What do you think of The Cloud of Unknowing?

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I was all messed up. I was thinking of Ascent and that was Book 2 Chapter 1 p 88

The soul says that it was travelling ‘disguised,’ because the garments and vesture which it wears and its natural condition are changed into the Divine, as it ascends by faith. And it was because of this disguise that it was not recognized or impeded, either by time or by reason or by the devil; for none of these things can harm one that journeys in faith. And not only so, but the soul travels in such wise concealed and hidden and is so far from all the deceits of the devil that in truth it journeys (as it also says here) ‘in darkness and in concealment’ — that is to say, hidden from the devil, to whom the light of faith is more than darkness.


But the also in Living Flame stanza 3

A soul, then, should abandon itself into God’s hands, and not into its own or those of the other two blind guides. Insofar as it abandons itself to God and does not apply its faculties to anything, it will advance securely.


But it is not just emptying the mind like Zen or something. It is a faithfilled, loving surrender.
 
I maybe could have asked the same question abut Pseudo-dionysius Mystical theology.

30 And this I take to signify that the divinest and the highest of the things perceived by the eyes of the body or the mind are but the symbolic language of things subordinate to Him who Himself transcendeth them all. Through these things His incomprehensible presence is shown walking upon 35 those heights of His holy places which are perceived by the mind; and then It breaks forth, even from the things that are beheld and from those that behold them, and plunges the true initiate unto the Darkness of Unknowing wherein he renounces all the apprehensions of his understanding 40 and is enwrapped in that which is wholly intangible and invisible, belonging wholly to Him that is beyond all things and to none else (whether himself or another), and being through the passive stillness of all his reasoning powers united by his highest faculty to Him that is wholly Un45 knowable, of whom thus by a rejection of all knowledge he possesses a knowledge that exceeds his understanding.


He was talking about Moses which got me o take another look at Exodus and all there references to cloud associated with God starting in chapter 19.
 
This thread brought back a flood of good memories. I read the Cloud of Unknowing in 2007. I had signed up for a week-long silent retreat with a Carmelite priest from India, the late Fr. Datius Kanjiramukil, which was held at Prince of Peace Benedictine Abbey in Oceanside, CA. Before the retreat, I asked him what I might do in preparation. He suggested that I read The Cloud of Unknowing, which I did, a few pages every morning before work, while sitting in my truck in the parking structure of one of the office towers in downtown Los Angeles. The retreat was excellent. Father Datius preferred the term, “the prayer of simplicity,” and he led the group in guided meditation twice a day. I can still hear his voice, calm and slow. Other than daily Mass and the opportunity for Confession or private counsel from Fr. Datius, we remained in silence, which was a blessing, given my very active and noisy life at that time…
 
The deeper spiritual teaching of the author of the Cloud of Unknowing, the mystical theology of the Pseudo-Dionysius, as well as St John of the Cross such as going by a way of unknowing rather than knowing are essentially speaking I think of the experience of mystical or supernatural contemplation which is a pure gift from God. In mystical contemplation, God engages our faculties and it is a hindrance to God’s own work in us if we try at this time to engage them ourselves. As St John of the Cross teaches, if God gifts us with supernatural contemplation, its best for us to simply passively receive His work in us or we will frustrate his work in us if, as I said, at this time we try ourselves to work with our faculties when God is doing the work. Before supernatural contemplation and in meditation, both St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila, advise us to use our faculties, our intellect, will, memory, imagination, otherwise, when we go to prayer we won’t be doing anything which wouldn’t be very meritorious and we need to learn about the life of Christ so we can follow his example. Meditation is characteristic of the ascetical life though I don’t think it is entirely done away with in this life even among the contemplatives though the prayer of the contemplatives is more of contemplation than meditation. Even among beginners in the spiritual life in which meditation is the characteristic prayer, there are times we may just want to be still before the Lord which many spiritual authors may call acquired contemplation.
 
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Yes, I think if we just let the Lord lead us with desire and love we may find ourselves in deep quiet stillness as well as active verbal praise. And the measure of our progress is our love, not any experience or how much we think we are praying or doing.
 
It’s about letting go of erroneous thoughts that come into the mind and take you away from being aware of God’s presence.

It’s not about zoning out and not being aware of the present moment you’re in.
 
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