Cloud Of Unknowing (Image): And the Book of Privy Counseling: 15
byWilliam Johnston
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178 global ratings | 89 global reviews
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1.0 out of 5 stars DON'T BUY THE VERSION ON AUDIO CD
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 July 2018
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DON’T BUY THE VERSION ON CD: the reader is great but the audio production is not professional. Very often on the CD, I only listened to 1 and 2, the phrases are left incomplete and one is left wondering why they made such a work …. You can hear the sentences are left incomplete, yet you have purchased the unabridged version and the copy ordered, shipped from the US …. St. Anthony Messenger Press is I believe, an American publisher that produces these audio recordings on CD, they are supposed to be unabridged, but technically they are not really, the recordings sound as if the technical engineer or whatever the correct name is for the person who records the narration and burns the material on CDs, has not double checked the recording or the burning on the CD. The audio book on CD ‘Mother Theresa: come, be my Light’ was also published by the same editor and there too I noticed, on at least a couple of occasions, that sentences were not complete, one would hear the narration and at some point the sentence would be interrupted without apparent reason, in this instance however the incompleteness of the sentences were noticeable less regularly than this one, I was able to finish the book. In the Mother Theresa’s case, fortunately I was able to find the unabridged download version with Audible UK and the download version is, as far as I can tell, perfect, but of this title, it seems that in the UK, the Audible version is not available.
I would not recommend to buy audiobooks on CD from this editor.
I am not happy to think and to experience that these Religious books which in my opinion should have priority over other types of books,
which demand technical attention to be recorded correctly and burnt on CDs properly, are the least attended to …. Other books which are not religious have, not always perfect, but certainly better quality. Shame.
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DKSAL
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent condition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2018
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Delighted to get a vooy
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mkpalmer09
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2017
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excellent
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DAWN
5.0 out of 5 stars press through the cloud
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2010
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Well worth reading if you want to know how to learn to press closer into God and discover more of his nature.This book is best for people who are really serious about furthering their development in God.This book is no use to you if you want to gloryfy yourself instead of God. If you want to learn to humble yourself before God and be open to his words and his actions and to empty yourself of every thing but him then you will find this book a treasure.
10 people found this helpful
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Margie
4.0 out of 5 stars Am glad I am drawn to read it again
Reviewed in Canada on 7 November 2016
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This is a book I first tried to read back in the 1970's. Today, it makes more sense and I can relate to at least some of it!! Needs much thought, attention and reflection and openness of heart. Am glad I am drawn to read it again.
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M. J. Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars thy kingdom come, thy will be done
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 July 2010
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Written by an unknown author in the 14th Century this spiritual classic is very, very deep and beware not easy to understand not only because of the subject matter but because of the language and metaphor of the time. It might take a lifetime to understand it and not everyone is likely to want to go this deep. However, anyone who takes the first step and suspends all expectations and listens to these CDs will find that the subject matter will resonate in different ways. If you truly have faith ('pistis') then this work is for you. If dabbling then potentially dangerous as the author points out. Proceed with caution.
The narrator's voice is very soothing (a monk no less). Just remember that this classic is all about an all embracing love, a mystery that invites us to seek it. There is so much more I could say but that is only my impoverished opinion. Find out for yourself. Just know that it involves a spirit of deep contemplation and not book learning and once you embark into the depths there is no end to the plumbing that ensues and not always pleasant ... but persevere ...
There is not much more to say. Words are wasted and rather futile as they will colour your idea of the message. Taste and see. Hear and understand. Each time you LISTEN you will come away feeling you have grown slightly in your own understanding. The book is all about that cloud of unknowing ... how can anyone begin to unravel what it all means in words? A paradox.
Practice. Sit, listen and keep coming back to the word 'love'. That is it put simply. You may not need to get entangled in the words and thoughts of this book which might throw you off kilter. However, useful to read it if you want to understand something of what other authors are referring to when they speak of 'the cloud of unknowing'.
Also remember that a review is only one person's opinion and the opinion changes all the time so best not fix an idea in your mind and this is in a way is precisely what the anonymous author of the cloud is saying of his / her subject matter.
13 people found this helpful
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Zorba
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Zen
Reviewed in Germany on 10 March 2015
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This is an amasing book which can bring that one vital aspect of health, the mind & soul, into balance. Beautifully written and a real tip!
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Arthurian Tapestry
5.0 out of 5 stars A book to be read across a lifetime
Reviewed in the United States on 26 February 2018
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This is the second time I've completed this book and I suspect there will be a third. This is not a book to rush through and given the shorter attention spans of our generations, I think the short but dense chapters are best read one at a time. I've carried the softcover Image paperback edition containing the William Johnston translation and now have the Kindle edition with an introduction by Huston Smith (who singlehandedly changed my former fundamentalist ways).
