Eckhart Tolle - any fans?

Galway K9

Any fans! I love all his books. Such amazing material.:)

roosh

The power of now was a "game changer" and A New Earth was excellent as well. I got a couple of his other books as well, but they just seemed like excerpts from the power of now, which made me feel like he was cashing in a bit.

Still though, TPON was truly an amazing book.

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche is one you might, for want of a better word, enjoy, if you find Tolle good.

Galway K9

I can understand and respect your point but with ane I find he goes more in debt and focuses more on our emotions and pain body:)

Thanks for recommendation will look at that.

anamcarame

I cannot fault TPON. Truly a live changing and awakening book. New Earth was a great follow on for me. I am currently struggling with Practicing The Power Of Now. Maybe I am now meant to read it at the moment. I have started and restarted it 3 times.



"This, too, will pass."
— Eckhart Tolle

roosh

anamcarame wrote: »

I cannot fault TPON. Truly a live changing and awakening book. New Earth was a great follow on for me. I am currently struggling with Practicing The Power Of Now. Maybe I am now meant to read it at the moment. I have started and restarted it 3 times.



"This, too, will pass."
— Eckhart Tolle

to me practising TPON just seemed like excerpts from TPON. It felt like he was cashing in to an extent - it may have been more on the publishers end that he was contracted to write a certain number of books, but I started to read it myself, and just didn't bother with it, because it didn't seem to be anything new.

After reading Tolle's books someone recommended The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche and that was another excellent book. I would say "life changing" but I think TPON had already achieved that, but I think had I read TBOLD then it may have had the same effect. From talking to people who read TBOLD first it did have that effect.

Tigerbaby

"This too shall pass".

its a beautiful saying but it

is quite a bit older than mr tolle.

The phrase seems to have originated in the writings of the medieval Persian Sufi poets, and is often attached to a fable of a great king who is humbled by the simple words. Some versions of the fable, beginning with that of Attar of Nishapur, add the detail that the phrase is inscribed on a ring, which therefore has the ability to make the happy man sad and the sad man happy.

I recommend further reading by Epictetus.

cheers and blessed thanks for bringing these words back to me.

roosh

Galway K9 wrote: »

I can understand and respect your point but with ane I find he goes more in debt and focuses more on our emotions and pain body:)

Thanks for recommendation will look at that.

I'd probably agree in that regard, but I just remember TPON having a greater effect on me - it may have to do with the order I read them in (TPON first).

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is a pretty thick book, but it is divided into four sections 1)Living; 2)Dying; 3)Death & Re-birth; 4)Conclusions.

I've only read the first two sections myself, but found them to be very insightful and practical. I'll get around to the other sections at some point.

Corkgirl210

excellent author and master... !!!

Jerrica

I've read TPON but I found it quite heavy going and laborious. Anthony di Mello's Awareness was a much lighter and easier read and I still like to dip into it when I need to recenter.

Galway K9

Jerrica wrote: »

I've read TPON but I found it quite heavy going and laborious. Anthony di Mello's Awareness was a much lighter and easier read and I still like to dip into it when I need to recenter.

Your not ready for it yet;) You will be.

wylo

Galway K9 wrote: »

Your not ready for it yet;) You will be.

Not sure if thats a fair statement, maybe that approach just wasnt for him.

I finished TPON, not bad, he does a fine job at giving an insight into the peace and space between thoughts.
I love his talk on time everlasting presence as well, because time simply doesnt exist , the past and future are only thoughts or illusions.
He needs to get more practical though.
TPON isnt something that should need to be 'practiced'.
Im going to check out Anthony di Mello's Awareness to see the difference in approach.

sdun

If you're in the right head space Tolle's writings are incredible, I've had times where I 've read it and been inspired and blown away by the simplicty and brilliance of his teachings, other times it's done nothing for me.
hey wylo, I think "Practising TPON" gives more practical tips on ways of being present which you might find useful (although any books on Vipassana/ Mindfulness are also good).
One meditation teacher I met spoke about Tolle's (and other spiritual teachers) use of repitition, and how his message was so simple, but often we need to hear it again, and again ,and again, until eventually (hopefully : ) it sinks in, and we can begin to learn to practice it.

Galway K9

wylo wrote: »

Not sure if thats a fair statement, maybe that approach just wasnt for him.

