enlightenment: according to eckhart tolle

Mr. Eckhart Tolle teaches that enlightenment is simply the separation of awareness & thinking. He says that thinking without awareness is the main dilemma of human existence.

He says we are not our minds. That is the false self he calls the ego. He compares thinking to a tool that should be put away when not in use. We should not identify with it.

I am a bible believing Christian but I found that his concepts struck a chord with me. I contemplated this with my knowledge of scripture and I came to the conclusion that the bible has certain passages that seem to corroborate what Eckhart Tolle says.

Look what happens to our real selves when we die according to the bible:

Ecclesiastes 12:7

and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.

2 Corinthians 5:8

we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

Now look what happens to the mind:

Psalms 146:4

His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.

there is no contradiction here; the bible is saying we are not our thoughts, just like Eckhart Tolle says. If we are eternal then we are not the thoughts because our "thoughts perish." The statement is unconditional. What continues is the spirit, i.e. the awareness/consciousness/being/presence.



I also see the dysfunctional ego and the painbody being alluded to here in this following passage:

Romans 7:19-23

For the good which I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I practise. (20) But if what I would not, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me. (21) I find then the law, that, to me who would do good, evil is present. (22) For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: (23) but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.

I also suspect the painbody is either the evil spirit referred to in the bible or it is how they influence us; a gateway as it were.

My friend has been telling me about this man , I was going to buy The Power of Now but ran out of time today. I have told him about the thread as hes really into all his work.

Can you tell me more about how he tells us to live in the "now". Im tired of searching for answers to the past and future I really do want to just learn of the now and how to make the most of it.

Do not be dissuaded by the whole Oprah thing. Eckhart is extraordinary and a genius in his ability to simplify. If you read through his book or even better listen to his audiobooks he often refers to Jesus and all the other prophets for wisdom and awareness. In fact he points to the original texts before they became man made concepts of God and Life.
The amazing thing is that he just suggests, with some humor by the way, that you already have everything you need. Thus he aknowledges that neither he or anybody else has any answers for you until you decide to search within.
If you like him may I also suggest Adyashanti. Same approach, kinder voice.

Brilliant thread and something I have been looking for. I have read "The Power of Now" and just started to read "A New Earth” Both books were recommended to me by a spiritual healer I visit.

While I was reading the power of now I could feel myself connecting to my inner self, all the noise my mind was making went away. I have only experienced this inner self in brief moments but it’s the most beautiful feeling ever.

I am so glad this topic came about and the timing could not of been better, I finished reading the book on Sunday. So it’s still very fresh in my “Mind” without sounding egoistic

Oh and remember the Pain-Body is just a reflection of the dysfunctiona mind.

MG you will not be let down after reading this book

It has been my personal experience that mediation is an excellent approach to becoming aware and to stop my mind from thinking.

Sometimes I enjoy a more formal mediation in a quiet place and other times I will mediate on things of nature. Becoming one with nature is truly a wonderful feeling.

Other times I will be in a crowded area and allow my mind to drift to a kinder, more peaceful state. At times my eyes and ears are open but I don't see or hear what's going on around me. My body feels light and almost floating.

I would recommend mediation to anyone on the journey to enlightenment.

reply to post by dizziedame


I can second that it is the best way of connecting to the oneness within us all. I have led most of my life lacking confidence and lacking emotional feelings towards other people. Why? Because when the mind is taken over by ego everything is about the “me”

I have spent most of my life with a heavy pain-body and I never realized until I found meditation and “The Power of Now”

reply to post by Mr Green
try "switching off" your mind every now & then during the course of the day...

reply to post by reject


He is a peaceful and beautiful man. However he does say be careful not to find your "mind" through the concepts of religions.

He does say you can certainally learn from aspects of religion, but my overall opinion is that he does not endorse religion.

LOVE

Z

Originally posted by watchZEITGEISTnow
reply to post by reject

 

He is a peaceful and beautiful man. However he does say be careful not to find your "mind" through the concepts of religions.

He does say you can certainally learn from aspects of religion, but my overall opinion is that he does not endorse religion.

LOVE

Z

Yes I think your right about this. Im not religious, I used to be but now I feel Im just spiritual and that is it. Ive been out today and finally bought The Power of Now so Im looking forward to reading it a lot .

reply to post by reject


I have two of Tolle's works, but they are not about thought / awareness. What work(s) of his is your post based on?

reply to post by Mr Green


I can explain the basics (U2U if you haven't already gotten the book - I don't want to derail the thread).
I get his work through iTunes because I like to hear him delivery the work himself. He has a great way of doing this and I think that the tone of voice and inflection he uses makes the work that much more important.

In the Power of Now, he makes use of the pauses. The pauses help make his point. I wouldn't pause if I were reading the work myself. I would just barrel on through. It's worth downloading iTunes just for that one work alone.

Originally posted by reject
reply to post by Mr Green

 

try "switching off" your mind every now & then during the course of the day...

