The Cloud of Unknowing and Other
Works (Penguin Classics) by
Anonymous
Excellent Manual
In the fourteenth century there was a great flourishing of religious writings
in English, both orthodox and heretical. Many of these works focused on
Christs Passion and humanity, whereas The Cloud of Unknowing
describes an abstract, transcendent God beyond human knowledge and
human language. Drawing upon radically different traditions, it is a rich
work full of intriguing contradictions that speaks to us with liveliness and
wit even today. The unknown author, thought to be a priest and Carthusian
monk, is also believed to have written the other three works in this volume:
The Mystical Theology of Saint Denis, The Book of Privy Counselling, and
An Epistle on Prayer, which, together with The Cloud of Unknowing, are
the four texts at the core of medieval mystical theology.

This Penguin Classics edition includes full explanatory notes, suggestions
for further reading, an appendix that reproduces the Middle English text of
a section of The Mystical Theology of Saint Denis, and an introduction that
places the texts within the context of medieval religious writing.
Personal Review: The Cloud of Unknowing and Other Works
(Penguin Classics) by Anonymous
This classic guide to Christian contemplative prayer (effectively, what we
call 'meditation' these days, rather - than 'asking' for something), is as
meaningful now, as the day it was written. Still, it won't mean a thing if you
aren't drawn to the contemplative life - but, as the appropriately
'anonymous' author points out, with almost Zen-like acuteness, if you are
truly given to the spiritual art and discipline hinted at in his directions - you
will find that it supervenes wherever you may happen to be ("for when you
are nowhere physically, you are everywhere spiritually. . ." ). Quite fairly
then, this approach has been called 'Christian Zen' - and so it is.
Spearing's translation of 'The Cloud of Unknowing' has replaced the
previous Penguin edition presented by Clifton Walters. I would still
recommend Walters' version, if you can find a copy. It gave a good
introduction to the 'Cloud' and its background - useful to read alongside
Spearing's introductory material. As we have remarked before, Christian
'prayer' is often taken to mean 'petitionary prayer' - asking for something
(Eckhart said that "people want to use God, just as they would a cow" !).
There is, of course, a perfectly noble and proper place for petitionary
prayer, but in some ways, it does heighten our sense of separation from
God - at the worst, leaving us as mere creatures, seeking creaturely
rewards. The 'Way of Unknowing' - set forth in the 'Cloud,' represents a
much neglected dimension of Christianity - the way of self-emptying. In a
certain sense, it is more suited to an age tired of religious formalism and
the mere externals of faith. Some of the 'Cloud-author's' comments - about
Christians who literally 'look upwards' - as if God were in the sky etc.,
might be those of a contemporary critic. Nevertheless, the 'Cloud-author'
speaks as an 'orthodox'' Christian, and he is by no means mocking the
Church.
Nobody who reads the 'Cloud' has an obligation to consider inter-faith
issues, but we live in 'global' age of inter-cultural - and, hopefully, trans-
cultural values. Christians the calibre of Thomas Merton found it an
enrichening experience to explore Buddhist horizons. With the possible
exception of Suzuki Daistezu, after discovering Eckhart, Asian Buddhist
writers have been inclined to dismiss Christian mysticism, saying much
about the affective, emotional and allegedly 'sexual' feelings of the
Christian mystics. There is no 'God' in Buddhism - which cannot be made
into 'Theism' without considerable distortion. Still, there is a transcendental
ground - in Buddhism, and that's what intelligent Christian mystics mean . .
.by searching for God.

In one edition of the 'Cloud' text, Walters went into a digression on Zen,
saying just enough to dismiss it as 'nihilism.' Having appreciated Walters'
work, and finding that much in the 'Cloud' had an evident resonance with
Zen, the reviewer contacted the author (a Christian priest), pointing out
that Buddhism (cf. the Diamond Sutra) expressly warns us against holding
'nihilist' views.
Suzuki seemed to regard Eckhart as exceptional (the Church in his day
charged Eckhart with heresy, and though he acquitted himself, the Church
banned his books for centuries, after his death, just to be sure). On mature
reckoning, however, Eckhart was but part of a mystical flowering which
emerged throughout Western Europe. The 'Cloud' author was part of the
same flowering, happily avoiding the pitfalls which had beset Eckhart.
One reviewer has described the 'Cloud' - as 'fun' to read. Understandably
then, another reviewer has astutely pointed out that the 'Cloud' text is
preceeded by an injunction, discouraging frivolous use of the material -
and this, for good reasons (similar injunctions can be found in Buddhist
contemplative manuals), for anyone who undertakes such practices needs
to do so in disciplined manner. In their own way, the Christian mystics
recognised what the Buddhists call 'ma-kyo' - demonic states or
hindrances which can arise in the course of contemplation. Still, there is no
superstitious fear of 'sin' or 'evil' here. Rather like a Zen master, utilising a
kind of spiritual ju-jitsu, the 'Cloud-author' points out that - if you encounter
obstructive hindrances, thoughts etc. - you can 'look over their shoulder' as
it were, rather than giving them more power, by trying to resist them
directly. The 'Cloud' is an amazing little text, which may yet gain fresh life
and meaning.
A final point, the Amazon.com editorial notes repeated the erroneous
'blurb' placed on the back-cover of the book by the publisher, attributing
the 'Mystica Theologia' (Pseud. Dionsyius) to the 'Cloud-author.' While
14th c. mystics such as the 'Cloud-author' used the 'Mystica Theologia'
(Mid. Eng.'Deonise Hid Divinitie)to support their ideas, the 'Mystica
Theologia' was written centuries before, circa 500 a.d. The 14th c. works in
this book are 'The Cloud of Unknowing,' 'The Book of Privy Counselling'
and 'An Epistle of Prayer.'
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