The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 4 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann

Chapter 1 (part 4)

Let them, therefore, again go out with their will from their wilful ignorance or malignity and enter again into the will of God." ( Menschwerdung , 3, 5.) All this goes to show that it is useless and vain to seek for divine wisdom, meaning a true realisation of eternal truth in outward things, in external observations, in the reading of books, or in the sayings of the sages, if we do not recognise the truth that exists within our own self.

All dependence placed upon external things and persons or gods outside of our own true self, is p.

41 merely idol-worship and deceptive if we do not recognise the God that exists within ourselves.

The words, "Thou shalt worship no strange gods or idols, but have only one God," mean, Thou shalt have faith and confidence and trust in no other God than in the one whose temple you are, and who resides within your own self.

"God," according to Boehme, is "the will of eternal wisdom." To become strong in God is to become strong in that will which renders one wise.

This is the true faith, of which Boehme says that "it is not merely a certain method of thinking, or a belief in certain historical occurrences, but the receiving of the spirit and the power of Christ within one's self." ( Letters , xlvi.

39.) "This light and this power of Christ arises in His children within their interior foundation, and illumines the whole of their life.

Within that foundation is the kingdom of God in man." ( Communion , v.

18.) But what is it that prevents man from recognising God within his own self?

What hinders him from seeing the light of the truth, and hearing the voice of the Divinity?

To this Jacob Boehme answers, "Thy own hearing, willing, and seeing prevents thee from seeing and hearing God.

By the exercise of your own will you separate yourself from the will of God, and by the exercise of your own seeing you see only within your own desires, while your desiring obstructs your sense of hearing by closing your ears with that which belongs to terrestrial and material things.

It overshadows you so that you cannot see that which is beyond your own human nature and supersensual.

But if you keep quiet, and desist from thinking and feeling with your own personal selfhood, then will the eternal hearing, seeing, and speaking become revealed to you, and God will see and hear and perceive through you."—( Supersensual Life , 1–5.) Here it may be asked by some, "Is it then necessary p.

42 for us, if we want to attain divine wisdom, that we should sit down, and think, and feel, and do nothing at all?" Those who ask such a question do not realise that, as there is a region below all feeling and thought, in which man resembles an animal, if not a corpse, there is also another state, beyond all speculative thought, a state of divine being.

Not a state in which man imagines himself to be divine, but a condition in which the will of man, having stripped off all that is earthly, becomes divine and absorbed in the self-consciousness of divinity.

"The only true way by which God may be perceived in His word, His essence, and His will, is that man arrives at the state of unity with himself, and that—not merely in his imagination, but in his will —he should leave everything that is his personal self, or that belongs to that self, money and goods, father and mother, brother and sister, wife and child, body and life, and that his own self should become as nothing to him.

He must surrender everything and become poorer than a bird in the air that owns a nest.

Man must have no nest for his heart in this world.

Themes

◆Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

The text mentions a state beyond all speculative thought where the divine is perceived.

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◆Birth Of Word In Soulanthropology

Eckhart's signature doctrine that the Father eternally begets the Son in the ground of the soul; the human interior as the actual site of the divine generative act, distinct from inner_light's static indwelling.

The power of Christ arises within the interior foundation, suggesting a generative divine act inside the soul.

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◆Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

Terrestrial and material things are described as obstructing the sense of hearing and overshadowing the supersensual.

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◆Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The light and power of Christ are described as arising within the interior foundation and illuminating the whole of life.

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◆Fana Annihilationsoteriology

Sufi self-effacement in God — the via by which the lover is unmade as a separate ego and recovered as God's act; specifies the practice/event rather than mystical_union's resulting state.

The instruction to leave everything that is personal self and become as nothing aligns with the concept of self-effacement in God.

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◆Inner Silencepraxis

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

The passage instructs to keep quiet and desist from thinking and feeling with one's own personal selfhood to reveal the eternal.

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◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is described as residing within the self and possessing a will that renders one wise.

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◆Meditationpraxis

Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.

The text discusses the state of sitting down and doing nothing at all as a means to attain divine wisdom beyond speculative thought.

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◆Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

The human being is described as the temple of God where the kingdom resides, mirroring the divine structure within the self.

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◆Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The question of whether one must sit and do nothing at all to attain wisdom presents a paradoxical instruction.

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◆Renunciation Of Wealthethics

The spiritual danger of attachment to material possessions; wealth as a spiritual obstacle.

The text explicitly lists money and goods as things to be left behind in the pursuit of unity with God.

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◆Separation From Sourcesoteriology

The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.

The text explains that exercising one's own will separates the individual from the will of God.

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◆Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

The passage describes a condition where the will of man becomes divine and absorbed in the self-consciousness of divinity.

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◆Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

The true way to perceive God is arriving at the state of unity with oneself and becoming absorbed in the self-consciousness of divinity.

