o f love
The whole o f our human growth wi th i n the
spiritual order is conditioned by the quality
of this response ; by the will the industry
the courage with which man acce pts his
p art in the Divi ne give and take
Th at me a sureless L ove which is Go d
Himself dwells i n the pure deeps of our
spirit like a burning b razier of coal And
it throws forth brilliant and ery sp arks
which st i r and enkindle heart and senses
will and desire a nd all the powers of the
sou l wi th a re of l ove ; in a storm a rage
a measureless f ury o f love These be the
weapons with which we ght against the
terrible and immense Love o f Go d who
would consume all l oving spirits and swallow
them in Himself
Love arms us with its
o wn gifts
and claries o u r reason and
commands counsels and advises us to oppose
Him to ght against Him and to maintain
against Him o u r right t o lo v e so long as we
,
H I S D O CT R I NE
OF
MA N
75
ma y
In the spiritu a l realm g l v mg and
receiving are o ne act
for Go d is an
ocean that ebbs and ows ; and it i s only
by opposing love t o love by self donation t o
His mysterious movements that the soul
appropriates new force invigorating and
fertilising it afresh Thus and thus alone
it lays hold on eternal life ; sometimes
sacramentally under external images and
a ccidents ; sometimes mystically in the com
munion o f deep prayer
Every time we
think with love O f the Well beloved He is
Th e
M i r r o r o f E ter nal S a l v a ti o n
c a p.
vi i
RUY S B R O ECK
76
of
conditions not only i n the historical
J esus but also i n the eternal generation of
the S on S t Francis o f Assisi had said that
Divine Love perpetually swings between
a nd reconciles two mighty opposites
What
l
is God
and What am I
F o r Ruy s
broeck too that Love is a unifying power
mani fest ed i n motion itself
an outgo i ng
attraction which dr ags u s o u t of ourselves
a nd calls u s to be melted and na u g h t e d i n
2
t he Unity
a nd all h i s deepest thoughts
of it are expressed i n terms o f movement
The relation between the soul and the
0 p ci t , c a p v i i
T h e S pa r kl i ng S to ne,
.
c ap
H IS
C RIN E OF
M AN
DO T
77
RU Y SB R OECK
78
'
HIS
C R I NE
O F M AN
DO T
79
'
r
( )
the touch o f the Divine Light at once
and in a moment o f time his will is ch anged ;
tu rned in the direction o f Reality and
away from unreal obj ects o f desir e He
is in fact converted in the highest and
most accurate sense o f that ill u sed word
S eeing the D ivine he wants the D i vi ne
though he may n o t yet understand h i s
own cr aving ; for the scrap o f D ivine Life
within him has emerged into the eld o f con
and recognises its home Then
s c i o u s n es s
as it were God a nd the soul rush together
and o f their encounter springs lov e Th i s
is the New Birth ; the bringi ng forth of the
S o n in the gr ound o f the soul its bapt i sm
in the fountain o f the Life giving Life
The new force and tendency received
i nto the self begins to act o n the per i phery
a nd thence works towards the centre of
exist ence Fi rst t hen it attacks the ordin
ary temporal life in all its departments
It pours in fresh waves of energy which
confer new knowledge and hatred o f sin
purify character bring fresh virtues into
being It rearranges the consciousness about
new and higher centres gathering u p all
the faculties into o ne si mple state o f atten
tion to God
Thence results the highest life
which is attainable by nature In it m a n
.
RU YSBR O E C K
80
i s u nited wi th
tion
the state Of p r ocient i n monast i c
HIS
C R
D O T I NE
OF
MAN
81
82
U YSBR O E C K
HIS
C RI NE
DO T
OF
M AN
83
RU YS BR OECK
84
Th e Twel v e B gu i nes ,
c a p.
xi v
HIS
C R INE
DO T
OF M A N
85
RU Y SBR O E C K
86
Th e Twel v e B gu i nes ,
ca
iii
x
p
.
HIS
DO
CTR I N E O F
MAN
87
o n e with God
this is the thing that I would
say Even as we open o u r e s h l y eyes to
see and shu t them again so quickly that we
do not even feel it thus we die into God we
live o f God and remain ever o ne with God
Therefore we must come forth in the a c t i v i
ties o f the sense life and again r e enter in
love and cling to God in order that we may
1
ever remain one with Him without change
Al l perfect lives says Ruysbroeck conform
to this pat t ern follow this curve ; though
such perfect lives are rare amongst men
They are the fruit not o f volition but of
vocation ; of the mysterious operations o f
things
yet evokes only in some men an
n D g
Th S
x
iv
fL
p
Go d ,
ev e
e r ees o
ov e, c a
RU Y SBR O E C K
88
ua
a rr a
e,
ca
H IS
DO
C TR I N E O F
MA N
89
Th e Twel v e B g u i nes ,
ca
x
p vi.
.
RUY S B ROECK
90
Simple Light
all these mean the total u n
di fferentiated act o r perception from which
our analytic minds subtract aspects
In
simplicity will I unite with the S imple O ne
said K abir S o Ruys broeck :
We behold
His face in a simple seeing beyond reason
and witho u t consideration
Another cause o f di fculty to those u n
familiar with the mystics is the constant
reference to B A R E N E S S or N U D I TY especially
in descr i pt i ons o f t he contemplative act
This is o f course but one example of that
H IS D O
C TR I N E O F
MAN
91
RU Y S B R OE CK
92
ac
ra c
ac
sou
L o v ed O n e
ra c
a n e w.
