Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth

[damngoodcoffee]

I didn't say you were aggressive. I said you were arrogant.

damngoodcoffee said: ↑
That's what i thought that i was going through. I just don't believe it anymore. Reincarnation. Enlightenment. Why should i believe any of it? I do believe in God of some sort, i just don't believe anything gurus or anybody else says about it. I just don't want to take anybodys word for it.

Believe... There isn't anything to believe. You completely misunderstood everything. You think this spiritual thing is something to believe.

Let me rephrase it then: "You are not understanding it completely. It is more complex than you think. Even I don't understand it very well."

I don't understand how you can say all this based on those few words i said. You can't assume that i just one day decided to believe in these spiritual things and then some day i decided not to anymore. You don't know me. You have no knowledge of what kind of internal processes i've been through and what kind of understandings i have had. Comes across as arrogant to me.

 

[Ukall]

You're right and glad you are saying that. But my answer was more related to this you've said

These guru are arrogant IMO. All that guru stuff definitely made me more arrogant too. Enjoying the moment and witnessing thoughts etc. became a huge burden for me eventually. I'd even say i was pretty damn close to losing my mind.

It was your conclusion saying that they are arrogant that didn't make any sense for me.
But you have free will. If all these spiritual things doesn't make any sense, I agree with your choice of following another path. But please, don't say that they are arrogant or etc just because you don't agree with them or it didn't serve to you.
Saying
- "I was following spiritual seeking, but it didn't suit to me"

is very different from

- "I was following spiritual seeking, but it didn't suit to me. Actually they are all arrogant in my opinion."

You see? And, in the end, who is the arrogant after all?

 

[damngoodcoffee]

But please, don't say that they are arrogant or etc just because you don't agree with them or it didn't serve to you.
Saying
- "I was following spiritual seeking, but it didn't suit to me"

is very different from

- "I was following spiritual seeking, but it didn't suit to me. Actually they are all arrogant in my opinion."

You see? And, in the end, who is the arrogant after all?

Of course i see them as arrogant because they think they are enlightened and others are not.
I'm not saying that they can't be nice guys still. I don't hate them or anything. I think i would enjoy a cup of coffee with Eckhart. Or joking around with Osho. Or driving a motorcycle with Sadhguru. And if somebody gets some help from their stuff, good for them! I probably got something out of it too.
And i think i'm still a spiritual seeker of some sort..

 

[Such_Saturation]

It's just a word. Like your name.
If people created the word 'guru' to define who these people are, to simply understand and communicate with each other, we use it.
You equate this word as a bad or negative thing, but you see, it's your way to interpret it

It's how EVERYONE interprets it that is the problem.

 

[Ukall]

Of course i see them as arrogant because they think they are enlightened and others are not.

Well, it depends from the spiritual teacher: Eckhart says that everyone is enlightened. So he isn't arrogant :P
But this is the same thing that happens with vegetarian people IMO: vegetarian people seem superior or better people for trying saving the world and in the meantime see non-vegetarian people as stupid and cruel. It is the same feeling I have towards them, so I guess I understand what you are saying :P

I'm not saying that they can't be nice guys still. I don't hate them or anything. I think i would enjoy a cup of coffee with Eckhart. Or joking around with Osho. Or driving a motorcycle with Sadhguru. And if somebody gets some help from their stuff, good for them! I probably got something out of it too.
And i think i'm still a spiritual seeker of some sort..

Precisely! And everybody is happy, that's what matters the most

It's how EVERYONE interprets it that is the problem.

Now, I'm confused. What are you trying to say?

P.S.: When I clicked on the "Orch OR" on your signature for the first time, I didn't even know that existed such a study.

 

[Such_Saturation]

Well, it depends from the spiritual teacher: Eckhart says that everyone is enlightened. So he isn't arrogant :p
But this is the same thing that happens with vegetarian people IMO: vegetarian people seem superior or better people for trying saving the world and in the meantime see non-vegetarian people as stupid and cruel. It is the same feeling I have towards them, so I guess I understand what you are saying :p
Precisely! And everybody is happy, that's what matters the most


Now, I'm confused. What are you trying to say?

P.S.: When I clicked on the "Orch OR" on your signature for the first time, I didn't even know that existed such a study.

I feel good for letting you know what I mean is that lots of people interpret it like that. Mass beliefs define definitions.

 

[CarbAppreciator]

I used to be into meditation, gurus etc. but now i think that stuff is pretty useless. I think enjoying the freshness of the moment or whatever is a basic quality in most people. These guru are arrogant IMO. All that guru stuff definitely made me more arrogant too.
Enjoying the moment and witnessing thoughts etc. became a huge burden for me eventually. I'd even say i was pretty damn close to losing my mind.
Nowadays i worry about the past and the future and all that stuff and i'm a lot happier this way!
Enjoying, relaxing, worrying, thinking... it's all a part of life.

I had a similar experience, glad to have moved on from that phase. One day I kind of realized that if I was meant to reach "enlightenment", god wouldn't have put me on this planet. I feel like once god gets bored with this whole universe thing.../pain/struggle/joy/happiness/war/disease/rebellion, then we all get to go back to heaven and relax lol... or something like that. I feel like once you see that pain is necessary and it actually gives meaning to everything, you can be okay with not being some glowing budha lol, and just be free to live on this beautifully screwy planet and make mistakes like everyone else. Plus now I finally understand sorta what Shakespeare was saying in his "All the world's a stage" quote.

