Comments on: Eckhart Tolle

By: Brandon

Brandon — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:18:12 +0000

Regarding your example of preparing for the GRE and working toward the degree, Tolle addresses that in Power of Now. He uses ideas of Clock Time and Psychological Time. p56 “Clock time is not just making an appointment or planning a trip, it is also learning from the past so we don’t repeat the same mistakes…Setting goals and working toward them, predicting the future by means of patterns and laws, physical, mathematical, and so on.” Psychological time he says keeps us out of the present moment (the only place life ever happens) and associates it with our unconscious looking for happiness/fulfillment in the future or living in past. He says the mind is a wonderful tool to use for clock time, which working for a degree and doing many of the everyday tasks in “normal” life (non-monk life), but we should: “Learn to use time in practical aspects of your life, but immediately return to present moment awareness where those practical matters have to be dealt with.(p56)” ”But even here, within the sphere of practical living, where we cannot do without reference to past and future, the present moment remains the essential factor. (p56-57)” The whole idea is that working for that degree happens NOW, and only now, one step at a time. He talks about when we are present, every little thing we do is done with a higher quality because our being is present to give 100% focus/energy. Your being energized by thinking about finishing the degree in future involved enthusiasm. He also talks about that in A New Earth. I think the whole idea is that we don’t look to future for fulfillment…sure it can inspire us to think of finishing, but if that becomes our only source of joy, if the present moment is seen as ONLY a means to that end, then we will suffer.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:45:49 +0000

“While on one hand he says we should accept all that is, on the other hand he continually talks about how humanity is insane and is a sick species.“ Good point.
Both of these ideas are found in ‘A Course in Miracles’ by the way, which Tolle quotes twice in the book. According to the Course, the Son of God questioned his Creator by imagining he could be separate from his source. He then went literally insane with guilt, and, following familiar principles explored by Freudian psychology, this guilt was projected out to create an imaginary world that we now inhabit. To make a long story short, to return to our Creator we need to forgive the world that we made in our insanity. The illusion of separation then ends and we wake up in our true reality, one with God.
It’s a philosophy very similar to early Christian Gnosticism, and has many similarities with Eastern philosophy. In this sense Tolle represents the latest mash-up of Eastern enlightenment and Christian Gnosticism. This should explain the apparent contradiction in Tolle’s philosophy of accepting everything non-judgmentally, while stating that human beings are insane.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:59:45 +0000

I think you haven’t grasped where Tolle is coming from. His book is a watered down presentation of a profound spiritual experience of transcended consciousness as explored for centuries by Buddhist and Hindu mystics. Unfortunately in his book ‘being in the Now’ is discussed in an offhand way, as if you just refocus your attention and there you are in the ‘Now’. It is much more than that, as he ought to know. Any bone fide ‘enlightenment’ means the DEATH of the personal mind. That is, NO mind, a VOID, an ABYSS where ‘you’ were before. It isn’t just a matter of smelling roses and playing with your pets. When there is absolutely no sense of psychological time, then you cease to exist in the so-called physical universe. In fact what he describes is no different from schizophrenia except for one crucial point – schizophrenics are not peaceful all the time. In fact complete enlightenment in some eastern traditions means the immediate loss of all physical attributes.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:36:52 +0000

Hello, I am informing the world that Eckhart Tolle is Satan manifested in the flesh.

my Proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urAs7KaE6ac&lc=On1kZ8f6YkHxwaQg6YxW8TUVPAjJ0RnvUH_1dszKFeI

Also, unscramble his name, it is “Taker To Hell.”

By: robert

robert — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:28:00 +0000

Thank you for writing this in-depth critique of the concepts created by Eckhart Tolle’s mind. I think many of the things Tolle says ring quite true, but that’s just my mind comparing them to other, much older, wisdom concepts I’ve read. I think the greatest thing about his teachings is his focus on mindfullness, and observation of our own motives with a desire to eliminate the chaffe. I believe that most of humanity currently wastes their entire lives in this odd sort of unconsciousness caught in this horrible loop of trying to amass as much physical wealth as they possibly can before they die so any pressure towards mindfullness has to be a positive step in changing that wasteful, destructive cycle. But I do agree with you in your criticisms that taking any of his concepts to their maximum ultimate conclusion would be equally bad.

He gives great value to society I think if he can get some of Oprah’s fans to stop being such shallow consumer zombies.