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◆Wu Weipraxis

Effortless action aligned with the spontaneous flow of the Dao; non-coercive, non-striving conduct that yields results without forcing — the sage acts without acting.

The instruction to desist from thinking and feeling with one's own selfhood aligns with non-striving conduct.

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◇Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis

Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.

[auto] The text calls for surrendering everything personal, including money, family, and selfhood, to become as nothing and have no nest for the heart in this world.

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◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

[auto] The passage emphasizes that divine wisdom is useless to seek externally without recognizing the truth within oneself, defining true faith as receiving the spirit and power of Christ internally.

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◇Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

[auto] The passage explicitly states that the light and power of Christ arise within the interior foundation of His children, illuminating their life.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] It is stated directly that within the interior foundation of man is the kingdom of God, accessible without external mediation.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

[auto] The text describes a state where the will of man becomes divine and absorbed in the self-consciousness of divinity, with God perceiving through the individual.

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◇Poverty Of Spiritanthropology

Eckhart's radical reading of Matthew 5:3 — the saint as one who wants nothing, knows nothing, and has nothing, having emptied even the will and the self with which to receive God; distinct from renunciation_of_wealth (material poverty).

[auto] The text demands that man become poorer than a bird in the air and that his own self should become as nothing to him.

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◇Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

[auto] Central to the passage is the instruction to recognize the truth and God that exists within one's own self rather than in outward things.

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Related passages · 32 parallels · 1 contrast

◆buddhism|Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter)|Section 1k

“Therefore the Tathâgata preaches: "A gift should not be given by a Bodhisattva[1] who believes in anything, it should not be given by one who believes in form, sound, smell, taste, or anything that can be touched." 'And again, O Subhûti, a…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of transcending the ego or self and not attaching to material or conceptual constructs. They advocate for a state of non-attachment and inner realization, though they come from different mystical traditions (Buddhist and Christian mysticism).

◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Front Matter, p. 4 (part 2)

“For a self-motive being, is the cause of motion to those, which are moved by another, in the same manner as that which is immovable, inserts in all beings the power of moving. And again, that which is moved only, must depend on those natur…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of recognizing the divine within oneself and the universe. They share a mystical perspective that transcends external rituals and seeks inner transformation and unity with the divine. The passages also highlight the limitations of relying on external sources for spiritual wisdom and the need for inner quietude and surrender of the ego.

◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter IV

“Divine divination, therefore, which is conjoined with the Gods, alone truly imparts to us a divine life; since it participates of [divine] foreknowledge, and divine intellections, and renders us in reality divine. It likewise causes us to b…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of divine connection and the transformation of the self through divine wisdom. Iamblichus discusses participating in divine foreknowledge and intellections to become divine, while Boehme focuses on recognizing the divine within oneself and becoming absorbed in the self-consciousness of divinity.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 411

“Section 2 2. Now to begin with, the unity of soul, mine and another's, is not enough to make the two totals of soul and body identical. An identical thing in different recipients will have different experiences; the identity Man, in me as I…”

Both passages discuss the concept of the soul's descent or the individual's separation from the divine, and the need for a return to the divine state. They explore the themes of free will, divine punishment, and the inner journey towards divine wisdom.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 424

“Section 8 8. This is the explanation of Plato's Triplicity, in the passage where he names as the Primals the Beings gathered about the King of All, and establishes a Secondary containing the Secondaries, and a Third containing the Tertiarie…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner realization and the recognition of the divine within oneself. They share a mystical focus on transcending the personal self to attain a higher state of consciousness and unity with the divine.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 436

“Section 4 4. But we, too, are king when we are moulded to the Intellectual-Principle. That correspondence may be brought about in two ways: either the radii from that centre are traced upon us to be our law or we are filled full of the Divi…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner transformation and unity with the divine intellect or principle. They highlight the need to transcend the individual self to achieve true self-knowledge and divine wisdom.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 438

“Section 6 6. Thus we have shown that there exists that which in the strictest sense possesses self-knowing. This self-knowing agent, perfect in the Intellectual-Principle, is modified in the Soul. The difference is that, while the soul know…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner knowledge and self-realization as the path to understanding divine truth. They both advocate for a turn inward, away from external dependencies, to achieve true wisdom and self-knowledge.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 441

“Section 9 9. In order, then, to know what the Divine Mind is, we must observe soul and especially its most God-like phase. One certain way to this knowledge is to separate first, the man from the body- yourself, that is, from your body- nex…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner transformation and union with the divine intellect or will. They stress that true knowledge and wisdom come from within, through a process of self-awareness and alignment with a higher principle.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 443

“Section 11 11. Thus the Intellectual-Principle, in the act of knowing the Transcendent, is a manifold. It knows the Transcendent in very essence but, with all its effort to grasp that prior as a pure unity, it goes forth amassing successive…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner realization and self-knowledge as the path to divine wisdom. They share the concept that true understanding comes from within, rather than from external sources or idols.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 444 (part 1)

“Section 12 12. But why, after all, should it not be such a manifold as long as it remains one substantial existence, having the multiplicity not of a compound being but of a unity with a variety of activities? Now, no doubt, if these vari…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of self-knowledge and the inner divine. Plotinus discusses the Intellectual-Principle's self-intellection and its emanation, while Boehme focuses on recognizing God within oneself and the necessity of inner stillness to perceive the divine.

