Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

In this podcast, Eckhart talks with an audience in Hawaii and then answers questions. Someone asks if the human race is going to survive. Eckhart explains if humanity is aligned with the purpose of the universe, which is the evolution of consciousness, we will continue. He says what needs to happen is that a sufficient number of people reach the next stage of development. He warns, if we remain stuck in the ego, we risk destruction. Eckhart explains evolution happens through disruption of order and then chaos. Things break down, then a higher order emerges. Obstacles, difficulties and all the things that seem to block the evolution of consciousness are actually necessary for its progress. Eckhart says we are on the way to metamorphosis because disorder precedes transcendence. 

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In this episode, Eckhart elaborates on the narratives we create called My Life. He says these stories are really a work of fiction. It’s like we’re following a script. We play our part and go through all the motions. He explains when we identify with these scripts, we’re unconscious and stuck in the grip of the ego. These patterns may go back generations and include family dysfunction and that too becomes part of our story. Family members have their scripts, and we have ours. Eckhart says when we argue with each other, that strengthens the ego. We must realize there is an aspect in all of us that transcends any narrative. Eckhart calls it the spiritual dimension. We find freedom when we grow towards greater consciousness.

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In this episode, Eckhart talks about the Being dimension which is where we find our true essence. However, for many of us Eckhart says our beingness gets lost in thinking. Our job is to separate the two. We reclaim consciousness from the mind because he explains this separation is the essence of all spiritual practice. Eckhart describes his own awakening as an example. This liberation transformed his life. As a result, Eckhart went on to become one of the great spiritual teachers of our time.

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In this podcast, Eckhart talks about how difficult life circumstances often trigger awakening. Whether it’s a life-threatening disease, loss of a loved one or break up of a marriage he says pain is the touchstone to all spiritual growth. Eckhart says many people eventually become grateful for their problems because without them they would not evolve. Eckhart also describes it as liberation from the burden of oneself. When the hard shell of the ego cracks open, we discover a realm of consciousness we haven’t known before.

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In this episode, Eckhart explains that it is the destiny of all people to awaken from the conditioning of their minds and to free themselves from compulsive thinking. He explains when we resist awakening, we create suffering for ourselves and others. But even then difficulties can eventually bring about spiritual growth. He says the process is gradual and there will be many setbacks because humanity is not a finished product. Eckhart explains the entire universe is moving toward higher consciousness. We are a part of a vast evolutionary movement.

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In this episode, Eckhart talks with an audience in Prague. He explains what happens as we become more conscious. He says we suddenly recognize our Beingness, in addition to the human aspect of ourselves. We become aware of the transcendent realm that Eckhart describes as an emanation from the one source of universal consciousness. Eckhart says we can also call this God. Clarity emerges, because our mind is free of compulsive thinking. We sense more deeply the aliveness of everything around us. We experience the sacredness of another person, a tree, a flower. Eckhart says the secret of life is to continue giving our fullest attention to whatever is in front of us. He explains there’s beauty in the simplest things when they’re done consciously.

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In this podcast, Eckhart talks further about a necessary shift in consciousness. Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism all point to this message. Collectively, we’ve been reaching toward enlightenment for millennia. The Buddha taught that we are here to awaken. Jesus also emphasized the importance of staying awake. Each of these traditions suggests there is a higher level of consciousness beyond our waking state. But Eckhart says for most of us that lies dormant because we are enmeshed in the ego. He explains suffering is inseparable from the ego identity and once we realize that, we will find the path to liberation.

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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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