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Chapter 4BlinckSteen.1.4

Eerste deel — C. Een godscouwende leven

The Three Marks of Contemplation

The contemplative life is defined by a groundless foundation, a wayless practice, and a divine enjoyment.

A life of contemplating God. On three points that make a contemplative person. Furthermore, you should know that if this spiritual person is to become a person who contemplates God, three points also belong to that. The first point is that he feel the foundation of his being as groundless; and so he must possess it.1 The second point is this: his practice must be wayless.2 The third point: his indwelling must be a divine enjoyment.3 Now understand this, you who want to live in the spirit, because I am speaking to no one else. The union that the spiritual person feels with God when that union reveals itself to the spirit without ground—that is, immeasurably deep, immeasurably high, immeasurably long and wide.✦4 In that same revelation the spirit becomes aware that through love it has sunk away from itself into the depth, been lifted above itself into the height, and gone out into the length.✦5 And he feels himself lost in the breadth; and he feels himself dwelling in the unknown knowledge; and he feels himself flowed out, through that clinging sense of the union, into oneness, and, through dying to all, into the livingness of God.✦✦6 And there, he feels himself one life with God. And this is a foundation and the first point in a contemplative life.

The Inward Drawing of Love

The unity of God draws the loving spirit inward, protecting the soul from sin and grounding it in divine grace.

And from this springs the second point: an exercise above reason and without any mode; for the unity of God, which every contemplative spirit possesses in love, is forever drawing and claiming inward the divine Persons and all loving spirits into their own selfhood.78 Everyone who loves feels this inward drawing more and more, in proportion to their love and the way they practice it.9 Whoever pays attention to this inward drawing and stays with it cannot fall into mortal sins.

Burning Away in Divine Unity

The contemplative person, emptied of self, is consumed by the eternal fire of God's love and transformed into His unity.

But the contemplative person who has renounced himself and all things, and feels no drawing away—because he possesses nothing as his own, but stands empty of all things—can always come bare and imageless into the innermost of his spirit.10 There he finds an eternal light revealed, and in that light he feels the eternal in-drawing of God's unity.11 And he feels himself as an eternal fire of love that longs, above all else, to be one with God. The more carefully he takes heed of the in-drawing or the immanence, the more he feels of it; and the more he feels of it, the more he longs to be one with God, for he longs to pay the debt that is demanded of him by God.12 That eternal indwelling of God's unity makes an everlasting burning of love in the spirit.13 But where the spirit pays that debt without ceasing, that makes in him an everlasting burning away.14 For in the transformation of unity, all spirits fail in their own working, and feel nothing else but wholly burning away into the simple unity of God.15 No one can feel or possess this simple unity of God unless he is standing in immeasurable clarity, and in love beyond reason and without mode.16 In that state, the spirit feels an eternal burning of love within; in this fire of love, it finds neither end nor beginning, and feels itself one with this fire of love.17 The spirit always remains burning within itself, for its love is eternal; it constantly feels itself being burned away in love, for it is drawn into the transformation of God’s unity.18 Where the spirit burns in love, if it notices itself, it finds distinction and otherness between itself and God; but where it is burned away, it is simple, has no distinction, and therefore feels nothing but unity. For the immeasurable flame of God’s love consumes and swallows up everything it can seize in its selfhood.19

The Abyss of Eternal Enjoyment

The life of the spirit is an endless sinking into the abyss of God's love, a mystery taught only by the indwelling Truth.

And so you can see that God's in-drawing unity is nothing other than bottomless love, which with love draws the Father and the Son, and all that lives in him, into an eternal enjoyment.20 And in this love we want to burn and burn away without end, forever; for in this lies the blessedness of every spirit.21 And for this reason we must found our whole life on a bottomless abyss, so that we may forever sink in love and sink away from ourselves into the bottomless depth. And with that same love we shall rise and rise beyond ourselves into the incomprehensible height; and in that love without manner we shall wander; and it will lead us into the immeasurable breadth of God's love.22 And in that we shall flow and flow away from ourselves into the unknown abundance of God's riches and goodness.23 And in that, we shall melt and melt away, whirl and whirl away forever in the glory of God.24 Look, in every likeness of all these things, I reveal to a contemplative person their own being and practice. But no one else can understand it, because no one can teach the contemplative life to another. However, where the eternal Truth reveals itself in the spirit, everything that is necessary is taught.

Read the original Latin

een godscouwende leven. Van drien punten die enen scouwenden mensche maken. Voertmeer seldi weten, sal dese gheestelijcke mensche een godscouwende mensche werden, daer-toe behoren oec drie poente. Dat eerste poent es dat hi dat fondament sijns wesens grondeloes ghevoele; ende alsoe moet hijt besitten. Dat ander poent es: sine oefeninghe moet sijn wiseloes. Dat derde poent: sine inwoninghe moet sijn een godlijc gebruken.

Nu verstaet, ghi die inden gheeste leven wilt, want niemen anders en sprekic toe.

