Eckhart Tolle

[Spirit Ape]

This guy is really good!!!

[Pranaman]

This guy is really good!!!

 

I second that.

[Spirit Ape]

His book on stillness speaks is fantastic and relates to my Hun Yuan Gong system and cultivation!

[Squatting Monkey]

He has done a great thing in bringing spiritual teachings to a wider audience.

A lot of folks don't like his persona or marketing, but really the guy is a zen master without the labelling.

[Spirit Ape]

Yeah, no robes or B.S just know yourself!

[DalTheJigsaw123]

Yea, he is great.

[gossamer]

I hate to rain on this party..........but I saw Eckhart Tolle on PBS television and when the host of this program asked him "What do you feel happens to us after death?" Tolle's reply: "I think that we are just dead, and our bodies return to the dust from which we are made".

 

He believes in NOTHING (that's far different then Nirvana!) after our life here on earth.

 

If he was ANY kind of a Master, he'd know better then thinking in this way.

 

And I have his book: 'The Power of Now', and I think that it's great! He's a great writer, but a pretty poor philosopher/"Master".

 

Peace, gossamer

Edited April 13, 2009 by gossamer

[Creation]

I hate to rain on this party..........but I saw Eckhart Tolle on PBS television and when the host of this program asked him "What do you feel happens to after death?" Tolle's reply: "I think that we are just dead, and our bodies return to the dust from which we are made".

He forgot the other half of the quote!

 

"The dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it."

King Solomon, Ecclesisastes 12:7

[soundhunter]

I hate to rain on this party..........but I saw Eckhart Tolle on PBS television and when the host of this program asked him "What do you feel happens to after death?" Tolle's reply: "I think that we are just dead, and our bodies return to the dust from which we are made".

 

He believes in NOTHING (that's far different then Nirvana!) after our life here on earth.

 

If he was ANY kind of a Master, he'd know better then thinking in this way.

 

 

He doesn't claim to be a master, only a teacher

 

and I've never heard him say that, you can hear his words on

on youtube.

[gossamer]

Amen!

 

 

 

 

He forgot the other half of the quote!

 

"The dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it."

King Solomon, Ecclesisastes 12:7

[soundhunter]

Edited April 13, 2009 by soundhunter

[Pero]

He believes in NOTHING (that's far different then Nirvana!) after our life here on earth.

 

Eckhart Tolle is not a Buddhist in any case.

[gossamer]

Of all the quotes presented by you here **NOT ONE OF THEM**conflicts with what he said on PBS.

 

He doesn't believe in any kind of SURVIVAL of the human soul or spirit AFTER DEATH.

 

To say "Life is Eternal", but I'm personally gonna be mulch for the worms and a part of the ecology.....AND THAT'S IT, is only to say "I don't personally believe in survival of the of the soul/spirit".

 

All of those quotes really CONFIRM what he said on PBS.

 

Peace, gossamer

 

 

 

 

 

I just have to counteract this innacurate portrayal of what he has to say for himself with some direct quotes of his:

My thoughts on his work is that he is very good at putting difficult concepts into words. He is not a master, he is a wise man with the gift of words and this gift is helping many people to become more conscious beings, which is great. My husband and I met him casually on a ferry one day as he has a home on an island close to the island where we live, and on person he was humble, simple, friendly, and quite plain. His books are helpful, but they are not a complete system or religion or anything like that, they make the concepts of consciousness, meditation and mindful living easy to grasp for people who don't have masters teaching them.

[Pranaman]

why does it matter what his beliefs on death are?

[三江源]

why does it matter what his beliefs on death are?

heh heh.

[thelerner]

Gossamer is right though, ET's words in the video don't really negate the 'we die and are dust' saying.

 

But is that so wrong? So bad?? Do we expect to be ghostly versions of ourselves w/ our current memories and desires hanging out in heaven or swooping around earth?

 

Seems to me if we keep our memories and desires even heaven would not grant happiness for long.

 

Maybe if you hit the point, the psychological(?) sweet spot where consciousness blossoms, the little me me me dissolves and you see the world through unadulterated awareness, that is enough, that is your little piece of eternity.

 

Maybe..we shall see.

 

 

Michael

[Owledge]

Thesis:

You can never fully understand someone unless you're on the same level. So when dealing e.g. with Eckhart Tolle's words, you actually don't so much try to understand it in your current state as you try to ascend to his level in the process.

 

As long as you're not in an enlightened state, don't feel bad when you don't understand everything he says. How could you?

[gossamer]

You know, I used to live out in New Mexico, the "enlightenment capital" of the United States.

 

I have a policy, when someone actually says that they are "enlightened", or "born again", this absolutely means that they ARE NEITHER OF THESE THINGS.

 

When I hear these words from someone, I run as quickly as possible, the other way.

 

Question: Did Laozi write the Tao te Ching for "enlightened people"?

 

Peace, gossamer

 

 

 

 

Thesis:

You can never fully understand someone unless you're on the same level. So when dealing e.g. with Eckhart Tolle's words, you actually don't so much try to understand it in your current state as you try to ascend to his level in the process.

 

As long as you're not in an enlightened state, don't feel bad when you don't understand everything he says. How could you?

[Owledge]

I think someone who's enlightened doesn't care about saying or not saying that about himself.

Your view on this might be a constricting pattern. I personally tend to examine every case individually.

 

Question: Did Laozi write the Tao te Ching for "enlightened people"?

Considering how it's often said that you get more and more insight with every time you read it, I'd say it's pretty obvious that he wrote it to (or if he didn't intend, at least it serves the purpose of) help people walk the path towards enlightenment. Edited April 15, 2009 by Hardyg

[Mal]

[Unconditioned]

I'm halfway through the power of now and have watched a few of his talks on youTube. For me the way he phrased certain things lead to many 'ah hah' moments. He brings you straight to the point without trying to describe it and gives very simple but effective ways to get in touch with awareness/consciousness.

 

I'm always amazed when I hear something said a slightly different way and it resonates so clearly then I look back and smack myself on the forehead for not getting it the first time.

 

Just my 2c.

 

MY Life after death - to me this has always come across as a defense mechanism for the ego. "I'll never die! I'll just go on in another form". In this sense I mean the "I" and "me" to be the historical record of events that we can recall (and even our recollection is tainted through conditioning).

 

If that's the case I've had a hard time believing that for many reasons the first being that you are not your memories nor are you your thoughts, those are tied to the body (memory and thoughts in the brain) and we're aware of them though conscioiusness.

 

We are life, we are alive. Life continues after our bodies die, therefor 'we', as life, continue on. But, the form we're currently in takes other forms, mostly as worm and plant food.. that can make a tree grow, that can produce an apple, that another person can eat and gain energy from, etc. etc.

 

Just more color commentary...