A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle

[seafsee]

In trying to participate in other religion forums, certain distracting issues always seem to happen.

I am often struck by how often two opposing points of view start leading to a common ground to only be distracted yet again. My interests have led me to search for where and how this begins.

Someone sent me this book and upon reading the first chapter it began to "speak to me". It's somewhat an irony that the person that sent the book has not had a similar reaction (yet!). So I am now posting about it to a third forum. I feel that anything that attempts to bridge the gaps between our understandings and beliefs is worth mentioning.

Though most of what I chose to quote from this book was done with a particular forum in mind while doing so, I'm sure anyone reading this can see similar situations they may have found themselves in as well. An online "course starts this evening, so if anyone is interested, they can read this and look for some other excepts at the links provided at the end of this post to hold them over should they decide to participate before they can get the book.

OUR INHERITED DYSFUNCTION

If we look more deeply into humanity's ancient religions and spiritual traditions, we will find that underneath the many surface differences there are two core insights that most of them agree on. The words they use to describe those insights differ, yet they all point to a twofold fundamental truth. The first part of this truth is the realization that the "normal" state of mind of most human beings contains a strong element of what we might call dysfunction or even madness. Certain teachings at the heart of Hinduism perhaps come closest to seeing this dysfunction as a form of collective mental illness. They call it maya, the veil of delusion. Ramana Maharshi, one of the greatest Indian sages, bluntly states: "The mind is maya."

Buddhism uses different terms. According to the Buddha, the human mind in its normal state generates dukkha, which can be translated as suffering, unsatisfactoriness or just plain misery. Wherever you go, whatever you do, says the Buddha, you will encounter dukkha and it will manifest in every situation sooner or later.

According to Christian teachings, the normal collective state of humanity is one of "original sin." Sin is a word that has been greatly misunderstood and misinterpreted. Literally translated from the ancient Greek in which the New Testament was written, to sin means to miss the mark, as an archer who misses the target, so to sin means to miss the point of human existence. It means to live unskillfully, blindly, and thus to suffer and cause suffering. Again, the term, stripped of its cultural baggage and misinterpretations, points to the dysfunction inherent in the human condition.
[...]

THE ARISING NEW CONSCIOUSNESS

Most ancient religions and spiritual traditions share the common insight - that our "normal" state of mind is marred by a fundamental defect. However out of this insight into the nature of the human condition - we may call it the bad news - arises  a second insight: the good news of the possibility of a radical transformation of human consciousness. In Hindu teachings (and sometimes in Buddhism also), this transformation is called enlightenment. In the teachings of Jesus, it is salvation, and in Buddhism, it is the end of suffering. Liberation and awakening are other terms used to describe this transformation.

[...]

And so religions, to a large extent became divisive rather than unifying forces. Instead of bringing about an ending of violence and hatred through a realization of the fundamental oneness of all life, they brought more violence and hatred, more divisions between people as well as between different religions and even within the same religion.
[...]

SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

[...]Many people are already aware of the difference between  spirituality and religion. They realize that having a belief system - a set of thoughts that you regard as the absolute truth - does not make you spiritual no matter what the nature of those beliefs is. In fact, the more you make your thoughts (beliefs) into your identity, the more cut off you are from the spiritual dimension within yourself. Many "religious" people are stuck at that level.

[...]

[...] A large-scale opening of spirituality outside of the religious structures is an entirely new development. In the past, this would have been inconceivable, especially in the West, the most mind-dominated of all cultures, where the Christian church had a virtual franchise on spirituality.
[...]

THE URGENCY OF TRANSFORMATION

[...]

Responding to a radical crises that threatens our very survival - this is humanity's challenge now. the dysfunction of the egoic human mind, recognized already more than 2,500 years ago by the ancient wisdom teachers and now magnified through science and technology, is for the first time threatening the survival of the planet. [...]

A significant portion of the earth's population will soon recognize, if they haven't already done so, that humanity is now faced with a stark choice: Evolve or die.
[...]

If the structures of the human mind remain unchanged, we will aways end up re-creating fundamentally the same world, the same evils, the same dysfunction.

A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH

The inspiration for the title of this book came from a Bible prophecy that seems more applicable now than at any other time in human history. It occurs in both the Old and the New Testament and speaks of the collapse of the existing world order and the arising of "a new heaven and a new earth".⁽¹⁾ We need to understand here that heaven is not a location but refers to the inner realm of consciousness. This is the esoteric meaning of the word, and this is also its meaning in the teachings of Jesus. Earth, on the other hand, is the outer manifestation in form, which is always a reflection of the inner. [...] Since human life and human consciousness are intrinsically one with the life of the planet, as the old consciousness dissolves, there are bound to be synchronistic geographic and climatic natural upheavals in many parts of the planet, some of which we are already witnessing now.


