Eckhart Tolle

[laughing marmot]

What do you think of Eckhart Tolle? I'm reading "A New Earth" right now & plan to read "the Power of Now," soon (ha ha). But, anyway, I agree w/ most of what he says & he sometimes has interesting new ways of putting concepts into words. By & large, though, I prefer Alan Watts, who said all these same things long before, or the Heart Sutra, or the Tao Te Ching. Plus, I've heard complaints that he charges a lot of money for his books & seminars (I get most of my books thru the library). I've also heard complaints that he presents these ideas as his own although they are clearly drawn from the world religions, especially from the east. I haven't found this to be neccessarily the case, but I'm just looking for other perspectives on his teachings & on him as a teacher & author.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Reading his books were actually my initial steps in the path of so-called self-realization. His bland approach and refusal to cling to definitions appealed to me. Eckhart Tolle is a very contemporary teacher who speaks largely to mainstream culture, so his audience is quite large, and also makes him a pretty easy target by those who seem to care to make the claim that his teachings "are nothing new", though in the context of the teaching itself, that distinction becomes incredibly meaningless.

 

[laughing marmot]

As I read on, I see that he makes some very good practical applications & deals more on a personal level than others I've read.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

As I read on, I see that he makes some very good practical applications & deals more on a personal level than others I've read.

The Power of Now is even more as such.

 

[laughing marmot]

I'm excited to read it!

 

[K.Venugopal]

...Plus, I've heard complaints that he charges a lot of money for his books & seminars ...

I've often wondered why anyone, particularly those who teach spirituality, should charge money for sharing their knowledge. It appears to indicate a flaw in that in the final analysis such teachers seem to have more faith in money than anything else.

 

[ericoh2]

Here's a good website from a teacher that I think has a similar flavor as Tolle.

FRIENDSHOME

 

[K.Venugopal]

Here's a good website from a teacher that I think has a similar flavor as Tolle.

FRIENDSHOME

This teacher also prominently asks for donation. Why?

 

[Herr Heinrich]

I've often wondered why anyone, particularly those who teach spirituality, should charge money for sharing their knowledge. It appears to indicate a flaw in that in the final analysis such teachers seem to have more faith in money than anything else.

Well we all have to feed the monkey somehow. I have a problem with the people who charge ridiculous sums and are obviously just trying to make money.

 

[no-body]

I really like Echkart Tolle on a personal level but his teachings are basically a rehash of old ground, mostly Krishnamurti. I was surprised after reading some of Krishnamurtis texts to see Tolle lifts many things from him verbatim. Then again if you really pay attention to Tolle he does give credit and calls it "the teachings" and never his teachings, he is also way more benign than Krishnamurti who comes off as an angry old man.

About charging for his services, well, you can basically walk into any library and read the power of now for free. He doesn't tell people that they need to read more or see more of him, in fact quite the opposite. People come to him and request more, his message is always the same. He could easily turn his teachings into a cult like Master Path.

I don't know I've seen people criticize him for TolleTV and for having someone from his organization twitter his thoughts but when I check out anything he's done, they are always inline with his teachings. If someone wants to pay ridiculous sums of money to see him speak that is their prerogative. He runs a for profit business and isn't pretending anything other, at least that I've seen.

The only red flag I get from Tolle is that a lot of his backround and past is obscure and hidden so if he ever was some sort of conman people would never know.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

I've often wondered why anyone, particularly those who teach spirituality, should charge money for sharing their knowledge. It appears to indicate a flaw in that in the final analysis such teachers seem to have more faith in money than anything else.

How spiritual is it to expect someone to provide you something for free? Initially, his teachings were free, but his audience grew, and hosting retreats and renting out theaters tends to get quite costly.

 

[K.Venugopal]

How spiritual is it to expect someone to provide you something for free? Initially, his teachings were free, but his audience grew, and hosting retreats and renting out theaters tends to get quite costly.

You mean it is an inviolable rule that everything has to cost something?

 

[K.Venugopal]

Well we all have to feed the monkey somehow. I have a problem with the people who charge ridiculous sums and are obviously just trying to make money.

We all engage in something called career to feed the monkey. But considering the spreading of spiritual truths as a career is to put a price on the sacred.

 

[K.Venugopal]

He runs a for profit business and isn't pretending anything other, at least that I've seen.

