I think that Eckhart Tolle is one of the coolest people ever. I have been reading his new book called "A New Earth" which has become quite popular especially after Oprah endorsed the book and started an online series type thing for the book. I think he wrote another book a few years ago called "The Power of Now." There is also some sort of controversy, I don't know quite how much, about the "Oprah Religion" or "Church of Oprah" that serves as some threat to Christianity. Regardless of all that I really like the book. The material in the book reminds me a lot of what I've heard you try to explain from your therapist and from Dr. Van Horne. In that book and in the "Power of Now" Tolle talks about "being present" or "living in the now" basically emphasizing the peace that can be obtained by putting the focus on "Now." Something I thought about the other day that hit me for some reason was a way to explain life after death using this mindset. Echart might have mentioned it somewhere I'm not sure, but anyways…. A lot of people fear death because they aren't sure what will happen. Atheists believe that life just ends and there's nothing else. Those who believe that are discouraged because essentially their life just ends. How can this life I hold not be permanent? Then there are those that believe in a heaven and an accompanying hell. You have to be good enough to be in the club, to get a ticket in. You also have to choose the right side. Then I thought to myself "Why does it matter if I'm alive right now, after all there is no moment in time that holds more power than now. I have life right here right now as I breathe in and breathe out, just as I am in this moment". It may sound a little silly as I try to explain it but I think it's more something you have to "feel" and not just "think" about. I thought at that moment that if I died tomorrow or even in the next instance it wouldn't matter because I just felt so alive at that moment. That's one of the best feelings you can have. What happens in the future has no bearing on my happiness right now. As you can tell I was in a really good (peaceful) mood. Now that I think about it, this sounds like something from "Rent": No day but today. Eckhart always talks about how becoming a peaceful person or "achieving enlightenment" can't be done by doing things over time but only by "being present." He also addresses something like caretaking but instead calls it something more like "a form of the ego." Mothers and Fathers as well as other caretakers play a "role." The ego wants to fulfill that role in whatever way possible because it identifies with "roles" and "forms." Eckhart says that in order to truly love or relate to someone you have to be "formless" or be "present" instead of being blinded by the mask of a form created by the ego. What I've been talking about might not make much sense but you should read his book. I think it would be a good read. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eckhart believes that heaven isn't a place we go when we die, but rather a state we achieve in the present moment. A place where all fears about the future and all guilt about the past are erased. Where it doesn't matter how good you are, what you have, or what labels the world has cast upon you, whether they be good or bad. When all of that is erased you reach heaven or the essential you or God. He says that a future heaven in the sky that we go to when we die is irrelevant because it isn't happening now. We can't anticipate a future of eternal bliss or one of sadness. The only way to reach bliss is in the present moment. He never says what he thinks about a future heaven when we die, but essential says it doesn't matter because it isn't happening now. All of the fear, guilt, selfishness, pain, etc. Eckhart calls "the ego." He often describes the ego as sin and sometimes like a demonic possession. The removal of those things reveals the true you or the Godly essence maybe comparative to the Holy Spirit. The ego is essentially a mask that blinds you from who you really are. Instead of believing that the essence of God just pops into you when you believe that Jesus died for your sins, he believes that it is always there, only masked. Many Christian's attack Eckhart's theories saying he claims that "man is God." Essentially he does but I would reword it as "man is part of God." When you remove the ego the only thing that's left is God or the Godlike essence. The collective consciousness, or God, is a unification of these. Unification, understanding, love. God isn't really described as some all knowing being in the sky but more of a collection of the souls of all people and all of the life force of the universe. The ego is only meant to separate us from this unity: every fear, every selfish thought, every time we think we are alone. We only need realize that we are a part of everything. When we die I sometimes think of it as a return to the collective consciousness. Life never ends. Not really like reincarnation but more like the soul being released into the life force of the universe. This being somewhat reminiscent of tribal cultures that believe that everything around us holds a life force. The soul does not need to maintain its persona or individuality. This persona is only a manifestation of the ego meant to keep us separate from the whole. When someone dies instead of saying, "They're in a better place now," I'd rather say, "They're still all around us, even a part of us." The forces fighting here aren't really good versus evil, but rather unity versus isolation. It's a bit out there I know One of the things that struck me the most was regarding depression. He said that we want to feel pain, or at least the ego does. The ego feeds off of pain. It will do anything to feel pain. Eckhart said that people with depression identify with a sad story that they replay over and over. You essentially become "you and your sad story" instead of the true you, the Godly you. When we disassociate ourselves with the sad story, when the sad story is no longer part of who we are, when the story dies and we are able to live just in the present moment, we become happy. We are closer to heaven. Has anyone else heard of this guy. What do you think about all this stuff?
I've read "The Power of Now" and "Stillness Speaks." There is a certain joy to be had in being in the moment. But I'm very skeptical of the concept of living forever, and of the concept that the ego likes to feel pain per se. I think it's more that the ego is always trying to cope with potential danger, and doesn't always know what's dangerous and what isn't. When it's confused to the point of thinking that all of life is a threat, that's depression or paranoia. When you know what is a threat and what isn't, and to what extent, and how to deal with it, most of the time, that's wisdom. I also think there are obvious practical limits to living in the now that most people, except for the most avid devotees, know instinctively.
I think that depression results from the ego which concentrates on the past and future the "sad story" that you replay over and over from your past isn't who you are, any fear of the future isn't who you really are. I like to think of it as not concentrating on all of that negativity and being there in the moment and realizing how much life or "power" is in the now. I like to think that the ego attaches itself to these types of pain. The "wisdom" is being free from the ego or being "present" or "in the now". I don't think anyone can be completely free of the ego. But I think that a weaker ego allows you to live a happier more fufilled life.
