ACTIONABLE ETHICS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MEISTER ECKHART AND NARAYANA GURU

Authors

  • Dr. Gireesh J. Associate Professor, Department of English, Government Arts and Science College, Karunagappally, Kerala, India
  • Dr. Rajesh Cherian Associate Professor, Department of English, Government College, Madappally, Kerala, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhgyan.v4.i1.2026.115

Keywords:

Eckhart, Narayana Guru, Detachment, Compassion, Anukamba, Godhead, Vedanta, Actionable Ethics, Actionable Human, Parityaga, Mysticism, Karmayoga

Abstract [English]

Despite belonging to distinct religious traditions, temporalities and geographic locations, Oneness or non-duality of the self and the divine remain the one defining element of the philosophical pathways put forth by Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) and Narayana guru (1856-1928). These philosophers belong to a rare category of Karmayogins who, in spite of their spiritual enlightenment, chose not to espouse a life of world-denial (parityaga) but strived for actionable human ethics guaranteeing human dignity. This article argues that, apparent divergences notwithstanding, it is possible to arrive at a practical and universal scheme of actionable ethics through a synthesis of their metaphysics and praxis.

References

Eckhart, M. (2009). The Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart (M. O’C. Walshe, Trans.). Herder and Herder.

Guru, S. (2024). One Hundred Verses of Self Instruction. SNDP.

Guru, S. (2020). Ten Verses on Compassion. In G. K. Sasidharan (Ed.), Not Many But One (Vol. 2, 61–73). Penguin.

Holt, B. L. (2004). Viewing Meister Eckhart Through the Bhagavat Gita. iUniverse.

Huxley, A. (1945). The Perennial Philosophy: An Interpretation of the Great Mystics, East and West. Harper and Brothers.

Otto, R. (2016). Mysticism East and West: A Comparative Analysis of the Nature of Mysticism (B. L. Bracey and R. C. Payne, Trans.). Wipf and Stock.

Sasidharan, G. K. (Ed.). (2020). Not Many But One (Vol. 2). Penguin.

Tharoor, S. (2025). The Sage who Reimagined Hinduism: The Life, Lessons, and Legacy of Sree Narayana Guru. Aleph.

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Published

2026-05-26

How to Cite

J., G., & Cherian, R. (2026). ACTIONABLE ETHICS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MEISTER ECKHART AND NARAYANA GURU. ShodhGyan-NU: Journal of Literature and Culture Studies, 4(1), 135–137. https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhgyan.v4.i1.2026.115