I finished TPON, not bad, he does a fine job at giving an insight into the peace and space between thoughts.
I love his talk on time everlasting presence as well, because time simply doesnt exist , the past and future are only thoughts or illusions.
He needs to get more practical though.
TPON isnt something that should need to be 'practiced'.
Im going to check out Anthony di Mello's Awareness to see the difference in approach.

Practicing the Power of Now

Jerrica

wylo wrote: »

Not sure if thats a fair statement, maybe that approach just wasnt for him.

her

Galway K9 wrote: »

Your not ready for it yet;) You will be.

I find that quite condescending - I found the whole TPON concept quite condescending though.

wylo

agreed, I also think he keeps the concept at a safe distance, always keeping it interesting but never getting right to the bottom of it. Whether he does this intentionally or not is another question, I doubt its intentional.

What kind of approach does Anthony di Mello's Awareness take?

Jerrica

It's a series of talks that he gave so it can be a little bit disjointed sometimes but I found him very easy to read if a little bit abrupt from time to time. He constantly encourages questioning and he doesn't quite give you the answers but tells you to go out and find your own once you've embraced the need to "wake up".

I suppose the difference is that with TPON I felt like I was being preached to, and by not reaching this amazing place that Tolle kept describing I was failing or something, but de Mello kind of says, just keep trying, and that's half the battle

sdun

Jerrica, I'm curious, what was it about TPON that you found condescending?

Also wylo when I read your quote about thinking "he keeps the concept at a safe distance" I felt like dropping a reply. The thing with Tolle is he's trying to get away from concepts. Concepts, and our opinions and thoughts are what keep us out of the moment and living in our heads so much of the time (at least to my understanding).

His books are great, but I'd really reccomend practising a little meditation (if you havn't already done so). Joining a meditaion group or finding a teacher that suits you to get a flavour of what he's talking about, otherwise it's just more information and concepts (which defeats the purpose)

wylo

Jerrica wrote: »

It's a series of talks that he gave so it can be a little bit disjointed sometimes but I found him very easy to read if a little bit abrupt from time to time. He constantly encourages questioning and he doesn't quite give you the answers but tells you to go out and find your own once you've embraced the need to "wake up".

I suppose the difference is that with TPON I felt like I was being preached to, and by not reaching this amazing place that Tolle kept describing I was failing or something, but de Mello kind of says, just keep trying, and that's half the battle

just finished his first few chapters on youtube, I like his approach in forcing people to be honest, (from what Ive heard so far anyway)

Jerrica

sdun wrote: »

Jerrica, I'm curious, what was it about TPON that you found condescending?

I think I found Tolle himself to be a little self-righteous, but that's only my personal perception of him. Weirdly enough I thought he's quite "preachy" in his approach

roosh

Jerrica wrote: »

I think I found Tolle himself to be a little self-righteous, but that's only my personal perception of him. Weirdly enough I thought he's quite "preachy" in his approach

A friend of mine thought the very same thing.

Do you mind if I ask, did you read the preface to the book? I used to always skip that part and go straight to the into.

Jerrica

mangaroosh wrote: »

Do you mind if I ask, did you read the preface to the book? I used to always skip that part and go straight to the into.

It's a while now since I've read it so remind me what's in that!

roosh

Jerrica wrote: »

It's a while now since I've read it so remind me what's in that!

He just outlines why he uses the tone he does. I'm not sure if that would have made a difference. I've gone back and re-read part of it myself and I can see why people say that he is condescending or patronising.

I would just say though, that his tone doesn't affect the validity of what is said, even if it can act as a deterrent to some.

Galway K9

Recommend an online interactive chat on tolle and others...here

Starokan

power of now was a life changing book for me. it pulled me through one of the most difficult periods of my life.

a new earth i am reading for the second time now, its a great read and i think i am getting more out of it this time than before

Galway K9

Starokan wrote: »

power of now was a life changing book for me. it pulled me through one of the most difficult periods of my life.

a new earth i am reading for the second time now, its a great read and i think i am getting more out of it this time than before

You always will, with Eckhart its takes alot more than one read. hes so in dept and deep.