 

[mt_dreams]

self help is a very broad area. There's really no point in grouping someone like eckhart in with depak or tony robbins, as they're all different. Tony is the perfectionist, be all you can be type of person. Depak is very woo woo, and eckhard is more about observing. This is why I chose his book over ones from the other 2 when I wanted to read on this topic.

From a value standpoint, no talker/writer has been more impactfull to my way of thinking than Alan Watts. Love is great and all, but if you are ignorant to the game being played both around & inside of you, then it's all for not.

 

[Peatish Ninja]

I used to be into meditation, gurus etc. but now i think that stuff is pretty useless.

It's because they don't know ***t about real meditation.

 

[Such_Saturation]

Why can't people come up with this stuff on their own?

 

[Pet Peeve]

I really don't think of Tolle as self-help, rather as philosophy. Then again, maybe philosophy is a kind of self-help? I guess A New Earth is based on buddhism or ancient hindu texts, but I find that Tolle's lifestory as well as his writing style makes him into more than a rehasher. I think A New Earth is one of the most well-written books ever, the language is masterfully precise and at times beautiful and moving without getting fluffy. His writing style and precision makes it worth reading the book in it self, but I think you need to "get it" first and then reread it to appreciate it. I understand that Oprah and the whole new-age vibe can put people off, and I think a lot of christians would dislike it too as Tolle makes some rather liberal interpretations of the bible, still the information is so valuable. Imagine if Peat was a full-blown communist or somehting, how frustrating it would be to try to convince people to hear his theories.

 

[Dessert_All_Day]

Imagine if Peat was a full-blown communist or somehting, how frustrating it would be to try to convince people to hear his theories.

He might as well be a full-blown communist in the sense that none of his work is monetized. If he turned his ideas into a business a la Dave Asprey, (bulletproof diet) Tim Ferriss (slow-carb diet), Mark Sisson (primal diet), Jimmy Moore (paleo/keto diet), etc. he could be making millions. Hell, even a regular podcast would attract followers at a faster rate than just his articles and newsletter.

Obviously it's of no interest to him, but then none of us should be surprised when someone comes along and takes the majority of Peat's ideas and runs with them. Savvy businessmen lick their lips when they come across valuable information that is being under-marketed to the masses.

 

[Pet Peeve]

You forgot Avocado Wolf

But seriously, I think Peat's too complicated to reach a mainstream audience. I wanted to introduce Peat to my family but I end up sounding deranged. "Coca Cola and acid's good for you and all these other drugs you have to smuggle into the country."

 

[snowboard111]

Why can't people come up with this stuff on their own?

This! The whole idea of enlightment, being present and such and such is just too much words and concept to even mean anything at all.
They all running in circle with that thing and try to extract the most they can with an already juiced up concept. What's supposed to be the result of all of this?

People should be much more concern about their I/O balance then anything else. Go too much one way or the other and you end doing nothing at all...

 

[Such_Saturation]

such and such

 

[Dessert_All_Day]

You forgot Avocado Wolf

I'd never heard of him. Seems to be quite a character:)

But seriously, I think Peat's too complicated to reach a mainstream audience. I wanted to introduce Peat to my family but I end up sounding deranged. "Coca Cola and acid's good for you and all these other drugs you have to smuggle into the country."

Lol! Yeah it's no use. I personally was sick of following mainstream advice to a tee and still being cold all the time and having no energy despite my numbers all being perfect, all while noticing my appetite was decreasing and my brain was functioning slower and slower. I'm guessing that's the case for most people on these forums.

But outside of this community, people are mostly not even following mainstream advice so they just figure it's correct. And if you start telling family and friends about Peat's ideas, they probably assume (1) he's a crackpot and (2) you're looking for an excuse to not follow the mainstream advice (which they assume is difficult to follow but is effective for people that actually follow it).

The thing is, I'd much RATHER live by the mainstream advice. I wish it was true, because it's a whole hell of a lot cheaper to live off oats, beans, brown rice, fibrous fruits and veggies, etc. and it's obviously a lot more socially acceptable. But it was ruining my health so rapidly that I was forced to at least consider this strange man's ideas. So far, it's working out unbelievably well and I'm not even very strict about it.

 

[Dessert_All_Day]

This! The whole idea of enlightment, being present and such and such is just too much words and concept to even mean anything at all.
They all running in circle with that thing and try to extract the most they can with an already juiced up concept. What's supposed to be the result of all of this?

The result is supposed to be more day-to-day well-being, fulfillment, joy, stress-reduction, etc. which, in theory, adds up to a much better life.

 

[Peatish Ninja]

The whole idea of enlightment

What is the definition of enlightenment?

 

[Pet Peeve]

The thing is, I'd much RATHER live by the mainstream advice. I wish it was true, because it's a whole hell of a lot cheaper to live off oats, beans, brown rice, fibrous fruits and veggies, etc. and it's obviously a lot more socially acceptable.

Yes, I sometimes wonder if it's by design. That they want people to be sick.

 

[Pet Peeve]

What is the definition of enlightenment?

Becoming aware of that you are not your mind, but that which observes the mind