Dialogues on the Supersensual Life

by Jakob Böhme

Dialogues on the Supersensual Life is a book written by Jacob Boehme, a German Christian mystic and theologian. The book is a collection of dialogues between a spiritual teacher and his student, exploring the nature of the divine and the path towards the ""supersensual life"" - a state of spiritual enlightenment beyond the limitations of the physical world.Through these dialogues, Boehme delves into topics such as the nature of God, the purpose of human existence, the role of suffering and evil in the world, and the path towards spiritual transformation. He draws on his own mystical experiences and insights to offer a unique perspective on these timeless questions.The book is written in a poetic and metaphorical style, with the dialogues often taking on a dream-like quality. It is intended to be read slowly and contemplatively, inviting the reader to enter into a deeper understanding of the spiritual life.Overall, Dialogues on the Supersensual Life is a profound and thought-provoking exploration of the nature of God and the human soul, offering insights that are relevant to seekers of all spiritual traditions.Edited by William Law. �������The Soul, in the doctrine of Boehme, is a Being which has a will or desire, and is aided by a mirror of understanding or imagination. Will or Desire is of the very essence of the Soul, inseparable from its existence. He �������Where Desire is, there is also Essence or Being.' The Soul is subject to the diverse attractions of the Centre of Divine Life and Light, and of the Spirit of the World. Enlightened by its understanding it has the free power to turn its will towards, and unite itself to, this or that. Choose well, thy choice is brief and yet endless.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Philosophy, Mysticism

Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Jakob Böhme (probably April 24, 1575[1] – November 17, 1624) was a German Christian mystic and theologian. He is considered an original thinker within the Lutheran tradition, and his first book, commonly known as Aurora, caused a great scandal. In contemporary English, his name may be spelled Jacob Boehme; in seventeenth-century England it was also spelled Behmen, approximating the contemporary English pronunciation of the German Böhme.

Reviews

[Todd Runyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A journey into God

“We all have but one Order, Law, or Ordinance, which is to stand still to the Lord of all Beings, and resign our wills up to him, and suffer his Spirit to play what music he will. And thus we give to him again as his own fruits that which he worketh and manifesteth in us.” Beautiful account of a journey into the Kingdom of heaven

[Mark Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic mystical text

Read and ponder and meditate on this text. It is to be understood and expanded on in these mysterious times.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Blessed art thou therefore if thou can stand still from self-thinking and self-willing, and can stop the wheel of thy imagination and senses; Since it is nought indeed but thine own hearing and willing that do hinder thee, so that thou dost not see and hear God."

The spirit of the East and True Christianity meet in Jakob Böhme.
This book is not for everyone and not for anytime. A certain atmosphere is needed and context with understanding of symbolism to be in sync with the text.
Bohme is not philosophizing but rather through symbols is showing the way. He is pointing to the moon so one shouldn't get obsessed with the finger.

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where I fundamentally disagree with religion. I just don't believe that a reasonable ounce of self-will is self-will run amuck. And that if any self-will is self- will run amuck, what even protects us from what could go wrong in life?

[Jonathan Widell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob Boehme's Vom übersinnlichen Leben (On Supersensual Life) is a dialogue between a wise older mystic and his student. The student asks questions such as: Why do love and suffering exist side by side? How far are heaven and hell from each other? Are their men and women in heaven? The mystics answers them by giving answers such as: love must have an object, therefore it exists side by side with suffering; heaven and hell are everywhere but their relationship is like day and night; there are no men and women in heaven but everyone is of the same sex.

The answers are based on Scriptures. Where Scriptures do no provide a clear answer, the mystic does something that one may not have expected a mystic to do: he reasons by using metaphysical concepts, such as form and matter (not time and space), and quasi-metaphysical metaphorical ones, such as dark and light. He does not quote authorities (no namedropping!). Instead, he reduces metaphysics to these simple key concepts that he has distilled from his readings and study. Neither does the mystic appeal to his own supernatural experiences, even though the title of the book may have given the reader that impression. No, he did not ascend to heaven, neither in body nor in spirit, like his Swedish counterpart Emmanuel Swedenborg.

There is a heavy emphasis on reasoning while experience is almost completely absent. Experience is only referred to when the mystic gives his student some hints about feelings that the student might expect when putting the mystic's advice to practice.

For that reason, it is not surprising that Hegel called Boehme the first German philosopher.

[Ginette]

Look for Dialogues.