Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

Eckhart talks about our obsession with the future. He says if we’re always living for the future, we never experience the present because the future is only a thought. We spend our time waiting for a life that never arrives and end up with a life full of missed opportunities. Eckhart reminds us, the only moment we ever truly have is the here and now.

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Eckhart leads a meditation and then answers questions. He says the Essential Self is not defined by the personality, life circumstances or history. It’s the transcendent dimension beyond that which is the only place we will find lasting freedom and true happiness. Eckhart explains we may not have awareness of our essential self consistently. He says we will lose it many times, then regain it. He shares that finding awareness is a gradual process of waking up to who we truly are.

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Eckhart says sometimes in our efforts to become present we fall below thought. It happens when we’re consumed by negativity. He explains often people reach for something to take away the pain like alcohol, drugs or food. Eckhart says we may feel relief for a short time, but eventually discomfort returns. Ekchart shares what we need to do is resist the pull toward unconsciousness. And, to awaken spiritually we must rise above thought to a reach a state of alert presence.

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Eckhart talks about the importance of using our daily lives as spiritual practice which he calls presence power. Throughout the day, when we’re not challenged by difficult people or circumstances, we should invite presence into our lives. Like a muscle that gets stronger with use, it will become part of our daily routine. Then when challenges arise, we don’t fall into unconsciousness, we draw on our reserves.

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Eckhart leads a live meditation on pausing our thoughts without suppressing them. Eckhart says it’s more important to be aware of oneself as presence than to get lost in the mind. With practice, gradually the spaces between thoughts increase and more spaciousness grows within. This will cause our lives to become more peaceful and move us closer to a feeling of liberation.

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Eckhart answers questions on such topics as eliminating depression, dealing with a heavy pain body and why enlightenment seems to be such a rare phenomenon. Eckhart shares the story of his own pain body and how it finally pushed him into a state of presence. He says we are designed to awaken and that we are a part of the flowering of the consciousness in the universe.

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Eckhart answers questions on a wide range of topics like: What’s the function of the ego? How does it feel to be enlightened? And what’s the best remedy for loneliness and the pain body? Eckhart responds with his renowned wisdom.

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Eckhart says the world is not here to make us happy, it’s here to make us conscious. If we are looking for fulfillment in a particular relationship, job or life circumstances, we may find disappointment instead. Eckhart says we find peace when we let go of the demand that people and situations should fulfill us. When we accept what is, it becomes possible to find freedom in the here and now.

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Eckhart says sometimes we experience a gravitational force that seems to push us back into unconsciousness. When we feel overwhelmed by watching the news or experience a painful loss, these are the moments when we need to return to the practice of presence. Eckhart says there is a higher purpose at work and awakening is deeper than our suffering.

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Eckhart talks with a live audience about the paradox of suffering and awakening. He says the ego, in its attempt to strengthen itself, creates distress and eventually brings about its own destruction. For many, this cycle can be the catalyst to awaken. Eckhart says If we had not suffered, we would not find transformation. He believes this paradox is an intrinsic part of the plan.

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