Scanlas The 2nd

Jerrica wrote: »

I think I found Tolle himself to be a little self-righteous, but that's only my personal perception of him. Weirdly enough I thought he's quite "preachy" in his approach

Imagine this scenario, someone knows a much better more enjoyable way to live life than the way you are living life now. Now imagine that person gives you advice on living life in the more enjoyable way. How could that person tell you how to live your life without you finding them "preachy" or condescending? Is there any way?

Galway K9

Preaching isnt bad if its requested, jesus was a preacher, dalai lama, socrates, ghandi, etc.

kalkor

Its teaching if you want it, preaching if you dont?

wylo

What is Tolle teaching though?
Ive read PON, and starting A new Earth, just to see what all the fuss is about, just to figure out why so many people hang on to this guy for the their dear life.
He is certainly not teaching how to permanently remove a belief of self, he is just offering practice techniques so you can temporarily recreate his own experience. He shows people how to practice presence instead of simply telling people that there is no you to even practice it.
Presence comes when you see that you dont exist, not when theres a you trying to practice it.
He is dwelling on his own enlightenment and trying to see that people understand his experiences, not trying to show people how to arrive in real life to that experience. he is too nice, too philosophical , he doesn't punch egos, he actually nurtures them instead of hurting them.
He doesnt know this , hes not a scam artist, hes trying to help, and he is helping people, but he could do it alot more efficiently and effectively by telling them that their self simply does not exist in any shape or form, it never did, and it never will.
But then he'd be out of a job, because he'd be no longer the one that 'knows all', he would be on the same level as the person who saw the same truth as him, that new person would be just as capable of explaining it as he would. That aint nice for the ego.

Starokan

wylo wrote: »

What is Tolle teaching though?
Ive read PON, and starting A new Earth, just to see what all the fuss is about, just to figure out why so many people hang on to this guy for the their dear life.
He is certainly not teaching how to permanently remove a belief of self, he is just offering practice techniques so you can temporarily recreate his own experience. He shows people how to practice presence instead of simply telling people that there is no you to even practice it.
Presence comes when you see that you dont exist, not when theres a you trying to practice it.
He is dwelling on his own enlightenment and trying to see that people understand his experiences, not trying to show people how to arrive in real life to that experience. he is too nice, too philosophical , he doesn't punch egos, he actually nurtures them instead of hurting them.
He doesnt know this , hes not a scam artist, hes trying to help, and he is helping people, but he could do it alot more efficiently and effectively by telling them that their self simply does not exist in any shape or form, it never did, and it never will.
But then he'd be out of a job, because he'd be no longer the one that 'knows all', he would be on the same level as the person who saw the same truth as him, that new person would be just as capable of explaining it as he would. That aint nice for the ego.

I think tolle's books are written in such a way as to make people stop for a second and consider the concept of presence which is something they may never previously have done. It is I grant you a more gentle approach than what you are advocating but i guess it resonates with X amount of people X amount of the time. I think people at different stages are open to different messages.

To some the gentle approach sets them on the right path, to others a more forceful awakening works better. To my mind both approaches are perfectly fine.

If its not derailing the thread to much I am curious as to your comment regarding the self not existing in any shape or form ever. Are you speaking of the physical self or do you believe that upon your death you cease to exist completely?

guitarzero

Hes a millionaire banking on words that were uttered and documented 4000 years ago, no? I went to one of his seminars a year back, didnt buy it. It sounds like a myriad of nonsense that perhaps a trip on LSD could offer? The power of now doesnt necessarily mean ****. What value has the now without basing your desicions on experince (the past), so we refer to the past, hence, in the mind, kinda live there in order to go forward.

wylo

Starokan wrote: »

I think tolle's books are written in such a way as to make people stop for a second and consider the concept of presence which is something they may never previously have done.

good point, it is a new approach to helping people, it really is, and its great listening to him, I wont deny he helps peoples lives...for a while, I just believe it can be alot more efficient than that, how about drop the teachings of presence , show people that they dont exist, there is no ownership , only a body exists, and then presence comes by itself, no practice or teachings required.

It is I grant you a more gentle approach than what you are advocating but i guess it resonates with X amount of people X amount of the time. I think people at different stages are open to different messages.

exactly, it resonates with people, it sounds nice, its soothing and attractive, and yes, even slightly effective, it even allows for glimpses/satoris and stuff.

To some the gentle approach sets them on the right path, to others a more forceful awakening works better. To my mind both approaches are perfectly fine.