ca
'
HIS DO
CT R I NE
OF
MAN
93
of
con
t e mpl a t i o n ; which consists not in looking
at strange mysteries bu t in a movement to
fresh levels shut to the analytic intellect
open t o adventurous love There without
any amazement the self can know in no
wise that which it can never understand
C n t e mpl t i n i
kn wi ng t h t i s i n no w i
F
e
d w l l i ng b e t h e R a son
N ev er
Re
n
n i t s i n k do w n i n t
th
An d b v i t
n th
R a son n v e r l i mb
Th e s hi n i ng f t h f Th t whi c h i i n no wi se i s a s
,
or
v er
ov
ca
ca
or
Wh e r i n s hin
ha s
no
no t
is
aso
f a i r mi r r o r ,
e
e
t h e Et e r n a l Li g h t
s e,
of
Go d
It
a t tr ib u t e s ,
A nd h e r e a l l t h e w o r k s o f Re a s o n f a i l
It is
Go d ,
Bu t i t
s ee H i m
t h e Li g h t w h e r e
Th o s e wh o w a l k i n t h e D i v i n e L i g h t o f i t
Dis c o v er
t h e ms e l v e s t h e Un w a l l e d
Th a t w h i c h
in
e , i s a b o v e t h e Re a s o n , n o t
wi t h o u t i t :
It b o
ng
al l
w i t h o u t a ma z e me n t
Ama z eme n t
fa r b ene a t h i t :
Th e c o n t e mpl a t i v e l i f e
w i t h o u t a ma z e me n t
no t w h a t ;
Th a t wh i c h
w is e
k
in
e ,
1
Fo r i t
Th a t
b v a ll ,
i s n e i t h e r Th
.
by w e
in
e h lds
is
is
is
is a
thi
oe
no
s
no
wi s
and
is
se s
Th e Twel v e B gu i nes ,
it
cap
no w s
i s no r
vi
ii
CH A
TH E
d i sco
in us
TE
R V
I VE
A CT
I FE
now
a nd k
I f w e wo u l d
t h a t Ki n g d o m o f G o d
ve
a
d
a
l
f
h
a
i
s
l
i
w
e
m
e
t
t
wh i c h i s h i d d e n
e
,
w i t h i n, w e l l o r d e r e d w i t h o u t , a n d f u l l l e d w
t r ue
T
i mi t a t i n g C
ev er
w a y, w e c a n ,
ch ar i t
o that
u
t
t h r o u g h g r a c e , l o v e a nd v i r t u e , r a i s e o u
e
p
h
r e Go d
a nd
a e
of the
w
e
p
g
O
TH E M R R O R O F ET ER
L S LV
ust
hu s
hri s t i n
soul
liv es
virtu o u s
ith
r se lv
r e i ns
NA
s
A ATI
TH E
94
T HE A CT I VE
L I FE
95
RU Y S B R O E CK
96
o u t to meet him
as an epitome of the
self s relations with and reactions to Reality
First all created spirits are called to behold
God who is perpetually coming to the
world of conditions in a ce a seless procession
o f love ;
and in this seeing our happiness
consists But in order really to see a thing
we need not only light and clear sight but the
wi ll to look at it ; ever y act o f perception
demands a self giving on the seer s part
S o here we need not only the light of grace
and the open eyes of the soul but also the
Innite : our
wi ll turned towards the
attention to life the regnant fac t o f o u r
consciousness must be focussed upon eternal
things Now when we see God we cannot
but love Him and love is motion activit y
Hence this rst demand on the awakened
spirit Behold
is swiftly followed by the
second demand Go ye o u t
for the essence
o f love is generous
o u t o wi ng
expansive
.
Th e S ev en D egr ees
L o v e,
ca
i
p
.
T HE A T I VE L I FE
97
Th e
M i r r o r o f E ter na l S a l v a ti o n
c ap
RU Y SBR O E C K
98
A CT I VE
T HE
L I FE
99
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne,
c a p. v i .
RU YS B ROECK
1 00
Th e A d or nment of the S p i r i tu a l
M a r r i age a nd Th e K i ng d o m of Go d s L o ver s
Total self donation , he tells her , i s her r st
detai l
in
need
TH E
A CT I VE
LI FE
1 01
R UYS BR O E C K
1 02
THE
A C T I VE
LI FE
1 03
RU Y SBR O E C K
1 04
Th e
M i r r o r 0/ E ter na l S a l v a ti o n
c ap
T HE A CTI VE
L I FE
1 05
RU Y S B R O ECK
1 06
TH E
A CT I VE
LIF E
1 07
Go d ,
l
next phase in the u n s e ng o f the self a com
xi
v
Th Spi i t l M
i g li b i
p
,
ua
arr a
e,
ca
S R O E CK
RUY B
1 08
s
t
i
e
n
a
n
g
p
A CT I VE
TH E
LI F E
1 09
no t
expression i n life
as an absolute
1
monarch but in the name o f Divine Love
He has done all he can do o f himself towards
the conforming o f his life to Supreme Per
f ec t i o n ; has opposed o n e after another
each o f t hose exhibitions o f the self s ten
deney t o curl inwards to fence itself in and
demand absorb enj oy as a separate entity
which lie at the root o f sin The constructive
side o f the Pu rgative Way has consisted i n
the replacement o f this egoistic indrawing
energy b y these o u t o wi ng energies o f
self surrender kindness diligence and the
rest ; summed up in that perfection o f
hu mility and love which
in all its
works and always stretches o u t towards
.
Go d
!
.
Th e S pi r i tu a l
M a r r i a ge li b i
,
ca
x
ii
pp
.
xxi v
RU Y SBR O E C K
110
o ve s ,
T HE A C T I VE
L IFE
111
virtues
cleansed its mirror ordered its
RU Y SB R OECK
1 12
,
!
T HE A C T I VE
L I FE
113
ua
arr a
e,
ca
RU Y S B R O E CK
114
A er a me o f d e v o t i o n l ea pi n g a nd a s c e nd i n g i nt o
t h e v er
o o d n e s s o f G o d H i ms e l f ,
g
A l o v i ng l o ng i n g o f t h e s o u l t o b e w i t h G o d i n H i s
Et e r n i t ,
A t u r ni ng f r o m a ll t h i n g s o f s e l f i n t o t h e f r e e d o m o f
t h e Wi l l o f G o d ;
Wi t h a l l t h e f o r c e s o f t h e s o u l g a t h e r e d i nt o t h e
1
o f t h e s i ri t
u ni t
p
Th e Twel v e B gmnes ,
'
c a p.
