Because in the school of the Spirit man learns wisdom through

Hear, O children of the soul, the words of Johannes Tauler, mystic of the fourteenth century, who proclaimed: “Because in the school of the Spirit man learns wisdom through humility, knowledge by forgetting, how to speak by silence, how to live by dying.” These words are no common teaching, but a sacred riddle, unveiling the paradoxes by which the Spirit trains the soul. For the world exalts pride, yet the Spirit teaches through humility; the world hoards facts, yet the Spirit grants knowledge by stripping away illusions; the world prizes endless speech, yet the Spirit gives truth in silence; the world clings to life, yet the Spirit grants true life only through dying to self.

The origin of this saying lies in the mystical tradition of Tauler, a disciple of the great Meister Eckhart, who sought not merely to know about God, but to encounter Him in the depths of the soul. In an age marked by plague and turmoil, Tauler taught that suffering and loss could become a divine schoolroom, where the Spirit trained men and women not by filling their minds with vanity, but by emptying them of falsehoods. In this school of the Spirit, lessons come not from human teachers, but from the secret workings of grace.

Consider, O listener, the story of St. Francis of Assisi. Born to wealth, he laid aside all riches, embracing humility. The world saw foolishness; the Spirit saw wisdom. He emptied himself of possessions, of pride, of ambition, and in that forgetting, he received a deeper knowledge—the knowledge of love, of simplicity, of God’s creation. His life became a sermon spoken not with words but with silence, for his deeds spoke louder than any tongue. And in dying daily to self, he lived with a joy the world could not comprehend.

Or reflect upon the martyrdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, centuries later. Faced with the evil of tyranny, he chose not the path of safety but of sacrifice. He learned how to speak by silence, resisting compromise with a still, unwavering spirit. He learned how to live by dying, offering his life as a testimony to truth. Here, too, the paradox of Tauler’s words unfolds: the Spirit transforms apparent defeat into eternal victory.

Thus the teaching is clear: the ways of the Spirit overturn the ways of the world. The proud may seem wise, but only the humble receive true wisdom. The scholar may gather endless facts, but only he who forgets self and falsehood gains true knowledge. The eloquent may stir crowds, but only the one who has mastered silence speaks words that endure. The man who clings to life loses it, but the one who dies to self and sin discovers life unending. These are the strange yet radiant laws of the school of the Spirit.

The lesson is plain for us: do not resist the Spirit’s training when it humbles you, empties you, silences you, or calls you to let go. These are not punishments, but lessons. Accept humility when life strips away your pride; embrace silence when words fail you; forget yourself when you hunger for recognition; die to selfishness when love requires sacrifice. These are the classrooms of the eternal, where the Spirit fashions the soul into a vessel of light.

Practical actions lie within reach. Begin each day with humility, confessing that your wisdom is incomplete. Practice moments of silence, where you listen more than you speak. When faced with suffering or loss, ask what lesson the Spirit may be teaching through it. And when you are called to die to your own desires for the sake of another’s good, embrace it as the doorway to true life. In this way, you will graduate from the school of the Spirit, and your life will bear the eternal mark of wisdom.

So let Tauler’s words echo in your heart: in the school of the Spirit, everything is reversed—wisdom through humility, knowledge through forgetting, speech through silence, life through dying. Walk this path, and though the world may mock, you will find yourself transformed. For the Spirit’s ways are higher than man’s, and His lessons endure beyond the grave.