I like Eckhart Tolle and his teachings, they resonate with me in a profound way. I’m not a devout follower of his, nor anyone else, but having put much of what he teaches into practice, I feel a greater sense of peace in myself. Some people “get” what Eckhart is saying and others don’t. So I thought I would try to do a walk through his teachings in a more summarised format.
This is my interpretation of what Eckhart Tolle is teaching…
Eckhart Tolle’s teaching boils down to….
Living in the moment, without identification with thought
and here’s the working out bit…
We identify with thought when we mistake them (our thoughts) to be part of us, part of who we are.
We’re not referring to thoughts that pass fleetingly in and out of our minds,
but rather rigid/habitual thought patterns.
They are what we refer to as our beliefs,
Strongly held beliefs are wholly responsible for our behaviours and the way we live our lives
What are our beliefs based on?
Usually nothing more than assumptions
Some of what we learn comes from first hand experience, but much more comes from what we see and hear..
from others, from the media, from so called authorities and experts.
We are conditioned/ taught to believe what we are told, we assume we are being told the truth, by people that know best, and who have our best interests at heart.
Many people are aware of this fact and question such assumptions more critically,
but many more blindly follow.
If you have strong beliefs, you close down openness and willingness to learn, to take a different view, to tolerate other ideas and approaches, to empathise
Strongly held beliefs cause us to be judgmental of others and ourselves.
Strongly held beliefs cause division, and force a “them and us” mentality.
Strongly held beliefs are driven by fear, and life, from a base of fear is scary rather than wondrous.
Strongly held beliefs are responsible for all the wars that have ever been, for all pain and suffering in ourselves and others. It is what is likely to end mankind’s time on earth, unless we wake up to the madness of identifying with thought.
How do you do this?
You spend more time “in the now”, in this moment, and less time in your head, thinking.
Check out some Eckhart Tolle quotes here.
For more about spirituality check here.