I do in meditation which is helping me alot. At first I found it easy to switch off but now I find noise is getting back into my mind.

I just bought both of those books, and have been given the advice to read them after I finish my Law of Attraction books. I will be watching this thread until I get to those books. Thanks for posting this. I feel a lot of changes happening in my life right now. I am watching my feelings more than listening to my thoughts. It feels more natural and comfortable to follow my instincts. I think that it is hard with all of the information we are aware of, not to get confused by all of it, but we can take what we want. I haven't been watching the news for a while now, and I already feel more positive.
We had a great big family get together this weekend, and I was surprised how much I was bombarded by people talking of illness. I tried to ignore or shake it off so as not to give much attention to it, but it was quite difficult. Now I know I need to meditate about health to counter balance it. I need some serious alone time now to make up for all the information from "others", so I can find my peace. Nature would be the best place for that I think. All the plants are lush and healthy right now where I live. And quite beautiful.
I really enjoy hearing how others are dealing with their spirituality. The old religions aren't serving a lot of us. It may be time to clean house and adjust our spirituality to suit our needs and progress. I don't feel guilty in the slightest that I wasn't raised with an organized religion, I am grateful for it. But I am naturally spiritual even without it. I enjoy being able to believe what I want to.

Originally posted by seagrass
Thanks for posting this. I feel a lot of changes happening in my life right now. I am watching my feelings more than listening to my thoughts. It feels more natural and comfortable to follow my instincts. I think that it is hard with all of the information we are aware of, not to get confused by all of it, but we can take what we want. I haven't been watching the news for a while now, and I already feel more positive.
We had a great big family get together this weekend, and I was surprised how much I was bombarded by people talking of illness. I tried to ignore or shake it off so as not to give much attention to it, but it was quite difficult. Now I know I need to meditate about health to counter balance it. I need some serious alone time now to make up for all the information from "others", so I can find my peace. Nature would be the best place for that I think. All the plants are lush and healthy right now where I live. And quite beautiful.
I really enjoy hearing how others are dealing with their spirituality. The old religions aren't serving a lot of us. It may be time to clean house and adjust our spirituality to suit our needs and progress. /quote]

REPLY :-

I read your post I found I was totally agreeing with it. Ive noticed how when people are negative about anything including illness and depression I really react to it, its like I have to put up a force field to keep it away. Is this sort of reaction good for us? Are we becoming unable to deal with such forces or are we just evolving to move away from them?
I now follow my instincts all the time and they are usually correct. I have not watched the news for months, and on the odd occasion I catch it on the radio it seems I have missed hardly anything..except the horrible negative fear it seems to insight in me.

[edit on 23-6-2008 by Mr Green]

I am trying to evolve away from it. I don't think what we need is bad for us. If we need or want heath in our lives as opposed to illness, it would seem natural to deny it, ignore it, enjoy spending time with healthy people. I spend time on ATS, because there is alot of wisdom here. I have to sift and search to find it though. But when I read it, I know what I think is right. The light goes on. You have to feel your way, and you have to listen to yourself. Truth is in color, the other stuff is in black and white. If I don't understand what I am reading, I figure I am either not ready to hear it, or it isn't important to me right now.

Yes I have become a firm believer in trusting myself and my instincts. I know what I believe, I believe in unconditional love as a soul frequency. It is the one thing that rides above all else for me. Many try to tell me different but like you , if I read something and it doesnt light up for me its not my truth. In the past I have allowed others views on me to make me negative too but I do not allow this to happen anymore. Negativity is a true force and I do not wish to entertain it.

I really can NOT see the problem in being positive in life , light and love. The alternative is being negative in hate ,greed and power. Why people argue that the latter is needed to create balance is beyond me. I understand the need for balance in light and dark but this world has gone far too much into the darker side and needs more positivity to bring it back.

I completely agree with you, and it is people like us who have discovered that being positive is a choice, rather than for the lucky, that have to spread that word quietly and by example. Some people have to hit their bottom late in the game, others seem to aquire it earlier. I believe that the more people who become enlightened to that choice, the more the negative systems and infrastructure will collapse. I just have to be patient with that process, even if it is late or slow, or I don't live that long.

Originally posted by seagrass
I completely agree with you, and it is people like us who have discovered that being positive is a choice, rather than for the lucky, that have to spread that word quietly and by example. . I believe that the more people who become enlightened to that choice, the more the negative systems and infrastructure will collapse. I just have to be patient with that process, even if it is late or slow, or I don't live that long.

I have learnt that people do not want to be told, they must discover enlightenment for themselves. It is not worth trying to tell people about it if they do not want to listen Im afraid.

I have nothing to add to my previous post on Eckhart.
I would just like to say that I have found the audiobooks, lectures, and dvds to be more inspiring for lack of a better word. There is something about the pitch and cadence of his voice and the sound of his presence that I find very liberating.

Yes Ive heard his voice and its amazing, you just have to listen to every word he says dont you. Its like he really gets across what an amazing change has happened to him in his life. I do like to read books too though.