Eckhart Tolle

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Eckhart Tolle
Born February 16, 1948 (1948-02-16) (age 61)
Dortmund, Germany
Occupation Author, public speaker[1]
Nationality German
Genres Spirituality, Psychology
Literary movement New Age
Notable work(s) The Power of Now (1997)
A New Earth (2005)
Official website

Eckhart Tolle (German pronunciation: [ˈɛk.haʀt ˈtɔlə]; born February 16, 1948) is a German-born spiritual teacher and the author of the best-selling books The Power of Now and A New Earth.[2] He currently lives in Vancouver, Canada.[1] His most recent book, Guardians of Being, is a picture book illustrated by Patrick McDonnell, the creator of the comic strip Mutts.[3][4]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Born Ulrich Leonard Tolle in Lünen, near Dortmund, Germany, Eckhart Tolle lived with his father in Spain from about the age of 13 to 19, approximately between the years 1961 and 1967, after which he moved to the United Kingdom.[5] He had no formal education between the ages of 13 and 22, refusing to go to school because he felt it was a "hostile environment"; instead, he pursued his own interests, such as literature, astronomy, and language.[5]

Tolle graduated from the University of London and entered, but did not complete, a doctoral program at Cambridge University,[2] having studied literature, languages and philosophy.[5] At the age of 29, Tolle experienced what he calls an "inner transformation" after suffering long periods of suicidal[6] depression.[2]

In 1995, he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he still lives.[1][7] In 1998, his first book, The Power of Now, was published.[8]

[edit] Books and Teachings

See also: The Power of Now and A New Earth

In the preface to the 2005 edition of The Power of Now, Eckhart writes that only 3000 copies were printed of the first edition, and that he "would personally deliver a few copies each week to some small bookstores in Vancouver".[8] By March 2009 The Power of Now had been on the New York Times Best Seller list for "Paperback Advice" for 62 weeks.[9] His second book, A New Earth, was published in 2005 and also reached the list.[10]

Tolle describes his teachings as "a restatement for our time of that one timeless spiritual teaching, the essence of all religions".[11] He writes that religions "have become so overlaid with extraneous matter that their spiritual substance has become almost completely obscured by it",[11] that they have become "to a large extent ... divisive rather than unifying forces" and that they have become "themselves part of the insanity".[12]

Tolle writes that "the most significant thing that can happen to a human being [is] the separation process of thinking and awareness" and that awareness is "the space in which thoughts exist".[13] He claims "the primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it".[14] His website says

“ At the core of [Tolle's] teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet.[1] ”

He defines the term "ego" as an "illusory sense of self"[15] based on one's memories and thoughts.[16] He also uses the term "pain-body",[2] which is a name for "an accumulation of old emotional pain".[17]

[edit] Influences

At about the age of fifteen he received five books that were written by a German mystic, Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken, also known as Bô Yin Râ. Tolle has said he responded "very deeply" to those books.[5] After his transformation, the first texts in which he found deep understanding were the New Testament, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Te Ching and teachings of The Buddha.[5] In The Power of Now, he mentioned the writings of Meister Eckhart, Advaita Vedanta, A Course in Miracles, the Bible, mystical Islam, Sufism, and Rumi's poetry, as well as Zen Buddhism's Linji (Rinzai) school. In the book Dialogues with Emerging Spiritual Teachers by John W. Parker, he acknowledged a strong connection to J Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharshi and stated that his teaching is a coming together and continuation of each of their teachings. In addition, he has stated that by listening to and speaking with the spiritual teacher Barry Long he understood things more deeply.[5][18]

[edit] Business organization

As well as the books, Tolle's company, Eckhart Teachings, sells a variety of spiritual development materials via his websites, including CDs, DVDs, and picture books for adults and children.[19] He also travels and teaches with talks, seminars and retreats.[1][18] This year, Eckhart Tolle TV has been launched, an Internet site with streaming video of monthly group meditations.[3]

In a 2003 interview with the Telegraph Magazine, Tolle indicated that he has no intention to create "a heavy commercial structure". Neither has he any intention to set up an ashram or centre, but has left open the possibility that "it could develop organically".[20] He has said "one needs to be careful that the organization doesn’t become self-serving."[3]