CH A P T E R
TH E
I N T E RI O R
AN D
VI
I L L U M I N A TI O N
D E S TI T U TI O N
LI F E :
Le t w h o s o t h i r s t s t o s e e h i s G o d c l ea n s e h i s mi r r o r ,
h
h
ur e
h
i
i
ri t ;
a nd
w
en t h u s
e
h
as
c l ea n s e d h i s
s
s
p g
p
mi r r o r , a nd l o n g a n d d i l i g e n t l g a z e d i n i t , a c e r t a i n
br i g h t n e s s o f d i v i n e l i g h t b e g i n s t o s h i n e t h r o u g h u po n
h i m, a n d a c e r t a in i mme n s e r a y o f un w o n t e d v i s i o n t o
a
ro m t h e
h
a r befo r e h i s e e s
F
o l d in
i
e
o
f
h
s
e
t
pp
g
l i g h t , w h i c h i t s e e s w i t h i n i t s e l f w i t h a ma z e me n t , t h e
min d i s mi g h t i l s e t o n r e , a nd l i f t e d up t o e h o l d t h a t
Li gh t w h i c h i s a o v e i t s el f
RC
R D OF S T
V C OR
HA
I T
I T is plain that
b r o e c k s system
RU Y S B R OE CK
1 16
TH E
INTE R I O R LIFE
1 17
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne,
c a p. v i i .
RU Y S B ROECK
118
TH E
INTE R I O R LIFE
1 19
The
Twel v e B egmn es ,
c ap
ix
.
RU Y S B R O ECK
12 0
THE
INTE RI O R LIFE
12 1
Th e S pi r i tu a l
M a r r i a ge 11b
,
ii
ca
i
v
p
.
RU Y S B R OE CK
12 2
INTER I O R LIF E
THE
123
RU Y S B R O ECK
12 4
j oy
Ecstasy and that state of musical
rapture exceeding the possibilities o f speech
which Ruysbroeck like Richard Rolle calls
ghostly song are the natural self ex
pressions of the soul in this moment o f its
career
In more than one book we nd references
to this ecstatic period a period so strongly
marked in his o wn case that it became for
ca
INTE R I O R LIFE
THE
12 5
Th e S pi r i tu a l
Tr u th , c a p
1
ix
M a r r i a ge li b
,
ii
c a p.
xi x ;
.
Th e B o o k
RU Y S B R O ECK
126
'
T h e S ev en D egr ees o f L ov e , c a p xi v
Th e K i ng d o m o f Go d s L o v er s , c a p
.
xx
INTE R I O R LIFE
T HE
12 7
desire
the pain o f love
which comes
from the end u ring consciousness o f a gulf
xed between the self and That with which
i t desires to unite
Of this inward
demand and compulsion which makes the
creature to rise up and prepare itself t o
the utmost o f its power without yet being
Th e S pi r i tu a l M a r r i a ge, li b i i
.
cap
xxi ii
RU YS B ROECK
128
0p
c i t.
lib ii
.
c a p.
THE
INTE R I O R LIFE
12 9
of
called intellectual vi sions
which the
works of Angela of Foligno and S t Teresa
provide so rich a series o f examples
which are really direct and imageless mes
sages from the Transcendent ; received in
those supersensuous regions where man
has contact with the Incomprehensible
Good and
seeing and hearing are one
thing
To this conventional classication
he adds a passage which must surely be
descriptive o f his own experiences in this
kind :
S ometimes God gives to such men swift
spiritual glimpses like to the ash of light
ning in the sky It comes like a sudden
ash of strange light streaming forth from
the S imple Nudity By this is the spirit
uplifted f o r an instant above itself ; and at
once the light passes and the man again
comes to himself This is God s own work
and it is something most august ; for often
those who experience it afterwards become
illuminated men And those w h o live in
the violence and fervour of love have now
and then another manner whereby a certain
light shines i n them ; and this God works
.
RU Y SB ROECK
1 30
xx
iv
Th e S pi r i tu a l M a r r i a g e , li b i i c a p
3
Ri c h a r d R o ll e , Th e M end i ng o f L i fe,
f o r d s ed i t i o n, p
1
ca
xi i
r
H
a
(
INTE RI O R LIFE
TH E
1 31
of
Th e K i ngd o m
Go d
Lo ver s ,
c ap
xxv
1 32
U Y S B R OECK
INTE RI O R LIFE
TH E
1 33
RU Y S B R OECK
1 34
Th e S pi r i tu a l
M a r r i a ge l i b i i
,
c ap
xx
vi ii .
TH E
INTE RI O R LIFE
1 35
Th e S pi r i tu al
M a r r i a ge
li b i i
.
c a p.
xxi x
CH
TH E
AP
ER VII
I N TE RI O R L I F E : U N I O N
C O N TE M P L A T I O N
AN D
L u me e la s s u, c he v is i bile f a c e
l o Cr ea to r e a qu ell a c r ea tur a
c h e s o lo i n l u i v ed er e ha l a s ua
ace
p
PAR
xxx
I OO .
An d t h e Li g h t o w e t h f o r t h i n s i mi l i t u d e , a nd i nd r a w e t h
I t s e l f i n u ni t y ; w h i c h w e per c ei v e, b ey o n d t h e r e a s o n ,
i n t h a t h i g h po i nt o f o u r u nd e r s t a n d i n g w h i c h i s b a r e a nd
T H E TWE LV E B EG U IN E S
t u rn ed w i t h i n
.
TH E
: 36
TH E
INTE R I O R LIFE
1 37
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne,
c a p.