Well depends , you can drag it on and on and dilute it, or you can keep the message simple and effective.

If its not derailing the thread to much I am curious as to your comment regarding the self not existing in any shape or form ever. Are you speaking of the physical self or do you believe that upon your death you cease to exist completely?

What is it you call the physical self? This is not about the body and brain and the guts and blood and all that stuff. that aint the self, what do you consider the physical self?
As for your second question, upon death, the body finally exhausts itself of oxygen, the body fades into away existence, dust , decay , whatever, , but there will never be any 'me' that ceased to exist in the first place, a bit like a plant, only the difference a plant is not intelligent, a human is, a plant is not aware, a human is. Its this awareness and language, and development of beliefs that result in the feeling of self imo.
But hey , prove me wrong!!!:) Find that self and show it to me!

wylo

guitarzero wrote: »

Hes a millionaire banking on words that were uttered and documented 4000 years ago, no? I went to one of his seminars a year back, didnt buy it. It sounds like a myriad of nonsense that perhaps a trip on LSD could offer?

yes, drugs etc does offer this stuff, its all to do with the brain , whats connecting, whats not etc, BUT, drugs are bad mmmkay? no seriously though, drugs have serious side effects that dont offer that stuff in pure cleanliness and reality, they offer that stuff with a bout of depression, scag, anxiety, bad diet as a side effect.

guitarzero wrote: »

The power of now doesnt necessarily mean ****. What value has the now without basing your desicions on experince (the past), so we refer to the past, hence, in the mind, kinda live there in order to go forward.

well you see the past doesnt actually exist im afraid, only in your head.

Yea your probably reading this stuff saying 'lol what a new age hippy', but I wouldnt be Tolles biggest fan , but I still disagree with you.
Where can you find the future or the past? Where is it? It doesnt actually exist in real life, it should only be used for practical purposes, not worries and apprehensions and stresses.

Starokan

wylo wrote: »

What is it you call the physical self? This is not about the body and brain and the guts and blood and all that stuff. that aint the self, what do you consider the physical self?


I dont really buy into the concept of self , i was just curious as to what you meant in your earlier post. Personally id consider the physical body to be simply an organism/machine that houses your spirit.


As for your second question, upon death, the body finally exhausts itself of oxygen, the body fades into away existence, dust , decay , whatever, , but there will never be any 'me' that ceased to exist in the first place, a bit like a plant, only the difference a plant is not intelligent, a human is, a plant is not aware, a human is. Its this awareness and language, and development of beliefs that result in the feeling of self imo.
But hey , prove me wrong!!!:) Find that self and show it to me!

I'd differ slightly here in that i think that when your physical body dies, your spirit remains albeit in different form. At its most basest form i think everything is just energy and that when we die we transmute to energy albeit a sentient form of energy. I believe we are all as individuals simply one part of a great collective of energy or consciousness if you like. Im not so much a believer in self as rather a believer in that we are all one

I've no urge to prove you wrong or right. It was just curiosity on my part. I spent some time reading some of your posts today on a different thread and they are very interesting and thought provoking.

my thanks for replying to my question

wylo

Hi Starokan, no prob, I sometimes get lost in my own posts and get into deep rants!! lol:D

taracorcoran

I really enjoyed Eckhart Tolle's books ,, hes very good to watch on youtube also. Anyone ever checked out Adyshanti or Gangagi on youtube? well worth watching in my opinion. However, I found i got a bit obsessed and therefore it didnt help in the actual waking up process because of overthinking about waking up instead of actually waking up.

wylo

Hi Tara, the best way I know of (theres probably plenty of ways), of waking up is by concentrating solely on whether a self exists in real life or not. By testing in real life if there is a self needed for you to do anything , think anything.

If you look with genuine focus at this one aspect of spirituality and ignore the rest you should see it.

They all mention it, they all talk about it their videos etc, but they dont hone in on it, Im fairly certain its when a human questions who the thinker behind the thoughts is, is when they wake up to the reality that there is no thinker.

Scanlas The 2nd

guitarzero wrote: »

Hes a millionaire banking on words that were uttered and documented 4000 years ago, no? I went to one of his seminars a year back, didnt buy it. It sounds like a myriad of nonsense that perhaps a trip on LSD could offer? The power of now doesnt necessarily mean ****. What value has the now without basing your desicions on experince (the past), so we refer to the past, hence, in the mind, kinda live there in order to go forward.

