Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

Eckhart answers questions about our identification with the ego and our thoughts. He says the light of consciousness is relentlessly gobbled up by the mind and turned into thinking. He believes practicing presence is the only immunity against our thoughts. He says as we begin to awaken, we have glimpses of awareness. Eckhart says we don’t have to wait for those glimpses to arise spontaneously. He explains that we need to invite them into our lives so that awakened consciousness becomes an integral part of who we are.

In this episode, Eckhart talks about expanding our consciousness. He says that we outgrow the limited perception we have of ourselves: a person with a personality and a product of our past. We need to get in touch with what Eckhart calls the “deep I,” or the transcendent self. He says we are more than our personalities and more than our bodies. Eckhart shares what we perceive with our senses is only a tiny fraction of what’s actually here. He believes what is essential in us is invisible to the eye and not something we perceive with our senses.

Eckhart answers questions like… Is it possible to remain in a permanent state of acceptance? And how do we deal with our fears about what others think of us? Eckhart says it’s not realistic to expect that we will be consistently peaceful and harmonious. The challenges of our lives will affect us. but not at the core of who we are. We remain rooted in what Eckhart calls the being dimension. He explains we go beyond the duality of happiness and unhappiness to find peace. Eckhart says the degree to which we are free from the opinions of others, depends on our connectedness to the deeper dimension of who we are.

Eckhart explains why becoming aware of the present moment is synonymous with connecting to the deeper dimension of who we are. He says we go beyond the personality to reach our transcendent self. Eckhart says we discover we are not just humans "doings" - we are human beings. He says our primary mission is to integrate the two. Eckhart believes this is the most important discovery we can make in our lifetime.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.