[edit] Works

[edit] Books

[edit] Audio Books

  • What is Meditation?
  • Practicing the Power of Now
  • Companion to the Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, June 2001
  • Living the Liberated Life and Dealing With the Pain Body, October 2001
  • The Realization of Being: A Guide to Experiencing Your True Identity, October 2001
  • Know That "I Am", January 1, 2002
  • Even the Sun Will Die: An Interview With Eckhart Tolle, September 2001
  • The Eckhart Tolle Audio Collection, September 2002
  • The Essence of Now, 2002
  • Choose to Awaken Now, 2002
  • In the Presence of a Great Mystery, 2002
  • Realizing the Power of Now: An In-Depth Retreat With Eckhart Tolle, June 2003
  • Entering the Now, August 2003
  • Gateways to Now, September 1, 2003
  • Whispers, January 1, 2004
  • The Flowering of Human Consciousness, May 2004
  • Living a Life of Inner Peace, October 10, 2004
  • Practicing Presence: A Guide for the Spiritual Teacher and Health Practitioner, November 1, 2004
  • Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat: Stillness Amidst the World, October 10, 2005
  • Through the Open Door: Journey to the Vastness of Your True Being, January 30, 2006

[edit] DVDs

  • The Flowering of Human Consciousness: Everyone's Life Purpose, Namaste Publishing, Inc., 2001 ISBN 1-59179-154-5
  • Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat - Stillness Amidst The World, New World Library, ISBN 1-57731-509-x

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e EckhartTolle.com. "Eckhart Biography". http://www.eckharttolle.com/home/about/eckharttolle/. Retrieved 2009-10-22. 
  2. ^ a b c d Eckhart Tolle Biography New York Times, Times Topics, March 5, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c Ken MacQueen (2009-10-22). "Eckhart Tolle vs. God". Macleans.ca. http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/10/22/eckhart-tolle-vs-god/. Retrieved 2009-10-24. 
  4. ^ EckhartTolle.com. "Eckhart Tolle Books: Guardians of Being". http://www.eckharttolle.com/home/books/. Retrieved 2009-10-15. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f Dialogues With Emerging Spiritual Teachers, by John W. Parker, Sagewood Press, 2000.
  6. ^ "Ripples on the Surface of Being, What is Enlightenment". http://www.wie.org/j18/tolle.asp. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
  7. ^ Spreading the Change The Vancouver Sun, February 2, 2008.
  8. ^ a b Tolle, Eckhart (2005). The Power of Now (2005 edition). Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. p. xi. ISBN 978-0340733509. 
  9. ^ "Paperback Advice Best Sellers". New York Times. 2009-03-29. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/books/bestseller/bestpaperadvice.html?_r=1&ref=bestseller. Retrieved 2009-10-19. 
  10. ^ McKinnley, Jesse (2008-03-23). "The Wisdom of the Ages, for Now Anyway". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/fashion/23tolle.html?_r=1. Retrieved 2009-10-19. 
  11. ^ a b Tolle, Eckhart (2005). The Power of Now (2005 edition). Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. p. 6. ISBN 978-0340733509. 
  12. ^ Tolle, Eckhart (2005). A New Earth (2005 edition). Penguin Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-0141039411. 
  13. ^ Tolle, Eckhart (2005). A New Earth (2005 edition). Penguin Books. p. 261-262. ISBN 978-0141039411. 
  14. ^ Tolle, Eckhart (2005). A New Earth (2005 edition). Penguin Books. p. 96. ISBN 978-0141039411. 
  15. ^ Tolle, Eckhart (2005). A New Earth (2005 edition). Penguin Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-0141039411. 
  16. ^ Tolle, Eckhart (2005). A New Earth (2005 edition). Penguin Books. p. 29. ISBN 978-0141039411. 
  17. ^ Tolle, Eckhart (2005). A New Earth (2005 edition). Penguin Books. p. 140. ISBN 978-0141039411. 
  18. ^ a b Today Tonight, Seven Network. "Eckhart Tolle Australian TV Interview". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BVLFtfjrkU. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
  19. ^ "Eckhart Teachings Store". http://store.eckharttolle.com/. Retrieved 2009-10-24. 
  20. ^ "Why now is bliss". http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/28/1064687666674.html. Retrieved 2009-02-21. 

[edit] External links

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