Johnston is an Irish Jesuit priest whose vocation has done much to bridge the wisdom traditions of East and West. If you are not of a sound ecumenical mind, you may want to skip his introduction which shows the parallels of this text with the rejection of concepts that can be found in certain Buddhist schools. Perhaps the first time, I read this book I found this aspect to be of the utmost interest along with the focused counsels of not overthinking or the casting of reason to enter naked contemplation, without focusing on any aspect of one's own being. Or as the anonymous author of the text states, "do not think what you are but that you are."
Now that I am older and somewhat fatigued by the onslaught of evangelical trumpeters that surround me and crowd my everyday existence, I found myself returning to those things that inspired me when I was younger and the world seemed to be full of promise. My renewed interest in all things Arthurian led me to pick up this 14th century text written by an Englishman, who does not want us reading his book out of mere curiosity or for the sake of knowledge. And yet, even as I may have fallen somewhat in these categories, I found renewed refreshment in this book just when I thought Christianity to have lost its relevance in this topsy-turvy world.
When I was younger, i read to put myself somewhere. With university behind me and quiet evenings of reflection and study at my small desk, I have found the acceptance of the turmoils that surround me to look beyond. Now, I strive to be nowhere because "nowhere, physically, is everywhere spiritually."
Like a Grail-seeking Galahad, I draw from this book as from a refreshing and nourishing chalice "with a gentle stirring of love" without expectations, realizing my limitations without having to endlessly define them and pressing forward into that supra-conceptual and "dark cloud of unknowing."
Note: there are other editions of this medieval classic, but the Johnston translation includes "The Book of Privy Counsel" which may be read across a lifetime.
38 people found this helpful
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Dr. Greg A. Grove
5.0 out of 5 stars Demystifying the Unknowing of God
Reviewed in the United States on 18 April 2017
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This book contains two streams of useful, highly spiritual thought. The first part grounds you in a dedicated and devotional practice that cuts away at all the emotional and (sometimes) spiritual baggage acquired via various spiritual practices in your background. The teaching is potent and direct but not without heart. Recommendations and things to do along the way mix within the descriptive 75 brief lessons, resulting (hopefully) in understanding God better while continuing to live in the Cloud of Unknowing. The second part is geared for counseling yourself and others. Application of concepts in part one are woven into new fabric of spiritual dimension, that is, a more extrovert application than experienced in the first part. Either way this classic is a must for any serious student of religion and/or spirituality, from the most orthodox to New Thought.
19 people found this helpful
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David G. Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Readable edition of The Cloud
Reviewed in the United States on 28 August 2020
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Johnston's edition of The Cloud of Unknowing provides a very readable edition of this 14th century anonymous classic. Most people who begin to read The Cloud get tripped up with the middle English words and oddities of the mystical language of the author. Johnston's edition is a great help in making this classic approachable and understandable. For the most recent contemporary translation/paraphrase of The Cloud of Unknowing published in 2020, see CLOUD DEVOTION: THROUGH THE YEAR WITH THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING by David Robinson (Paraclete Press, 2020), a 366 daily reading approach to this medieval spiritual classic. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1640604332?pf_rd_r=HZ3E5KNX7TB4GGAQBGPG&pf_rd_p=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee
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Bernard Stephenson
5.0 out of 5 stars Good readable translation, great work on contemplative prayer
Reviewed in the United States on 22 September 2013
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I had read The Cloud of Unknowing before, but in archaic English style that made it difficult to follow. It wasn't very accessible. Even though this translation has been in print for quite some time, it seems fresh. For me it made all the difference. With this translation spirituality oozes out of each chapter, so it is uplifting and a delight to read. I'm glad that unlike other books out there, it included The Book of Privy Counseling, which I found to be a concise summary of much of the material in the Cloud of Unknowing - pared down and to the point. I actually like it better than the more famous Cloud of Unknowing.
Anyone who practices contemplative prayer, or one of its many-named variants, will appreciate this classic text. Just goes to show that when you get to the heart of the matter, a fourteenth century work is as relevant today as it was back then.
25 people found this helpful
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B. S. T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read for anyone who interested in Spirituality
Reviewed in the United States on 8 October 2014
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Written in a very relaxed conversational style that is quite inviting and appropriate to the subject of contemplative prayer, I would highly recommend this edition. Contemplative prayer is the practice of entering into God's love. The author describes this love as the Cloud of Unknowing in which we loose ourselves in God's presence. Having stood the test of time (written in the 14th century) the Cloud of Unknowing feels quite contemporary, yet cuts through the superficial spirituality that is pervasive today to provide a robust connection with God and tradition.
While I come out of the Christian tradition, I would think that the Cloud of Unknowing would be helpful to people of other faith traditions who are seeking a spiritual awareness. It's concepts and language would be quite easily adapted. I think that most people who approach the book with an open mind will find that they are drawn closer to the divine.
13 people found this helpful
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Em B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Spirituality
Reviewed in the United States on 5 November 2017
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If more Catholics read books like this, including priest and bishops, the Church would be better off. The only thing you can know for sure is that you don't know much about God. This author understood that centuries ago.