23 more

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 451

“Section 1 1. Anything existing after The First must necessarily arise from that First, whether immediately or as tracing back to it through intervenients; there must be an order of secondaries and tertiaries, in which any second is to be re…”

Both passages discuss the transcendence of the divine and the limitations of human understanding and language in describing it. They also touch on the idea of self-awareness and the nature of divine consciousness, albeit from different mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 454 (part 2)

“How does the Intellectual-Principle come to meet with them as it travels round; what keeps each true to its character; what gives them enduring identity; what conceivable shape or character can they have? They are being presented to us as…”

Both passages discuss the concept of achieving a higher state of being or understanding through inner vision and the rejection of external dependencies. They emphasize the need to look within oneself to perceive the divine or ultimate reality, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 461

“Section 8 8. So that we are left wondering whence it came, from within or without; and when it has gone, we say, "It was here. Yet no; it was beyond!" But we ought not to question whence; there is no whence, no coming or going in place; now…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner truth and the limitations of external perception. Plotinus discusses the Intellectual-Principle and its relationship to truth, while Boehme focuses on recognizing the divine within oneself, both highlighting the need to look beyond external appearances to grasp true reality.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 470

“Section 3 3. We may be told that nothing prevents an identity being thus multiple. But there must be a unity underlying the aggregate: a manifold is impossible without a unity for its source or ground, or at least, failing some unity, relat…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of looking inward to grasp the divine or ultimate reality. They share the idea that external things are mere traces or idols and that true understanding comes from a direct, internal experience of the divine.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 482 (part 2)

“The greatness and power of the wisdom There we may know from this, that is embraces all the real Beings, and has made all, and all follow it, and yet that it is itself those beings, which sprang into being with it, so that all is one, and t…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner knowledge and unity with the divine. Passage A discusses the supreme wisdom that encompasses all beings and the need to understand knowledge beyond mere propositions, while Passage B highlights the necessity of recognizing the divine within oneself and the futility of seeking wisdom externally.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 483

“Section 5 5. All that comes to be, work of nature or of craft, some wisdom has made: everywhere a wisdom presides at a making. No doubt the wisdom of the artist may be the guide of the work; it is sufficient explanation of the wisdom exhibi…”

Both passages discuss the nature of divine wisdom and its relationship to the self and the world. They emphasize the internalization of wisdom and the need to look within oneself to understand divine truth, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 484

“Section 6 6. Similarly, as it seems to me, the wise of Egypt- whether in precise knowledge or by a prompting of nature- indicated the truth where, in their effort towards philosophical statement, they left aside the writing-forms that take…”

Both passages discuss the nature of divine wisdom and the limitations of external forms of knowledge. They emphasize the importance of inner realization and unity with the divine, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 489

“Section 11 11. Similarly any one, unable to see himself, but possessed by that God, has but to bring that divine- within before his consciousness and at once he sees an image of himself, himself lifted to a better beauty: now let him ignore…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner knowledge and the unity of wisdom with the divine. Plotinus discusses the unity of wisdom and being in the Supreme, while Boehme focuses on recognizing the divine within oneself, highlighting the need to transcend personal will and desires to attain divine wisdom.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 490

“Section 12 12. We have told how this vision is to be procured, whether by the mode of separation or in identity: now, seen in either way, what does it give to report? The vision has been of God in travail of a beautiful offspring, God engen…”

Both passages discuss the nature of divine wisdom and its relationship to the self and the world. Plotinus emphasizes the primal wisdom as the Intellectual-Principle, while Boehme focuses on recognizing the divine within oneself, but both highlight the unity and authenticity of true wisdom.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 491

“Section 13 13. The God fettered [as in the Kronos Myth] to an unchanging identity leaves the ordering of this universe to his son (to Zeus), for it could not be in his character to neglect his rule within the divine sphere, and, as though s…”

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 703

“Section 21 21. Could He then have made Himself otherwise than as He did? If He could we must deny Him the power to produce goodness for He certainly cannot produce evil. Power, There, is no producer of the inapt; it is that steadfast consta…”

Both passages explore the concept of the divine will and its relationship to the essence of the Supreme or God. They emphasize the unity of will and being in the divine, though they come from different mystical traditions (Neoplatonism and Christian mysticism).