Die eeninghe die de gheestelijcke mensche met gode ghevoelt wanneer dat hare die eeninghe den gheest oppenbaert sonder gront, dat es sonder mate diep, sonder mate hoghe, sonder mate lanc ende breet. Inder selver openbaringhen soe wert die gheest gheware, dat hi hemselven overmids minne ontsoncken es in die diepheit, ende onthoghet in die hoocheit, ende ontgaen in die lancheit. Ende hi ghevoelt hem-selven verdoelt inde wijtheit; ende hi ghevoelt hem-selven wonende in die ombecande becantheit; ende hi ghevoelt hem-selven ontvloten, dore dat aenclevende ghevoelen der eeninghen, in eenicheit, ende, dore al sterven, in die levendicheit gods. Ende daer ghevoelt hi hem één leven met gode.

Ende dit es een fondament ende dat eerste poent in eenen scouwenden levene.

Ende hier-ute ontspringhet dat ander poent, dat es eene oefeninghe boven redene ende sonder wise; want die eenicheit gods, die yeghelijc scouwende gheest in minnen beseten heeft, die es eewelijcke intreckende ende in-eyscende die godlijcke persone ende alle minnende gheeste in haers selfsheit.

Ende des intreckens ghevoelt yeghewelc die mint, men ende meer, na mate sire minnen ende na wise sire oefeninghen. Ende die des intreckens ware-neemt ende daer-bi blijft, hi en mach niet vallen in dootsonden.

Maer die scouwende mensche die sijns selfs ende alre dinc verteghen hevet, ende enghene ave-trecken en ghevoelt, omme-dat hi gheen dinc met eyghenscap en besit maer alre dinghen leedich steet, soe mach hi altoes bloet ende onverbeelt comen in dat innichste sijns gheests. Aldaer vint hi gheoppenbaert een eewich licht, ende in dien lichte ghevoelt hi dat eewighe inmanen der eenicheit gods. Ende hi ghevoelt hem-selven alse eenen eewighen brant der minnen, dien boven al ghelust een te sine met gode. Soe hi des intreckens ochte des immanens bat ware-neemt, soe hijs meer ghevoelt; ende soe hijs meer ghevoelt, soe hem meer lust een te sine met gode, want hem lust die scout te betalene die hem ghemaent wert van gode.

Dat eewighe inmanen der eenicheit gods dat maect inden gheeste een ewich berren van minnen. Maer daer de gheest sonder onderlaet die scout betaelt, dat maect in hem een eewich verberren. Want in die overforminghe der eenicheit falieren alle gheeste in haren werkene, ende en ghevoelen anders niet dan al verberen in die eenvoldighe eenheit gods.

Dese eenvoldighe eenicheit gods en mach niemen ghevoelen noch besitten, hi en si voerstaende in onghemetenre claerheit, ende in minnen boven redene ende sonder wise. Inden vorestane ghevoelt die gheest in hem een eewich berren in minnen; ende in desen brande der minnen en vint hi inde noch beghin; ende hi ghevoelt hem-selven een met desen brande der minnen. Altoes blijft die gheest berrende in hem-selven, want sine minne es eewich; ende altoes ghevoelt hi hem verberrende in minnen, want hi wert ghetrocken in die overforminghe der eenheit gods. Daer die gheest berrent in minnen, eest dat hi hem-selven merct, hi vint onderscheet ende anderheit tuschen hem ende gode; maer daer hi verberent, daer es hi eenvoldich, ende en heeft gheen ondersceet, ende daer-omme en ghevoelt hi anders niet dan eenheit. Want die onghemetene vlamme der minnen gods, si verteert ende verslint al dat si bevaen mach in haers selfsheit.

Ende aldus mochdi merken dat die intreckende eenicheit gods anders niet en es dan grondelose minne die den vader ende den sone, ende al dat leeft in hem, met minnen intreckende es in een eewich ghebruken. Ende in deser minnen wille wij berren ende verberen sonder inde in eewicheit; want hier-inne es gheleghen alre gheeste salicheit. End hier-omme soe moeten wij al onse leven fondeeren op een grondeloes abis, soe moghe wij eewelijc in minnen sincken ende ontsincken ons-selven in die grondelose diepheit. Ende metter selver minnen sele wij hoghen ende onthoghen ons-selven in die ombegripelijcke hoocheit; ende in die minne sonder wise sele wij dolen: ende si sal ons verleiden in die onghemetene wijtheit der minnen gods. Ende daer inne sele wij vlieten ende ons-selven ontvlieten in die ombekinde welde der rijcheit ende der goetheit gods. Ende daer inne selen wij smelten ende versmelten, wielen ende verwielen eewelijc in die glorie gods.