I'm not surprised you think it's rubbish as you have missed the meaning that he is getting at. He doesn't say not use past experiences to help your decisions. The main point Tolle wants to get across is to get you out of your head. We spend so much time and energy going through pointless repetitive thoughts in our head that we become disconnected from life which is felt, not thought about. What many people do is think their past is who they are and make an identity out of it, Tolle has no problem with people thinking about the past so long as it is not unnecessary and ego induced thinking. The joy of life is felt when you can stop thinking and become fully aware of your body and surroundings right now.

torrentum

I used to be a big fan of Tolle; read all his books, downloaded all the audiobooks too. Was inspired and loved his work. I was massively disappointed to hear him speak of dabbling in LSD, not in his younger years, nut recently. I began to reflect more on what he was saying and realised he was recycling bits from other religions and stringing them together to sell for a profit. That's was the end of that. His books went in the bin.

roosh

torrentum wrote: »

I used to be a big fan of Tolle; read all his books, downloaded all the audiobooks too. Was inspired and loved his work. I was massively disappointed to hear him speak of dabbling in LSD, not in his younger years, nut recently. I began to reflect more on what he was saying and realised he was recycling bits from other religions and stringing them together to sell for a profit. That's was the end of that. His books went in the bin.

His books, the powe of now & a new earth, can be a good starting point; I haven't seen many of his talks, but the impression I get is that he is a good starting point, but there is a lot more to it than he presents.

the practice of meditation is the keystone of spirituality; even his instructions of "watching the thinker" or observing thoughts are [fairly crude] meditation instructions. I don't think he really goes into the practice of meditation though.

a book I read shortly after Tolle's works was, the Tibetan Book of Living & Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, which was another powerful read; and I think a helpful "next step".

wylo

torrentum wrote: »

I used to be a big fan of Tolle; read all his books, downloaded all the audiobooks too. Was inspired and loved his work. I was massively disappointed to hear him speak of dabbling in LSD, not in his younger years, nut recently. I began to reflect more on what he was saying and realised he was recycling bits from other religions and stringing them together to sell for a profit. That's was the end of that. His books went in the bin.

Hes probably more clued in and engaged with reality than people that have never taken drugs or even drank in their life. He is completely passed concepts that humans created.

Im not condoning taking acid, but can you imagine a world never told you acid was bad, that it was legal, and that dabbling in it was ok. Can you imagine in this world, coffee held the taboo that acid does here. Then you'd hate him because he drank some coffee.

I havent taken it btw.

Tolle is passed being held by concepts and ideas and approval, he probably made a judgement that a small dabbling is fine. He probably knows his limits.

Him admitting something like that makes me admire him more. And it confirms to me more that he is truly liberated from the nonsense, and isnt a bull****ter.

Alot of assumptions by me there, but thats just my take.

Flashgordon197

I think a lot of these guys are essentially repeating themselves. I dont think he is a great writer. For a guy who talks about giving up the Ego-he runs a for profit organisation. There is nothing new in his work. Thats something that can be said for most self help books.

wylo

Flashgordon197 wrote: »

I think a lot of these guys are essentially repeating themselves. I dont think he is a great writer. For a guy who talks about giving up the Ego-he runs a for profit organisation. There is nothing new in his work. Thats something that can be said for most self help books.

Why should ego have anything to do with running a for profit organisation?

And also he says himself he didn't get rid of ego, he just laughs at it

Flashgordon197

wylo wrote: »

Why should ego have anything to do with running a for profit organisation?

And also he says himself he didn't get rid of ego, he just laughs at it

I never meant to imply ego or non-ego had anything to do with running a profit making company. Its just he claims we should rise above the trappings of the ego including wealth! Exactly, why does need millions unless he is a slave to his desires? Do you need millions to live in the "now" He is in the same rat race as the rest of us! Took this from another forum but it expresses my feelings on him: (BTW-his ideas are great but his money making shows he is not practising what he really preaches:

Here's how you do it:(Make Money the Eckhart Tolle Way:

1) Identify an ancient piece of wisdom that's been around for thousands of years.
2) Give it a new and mysterious name like "The Now"
3) Present a compelling story of personal transformation: from suicidial depression to ULTIMATE BLISS in a flash.... and you can have this too and never feel pain again.
4) Neglect to mention you're describing old ideas in a new way.
5) Explain it in words that people can understand and put it in a context that's socially acceptable; away from distasteful religious beliefs.
6) An attention grabbing, and succinct title "The Power Of Now"

The Exciting Bonus: Once you have established a reputation as a wise guru it's a cash cow. Continue to present the same idea in new ways e.g. "A New Earth", and "Practicing The Power Of Now"

Brilliant.

