Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

In this podcast, Eckhart talks with an audience in Prague. He explains that most people are searching for an identity. For many that leads to disappointment. Eckhart uses the word dukkha which in Buddhism means suffering. He explains most of us are consumed with thoughts about our problems which become part of our identity. We also define ourselves through externals: our bodies, possessions, even our ancestry becomes an identity. Eckhart says many people don’t realize they are unhappy because they think it’s a normal state. Eckhart explains we’re looking in the wrong place because when we discover our true identity, we awaken spiritually.

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In this episode, Eckhart talks further about freeing ourselves from the ego. He says while it served a powerful purpose for our spiritual growth, it’s now time to let it go. Eckhart explains one of the pitfalls of the ego is our emotional reactivity. He says challenges have the potential to pull us into anger and fear. When we react, we’re at the mercy of situations and other people; they affect us internally. But they don’t have to because Eckhart says it's an enormous discovery to finally realize difficulties don’t have to derail us. Things can still go wrong but we don’t have to react and instead practice presence. Suddenly we find we’re more conscious because he says as we grow in awareness our emotional reactivity recedes.

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In this episode, Eckhart talks about the two different aspects of knowing: conceptual knowing and a deeper kind of intuitive knowing. He says indigenous cultures and people in the ancient world were deeply familiar with the idea that everything has a soul. They shared a profound empathy with nature and felt its aliveness. Eckhart says we have lost touch with this kind of knowing in current times. Through the overdevelopment of thinking, we have reduced the natural world to mental concepts. Today we think of evolution as a random process devoid of meaning. Eckhart says it’s the price we’ve paid for the over-emphasis on science and technology. To illustrate his point, Eckhart recalls a tour through a magnificent forest.

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In this podcast, Eckhart says as we grow spiritually, we approach the challenges in our lives differently. We may encounter obstacles or difficult people, but he says we don’t get discouraged. We should face the issue in front of us consciously because we’ve learned to accept the present moment with ease. The ego believes fighting against situations is real power, but the opposite is actually true. The ancient romans had a phrase: Amor Fati. Eckhart says it means to love what is. He explains true power comes when we love the Is-ness of the present moment, no matter what.

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In this episode, Eckhart talks with an audience in Hawaii. He jokes that while many are reluctant to leave the island paradise, their task is to bring expanded consciousness to every area of their lives. Eckhart explains as awareness grows, we add a dimension of presence to everything we do. We may work the same job, but we do it in a different way. We become still and then take our insights into action. Eckhart says giving the fullest attention to our performance in the moment is critical. Then whatever task we perform has purpose whether it’s creating a work of art or running a company we release excessive focus on the outcome.  The Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu text, referred to it as Karma Yoga because Karma means action. When we attend to our daily lives whatever action we take becomes part of our spiritual practice.

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In this episode, Eckhart explains once we accept that life is here to challenge us, we can let go of our resistance. When adversity shows up, including the difficult people in our lives, we can recognize them as a catalyst for change. Eckhart says no one can act beyond their level of consciousness. And when we expect others to be more aware than they are, it’s a recipe for suffering. Eckhart admits we all will experience conflict in relationships with family, friends and colleagues. He reiterates that life is not here to make us happy, it’s here to help us awaken. He says no one awakens in their comfort zone. So, when difficulties arise – surrender because it’s the quickest path to peace and perhaps enlightenment!

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In this episode, Eckhart unveils more of his unique wisdom. He elaborates on knowing one’s self beyond our conceptual identity. He explains we all have an image of ourselves defined by our bodies, clothes, careers, and the voice in the head which he describes as the narratives we create to interpret the world. All these things contribute to our sense of self. Eckhart says we need to look further. He explains the ancient Greeks defined the idea with the aphorism Know Thyself. Eckhart says this wisdom points to a more profound knowing and a deeper self which is beyond the personality. In Hinduism it’s called the Atman. In Buddhism it’s called the no-self. Eckhart says many traditions recognize this sacred aspect as part of our spiritual heritage. In knowing thyself we discover the deepest core of our being.

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In this podcast, Eckhart discusses the Horizontal and the Vertical dimensions as he has in previous talks. Eckhart explains the Horizontal is the realm of our everyday lives, where we experience the world with our senses, doing and thinking. Then there’s the Vertical or the transcendent which is where we have the root of our being.  Eckhart says it’s our job to bring the two together and to have a foot in both worlds. Eckhart says as we grow in awareness, we will realize we are but temporary manifestations of this vast consciousness that is the miracle of life. He says while we are here on earth, we must learn to be in the world, but not of it.

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In this episode, Eckhart talks more about transcending the heavy burden of self. He says most people can’t stand themselves and yearn to be free…even if the desire is unconscious. He says the relentless barrage of thinking pushes many to seek relief… through substances like… alcohol, marijuana or other drugs. He explains for a fleeting moment we may find a reprieve… until the high wears off…and we’re back in the turmoil again.  Or we post on social media…hoping to find love and acceptance there… racking up “likes.” But that too often backfires. Eckhart says we’re reaching for the wrong thing. We will never find what we seek in our limited thinking, or our superficial ideas about ourselves and the world. Eckhart says the greatest spiritual practice we can do is to let go of thought.

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In this podcast, Eckhart talks about living more consciously and how it transforms our lives. He says when we live in both the Being and the Doing dimension, it brings harmony, especially in our relationships. He explains then we’re no longer looking for conflict and we don’t fear or compete with other people. The toxic dysfunction that is part of the ego dissipates. Eventually, we are able to sense the deeper self in others, beyond the personality, because we have experienced it in ourselves. The recognition of this sacredness is the greatest gift we can give anyone. Eckhart says it is also what Buddhists call Meta or loving-kindness. He believes this is what the world truly needs, and it will transform everything.

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