Do you think Eckhart Tolle is enlightened?

[de_paradise]

Generally, the ability to eloquently go on at length about spiritual topics, and it sounds genuine, rings true for the listener (as Tolle can do) means that he has the attainment, not just faking it.

 

While my criticisms of Tolle are the same as mentioned, that he pretty much copies Taoism and Buddhism, and paraphrases it, waters it down for safe western mass consumption, and that theres no hardcore practises that will actually help, I myself enjoy listening to Tolle.

 

I also tend to recommend his books to those beginners, even to those people who think they merit a more heady author, like some famous Indian mystic, and maybe think that Tolle is only Campbells Soup. Why? Because your typical Westerner is really messed up, depressed or completely ego-driven, and/or heading in the wrong direction to the 8 worldly dharmas. It takes alot of gentle reprogramming to get a reset in direction towards spirituality, and Tolle is very good at this.

[King Kabalabhati]

Generally, the ability to eloquently go on at length about spiritual topics, and it sounds genuine, rings true for the listener (as Tolle can do) means that he has the attainment, not just faking it.

 

While my criticisms of Tolle are the same as mentioned, that he pretty much copies Taoism and Buddhism, and paraphrases it, waters it down for safe western mass consumption, and that theres no hardcore practises that will actually help, I myself enjoy listening to Tolle.

 

I also tend to recommend his books to those beginners, even to those people who think they merit a more heady author, like some famous Indian mystic, and maybe think that Tolle is only Campbells Soup. Why? Because your typical Westerner is really messed up, depressed or completely ego-driven, and/or heading in the wrong direction to the 8 worldly dharmas. It takes alot of gentle reprogramming to get a reset in direction towards spirituality, and Tolle is very good at this.

 

Yeah I agree it's good to have different flavors and levels of teachers around. What Tolle is saying IS in fact kind of hard core if you REALLY put it into practice. I don't believe many of us can, and he himself is probably just an adept of it.

[henro]

 

I also tend to recommend his books to those beginners, even to those people who think they merit a more heady author, like some famous Indian mystic, and maybe think that Tolle is only Campbells Soup. Why? Because your typical Westerner is really messed up, depressed or completely ego-driven, and/or heading in the wrong direction to the 8 worldly dharmas. It takes alot of gentle reprogramming to get a reset in direction towards spirituality, and Tolle is very good at this.

 

I agree, so many people are turned off by spirituality when it is attached to religion in any way shape or form. Tolle allows one to exam spirituality free from the influences of religious dogma. His books are often the first books people read on the path to cultivation. Whether or not he's enlightened has no bearing on the fact that his books are helpful.

[Simple_Jack]

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Edited February 5, 2014 by Simple_Jack

[Simple_Jack]

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Edited February 5, 2014 by Simple_Jack

[xabir2005]

Oh yea, I totally forgot about that site. I guess if I had to use a more convenient grading scale for someone, then I would use that; with Level 7 being the actual start of the path.

yes. That is from a more Buddhist perspective though, many sees I Am as final. Other religions and traditions may see realization of Self as final. Emptiness is peculiar to Buddhism. Once you realize the twofold emptiness (stage 5 and 6) you ascend to the first Bodhisattva bhumi and is on the way to Buddhahood, omniscience, which is reached after going through ten bhumis. Edited April 14, 2011 by xabir2005