It's a good message though, don't get me wrong. Just saying, it's a funny old world, and nowhere more so than the field of info marketing.

wylo

Flashgordon197 wrote: »

I never meant to imply ego or non-ego had anything to do with running a profit making company. Its just he claims we should rise above the trappings of the ego including wealth! Exactly, why does need millions unless he is a slave to his desires? Do you need millions to live in the "now" He is in the same rat race as the rest of us! Took this from another forum but it expresses my feelings on him: (BTW-his ideas are great but his money making shows he is not practising what he really preaches:

I think its very easy misunderstand what people mean by "desires". I can see why it may seem contradictory, but for him, its probably a case that he doesnt care. Hes still a human, hes still going to do well for himself if he has the capability.
That said, if he actually included wealth in his arguments, well then, thats contradictory alright

Here's how you do it:(Make Money the Eckhart Tolle Way:

1) Identify an ancient piece of wisdom that's been around for thousands of years.

2) Give it a new and mysterious name like "The Now"

Dont underestimate the importance and effectiveness of how something is delivered, despite how old the material is.

3) Present a compelling story of personal transformation: from suicidial depression to ULTIMATE BLISS in a flash.... and you can have this too and never feel pain again.

I believe his story, something similar happened me and happens many others too (little depression and less bliss though for me though), not quite as extreme, but not far off, ive no doubt he exaggerated as well (because I know that another time he said he was barely aware it had happened)
He also explained exactly what happened, but failed to hone in on it. He questioned his own sense of self, realized it didnt exist, and hey presto , was free.

4) Neglect to mention you're describing old ideas in a new way.

True, he should have done this.

5) Explain it in words that people can understand and put it in a context that's socially acceptable; away from distasteful religious beliefs.

Nothing wrong with that. The biggest problem is the use of religious associations that throw people off.

6) An attention grabbing, and succinct title "The Power Of Now"

Nothing wrong with that either.

The Exciting Bonus: Once you have established a reputation as a wise guru it's a cash cow. Continue to present the same idea in new ways e.g. "A New Earth", and "Practicing The Power Of Now"

Brilliant.

Agreed, thats just milking it.

It's a good message though, don't get me wrong. Just saying, it's a funny old world, and nowhere more so than the field of info marketing.

Ive a feeling you expect a certain behavior from someone who has been through his experience and because that behavior doesn't match up to the expectations, it feels to you that he is a fraud.

Truth is , he got himself out of his own ****, he cant seem to be able to deliver a clear way of getting people through the sudden shift he got through. But he thinks he has a way of helping people to get there another way.

I dont doubt that he believes in what hes saying. Personally I just wish he would concentrate more on no self. Because for some, seeing no self is huge, for others , not so much, but the fact is, the practice of challenging your belief in self is the most effective method ive come across for getting you quite far. And even Tolle is proof of that. (Didnt he say "how can I live with myself? Is there 2 mes?")

Red21

On these points in relation to the metaphysics of Tolles teaching.

*we along with the rest of the universe are a consciousness/being/god trying to experience itself.

*everything that exists possess some level of this consciousness/being/god as it was this consciousness that brought matter and space into being in the first place.

*Everyone can access/realise this all pervading consciousness/being/god as it is in everything including themselves.

*gaining access to this consciousness/being/god is the very purpose of our existance.

I'm aware that the message that Tolle is trying to convey is difficult to conceptualize so other spiritual teachers may use differant words to say the same thing, also that Tolle has many other things to say in his books but i'm just trying to get an idea if people(fans of E.T) agree or disagree with these as the basic premise of Tolles writtings in relation to Whats it all about/the reality of our situation type questions.
Are these the core beliefs people who consider themselves spiritual believe or is this just a specific view point of spirituality?
Outside of the broad area the word spirituality covers, is there another word or term used to describe this way of looking at life?

wylo

Red21 wrote: »

On these points in relation to the metaphysics of Tolles teaching.