Is what you say true? You mean a person like him (whom I would judge on his words and his words are the acme of spirituality) needs "for profit business"? Then I think he has not imbibed his own words. Because spirituality is all about making you free. As Jesus said, "Know the truth and the truth shall set you free", or, as the Upanishads proclaim, "The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman".

 

[zenzero]

Friend Venugopal,

I've often wondered why anyone, particularly those who teach spirituality, should charge money for sharing their knowledge. It appears to indicate a flaw in that in the final analysis such teachers seem to have more faith in money than anything else.

The reason is simple: Frankly there is nothing to teach as it is the students who has to learn / understand / etc. Which in any case those around a master could pick provided the student has developed his inner vessel and for that he needs to surrender totally or drop his ego and those who are ready to drop their *ego*, wealth is nothing except maya for them to drop. The master prepares the ground in many ways, charging money is also one of them.
Besides it is intelligence of the student to understand whether he has found the right master.

Love & rgds

 

[Mr Cheese]

I've often wondered why anyone, particularly those who teach spirituality, should charge money for sharing their knowledge. It appears to indicate a flaw in that in the final analysis such teachers seem to have more faith in money than anything else.

People need to eat...

but granted, there is a fine line between a genuine teacher..and one who is simply selling stuff (however good their out put may be)

Personally I'm having a kind of spiritual crisis....
I've come to conclusions that well are a bitter pill...

What I think about Tolle, not that I have read much!..is he is good at a certain stage. There are so many beginner books out there....numerous...a ridiculous amount. In fact I've thought about writing my own...but I know publishing is a joke, I might just do a website.

But in the end, beginner books like Tolle..and similar "stage" books like "A course in miracles, conversations with God" etc are great. But, as been hinted...you need to return to the source texts. Tolle et al will help you undertstand those texts. For example read tolle, then pick up the upanishads or the tao te chin.....or do it the other way around... You will gain further insight into these ancient texts.

One clear lesson is that, there is only one ritual. People often wonder around looking for a ritual a magic formula, a practice, a way to do things... there is none. The only ritual is that of "creation" from nothing to something and something to nothing (which if one looks deep enough is the same thing).

Different people have different requirements of course; the rosary, a chant, recitation, occult rituals etc. can all be useful, for some. Those that have been extremely removed form the divine...in some way. Ultimatly of course they end up being a distraction. A simple truth is that the purpose of rituaol is to not have ritual. SO the purpose of mantra, rosary, meditational practise...etc. is to not have one. So that one BECOMES....you cease to pray, cease to meditate...you just are...you ARE the prayer, you are the meditation. Of course understanding this, and living it, is a different kettle of fish.

From Tolle then, we gain a spring board...a spark. Once ignited there are chopices, do we follow the road often trodden, one of more books, more toys, more te4chniques... or do we stop....stop....and stop again. Until we embrace the silence.

For it is only in silence that we can become Gnosis.

 

[Mr Cheese]

How spiritual is it to expect someone to provide you something for free? Initially, his teachings were free, but his audience grew, and hosting retreats and renting out theaters tends to get quite costly.

Yet God costs nothing...

 

[no-body]

Is what you say true? You mean a person like him (whom I would judge on his words and his words are the acme of spirituality) needs "for profit business"? Then I think he has not imbibed his own words. Because spirituality is all about making you free. As Jesus said, "Know the truth and the truth shall set you free", or, as the Upanishads proclaim, "The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman".

Running a for profit business is not in contradiction with the teachings he presents, he's a believer in only having to give up the materialism in your mind. I bring up the point that he has a for-profit business because if he wanted to he could pass it off as a non-profit and turn it into something like Scientology. At no time have I ever seen Tolle try to sell things or increase students, even his series on Oprah was classy.

If you have a specific problem with his teachings now that would be interesting to discuss.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

You mean it is an inviolable rule that everything has to cost something?

I did not say everything costs money, but like I said: theaters and retreats, for example, do cost money. Eckhart Tolle and his partners must pay for things like that in order to get his teachings to us. It is not an inviolable rule that everything has to cost money, but it is an inviolable rule that some things will cost money. Is it an inviolable rule that spiritual teachings must be free?

 

[K.Venugopal]

The master prepares the ground in many ways, charging money is also one of them.

A master would no doubt be a very ingenious person and he may well seek to use money for a higher cause. But he is more likely to do it by inspiring projects of social benefit where money can be channelised for nobler purposes rather than directly charging money for his teaching. He would not want to put a price on his teachings.