Eckhartian Neologisms and the Tathātā Framework: Istic/Isticheit in Conversation with The Awakening of Faith

The purpose of this essay is to reexamine the Buddhist concept of suchness (tathātā), as developed in The Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna (大乘起信論), in conversation with Meister Eckhart’s neologisms istic/isticheit. Previous comparative Buddhist-Eckhart studies have typically rendered these neologisms in a strict Aristotelian ontological sense, with English interpretations of “is-ness” or the “being-ness” of God. Recent scholarship, notably that of Alessandra Beccarisi, has altered this approach by demonstrating that Eckhart’s terms do suggest God’s essence but within a Neoplatonistic perspective, especially in terms of the primacy of the intellect and human-divine unity. This development in Eckhart studies invites fresh comparative insights between istic/isticheit and suchness, especially in relation to the intellect.