*we along with the rest of the universe are a consciousness/being/god trying to experience itself.

*everything that exists possess some level of this consciousness/being/god as it was this consciousness that brought matter and space into being in the first place.

*Everyone can access/realise this all pervading consciousness/being/god as it is in everything including themselves.

*gaining access to this consciousness/being/god is the very purpose of our existance.

I'm aware that the message that Tolle is trying to convey is difficult to conceptualize so other spiritual teachers may use differant words to say the same thing, also that Tolle has many other things to say in his books but i'm just trying to get an idea if people(fans of E.T) agree or disagree with these as the basic premise of Tolles writtings in relation to Whats it all about/the reality of our situation type questions.
Are these the core beliefs people who consider themselves spiritual believe or is this just a specific view point of spirituality?
Outside of the broad area the word spirituality covers, is there another word or term used to describe this way of looking at life?

I think what happens is that the word God becomes completely lost in meaning, hence the confusion.

I used hold a huge snobbery over the world of spirituality because of some of the language used including the word God.

Then I realised people into spirituality are actually attempting to engage in reality and the world around them more than I ever was in the past.

To answer your question, I think the core beliefs of spirituality vary so wildly that the answer would be different from person to person. That may sound vague but it's true.
People on this "scene" argue with each other about this stuff as much as any other "scen"


To answer your last question, I put the emphasis on no self (as do loads of people but I think the emphasis on it is FAR more important initially than its given credit for).

What happens is "insights" occur, "I am everything", "everything is God" etc. But I think having the honesty not to proclaim you know some truth just because you feel something, is actually quite important. Because really, once you go down that road it starts to sound airy fairy and weird to most people.
Keep it simple imo.

Greyfoot

Red21 wrote: »

Outside of the broad area the word spirituality covers, is there another word or term used to describe this way of looking at life?

There is my friend: Love

Corcaigh84

I read PoN and nearly finished New Earth after I picked them up from a friend who was just out of rehab, and doing well now thankfully. I needed something to distract myself after coming out of a relationship break up that had my head wrecked.

I find some of his relationship 'advice' terrifying to be honest: everyone is only playing a role etc, 'there is no such thing as a relationship', and there is no wanting in true love.
Some of it made sense though, I may have been 'forcing' the relationship to make me feel better from the start.

I'm thinking to myself damn... surely wanting to be with someone you're attracted to is natural... it's confusing sometimes reading him to say the least!

daisybelle2008

thefloss wrote: »

I read PoN and nearly finished New Earth after I picked them up from a friend who was just out of rehab, and doing well now thankfully. I needed something to distract myself after coming out of a relationship break up that had my head wrecked.

I find some of his relationship 'advice' terrifying to be honest: everyone is only playing a role etc, 'there is no such thing as a relationship', and there is no wanting in true love.
Some of it made sense though, I may have been 'forcing' the relationship to make me feel better from the start.

I'm thinking to myself damn... surely wanting to be with someone you're attracted to is natural... it's confusing sometimes reading him to say the least!

I think those things you find terrifying are actually very freeing ideas. Our culture puts a very big emphasis on finding security and validations in one relationship. That is a lot of pressure and it creates a very conditional, 'role' type relationship. No wanting in true love makes perfect sense, no? Why would you think there should be 'wanting' in love. I would interpret wanting as a feeling of lack that needs to be fulfilled. That would not have anything to do with love.
I think Osho probably explains this better than Tolle. But love has no opposite and your given does not have to be dependent on an outcome. The giving,feeling or expressing in of itself is enough. It is a very freeing idea. Society has a lot of rules and conditions to a conservative type of monogamy it calls 'true love'. Tolle is pointing that a specific culturally defined relationship is not required to feel that.

Corcaigh84

I think I know what you mean, they are some good points. It's hard to even put into words what is confusing about the concept. No 'wanting' makes sense though. I figure that two people happy in themselves and who also like each other is probably the way things should be... I mean I look at my parents happily married for nearly 30 years and they just seem relaxed with each other. That's something good to aspire to I think, they are my role models in that sense.

I think my relationship didn't work out because I may have 'wanted' to feel more loved by the other person. I felt I was putting in all the effort and being taken for granted which took it's toll in the end. These things happen I suppose, live and learn.