6 people found this helpful
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Louis Drew
5.0 out of 5 stars Well what can I say? If you are interested ...
Reviewed in the United States on 6 January 2016
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Well what can I say? If you are interested in the contemplative way then this is the book to read -- if you dare -- given the introduction to the book suggesting that you not read it if you are only interested in the unknown of a spiritual tradition for the sake of intellectual curiosity and not practice.
8 people found this helpful
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Ed Barton
5.0 out of 5 stars Guide to Christian Contemplative Prayer
Reviewed in the United States on 21 August 2013
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This timeless classic is a must read for anyone who is serious in their prayer practice. Written nearly 700 years ago, the author touches the mystic that transcends religion, time, creed or geography. The translation reads easily, and any modern reader will appreciate both the introduction as well as the modern English translation of the original. There are both practical and theoretical elements of contemplative prayer reviewed, and a focus on transcendence of love and perfect prayer.
12 people found this helpful
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Monica Giordano
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Spiritually Enhancing Book
Reviewed in the United States on 12 February 2016
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This is a must read for those who wish to spiritually enrich themselves. As a theology student, this was a universally inspiring book.
5 people found this helpful
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Carol Eugenia
5.0 out of 5 stars 700 years ago this amazing book was written
Reviewed in the United States on 25 June 2017
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700 years ago this amazing book was written. Starts slow and takes a Contemplative Soul straight to the Unknown - if that is possible - and you are satisfied with the not knowing. God does exist.
4 people found this helpful
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William K Wills
5.0 out of 5 stars "Seek and ye shall find"
Reviewed in the United States on 20 May 2017
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Words can not express how profound this work is. Any one seeking a deeper relationship with your Creator will count the "Increase" by ten fold. I find it to truly be like "pealing an onion", layer upon layer, revelation upon revelation.
2 people found this helpful
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Vincent Van Gogh-san
5.0 out of 5 stars The Cornerstone of Contemplative Prayer
Reviewed in the United States on 19 July 2017
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This one book was the impetus for my beginning a Centering Prayer practice 30 years ago. Although it does have a mystical bent to it. -- it is easily understood!
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From other countries
RckRllRfg
4.0 out of 5 stars so treat the book like a study rather than a read
Reviewed in the United States on 10 September 2015
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Though this is book for Christian meditation, its not for someone starting out in meditation. It was written originally for those who had already had some level of formation (primarily priests and religious) in the area of meditation. The initial commentary by William Johnston is a bit academic, so treat the book like a study rather than a read.
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Judy
5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging...
Reviewed in the United States on 23 April 2017
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The idea the original manuscript was written in the fourteenth century is crazy beautiful! Too wrap my brain... better yet heart around such simple truth. This book feels new and fresh in today's challenges.
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Tricia Erickson
5.0 out of 5 stars Contemplative Prayer
Reviewed in the United States on 22 July 2017
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A book to read slowly and to savor!
2 people found this helpful
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Robert Gerding
1.0 out of 5 stars For catholic only
Reviewed in the United States on 20 July 2019
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Only Roman Catholic prospective
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Jim L. Medlock
5.0 out of 5 stars The Cloud of Unkowing is not a book to be ...
Reviewed in the United States on 3 March 2015
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The Cloud of Unkowing is not a book to be merely read and therefore taken lightly. Reading or listening to this book demands time spent in reflection. The guidance it offers for the spiritual journey is timeless. Spiritual direction is guaranteed to the one whose heart hungers for God.
7 people found this helpful
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light
5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT CONTENT
Reviewed in the United States on 20 April 2017
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excellent content and every christian should read it for their spiritual growth
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Paul Craska
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for reflections and guidance.
Reviewed in the United States on 27 September 2013
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Organization is great for reflecting on individual concepts without being overwhelmed. Over time the reflections come together and give rise to the truth that God is love and love of God can't be separated from love of neighbor. Do not try reading it straight through. Take one Chapter a day and take the time to reflect on how the idea presented can aid in being more open to God in daily life.
4 people found this helpful
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Ann from The Bronx
5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I ever read on Christian Meditation
Reviewed in the United States on 22 August 2011
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If you are serious about learnimg about contemplative prayer, this is the book for you. It's like having your own private teacher -- so inspiring!! I had read it once before but this time it is even more wonderful. I have a feeling that I will read this over and over again. No wonder it has inspired many spiritual leaders throughout the years!!!
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Robert Wagner
5.0 out of 5 stars ... helped me see how my spiritual malady impacts my happiness, wellbeing
Reviewed in the United States on 28 August 2015
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It helped me see how my spiritual malady impacts my happiness, wellbeing, and struggles with addiction - the translation makes it easy to apply - especially the notion of the Cloud of Forgetting...
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Martha E. Lujan
5.0 out of 5 stars I've read this book before - some 40 years ago ...
Reviewed in the United States on 28 March 2015
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I've read this book before - some 40 years ago - and this time around, it spoke to me in a more direct and gentle way.
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