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lmaher22
USA
217 Posts |
 Posted - May 26 2011 : 11:39:08 PM
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| Does anyone have an opinion on Eckhart Tolle. I listened to him for a few years and he sure seemed happy and peaceful enough. He doesn't ask for any money either. Though he does sound a bit strange and he never says more than 'stay in the moment', I find him hard to like or dislike. His 'Power of Now' was a terrific book, but he really offers little or no advice on how to arrive there. To say the least I'm confused on ole Eckhart. I don't mean to knock him, after all he seems like a great guy but I think he offers little especially in comparison to Yogani. So where does that leave me? Looking for advice, that's where. |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2011 : 02:06:19 AM
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"I think he offers little especially in comparison to Yogani. "
Yogani and Tolle offer 2 different approaches to the same goal ie enlightenment...the first uses specefic techniques...the second is about knowledge and wisdom (Jnana)
the majority of people need to blend both approaches...the souls that are mature enough to only follow Jnana are very very rare.so u can use both
it is your mind who is asking for comparaison...
in what way the comparaison helps?...just follow your inner inclination
all the best |
Edited by - maheswari on May 27 2011 03:06:21 AM |
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Tibetan_Ice
Canada
758 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2011 : 12:17:18 PM
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Hi Imaher22,
In all fairness, Tolle does have powerful practices. Get a hold of the "Practicing the Power of Now" book or CD. His practices include "Watching your thoughts", "Intense present moment concentration", "Sensing the Inner Body" and "Saying Yes to the present moment".
Those are all powerful practices; the "Sensing the Inner Body" is the same practice as the Buddha's "Body Mindfulness" which is supposed to enable the practitioner not only to become realized but gain main siddhis along the way.
I think that what Tolle has done, after his self-realization, is that he found very powerful and common buddhist practices and adopted them as part of his teachings.
What Tolle doesn't have is a structured approach with recommendations for constucting daily practice routines like AYP does. But he does have practices (and a great sense of humour).
Oh, maheswari, I wouldn't say that Tolle is about jnana although each teaching is a form of knowledge. To me, the jnana path is one of non-duality, like advaita (Nisargadatta, John Wheeler, Sailor Bod Adamson, Rodney Stevens, Ramana Maharshi...) where the goal is the understanding of the knowledge which then sets you free.
:)
TI |
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faileforever
USA
190 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2011 : 1:29:31 PM
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I love Tolle Definitely worth listening to and taking what you can from him. |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2011 : 10:45:53 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tibetan_IceTolle does have powerful practices. Get a hold of the "Practicing the Power of Now" book or CD. His practices include "Watching your thoughts", "Intense present moment concentration", "Sensing the Inner Body" and "Saying Yes to the present moment".
Hi Tibtan Ice (along with imahar22 and all),
I resonate with your interpretation of Tolle's teaching. When I read "Power of Now" recently, I particularly noticed what you called the practice of "sensing the inner body." To interpret Tolle accurately, I would expand that idea to include the notion of "energy field."
With respect to "inner body," Tolle writes: "It's up to you to open a portal in your life that gives you conscious access to the Unmanifested. Get in touch with the energy field of the inner body..." (p. 135)
In my assessment, that is what we do when we do our twice daily SBP and DM: We are getting in touch with the inner body "energy field."
The problem with Tolle is that he just says, "get in touch..." but he does not say how to remind oneself to do it day to day. Moreover, he has not offered a discipline to get us in touch with the "inner silence" that gives those intentions what Yogani calls "traction." As I recall Yogani commenting on Tolle somewhere, to benefit long term from the insights of Tolle, a prerequisite is a stable inner experience of "silence," and to that end, a daily meditation practice is necessary for most of us.
Peace and good wishes,
Be |
Edited by - bewell on May 27 2011 10:50:44 PM |
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Tibetan_Ice
Canada
758 Posts |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 5:14:45 PM
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Hi Bewell,
"The Power of Now" is a different book from "Practicing the Power of Now".
quote:
Originally posted by bewell
...
The problem with Tolle is that he just says, "get in touch..." but he does not say how to remind oneself to do it day to day.
Actually, in some places he does. Tolle mentions performing a regular practice of transferring consciousness into the many parts of the body every night before falling asleep and again upon rising in the morning. He also points out that, while stopped at a red light, to take a deep breath and relax into presence. However I have never seen Tolle expound on the virtues of regular practice nor give you specific instructions on how to build and maintain a sadhana.
quote:
Moreover, he has not offered a discipline to get us in touch with the "inner silence" that gives those intentions what Yogani calls "traction."
Again, yes he does. Have you read "Practicing the Power of Now"? Tolle talks about various methods including the "Gap of no-mind" which arises when watching one's thoughts. Watching your thoughts is almost a universal yogic practice.. And then he goes a bit further:
quote:
"From Practicing the Power of Now", page 21
Instead of "WATCHING THE THINKER", you can also create a gap of in the mind stream simply by directing your attention into the Now. Just become intensely conscious of the present moment.
This is a deeply satisfying thing to do. In this way, you can draw consciousness away from mind activity and create a gap of no-mind in which you are highly alert and aware but not thinking. This is the essence of meditation.
And there are more, as I've listed in my previous post.. one I did not mention is how "watching the mind" cultivates the witness.
Note: in my response, I've interpreted your usage of the term "discipline" to mean "practice".
quote:
As I recall Yogani commenting on Tolle somewhere, to benefit long term from the insights of Tolle, a prerequisite is a stable inner experience of "silence," and to that end, a daily meditation practice is necessary for most of us.
You know, some of Tolle's insights are non-attachment, impermanence and cultivating mindfulness. But these are not just Tolle's insights. They are commonly taught buddhist principles. Do you think it is correct to say that unless one has cultivated a stable inner experience of 'silence' these insights will have no long term benefit?
And again, to be fair, many of Tolle's practices are things that you do throughout the day, as you live your life. They are not practices that you perform twice a day and then drop, although you could set aside specific times to perform some of the practices. Tolle advocates continually striving throughout the day, watching the mind, watching the breath, feeling the inner body, observing one's self, being in stillness; a continual "striving for being in the now". As you know, there is much to be said for continuous mindfulness (24/7), a powerful buddhist technique that is purported to produce enlightenment.
:)
TI
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Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 7:31:39 PM
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He has found out many ways that lead to meditation. He does not say much about the transition of meditation into samadhi, but his method/practice is as follows:
Make a clear and very strong decision. Bring your attention back to the present moment by feeling the energy field of your body and do this (practice) from now on 24/7.
In my opinion, it is the same method as Maitreya Ishwara's, Samarpan's and some more. And it just works instantly, but is very very intense and demanding for the bodily nervous system.
Continuity in this leads to samadhi and out of samadhi into meditation and back to samadhi and back to meditation going on and on ever deepening till you can't stop it anymore. Lost in peace and bliss =P
PS: This body here could not handle it, so it looks like a lot of guru grace is necessary. |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 9:27:22 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tibetan_Ice
"The Power of Now" is a different book from "Practicing the Power of Now".
Thanks for your responses TI. I had neither read "Practicing the Power of Now," nor even heard of it until you brought it to our attention. |
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