RU YSB R OECK
1 38
Cp Th e S pi r i tu a l M a r r i a ge, li b ii
.
c ap
l v ii
TH E
I NTE R I O R
1 39
L I FE
s c e n d e nt
vitality upon which the mystic
l i fe of man depends
Now the self beca use it is at last con
formed to the demands of the spiritual
world feels new powers from this life giving
source streaming into all departments of
its being Th e last barriers o f self will
are broken ; and the result is an inrush of
fresh energy and light
Whereas in the
First Life God fed and communed with him
by means and was revealed under image s
appropriate to a consciousness still i m
mer s ed in the world o f appearance ; now
man receives these gifts and messages
makes his contacts with Reality without
means or by grace
i e in a S piritual
Those
and interior manner
lightning
ashes from the face of Divine Love
those abrupt and vivid intuitions which he
enj oyed during illumination have given way
before the s teady shining of the U ncreated
Light Though light imagery is never l ong
absent from R u ys b r o ec k s pages it is how
ever the spring o f Living Water ever
welling up the rills or brooks which ow
from it and take its substance to the
farthest recesses o f the thirsty land which
seems to him the best image of this new
inpouring o f life
He uses it in all h i s
chief works perhaps most successfully i n
Faithful to the
M a r r i age
Th e S pi r i t
,
RU YS B R OECK
1 40
INTE RI O R LIFE
TH E
1 41
to His creation
one of his deepest and
most beautiful utterances
and therefrom
springs a deep inward j oy of the S pirit and
.
Th e S pi r i tu al
M a r r i a ge, li b
ca
xxx
vi.
RU YSB ROECK
a high trust in God ; and this inward j oy
embraces and penetrates all the powers o f
the soul and the most secret part of the
1
spirit
Th e third Brook of Grace irrigates the
conative powers of the self ; strengthens
the will in all perfection and energises us
anew
Like re this brook enk indles
the will and swallows up and absorbs all
things in the unity of the spirit
and
now Christ speaks inwardly in the spirit
by means o f this burning brook saying Go
forth in exercises proper t o this gift and this
coming
By the rst brook which is a
S i mp le Li gh t the Mind is freed from the
invasions of the senses and grounded and
a frmed in spiritual unity And by the
second brook which is a S p r ea di ng Li gh t the
Reason and U nderstanding are illuminated
that they may know and distinguish all
manner of virtues and exercises and the
mysteries o f S cripture And by the third
brook which is an I nfu s ed H ea t the heights
of the Will are enk indled with quiet love
and adorned with great riches And thus
does man become S piritually illuminate for
the grace o f God dwells like a fountain
head i n the unity o f his spirit and the
brooks cause a owing forth of all virtues
from the powers of the soul
And the
fountain head of grace demands a back
,
Th e S pi r i tu al
M a r r i a ge
li b
c a p.
x xx v i i i
INTE R I O R LIFE
THE
J 43
Th e S pi r i tu al M a r r i a ge , li b
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne, c a p
.
c a p.
ii
x xxi x
RU Y S B R OECK
1 44
t e mpl a t i o n
TH E I
NTERI O R LIFE
of
fact
1 45
IO
RUY S B
1 46
R OECK
INTE RI O R LIFE
TH E
1 47
RU Y SB R OECK
1 48
INTE R I O R LIFE
TH E
1 49
accompanies
those fever heats
those
tempests of impatient love endured by the
soul at the height of the Illuminative Way
L ove it is true shall be from rst to last
.
RU YS B R O ECK
1 50
THE
INTE R I O R LIFE
1 51
ca
xi ,
RU Y SB R O E CK
1 52
images saying
B ehold Me as I behol d
Then the pure and single eyes are
thee
strengthened by the inpouring o f that clear
Light of the Father and they behold His
face in a simple vision beyond reason and
1
without reason
It might be thought that in this simple
vision of S upreme Reality the spirit o f
the contemplative reached its goal It has
indeed reached a point at which many
a mystic stops short I think however
that a reference t o St Augustine whose
inuence is so strongly marked in Ruys
b r o e c k s wor k s will show what he means by
this phase o f contemplation ; and the char
a c t e r s which
distinguish it from that i n
fused o r unitive communion with God which
alone he calls Co ntemp la ti o In the seventh
book of his Co nfes s i ons Augustine describes
j ust such an experience as this By a study
o f the books of the Platonists he had learned
the art of introversion and achieved by its
aid a eeting Intellectual Contemplation
of God ; in his own words a
hurried
vis ion of That which Is
Being by these
books he says
admonished to return into
myself I entered into t h e:s ec r et closet of my
soul guided by Thee
and beheld the
Light that never changes above the eye of
2
It was
my soul above the intelligence
,
L 00 c i t
S t Au g u s ti ne , Co nfes s i o ns , li b
.
vii
ca
x
p
.
THE
INTE R I O R LIFE
1 53
S t Au g u s t i n e , Co nfes s i o ns , li b
xii
Th e Twel ve B egu i nes , c a
.
v i i . c a pp.
v ii
an d xx
RU Y SB R O ECK
1 54
INTE R I O R LIFE
THE
1 55
Lo c
c i t.
RU Y S B R OE CK
1 56
and consideration
i e for mal thought
fail him because here we touch the S imple
Nature o f Go d
When intellectual con
t e mpl a t i o n has brought the self to this
p oint it has done its work ; for it has
excited in the soul an eager desire to li f t
itself up by contemplation into the sim
i
l
c i t y o f the Light
that
thereby
its
avid
p
desire o f innite fruition may be satised
1
and fullled
i e it has performed the true
o fce of meditation induced a S hifting o f
consciousness to higher levels
We observe that the emphasis which in
the First Degree o f Contemplati on fell
wholly on feeling in the S econd Degree falls
wholly up on knowledge We are not how
ever t o supp ose from this that emotion has
been left behind As the virtues and energies
o f the Active Life continue in the Contem
l
t
i
Life
so
the
burning
love
which
a
e
v
p
disting uished the rst stage o f communion
with the Transcendent is throughout the
source o f that energy which presses the self
on t o deeper and closer correspondences
with Reality Its presence is pres u pposed
in all that is said concerning the develop
ment of the spiritual consciousness Never
t h el e s s Ru ysbroeck though he cannot be
,
The K i ngd o m of Go d
Lover s ,
ca
xxxi
TH E
INTE R I O R LIFE
RU Y S B R O ECK
1 58
It
Th e S ev en Cl o i s ter s , c a p xi x
TH E
INTE R I O R LIFE
1 59
Th e
M i r r o r of E ter na l S a l v a ti o n ,
c a p.
v ii .