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 710 (part 1)

“Section 6 6. In what sense, then, do we assert this Unity, and how is it to be adjusted to our mental processes? Its oneness must not be entitled to that of monad and point: for these the mind abstracts extension and numerical quantity an…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner realization and direct experience of the divine. They argue that true understanding comes from within, not from external sources, and that one must transcend personal desires and thoughts to perceive the divine.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 716

“Section 11 11. This is the purport of that rule of our Mysteries: Nothing Divulged to the Uninitiate: the Supreme is not to be made a common story, the holy things may not be uncovered to the stranger, to any that has not himself attained t…”

Both passages emphasize the need to transcend ordinary knowledge and personal will to attain a higher spiritual reality. They both stress the importance of inner transformation and unity with the divine, moving beyond intellectual understanding and personal desires.

◆platonism|Plato: Republic|Section 1c

“Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is ver…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner transformation and the recognition of divine truth within oneself. They share the theme of moving beyond external distractions and personal desires to achieve a higher state of being and understanding.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Third Dialoguea

“. Tansillo . There are several varieties of enthusiasts, which may all be reduced to two kinds. While some only display blindness, stupidity, and irrational impetuosity, which tend towards savage madness, others by divine abstraction bec…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner transformation and the recognition of the divine within oneself. They share the theme of transcending personal will and desires to achieve a higher, divine state of being.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fourth Dialoguef

“Hence it follows that not less do we desire to see things unknown and unseen than those known and seen. And from this it does not follow that the desire does not proceed from cognition, and that we desire something that is not known; but I…”

Both passages discuss the idea of inner vision and the limitations of external perception in understanding higher truths. They emphasize the need to look beyond the physical and sensory to grasp the universal and the divine.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fifth Dialoguen

“Of necessity, one is according to the sum of the other, seeing that where things are finite it may result in this, that it is more wise than beautiful or good, more good and beautiful than wise, more wise and good than powerful, and more po…”

Both passages explore the concept of divine essence and the aspiration towards it. Passage A discusses the infinite attributes of the divine and the enthusiast's aspiration towards this perfection, while Passage B emphasizes the internal recognition of God and the divine will within oneself, highlighting the need to transcend personal will to achieve divine wisdom.

◆taoism|Tao Te Ching|Chapter 72

“When the people do not fear what they ought to fear, that which is their great dread will come on them. Let them not thoughtlessly indulge themselves in their ordinary life; let them not act as if weary of what that life depends on. It is b…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of self-awareness and avoiding indulgence in worldly desires. They advocate for inner transformation and the recognition of a higher truth within oneself, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆taoism|The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters)|Book 124 (part 8)

“You see the egg, and (immediately) look out for the cock (that is to be hatched from it); you see the bow, and (immediately) look out for the dove (that is to be brought down by it) being roasted. I will try to explain the thing to you in…”

Both passages explore the theme of perception and reality, questioning the nature of human understanding and the limitations of individual perspective. They both emphasize the need to transcend ordinary ways of thinking to grasp a deeper truth, though they do so within different cultural and philosophical contexts.

◆taoism|The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters)|Book 126 (part 4)

“I have heard of the knowledge of the wise; I have not heard of the knowledge of the unwise. Look at that aperture (left in the wall);--the empty apartment is filled with light through it. Felicitous influences rest (in the mind thus emble…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner wisdom and the limitations of external knowledge. They advocate for a focus on the inner self or divine will within, rather than relying on external sources or worldly concerns.

◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 10)

“But it does not bear fruit presently; and, though it blossoms, they fall off; also many a cold wind, frost and snow, puff upon it, before it comes to any growth and bearing of fruit. Boehme's books are full of wonderment before these myste…”

Both passages discuss the inner journey to divine realization, emphasizing the need to transcend the self and external distractions to perceive God. They share the theme of quieting the mind and will to achieve a state of unity with the divine.

◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 12)

“"The cause of all things is neither soul nor intellect; nor has it imagination, opinion, or reason, or intelligence; nor is it reason or intelligence; nor is it spoken or thought. It is neither number, nor order, nor magnitude, nor littlen…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner transformation and the recognition of the divine within oneself. They both advocate for moving beyond external dependencies and personal desires to achieve a state of unity with the divine.

◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|1. PreparationsaCONTRASTS

“EVERY intention which does not assert itself by deeds is a vain intention, and the speech which expresses it is idle speech. It is action which proves life and establishes will. Hence it is said in the sacred and symbolical books that men…”

Both passages emphasize the need to transcend the self and one's personal desires to achieve a higher spiritual state or divine wisdom. They both stress the importance of self-denial and inner transformation as the path to spiritual realization.