⁽¹⁾ Revelation 21:1 and Isaiah 65:17 (New Revised Standard Version)


Copyright © Eckhart Tolle, 2005
First Plume printing, Sep. 2006
Published by the Penguin group
This is a Namaste Publishing Book

^* "For the first time ever, you can join Oprah and Eckhart Tolle, the best-selling author of The Power of Now, as they teach A New Earth in Oprah's worldwide classroom live Monday nights on Oprah.com."
Registration required. More details at: http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/webevent_registration.html

**************************************************************
{All excerpts manually copied by myself with great attention and respect to the original book.}
Other quotes are available through amazon.com and through Oprah's Book Club at the link given above.
**************************************************************

It was mentioned to me a few days ago, that I (still) seem surprised when I find myself in the midst of a synchronicity.
"You seem surprised!", implying that I shouldn't be (anymore). In my defense I will only say that perhaps I should be "less surprised"; that in a way I am glad that I can still be caught off-guard at the unexpected turns any course of events are able to take; that I am able to appreciate those things that do not match the limited perceptions of my expectations.

Charles

[julrich]

this seems like a nice book and important in its popular appeal.  There's a rising global movement to find religious common ground.  Hans Kung leads in the movement, and did a TV series on the subject in Germany.  Matthew Fox's Many Rivers, One Well is an inspiring revelation of interfaith connections. 

I think there needs to be a way of acknowledging the triumphalism of western christianity while at the same time highlighting and celebrating the spirit of universalism within it.  I don't think bashing the world religions on behalf of some new-age alternative moves us forward.

shalom
big julie

[redkim]

Flannery O'Connor would join me in barfing up this tripe.

[sobeit9]

In trying to participate in other religion forums, certain distracting issues always seem to happen.

I am often struck by how often two opposing points of view start leading to a common ground to only be distracted yet again. My interests have led me to search for where and how this begins.

Someone sent me this book and upon reading the first chapter it began to "speak to me". It's somewhat an irony that the person that sent the book has not had a similar reaction (yet!). So I am now posting about it to a third forum. I feel that anything that attempts to bridge the gaps between our understandings and beliefs is worth mentioning.

Though most of what I chose to quote from this book was done with a particular forum in mind while doing so, I'm sure anyone reading this can see similar situations they may have found themselves in as well. An online "course starts this evening, so if anyone is interested, they can read this and look for some other excepts at the links provided at the end of this post to hold them over should they decide to participate before they can get the book.

OUR INHERITED DYSFUNCTION

If we look more deeply into humanity's ancient religions and spiritual traditions, we will find that underneath the many surface differences there are two core insights that most of them agree on. The words they use to describe those insights differ, yet they all point to a twofold fundamental truth. The first part of this truth is the realization that the "normal" state of mind of most human beings contains a strong element of what we might call dysfunction or even madness. Certain teachings at the heart of Hinduism perhaps come closest to seeing this dysfunction as a form of collective mental illness. They call it maya, the veil of delusion. Ramana Maharshi, one of the greatest Indian sages, bluntly states: "The mind is maya."

Buddhism uses different terms. According to the Buddha, the human mind in its normal state generates dukkha, which can be translated as suffering, unsatisfactoriness or just plain misery. Wherever you go, whatever you do, says the Buddha, you will encounter dukkha and it will manifest in every situation sooner or later.

According to Christian teachings, the normal collective state of humanity is one of "original sin." Sin is a word that has been greatly misunderstood and misinterpreted. Literally translated from the ancient Greek in which the New Testament was written, to sin means to miss the mark, as an archer who misses the target, so to sin means to miss the point of human existence. It means to live unskillfully, blindly, and thus to suffer and cause suffering. Again, the term, stripped of its cultural baggage and misinterpretations, points to the dysfunction inherent in the human condition.
[...]

THE ARISING NEW CONSCIOUSNESS

Most ancient religions and spiritual traditions share the common insight - that our "normal" state of mind is marred by a fundamental defect. However out of this insight into the nature of the human condition - we may call it the bad news - arises  a second insight: the good news of the possibility of a radical transformation of human consciousness. In Hindu teachings (and sometimes in Buddhism also), this transformation is called enlightenment. In the teachings of Jesus, it is salvation, and in Buddhism, it is the end of suffering. Liberation and awakening are other terms used to describe this transformation.