RU YS B R O ECK
1 60
with i t
this perpetual demand of the Divine
U nity entreating a n d urging him towards
a total self los s
In the fact that he
knows this demand and impul s ion as other
than himself we nd the mark which
separates this the highest contemplation
proper t o the Life o f U nion from that
fruitive contemplation o f the S pirit which
has died into God which belongs t o the
1
L ife o f U nity
When the work of trans
mutation is nished and he has received
the S parkling S tone o f Divine Humanity
will no longer b e po s
t i nu a l l y reminds u S
sible to his consciousness
Then he will
live at those l evels to which he now makes
impassioned ascents in his hours of unitive
prayer : will be immersed in the B ea t i c
Vision o n which he now l ook s and l ose
himself in the Imag el ess Nudity
This is the clue to the pu z zling distinction
made by Ruysbroec k between the con
without conditions
t e mpl a t i o n which is
and that which is beyond and ab ove c o n
and belongs to the S uperes s ential
d it i o ns
L ife alone In Intuitive Contemplation the
,
The S pa r kl i ng S to ne ,
c ap
i ii
TH E
INTE R I O R LIFE
1 61
an d
I I
the
O f t h e D i ff e r e nc e
H i d d e n S o ns o f G o d
bet ween
the
Se c r et
RU Y S B R O E CK
1 62
TH E
INTE R I O R LIFE
1 63
ca
x
i
i
p
.
CHAP
TH E
SU
ER VIII
P E R E S S E N TI A L
I FE
I f , t h e r e f o r e , t h o u a r t e c o me t h e t h r o n e o f G o d a nd
t h e H e a v e n l Ch a r i o t e e r h a t h s ea t e d H i ms e lf w i t h i n t h e e ,
a nd t h
o u l i s wh o l l
i
e c o me a s pi r i t u a l e e a n d
s
s
y
y
w h o l l ma d e i n t o l i g h t ; i f , t o o , t h o u a r t n o u r i s h e d w i t h
f o o d o f t h a t S pi r i t a n d h a s t d r u nk o f t h e
t h e h ea v e n l
L i v i ng Wa t e r a n d pu t o n t h e s e c r e t v e s t u r e o f l i g h t i f
t h i n e i n w a r d ma n h a s e pe r i e n c e d a l l t h e s e t h i ng s a n d i s
e s ta l i s h e d i n a u n d a n t f a i t h , 10 ! t h o u l i v e s t i nd e e d t h e
Et e r n a l L i f e a n d t h y s o u l r e s t s e v e n i n t h i s pr e s en t t i me
wi t h t h e L o r d
S T MACA R I US o r EG P T
y b
64
T H E S U P ER ES SEN
TI AL LIFE
1 65
o f Go d
which the gift of divine sonship
made possible to the soul In the life of
grace that soul transcends conditions in
virtue of a Divine vitality poured in from
the Absolute S phere and actualises its
true being ( Wes en ) ; in the life o f glory
it becomes a denizen of that sphere and
achieves an existence that is more than
being ( Ov er wes en ) Th e note of the rst
state is contemplation awareness ; the note
o f the second is fruition
possession
swi f t and loving
That power o f making
ascents to the plane o f Onwi s e t o which
man attained at the end of the Interior Life
that conscious harmony with the Divine
Will which then became the controlling
factor o f his active career cannot be the
end o f the process o f transcendence Th e
soul now hungers and thirsts for a more
intense Reality a closer contact with
Him who is measureless
a deeper and
deeper penetration into the burning heart
Though contemplation
the universe
of
seems to have reached its term love goes
Be
to lose itself upon the heights
on
yond both the conditioned and unconditioned
world beyond the Trinity Itself that love
.
RU YS B R O ECK
1 66
manner
the deied life indescribable
save by the oblique methods o f music o r
poetry wherein in Maeterlinck s great
phrase
the psychology o f man mingles
with the psychology o f God
Al l Ruys
b r o e c k s most wonderful passages are con
cerned with the desperate attempt t o tell
us of this life this utter fruition o f Reality
which seems at o ne time to involve for the
contemplative consciousness a self mergence
in Deity so complete as t o give colour to
that charge of pantheism which is inevitably
ung at all mystics who try to tell what
they have known ; at others to represent
rather the perfect consummation o f that
union in separateness which is character
i s t i c of all true love
This is but one instance o f that perpetu a l
and inevitable resort to paradox which
torments all who try to follow him along
this track without shadow o f trace
fo r
the goal towards which he is now enticing
us is o ne in which all the completing opposites
of
our fragmentary experience nd their
,
Th e Twel v e B egu i n es ,
ca
i
x
v
p
.
TH E S
1 67
RUY S B R OECK
1 68
Th e S even Cl o i s ter s ,
ca
x
i
x
p
.