Siet in yeghewelc ghelijckenisse van allen desen, soe toene ic eenen scouwenden mensche sijn wesen ende sine oefeninghe. Maer niemen anders en maecht verstaen, want scouwende leven en mach niemen anderen leeren. Maer daer hare die eewighe waerheit oppenbaert inden gheeste, daer werden alle dinghe gheleert diere noot es.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Eph.3.18 — rooted and grounded in love, that you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
  2. ↩Eph.3.18 — rooted and grounded in love, that you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
  3. ↩Eph.3.18 — rooted and grounded in love, that you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
  4. ↩Gal.2.20;Col.3.3 — I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Col.3.3 — For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩grondeloes: technical Ruusbroeckian term for sensing one's being as without own ground, resting abyssally in God; rendered 'groundless' rather than 'bottomless' to keep the ground/foundation pair with fondament.
  2. 2 ↩wiseloes: technical term (way-less / without mode or intermediate method). Kept as 'wayless' rather than paraphrased as 'formless' or 'undirected,' which would distort the sense.
  3. 3 ↩gebruken: mystical fruitio/enjoyment of God, not ordinary 'use.' Rendered 'enjoyment' for modern readability; 'fruition' is the traditional technical alternative. inwoninghe: inward dwelling/abiding, rendered 'indwelling.'
  4. 4 ↩eeninghe rendered as 'union' (the experienced uniting with God), distinct from later eenicheit 'oneness/unity'. sonder gront is 'without ground/bottom' (bottomless), then unpacked as sonder mate 'without measure'.
  5. 5 ↩ontsoncken / onthoghet / ontgaen form a Ruusbroeck triad of self-loss: sunk away (into depth), raised above self (into height), gone out/passed away (into length). overmids minne = by means of / through love.
  6. 6 ↩ombecande becantheit is a deliberate Ruusbroeck paradox: 'unknown knowledge' / knowledge that remains unknown. aenclevende ghevoelen = adhering/clinging felt sense of the union. dore al sterven = through dying to all (total self-dying), not merely physical death. levendicheit gods kept as 'livingness of God' rather than flattened to generic 'life'.
  7. 7 ↩Middle Dutch wise here is Ruusbroec’s technical ‘mode/manner’ of spiritual practice; sonder wise means a formless exercise beyond all particular modes, not ‘without wisdom’.
  8. 8 ↩intrecken is the inward-drawing of God’s unity; in-eyscen is the complementary claim/demand that pulls the divine Persons and loving spirits back into that unity’s own ground (selfsheit).
  9. 9 ↩Middle Dutch intrecken is Ruusbroec’s technical term for the unity of God’s eternal inward pull on loving spirits (cf. 1.4.5); rendered here as “inward drawing,” not as ordinary emotional attraction.
  10. 10 ↩eyghenscap: proprietary self-possession/attachment; rendered as possessing nothing 'as his own.' bloet ende onverbeelt: bare (naked) and imageless — standard Ruusbroec terms for the stripped, formless approach of the spirit.
  11. 11 ↩inmanen: active eternal 'in-drawing'/inward urging of God's unity (parallel to intrecken/immanens in this chapter); not mere static indwelling.
  12. 12 ↩scout ... ghemaent wert van gode: the 'debt' of love God demands/calls for; not a commercial debt but the loving obligation answered by union. intrecken / immanens treated as parallel interior motions.
  13. 13 ↩Middle Dutch inmanen is Ruusbroec's technical term for the eternal inward pressure or indwelling of God's unity in the spirit (paired earlier with intrecken, the drawing-in).
  14. 14 ↩verberren intensifies berren (burning): not merely burning in love, but being burned away or wholly consumed—the contrast continued in the next section.
  15. 15 ↩overforminghe is Ruusbroec's overforming or superformation: the spirit's being remade above its own activity in God's unity. eenvoldighe = simple/onefold, without multiplicity.
  16. 16 ↩Middle Dutch sonder wise is Ruusbroec’s technical “without mode/manner”: love not bound to any creaturely way, measure, or method. “Mode” preserves the term; it is not casual modern “mood.”
  17. 17 ↩vorestane / voerstaende: the spirit’s standing-forth or standing in the immeasurable clarity named in s1; rendered “standing-forth” to keep the technical continuity with voerstaende.
  18. 18 ↩berren vs. verberren: active burning in love versus being burned away/consumed in love—the classic Ruusbroec pair. overforminghe is transforming overforming into God’s unity, not mere moral improvement.
  19. 19 ↩in haers selfsheit: most naturally “in its selfhood,” of all the flame can grasp that still stands in creaturely self-possession; the flame’s devouring of selfhood is the point.
  20. 20 ↩ghebruken is Ruusbroec's fruitio: not casual pleasure but the soul's eternal enjoying of God; rendered as 'enjoyment' in modern register.
  21. 21 ↩berren ende verberen continues Ruusbroec's paired active/consumptive burning from the prior section: the spirit both burns and is burned up in love.
  22. 22 ↩sonder wise is Ruusbroec's technical 'without manner/mode' (above fixed form or measure of loving), not mere aimlessness. verleiden here is positive mystical leading, not moral seduction.
  23. 23 ↩welde (weelde) can mean luxury, delight, or opulent abundance; 'abundance' keeps the sense of overflowing richness without sounding sensual.
  24. 24 ↩smelten/versmelten and wielen/verwielen continue Ruusbroec's intensifying verb pairs: progressive dissolution and endless circling motion in divine glory.

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