[...]

And so religions, to a large extent became divisive rather than unifying forces. Instead of bringing about an ending of violence and hatred through a realization of the fundamental oneness of all life, they brought more violence and hatred, more divisions between people as well as between different religions and even within the same religion.
[...]

SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

[...]Many people are already aware of the difference between  spirituality and religion. They realize that having a belief system - a set of thoughts that you regard as the absolute truth - does not make you spiritual no matter what the nature of those beliefs is. In fact, the more you make your thoughts (beliefs) into your identity, the more cut off you are from the spiritual dimension within yourself. Many "religious" people are stuck at that level.

[...]

[...] A large-scale opening of spirituality outside of the religious structures is an entirely new development. In the past, this would have been inconceivable, especially in the West, the most mind-dominated of all cultures, where the Christian church had a virtual franchise on spirituality.
[...]

THE URGENCY OF TRANSFORMATION

[...]

Responding to a radical crises that threatens our very survival - this is humanity's challenge now. the dysfunction of the egoic human mind, recognized already more than 2,500 years ago by the ancient wisdom teachers and now magnified through science and technology, is for the first time threatening the survival of the planet. [...]

A significant portion of the earth's population will soon recognize, if they haven't already done so, that humanity is now faced with a stark choice: Evolve or die.
[...]

If the structures of the human mind remain unchanged, we will aways end up re-creating fundamentally the same world, the same evils, the same dysfunction.

A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH

The inspiration for the title of this book came from a Bible prophecy that seems more applicable now than at any other time in human history. It occurs in both the Old and the New Testament and speaks of the collapse of the existing world order and the arising of "a new heaven and a new earth".⁽¹⁾ We need to understand here that heaven is not a location but refers to the inner realm of consciousness. This is the esoteric meaning of the word, and this is also its meaning in the teachings of Jesus. Earth, on the other hand, is the outer manifestation in form, which is always a reflection of the inner. [...] Since human life and human consciousness are intrinsically one with the life of the planet, as the old consciousness dissolves, there are bound to be synchronistic geographic and climatic natural upheavals in many parts of the planet, some of which we are already witnessing now.


⁽¹⁾ Revelation 21:1 and Isaiah 65:17 (New Revised Standard Version)


Copyright © Eckhart Tolle, 2005
First Plume printing, Sep. 2006
Published by the Penguin group
This is a Namaste Publishing Book

^* "For the first time ever, you can join Oprah and Eckhart Tolle, the best-selling author of The Power of Now, as they teach A New Earth in Oprah's worldwide classroom live Monday nights on Oprah.com."
Registration required. More details at: http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/webevent_registration.html

**************************************************************
{All excerpts manually copied by myself with great attention and respect to the original book.}
Other quotes are available through amazon.com and through Oprah's Book Club at the link given above.
**************************************************************

It was mentioned to me a few days ago, that I (still) seem surprised when I find myself in the midst of a synchronicity.
"You seem surprised!", implying that I shouldn't be (anymore). In my defense I will only say that perhaps I should be "less surprised"; that in a way I am glad that I can still be caught off-guard at the unexpected turns any course of events are able to take; that I am able to appreciate those things that do not match the limited perceptions of my expectations.

Charles

Hi Charles

I'm glad you felt something since it more than usual.  If the ego created frills are taken off this concept and a person experiences their nothingness in this way, it opens new doors. It must since becoming more open to the reality of the human condition exposes the imagination that dominates our lives and keeps us in the prison Plato described as the "Cave" and collectively as the "Beast." The trouble is that it is the most insulting and disruptive thing that can be said since it threatens ones self esteem and prestige.  This is why Jesus said that the World would hate Christianity, the goal of which is to allow a person to become transformed through re-birth.

There are a multitude of secular attempts to destroy such ideas including trying to create commonality through manipulation of self esteem which is the way of the Beast and doomed for just that reason.  Though these ideas are suppressed by the Beast, they are kept alive by individuals and you seem to be one who is sensitive to them and open to admitting the human condition within yourself.  Fortunately there are ways to proceed for those not content with prison life in Plato's cave.

[julrich]

"Flannery O'Connor would join me in barfing up this tripe."

pedantry is no substitute for discussion.

big julie

[redkim]

 You're right, but I really have nothing else to say about it except that it is nothing but re-gurgitated '90's self-help/new age schlock, which was nothing more than re-gurgitated '60's Allan Watts inspired schlock.