TH E S
UPERESS ENTI A L LI FE
1 69
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne,
c a p. v i
ii
R UYS B R O ECK
wherefrom we are spiritually born ) then we
cease and we and all that is o u r o wn die
into God And in this death we become
hidden S ons o f Go d and nd in ourselves
a new life and that is Eternal Life And
of these S ons S t Paul says
Y e are dead
and your life is hi d with Christ in God
I n o u r approach to God we must bear with
us ourselves and all that we do as a per
et u a l sacrice to God
and
in
the
Presence
p
o f God we must leave ourselves and all o u r
works and dying in love soar up above
all created things into the S uperessential
K ingdom o f God
And o f this the S pirit of
God speaks in the Book of Hidden Things
saying
Blessed are the dead that die in the
Lord
If we would ta s te Go d and feel
in ourselves Eternal Life ab ove all things
we must go forth into God with a faith that
is far ab ove our reason and there dwell
simple idle without image lifted up by l ove
into the U nwalled Bareness of our i nt el l i
gence F o r when we go out from ourselves
in love and die to all observances in i g n o r
ance and darkness then we are made c o m
l
e
t
e
and
s
by
the
Eternal
Word
t
r
a
n
u
r
e
d
p
g
Image of the Father And in this emptiness
of spirit we receive the Incomprehensible
Light which enfolds and penetrates u s as
air i s penetrated by the light o f the sun ;
and this Light is nought else but a fathomless
gazing and seeing Wh at we are that we
,
TH E S
UPERESSENTI A L
LIF E
1 71
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne ,
ca
ix
RU Y S B
R OECK
will can
TH E S
UPERES SE NT I AL LIFE
1 73
o f Divine t hi ngs
that S avouring Wisdom
which is the last supreme gift of the S pirit
is able to taste and appr e hend the sweetness
of Innite Reality But at the other end
where he still participates in the time pro
cess where his love and will are a moving
river consciousness hungers for that total
Attainment still ; and attention will swing
between these two extremes now actualised
within the living soul which has put o n the
dual character of Divine Humanity and is
living E t ernal Life not in some far off
celestial region but here where Christ lived
it in the entangled world of Time Thu s
active s elf mergence incessant r e birth i nto
God perpetual eager fe eding o n Him is
implicit in all spiritual life Even for t h e
souls o f the deied quietism is n e ver
right
For love cannot be lazy but would
search through and through and tast e
through and through the fathomless kmg
d o m that lives in her ground ; and this
1
hunger shall nev er be stilled
i
soul
whenever
it
attends
to
tself
e
h
T
withdraws itself so to spe a k from the
.
1
1
T h e K i ng d o m o f Go d s L o v er s ,
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne , c a p
B eg u mes ,
ca
XVI .
ix
c ap
.
xxxi i i
Cp
als o
Th e Twel v e
RU Y S B R O ECK
Divine S ynthesis dwells in itself and beholds
T h e T wel v e B eg u i n es , c a p xv i
1
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne, c a p i x ;
Tr u th , c a p xi i
1
also
Th e B o o k
THE S
LI F E
1 75
i g i ng w i c k e t
sw n
Th e
s et
B e t we en
Un s e en a n d S ee n
!
.
Th e K i ngd o m o f Go d
Lo v er s ,
ca
xxxi
RU YSBR OECK
1 76
'
Th e B o o k
Tr u th ,
cap
xi i
TH E S
1 77
1
1
T h e S pa r kl i ng S to ne ,
Op Ci t c a p
.
I 2
ix
c ap
RU Y S B R OECK
but Thee only ab ove all feeli ng a nd al l
9
manner in a ma nner n o t kno wn to a l l
I t is t o this same paradoxical victory i n
ar
Be
se
Ca u g h t
o n d h u ma n t h o u h t
g
I n t h e t h u n d e r -s po u t
nti l t h
e i n g d i m,
y
An d b e
!
D ea d d e a t h l e s s l
of
H i m,
Th e I mi ta ti o n o f Ch r i s t , li b i i i c a p
1
Th e T wel v e B egu i nes , c a p xi v ,
S to ne , c a p i x
3
Th e T wel v e B egu i nes , c a p xv i
1
xxiii
a nd
Th e S pa r kl i ng
TH E S
1 79
cap
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne ,
.
xi
ca
i
x
p
.
o p.
Th e B o o k
/ Tr u th
180
R U Y S B ROEC K
Th e
THE S
181
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne ,
ca
xi i
RU Y SB R O ECK
182
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne ,
ca
THE S
183
Th e
Th e S pa r kl i ng S to ne,
0p
czt
ca
x11
cap
RU Y S B R O ECK
184
s o here
when love falls in love with love
and each is all to the other in possession and
in rest the o bj ec t of this ecstasy is not a
permanent self loss in the Divine Darkness
a slumbering in God but a new life o f
virtue such as love and its impulses de
1
mand
To be a living willing T ool o f
God wherewith God works what He will
and how He will is the goal o f transcend
ence described in the last chapter o f The
S p a r kli ng S to ne
Then is o u r life a wh o le
when contemplation and work dwell in us
S ide by side and we are perfectly in both o f
for then the separate
them at once
spirit is immersed in and part of the per
l
e
t
u
a
creative
act
of
the
Godhead
the
p
owing forth and the drawing back which
have at their base the Eternal Equilibrium
the unbroken peace wherein
God con
templates Himself and all things in an
Eternal Now that has neither beginning nor
2
end
O n that
U nbroken Peace the
s pirit hangs ; and swings like a pendulum
in wide arcs of love and service between
the U nconditioned and the Conditioned
W orlds
S o the S uperessentia l L ife is the simple
t h e synthetic life in which man actualises at
last all the resources o f his complex being
,
xi
o p al s o Th e S e v en D egr ees ,
0p c i t c a p
i i
T h e S pa r kl i n g S to ne, c a p xi v
Th e S i r i tu a l M a r r z a ge , li b i i i c a p v
.
