The Cloud of Unknowing is a practical spiritual guidebook thought to have been written in the 14th century by an anonymous English monk who counsels a young student to seek God not through knowledge but through love. This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... For other uses, see Monk (disambiguation). ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... For other uses, see Love (disambiguation). ...

"Our intense need to understand will always be a powerful stumbling block to our attempts to reach God in simple love [...] and must always be overcome. For if you do not overcome this need to understand, it will undermine your quest. It will replace the darkness which you have pierced to reach God with clear images of something which, however good, however beautiful, however Godlike, is not God."

The book, which draws on the mystical tradition of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, has reputedly inspired generations of mystical searchers from St. John of the Cross to Teilhard de Chardin. It has been described as Christianity with a Zen outlook, but has also been derided by some as anti-intellectual. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, also known as pseudo-Denys, refers to the anonymous theologian and philosopher of the 5th century whose Corpus Areopagiticum was falsely ascribed to Dionysius the Areopagite of Acts 17:34. ... Saint John of the Cross (Juan de la Cruz) was a Spanish Carmelite friar, born on June 24, 1542 at Fontiveros, a small village near Avila. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... For other uses, see Zen (disambiguation). ... Anti-intellectualism describes a sentiment of hostility towards, or mistrust of, intellectuals and intellectual pursuits. ...

The practical prayer advice contained in The Cloud of Unknowing formed the basis for the practice of centering prayer, a form of Christian meditation developed by Trappist monks William Meninger, Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating in the 1970s. Centering prayer is a popular method of contemplative prayer, placing a strong emphasis on interior quiet and the experience of Gods presence. ... Christian meditation is meditation in a Christian context. ... Trappist can refer to: a religious order - see Trappists some of the products, made by the order - see Trappist beer This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Fr. ... Fr. ...

"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."

References

• The Cloud of Unknowing : and The Book of Privy Counseling (1973). translator, William Johnston. 1996 edition foreword, Huston Smith. Image Doubleday, paperback: ISBN 0-385-03097-5
• The Cloud of Unknowing (1981). Paulist Press translation. 2004 HarperCollins edition: ISBN 0-06-073775-1
• The Cloud of Unknowing (1957). translation by Ira Progoff. Dell/Doubleday. 1983 paperback: ISBN 0440319943, 1989 paperback: ISBN 0-385-28144-7

Huston Cummings Smith (born May 31, 1919) is among the preeminent religious studies scholars in the United States. ... Ira Progoff (1921-1998) was an American psychotherapist, best known for his development of the Intensive Journal Method while at Drew University. ...

External links

• Introduction to Online text with analysis and bibliography
  • Online text in Middle English, 2528 lines in 75 chapters on one html page
• John Watkins 1922 London edition with introduction by Evelyn Underhill
  • Alternate Internet Archive link for London edition when primary server is periodically unavailable.