[julrich]

so I guess you don't like it, eh?

jules

[redkim]

Yes, in it's own way, it is anti-God.

[seafsee]

julrich,
Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I guess I had hoped for more responses and discussion and perhaps a chance to discover this book with someone else.

Flannery O'Connor would join me in barfing up this tripe.

You're right, but I really have nothing else to say about it except that it is nothing but re-gurgitated '90's self-help/new age schlock, which was nothing more than re-gurgitated '60's Allan Watts inspired schlock.

redkim, you seem to be against self-help and you say New Age as if it is a dirty word. If you really had nothing to say, you might have considered saying nothing! I'm willing to bet you haven't read the book or any other works by the author.

Might I remind you of some of the tired reworked ideas that Christianity "borrowed" to formulate their beliefs?

Yes, in it's own way, it is anti-God.

This might mean something if it contained a kernel of truth. It does not.


sobeit9, I'm not quite sure I am grasping what you are trying to say in your post.


It is my belief that "Abrahamic" religions have had a stranglehold on humanity for thousands of years and perhaps it is time for a change. There must be an alternative to the mindless state of this world and I for one am open to it. I am all for discovering the common thread between religions and exploring and building upon that.

[SquirleyWurley]

Agree

I have no disagreement with the basic principle that there is this 'normal condition' and some 'other condition' which is accessed through some radical personal transformation, and that many religions see themselves in terms of this sort of transformation (through different means and with emphasis on different teachings or ways of life).  While we can look for just about any pattern and find it because our minds just do that so quickly/easily (pattern recognition whatever we are looking for), this is a basic sort of observation/abstraction/generalization of religion's call to transform, and many religions do emphasize the transformative power of their way.

Disagree

On Ego, I advocate HEALTHY EGO, not ANTI-EGO

I have serious disagreement with the notion that our normal mind is altogether a problem just because it has a focal point which has self-reference and uses reasoning, language, and human categories and beliefs (our 'ego').

Dysfunction is more complicated than that, and psychology is right to speak of the sort of psycho-dynamics where on the one hand there are issues of someone loosing ego boundaries completely or having insufficient boundaries, or on the other hand having boundaries which are too rigid or not handling tensions well, etc.  There are imbalances of rigidity of ego defenses, to be sure, but there are also imbalances of loosening of such boundaries.  There is such a thing as a 'healthier ego' and coming to a new arrangement with one's intuition, feelings, pressures, and working creatively and functionally with the processes which lie beneath consciousness is a way to achieve transformation, but it isn't about 'loosing the ego'.  I agree with what I understand to be Jung's view (correct me anyone who may know if I'm misunderstanding him) that though the West can learn from the East, Westerners shouldn't try to become Easterners or to loose their ego, etc., but rather to make their egos more healthy.

On Future Change/Challenges:
I advocate dealing with underlying hopes/fears
rather than fixation over mystifications

Another main disagreement is the whole notion of some predicted mystical change/transformation in human history that's coming soon.  I see it no different as the notion that the end of the world is coming in this generation, in some Christian circles, or the fixation that people have on writings of Cayce or Nostradamus or Blavatsky or Crowley.  It's all quite alike: this hope/fear of some coming radical transformation, put in mystical/religious terms.  I think it's natural for us to, under certain conditions/strains, depending on our psycho-dynamics, to have powerful visions, dreams, or intuitions which are projected with metaphor, symbol, religious content, etc., and it need not be unhealthy.  But it just isn't true that such feelings/impressions/vision are proof of what will happen in the near future, and to hold such a view rigidly is at least neurotic.  But we all have some neurosis, but we should be able to withstand some challenge on our anxieties and fantasies as mature adults, nonetheless.

At any rate if we have trouble withstanding such challenge, we ought to aim to get better at handling it, because reality may give us an ultimate challenge or conflict over our neuroses, and by accepting the challenge of other people with more composure we may be better able to handle whatever comes by in reality to our lives.

In Summary:


Firstly, 'the ego' is a buzz word often associated with the most dubious dogmas and even ideological venom.  The issue isn't reason or the ego or beliefs in themselves.  A warning flag is raised every time I hear people denounce the ego, though I do believe a critical stance toward the ego (or anything else) can be very helpful, useful.

Secondly, 2012 is a combination of nightmares and dreams which have been mystified/codified/believed in, but reality will be what it is, without consulting the views of those who believe in 2012 any more than reality will consult the believers of the 'Left Behind' trilogy.  A warning flag is raised every time someone speaks of coming hope/doom, though I do believe that in reality there are hopes and fears which may need to be dealt with critically.