cap
xi v
TH E S
1 85
B I BL I O G R A P H I C A L N O T E
I FL E M I S H
TE X T
Wer ken
R u u s br o ec
Ed J D V I D
6 v o l s ( Ma et s c h a ppy d er Vl a e ms c h e B i b l i o
il
h
e
n
e
t
1
G
n
8
5
8
,
)
(
p
Th i s e d i t i o n , b a s e d o n t h e MS S pr e s e r v e d a t
B ru s s el s a n d Gh ent , a n d t h e f o u n d a t i o n o f a l l t h e
b es t t r a ns l a t i o ns , i s no w r a r e
I t ma y b e c o n
s u l t e d a t t h e B r i t i s h Mu s eu m
A r e -i s s u e o f t h e Fl e mi s h t e x t i s n o w i n pr o
t
r
t
l
e
a
a
R
u
s
b
r
o
c
k
r
s
m
b
e
s
s
h
e
v
o
u
e
i
n
J
n
v
n
e
,
g
y
g
V a n d en VI I Tr app en ( i e Th e S ev en D egr ees of
Ed
L ov e) met Geer t Gr o o te s l a ti i ns ch e V er ta li ng
D o m P h MULL E R ( B ru s s e l s ,
van
v an
an
II
T R A N S LAT I ON S
La ti n
w er e e a r l y
u ys b r o ec k
Th e c h i e f wo r k s o f
t r a n s l a te d int o L a t i n s o me d u r i ng t h e i r a u t h o r s
l i f et i me , a n d w i d e l y c i r c u l a t e d i n t h i s f o r m
Th r e e o f t h es e e a r l y t r a n s l a t i o n s w e r e pr i nt e d i n
t h e D e Or na tu S pi r i tu a l i u m
t h e s i xt e en t h c e nt u r y
a nd t h e
N up ti a r u m o f J o r d a e n s , a t a r i s i n 1 5 1 2
D e S ep tem S ca l te D i vi ni A mo r i s Gr a di bus o f Ger a r d
,
87
B I B LI O G
188
R A PH I C AL N O TE
a nd a a in i n 1 6 9 2
I
t
t
c
o
n
a
i
n
s
a
l
l
u
s
r
o
e
s
R
b
c
k
g
y
a u t h e nt i c
w o r ks , a nd s o me t h a t a r e d o u b t f u l ;
i n a tr a n s l a t i o n s i ng u l a r l y f a i t h f u l t o t h e s en s e o f
t h e o r i g i na l th o u g h i t f a il s t o r e pr o d u c e t h e r u g g e d
s u b li mi t , t h e s u d d e n l a s e s i nt o c r u d e a n d h o me l
y
y
p
met a ph o r , s o c h a r a c t er i s t i c o f h i s s t yl e
.
E ngl i s h
Th e B o o k of th e Twelve B gu i nes ( t h e r s t s i xt ee n
Tr a n s l a t e d f r o m t h e Fl e mi s h ,
c h a pt e r s o n l y )
b y J O HN F R N C I S ( Lo n d o n ,
A u s e f u l t r a n s l a t i o n o f o n e o f R u ys b r o e c k s
mo s t d i fc u lt t r e a t i s e s
F r enc h
DE
WI S Q U E S
Tr a d u cti on d a
D E S IN T P U L
Mi r o i r
S a lu t Eter nel ;
L es S ep t D eg r es
Les S ep t Cl otu r es
S pi r i tu el
d A mo u r
l Ech el le
de
B
r
u s s e l s , 1 9 1 2 , i n pr o g r es s )
(
Th i s e d it i o n , w h en c o mpl ete d , w ill f o r m t h e
text Of u ys b r o e c k f o r th o s e u n a b l e
s t a nd a r d
t o r ea d F l e mi s h
Th e tr a ns l a t i o n i s a d mi r a b l y
VO L
Le
da
B I B LI O G
lu c i d ,
a nd
xe d
r
e
IS
R A PH I C A L N OTE
sh o rt
bu t
ea c h wo r k
to
a de
189
i nt r o d u c t i o n
u at e
L Or n ement d es N o c es S p i r i tu el les
Tr a d u i t d a
F l a ma nd p a r
U RI C E
E TE R L I N C K B r u s s e l s ,
(
MA
1 9 00)
MA
Th i s c el eb r a t e d b o o k , s t ill mo r e i t s b e a u t i f u l
t h o u gh
u n r el i a b l e
i nt r o d u c t i o n , i s c h i e y r e
s po n s i b l e f o r t h e mo d er n i nt e r e s t i n
u ys b r o e c k
Th e t r a n s l a t i o n , e x q u i s i t e a s F r e n c h pr o s e , o v e r
e mph a s i s es t h e e s o t er i c e l e ment i n h i s t e a c h i n
g
Th o s e u n a b l e t o r e a d F l e mi s h s h o u l d c h e c k i t b y
L M B E RT S G e r ma n t e x t ( s e e b el o w )
Vi e
d e R us br o ch s u i v i e d e s o n Tr a i t d es S ep t
D egr s d e l A mo u r
Tr a d u c ti o n li tter a le d a
T ea te F l a ma nd L a ti n , p a r
CH A M O N A L
r
a
i
s
T
r
a
i
R
a
t
d
a
o
u
m
d
s
A
e
e
e
m
a
n
s
t
,
(
y
T r a d u i t pa r
CH A M O N A L ( a r i s ,
d e D i eu
D e la Vr a i e Co ntemp la ti o n ( i e Th e
CH AM O N A L
Twelv e B gu i nes )
T r a d u i t pa r
3 v o ls ( ar i s ,
Th e s e a r e t h e r s t v o l u me s o f a pr o po s e d c o mpl e t e
t r a n s l a t i o n ; wh i c h i s , h o w ev e r , f a r f r o m l i t e r a l ,
a n d r e pl a c e s t h e r o u g h v i g o u r o f t h e o r i g i n a l b y
t h e i n s i pi d l a ng u a g e o f c o nv ent i o na l F r en c h pi e t y
'
Li v r e d es XI I B gu i nes o u d e la Vr a i e Co ntemp la
Tr a d u i t
ti o n ( r s t s i x t e e n c h a pt e r s o nl y )
d u F l a ma n d , a v ec I ntr o d u cti o n , p a r L AB B E
P CU Y LI TS ( B r u s s e l s ,
Th i s a l s o c o nt a i n s a F r e n c h v e r s i o n o f t h e Vi ta
Th e t r a n s l a t o r i s s pe c i a l l y s u c c e s s f u l
o f P o me r i u s
i n r end er i ng t h e pe c u l i a r q u a l i t y o f R u ys b r o ee k s
ver s e ; b u t t h e s t a t e me nt s i n h i s i nt r o d u c t i o n mu s t
b e a c c e pt ed w i t h r es er ve
.
