Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

In this episode, Eckhart discusses one of his key messages: our primary purpose here on Earth is a spiritual one. He says it is our job to free ourselves of the mind-made sense of self, which has never been more destructive.  He says all ancient teachings point to this timeless message. Eckhart goes on to explain if we don’t come to some understanding of that truth in this lifetime, then we have completely missed the point.  Eckhart says that nomatter what we achieve in this world, it will not provide the lasting satisfaction we’re looking for. We will not fill the inner void which is where our spirituality should be. Careers, money, property prestige won’t do it. There may be some temporary sense of excitement or accomplishment. But it won’t last long. Eckhart says we must look to our beingness for salvation…then the transcendent dimension becomes a discovery, not an achievement.

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In this episode Eckhart talks further about the pain body. He compares it to the character Gollum, in Lord of the Rings. He says the pain body, feeds on suffering and creates misery for everyone.  However, Eckhart explains once we recognize the pain body for what it is, we don’t have to be held hostage anymore. Our awareness is the first step toward freedom. Eckhart goes on to say that people with a heavy pain body are often eager to awaken spiritually. The discomfort becomes so great, they take action to alleviate it. Eckhart admits he was such a person.  Early in life, he was deeply unhappy with himself… until age twenty nine, when he underwent a profound spiritual transformation. Eckhart explains the pain body may seem like a huge obstacle. However, paradoxically, he says it can also act as a powerful catalyst to awaken. 

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In this podcast, Eckhart says one of the hurdles we must confront regularly is our unconscious thinking.  He says our relentless, self-centered thoughts actually feed the ego and keep us mired in a fictitious sense of self. He explains the ego loves problems and strengthens its grip by creating suffering for ourselves and others. Eckhart says if we’re not growing spiritually, when crises strike, they will make us even more unconscious. But there’s a paradox. Eckhart explains suffering can actually push us to awaken. When we can’t take the pain anymore, we finally surrender. He says most unhappiness is not the result of life’s difficulties…it’s our reaction to them. Eckhart says when we have a foot on the path, misfortune is no longer an obstacle. Instead it becomes an opportunity for spiritual growth.

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In this podcast Eckhart talks with an audience in Stockholm, Sweden. He says the idea is to inhabit The Now. Ironically, he says most of us try to escape it…through activities, addiction or our thinking. We would rather be anywhere other than here. We say: “I’ve got too much going on. I don’t have time for presence. ” Eckhart explains this mindset can wreak havoc with our lives and create dysfunction. He says the most important thing any of us can do is to embody consciousness. He says evolution on this planet is actually happening through us. And on a larger scale, we are inseparable from the awakening universe.

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In this podcast, Eckhart elaborates further about finding freedom from the bondage of self. He says the first step is to confront our thinking and resist the urge to identify with every thought we have. Eckhart says rising above thinking paves the way to liberation. Many people try to free themselves through substances like alcohol, drugs, food and sex.  While these might provide some fleeting relief Eckhart says what we’re really doing is falling below thinking and spiraling down into unconsciousness and addiction. Eckhart warns that we arequickly moving towards a crisis point for humanity and the planet. However, reaching this pivotal moment does not have to spell disaster. On the contrary, Eckhart says it’s precisely during a crisis that we have the greatest opportunity to evolve and when the need is most dire,large-scale transformation becomes even more possible. He says many people are ready for a shift in consciousness. Eckhart urges us onward because he says awakening is no longer a luxury it’s a necessity for our survival.

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In this podcast, Eckhart talks about how many of us strive to become a bigger, better version of “me.” We do that through myriad achievements, wealth, status or possessions. Eckhart says it’s like the person who believes buying a more palatial home will somehow signify they’ve made it. He believes people become so invested in outcomes they neglect the journey. He says even spiritual seekers fall into this trap when they chase after enlightenment which can become another form of ego. He explains these behaviors are all a misguided quest for fulfillment and identity. Eckhart cautions against looking for ourselves in everything we do. He says no goal will ever make us happy because who we truly are has nothing to do with outcomes or achievements. He says our deepest selves are rooted in consciousness itself. Eckhart describes it as the one transcendent source of all life. He says becoming aware of this dimension is the only thing that will bring lasting fulfillment.

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In this podcast, Eckhart talks with an audience in Adelaide, Australia. He says participating in the retreat will allow everyone to have a taste of presence, rather than know it as a mere concept.  He explains that many of us place little value on the current moment because we believe fulfillment can only happen at some point in the distant future. He says the anticipation of things-yet-to-be is so strong, we miss opportunities in the here and now because the thinking mind takes over and muddies the water. Eckhart shares an experience he had at the age of seventeen, when a friend gave him several spiritual books. Through study, he learned to shift his thinking from negative to positive. Suddenly, the well-worn idea that bad things always happened to him evaporated. This breakthrough was a catalyst for greater spiritual development that continued well into his twenties. Eckhart explains awareness of our thoughts is the beginning of awakening.

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In this episode, Eckhart explains that many of us must go through a lot of unhappiness before we awaken. He says he’s never met anyone whose life is not difficult and fraught with challenges. He believes it’s a good thing when we become dissatisfied with what we call “my life.” He says our spiritual growth often begins when we realize there must be something morebecause our suffering pushes us to find it. He goes on to explain that our real life is actually in the here and now separate from the past and the future which is eternal and connects us to the transcendent. He says we can become familiar with this divine aspect of ourselves through a state of no-thinking free of the inner critic and false narratives. Eckhart says when we discover who we are without our past what emerges is the profound presence of being.

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In this episode, Eckhart talks about the fact that many people live in a continuous state of waiting for the next thing that will magically transform their lives: a relationship, job, house, even more money. He says we’re misguided when we believe something outside ourselves will provide lasting fulfillment; this mindset is considered normal. But Eckhart says normal won’t free us from our inner turmoil. He says even during the best of times, we feel something important is missing from our lives. Eckhart explains when we’re continuously doing - waiting for the next thing - we become forgetful of being and we suffer. Eckhart says the being dimension is fundamental to living a fulfilled life. He says awareness of our inner states is the first step in getting there.

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In this podcast Eckhart talks about bringing together the human and the being aspects of ourselves. He says we would be consigned to a miserable fate if all we were was human because being trapped by a limited identity there would be no possibility of self-transcendence. Eckhart points out even big egos have little selves and their achievements, even if considerable, often make people so unhappy, they don’t help transform the world. Eckhart explains when the human and the being come together, the being shines through our humanness, reflecting the light of consciousness. He says the greatest miracle of all is that the universe is conscious. And we are a part of that. He quotes Alan Watts, a famous writer and spiritual teacher, who said: “You are a function of what the whole universe is doing, in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing.”

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