[seafsee]

Might I remind you of some of the tired reworked ideas that Christianity "borrowed" to formulate their beliefs?

Mind taking this over to the Christianity debate board and defending your fallacious statement?

Errrr .... Umm.....
Actually I do!

My original purpose some months ago, was to discuss this book and not debate Christian dogma and/or beliefs, otherwise I might have ventured over to a Christian forum!

Might I suggest you further familiarize yourself with some of the history of religion in general and your religion in particular before suggesting there is something flawed in my statement!
Thank you.

[SquirleyWurley]

But 'tired' 'borrowed' ideas may not be unimportant or unuseful.  When people say such things as criticism it doesn't really explain what they feel or think about a subject, aside from 'been there done that' or 'oh, there we go again'

[SquirleyWurley]

Many react to Eckhart Tolle as "oh that's borrowed material, been there done that, nothing new", and what happens is then there is a retort, a counter-reply: "well Christianity uses a lot of borrowed material, nothing new there either"

[seafsee]

Elluminati,

Your arrogance is absolutely astounding!

Who died and appointed you a moderator around here?
Wouldn't you agree that its just a wee bit presumptuous to uninvite me to a topic I started?

Your tone and your comments are perfect examples of why I chose not to address this book in a Christian forum. Furthermore, since you seem to know me and my intentions so well, it should come as no surprise to you that I was born and raised as a Roman Catholic, and attended Catholic schooling for ten years. Whatever it is you think you are accomplishing, you are only preaching to the choir, and incidentally, I sang for one of the better boys choirs in the early to mid 60's in Brooklyn, New York for over four years.

I'll tell you what is really funny.
Two Roman Catholics come into this thread in a > General Category > Literary Reviews > forum with off-topic replies and comments.


SquirleyWurley,
You seem to enjoy playing the devil's advocate role around here. Your profile says you are "atheist", yet you seem to be defending Christians.

The comment I made about "tired and reworked" was a response to redkim's litany of negative comments.

As for what I think, if you would re-read some of my closing statements, you might get a better idea of them. You could start with this:

It is my belief that "Abrahamic" religions have had a stranglehold on humanity for thousands of years and perhaps it is time for a change. There must be an alternative to the mindless state of this world and I for one am open to it. I am all for discovering the common thread between religions and exploring and building upon that.

I had heard that this was a friendly community. Now I am wondering if my experience so far is the norm or the exception!?!?

It always makes me chuckle when people who think they have such a iron clad argument against Christianity use the same old lame arguments that have been crushed by the faithful for centuries.

I never said I had any kind of an argument.
I am not against Christianity, though I have to admit that those calling themselves "Christian" are proving to be less so than they think.
I also never claimed to be an expert in Christian World History. I merely suggested you should brush up on it before declaring my comments were fallacious.

When biblical scholars all agree on everything in the bible, then please give me a call. Until that time, your opinion is the same as anyone else's - just an opinion.

[SquirleyWurley]

SquirleyWurley,
You seem to enjoy playing the devil's advocate role around here. Your profile says you are "atheist", yet you seem to be defending Christians.

The term devil's advocate implies that I bias my interventions in favor of views which I do not hold.  I prefer the concept of 'gadfly' as exemplified by Socrates: I'm interested in exploring the issues from different angles and challenging everyone, myself included.  One way is to identify anything I agree with, that someone is saying, and another way is to identify criticisms which may apply to myself as well as to my opponent, and to subject all such observations to critical scrutiny, dialog, for the sake of exploring the issue to seek potentially better insight into reality, and humility about what we do not really know.

The comment I made about "tired and reworked" was a response to redkim's litany of negative comments.

Yes, I tried to point out the irony that this sentiment can be used against Christianity as well as against the New Age, and either way, it is the same sort of argument, a simple reaction and opinion without much content or persuasiveness.

It is my belief that "Abrahamic" religions have had a stranglehold on humanity for thousands of years and perhaps it is time for a change. There must be an alternative to the mindless state of this world and I for one am open to it. I am all for discovering the common thread between religions and exploring and building upon that.

All sorts of things have had a stranglehold on humanity.  Non-critical attitudes, arrogance, disregard for compassion, justice, and reason, are all quite common general issues.

The criticisms I have of certain aspects of Tolle's writings also apply to certain aspects of more 'mainstream'/'traditional'/'established' Christian movements.

[TigersEyeDowsing]

I think Eckhart Tolle brings a wonderful message! If I had more time I would delve into his material.