B I B LI O G
1 90
R A PH I CA L N O T E
D
Dr ei S c hr if ten d es
Ger ma n
Mys ti ker s
J o h a nn v a n R u ys
br o eck, a us d em V l d mi s ch en aber s etz t v o n
F R N Z A L M B E RT ( L e i pz i g
A v i g o r o u s a n d a c c u r a t e t r a n s l a t i o n o f Th e
A d or n ment of th e S p i r i tu a l M a r r i age, T h e S p a r kli ng
S to ne a n d Th e B o o k o f S u pr eme Tr u th
R u ys b r o e c k tr a n s l a t es b et t e r I nt o G er ma n t h a n
i nt o a ny o t h er l a n gu a g e ; a nd t h i s vo l u me i s
s tr o ng l y r e c o mme nd e d t o a ll wh o c a n r e a d t h a t
to ng u e
III
S E L E CTI O N S
1 9 05 )
F l o wer s o f
E S
Ill ys ti c Ga r d en
L
o
d
o
n
n
,
(
a
.
Tr a n s l a t e d b y
Life, Li gh t, a nd L ove
S elec ti o ns f r o m th e Ger ma n
kI ys ti cs
B y t h e V er y R e v
IN E ,
W
D D , D ea n o f S t P a u l s ( Lo nd o n ,
o nt a i n s a n a b r i d e d ve r s i o n o f Th e A d or nment
g
o
t
S
i
r
h
e
i
a
l
M
t
u
ar
r
i
a
e
f
g
p
.
B I B LI O G
R A PH I C A L N O TE
B I O G RA P HY
1 91
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B I B LI O G
1 92
a n a l ys i s
ra
h
p y
of
a ll
R A PH I C A L N O TE
R u ys b r o e c k
w o r ks
a nd
f u l l b i b li o
B ij d r agen t o t d e K enni s v a n h et L ev en en d e
Wer ken v a n J a n v a n R u u s br o ec ( Gent ,
o n t a i n s G er a r d N a h e l s s k e t c h o f R u s b r o ec k s
g
y
li f e , w i t h o t h er u s e f u l ma t er i a l
D e H a n d s ch r i ften v a n J a n v a n R u u s br o ec s
Wer ken 2 v o l s ( G ent ,
An i mpo r t a nt a n d s c h o l a r l y s t u d y o f t h e ma nu
s c r i pt s o u r c e s b y t h e g r e a t es t li v i ng a u t h o r i t y
N o t i c e s o i R u ys b r o ec k w ill b e f o u n d i n t h e
f o ll o w i ng w o r k s
E tu d e s u r l es Mys ti qu es d es P a ys B a s
AU E R , A
a u M o yen Ag e ( A c a dmi e R o ya l e d e B elg i qu e,
v o l xl v i
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S tu d i es i n Mys ti ca l R e
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l i gi o n ( L o n d o n ,
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B I B LI O G
R A PH I CA L N O TE
1 93
P E T E R S E N , GE R L C
Th e F i er y S o li lo qu y wi th
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P O U L IN , A U G , S J Th e Gr a ces of I nter i o r
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b y a s t u d y o f t h e a u t h o r s w h o i n u en c e d h i m ;
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S T AU U S TI N E ; MI NE , P L , xxv ii x l v ii ; Eng
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D I O N Y S I U S TH E ARE O P I TE
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M Y S TICAL P H I LO S O P HY
S P I R IT UAL R EAL ITY IN P R OG R ES S I VE B U DD H I S M
T H E I D EAL L I F E IN P R OG R E S S I V E B U DD H I S M
S OME FEAT U R E S O F B U DD H I S T P S YC H O LO GY
R E INCAR NATI O N E T H I CALLY
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T H E B OOK O F T H E H ID D E N M YS T ER I ES B Y H I ER OTH EOS
T H E R I S ING P S Y C H IC T ID E
V A I H I N GER S P H I LOS O P H Y O F T H E As I F
B ER GS O N S I NT U ITI O NI S M
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M I NN I E B
T H E OBA L D
Cr o wn 8 v 0 .
T
i
l it
E E a l l ego r c a l s t o r es ,
bu t i o n to th e
th a t t h e
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en
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Th e
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im
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F r es h i n s t y l e gr a ph ic a nd
th o s e p r o b l e ms i n th is wo r l d a nd th e
a ll a nd wil l make s p ec ia l a ppe a l t o
exe r c s e s .
as e s o f c o nsc o us nes s .
W A LD O
R A LP H
fo r m
a s ta t e o f e xa l ta
er e
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mu s ic ia n
s
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f i t l int
t t
p y h l gy f d i ff nt ph
in c ha rac t er , th e
s t u d ents o f
p im nt l p y
er e a ct u a l l
ch
by
w r t t en
era tu r e o f ex er
s e c o nc ent ra t o n o n
35
TRI N E S
BOOK
NEW
T H E N EW
A LI N EMENT
O F LI FE
P os t 8
THE
au th o r s
ma in Obj ec t
i n th
3s
6d
s new v o l u
me
n e t.
i s to
ift
o ut
th e fu nd a mental
i s t i a n i t y H p t th m f m t h m ny h lf
l y th m
wh i h n w d y
I t wi l l pp l t
nd
ft n
t th
m
n
f
d
x
h
d
l l th
p
i
y
i
y
l
n
i
t
d
t
h
t
f
g
g
xp
b k it will i n pi t b tt
L ik
ll M T i n
h
t i d t
m p h i l ph y
li ttl wh l
h w wh t
t h inking
nd
l i i ng nd b tt
t t i nm nt f t
h pp in
wi l l d t w d t h
t r u th s
ru
of
r ea l
err o r s
s a
ou
av e
r e
Ch r
o e
e
ar
r ea
er s , e
s so o
ONDO N :
a ra es
r ue
B E LL
ro
e v er
oo
e s
a
o v er a
o es
r.
e a
er
as
r es s
res s .
e a
e se
so
ea s
ea
re
o es o
O NS
LT D
oso
es s .
AN D
s,
us
er