The extroversive unity of existence from Ibn 'arabi's and Meister Eckhart's viewpoints
Topoi 26 (2):177-189 (2007)
| Abstract | A proper understanding of the Sufi doctrine of the unity of existence is essential for following the later developments of Islamic philosophy. The doctrine of the unity of existence is divided into introversive and extroversive aspects, the former dealing with the unity of the soul of the mystic with God, and the latter with the unity of the cosmos with God. Here this latter aspect of the doctrine is explained through a comparison of the views of Ibn ‘Arabi and Meister Eckhart, both of whom are profoundly influenced by Ibn Sina at precisely the same crucial points, although Meister Eckhart makes explicit reference to Ibn Sina, while Ibn ‘Arabi generally avoids naming him. The theory of the extroversive unity of existence consists of four parts, or rather, it is the product of four steps, each of which is logically based on the previous one: (1) God is the only being or the absolute existence. (2) Everything other than God (i. e., human beings and the cosmos) is nothing or nonexistence. (3) The existence of all things is God’s existence (All are He). (4) The cosmos does not have existence but manifests existence. In other words, it is God’s self-disclosure. | |||||||||
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Charles K. Robinson (1964). Meister Eckhart's Doctrine of God. Heythrop Journal 5 (2):144–161.
Hubert Benz (2011). Neque Quidquam Intelligi Potest Esse Sine Esse. On the Necessity of Being as an Epistemological Principle in Meister Eckhart and Nicholas of Kues. Bochumer Philosophisches Jahrbuch Fur Antike Und Mittelalter 13 (1):142-170.
Ian Almond (2004). Sufism and Deconstruction: A Comparative Study of Derrida and Ibn ʻarabi. Routledge.
Isobel Jeffery-Street (2010). Ibn Arabi and the Contemporary West: Beshara and the Ibn Arabi Society. Equinox Pub. Ltd..
Michael Kurak (2001). The Epistemology of Illumination in Meister Eckhart. Philosophy and Theology 13 (2):275-286.
Ian Almond (2001). Divine Needs, Divine Illusions: Preliminary Remarks Toward a Comparative Study of Meister Eckhart and Ibn Al'Arabi. Medieval Philosophy and Theology 10 (02).
Cyrus Ali Zargar (2011). Sufi Aesthetics: Beauty, Love, and the Human Form in the Writings of Ibn 'Arabi and 'Iraqi. University of South Carolina Press.
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