By: Don't read Eckart Tolle teachings - Page 2

Don't read Eckart Tolle teachings - Page 2 — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:04:18 +0000

[...] This is probably the best critique I've seen on him from the perspective of a spiritual person: Eckhart Tolle | Spiritual Critiques __________________ Stripping the Emperor You walk around looking for answers/And all the [...]

By: L.

L. — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:15:43 +0000

Hey there,

You have invested intense and wasteful time to say so to critizise Eckart Tolle. This is called the mind insanity what Eckart is talking about..haha..
Well to make it short and smooth..I had my opening of awakening this year, not due to the teachings of Eckart Tolle, another so called spiritual teacher led me right to the bottom of truth even I was not mindwise looking for it. This teacher, like Tolle, all have the same message and this is what counts. Each one expressing it a little in different terms, cause I guess we are all indviduals.
I have been given Tolles book some years ago and I read in it but could not connect with it at that time. Now I can indeed!
As you are operating only from your intellect which is not an indicator for getting enlightened, you are missing out very much on all his writings.
So either it is not your time yet for any awakening as you still like to identify with your mind so much or you just should try out other teachings with the same content…and then another teaching might get through to you.

Believe me, there is a reality beyond mind and for us it means to reconnect with it as what we perceive as reality is mind reality, therefore you might call it illusion, dreamstate, unconsciousness, left brain living…but the mind as it is operating now for every individual is a pervertation of what the mind originally is when we have realized our true humanity…it will be serve as an instrument to live life, but for now Mind is living us!

Hope that helps as a signpost for you or anyone else reading this and still dwelling on ignorance…

LOVE rules and only!

By: didi george

didi george — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:20:05 +0000

I really appreciate the discussion here. Every spiritual experience is personal and once you go through these experiences then you try to understand in conventional terms what they are. It is like trying to understand the beauty of a flower; you can take a picture, discuss the evolution of the plant and come up with a theory which explains quite cleverly why that flower is so beautiful. These can be all very convincing but they are just convincing words– stories. MOst of the spiritual teachers are trying to save the world from something and historically this has been going on for centuries. But end of the day what liberated women, for example, are washing machines, dryers, contraceptives, scientific understanding of sexuality etc.
But this does not mean that spirituality is meaningless–it helps to keep you balanced and sane.
I personally like Tolle’s humility and some part of his teachings which I can test myself but I keep an open mind about things like “thinking is not useful” and we can save the world by shifting our consciousness. It is more likely geeks among us will solve our problems while we enjoy Tolle’s teachings. “Bless are the geeks”

By: PJ

PJ — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 05:32:58 +0000

I have thorougly enjoyed reading many of the comments written here. Thank you all. Presently, I belong to a small group studying A NEW EARTH and today I rocked the boat by commenting that I found some of ET’s ” words” to be contradictory. I would have liked to add that I also found some of his “words” to be judgmental and ” labeling”. The response I received from some group members was that I was not ready… which in itself could be perceived as a judgment call… It could also be perceived as … although I find some semblance of ” TRUTH” in ET’s writings this does not entail that I have to swallow everything he writes as ” gospel truth.”
Many of us here have experienced our share of so called spiritual awakenings. WE “know” what we “know.” And this is our own experience & TRUTH; however, this does not mean that others who have not shared the same experiences will resonate with what we ” know.” Absolute TRUTH cannot be put into meaningful words. The second one attempts to convey the full meaning in words it changes. I would like to read about ET’s actual experiences of how he came by “his” inner ” knowing.” Because contrary to what he writes I intuit that he is still very much in his mind just like the majority of us.
And, I agree with the ones who wrote that he appears to have gone from one extreme to the other and that he does not write about anything not already written about. What is possibly ” new” in his writings is a more simplified version of practical application and the level of consciousness he wrote in. This does not necessarily entail that he is a super-guru. He seems to be one who has written of his own personal experiences in a theoretical manner versus opening his heart wide to share what he had to go through to attain this level of consciousness and what he has to go through to remain in a so called ” high” level of consciousness.
” Be still!–and KNOW–I AM–God.”

By: kishor mehta

kishor mehta — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:58:15 +0000

Tho what ekart says about present moment is told by many years ago, way he told in power of now is simplest Android moet effective.
Master writer. Accept totally. Do not get lost in critical evaluations.