For those who follow Eckhart Tolle's teachings..

gustavofring

gustavofring

Well-known member
Sorry for those unfamiliar with it. I can certainly recommend reading the books, as they offer profound insights.

Anyway, my question:

How can you be free of ego, mindtalk, etc. when you inhabit a world full of ego and identification with thought/posession/role? Everyone seems to play self-identifying roles in this world.

Isn't it incredibly annoying to see all that around you and feel almost like the only "sane" person so to speak? Doesn't this create enormous negative thoughts about the world you inhabit and is thus a paradox? I found this a bit difficult as I am trying to learn more about concious thought and dissolving the ego. It seems almost impossible to live by these teachings in this world.
 
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hidwell

hidwell

Well-known member
You are quite right, we live in a world dominated by the cult of personality. I think you would have to remove yourself from society i.e join a monastery or something, to free yourself of ego related problems.
 
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dyingtolive

Well-known member
While joining a monastery or doing meditation retreats is a VERY Kick-ass experience and worth your while,

It is not required.. The real world is here.

Joining a monastery doesn't help you solve real life problems. You still gotta work with the real life problems.

You know there's a saying that how you see others reflects how you are. If you see the EGO in others, then you have to learn how to see the good in others too. There's Both in each and everyone. You are not the only sane person.

But i know how you feel. We all feel that way i guess!

Personally, I don't like Eckharte Toll, just the way the guy dresses.. OMG But yeah he knows what he's talking about..
 
gustavofring

gustavofring

Well-known member
You know there's a saying that how you see others reflects how you are. If you see the EGO in others, then you have to learn how to see the good in others too. There's Both in each and everyone. You are not the only sane person.
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That is very true. I guess Tolle also says this in the book. I guess I need to grasp the material a bit better to truly form a coherent opinion, because I've read it in a few days. It gives a lot of profound insights but also raises a lot of questions and paradoxes.

What I like about Tolle is how he takes a lot of wisdoms and insights from various places, from Buddhism to philosophers, scientists and even the bible.
 
gustavofring

gustavofring

Well-known member
coyote said:
i feel so much better since i dropped an anvil on my television
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Haha, our house-cynic Coyote!

You probably think oh here's another TV-prophet selling the same old gibberish. Which may be true... Oh well, atleast the material challenges me/us to think about stuff. Which is more then can be said from Dr. Phil et all.
 
coyote

coyote

Well-known member
no no no - i meant i've found it easier to escape the ego-driven world by not watching television

eckhart tolle is cool
 
sullyS25

sullyS25

Well-known member
I still struggle with this today but what I am constantly reminded of is how I was before I was turned on to Eckhart Tolle and the ideas in his books. I need to constantly remind myself that I too was unconscious like the majority of people I see around me. I was living in the past or future and never in the present moment. What I have learned to try to do yet still need to work on is feeling empathy for these people because while they may portray societies image of success, a good majority of them are suffering just like I was. They are constantly seeking for that thing outside of themselves that will make them feel complete when it is within them and accessed through present-mindedness. I haven't read Tolle in a while and I can't remember if he mentions this as well but I like the idea that I see in others what I see in myself. Or I project onto others what I feel about myself. So if I see others as hypocrites, or self-seeking A-holes then I probably dont see myself in a very good light. If I look to see the positive in others then it is much easier to see the positive in myself.....

sorry for my rant but I love these ideas and it has helped me more than any therapy session I ever had where I was basically just discussing my ego in depth and trying to understand it. I have made many profound changes in my life due to these ideas so I love to talk about them.
 
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emerald_star733

Well-known member
Hi there, I have read Tolle's books and i agree it can be difficult in today's world to free oneself from the ego and it's reflection. What i try to do is get into the "observer" perspective. When i notice myself reacting to someone's ego then i have become part of the ego so i take a step back and view it kind of like watching a play. I observe myself and others interacting while not becoming part of the drama that might be playing itself out. I am not always able to do this and quite often find myself within egos grasp, but i am working on it.
 
gustavofring

gustavofring

Well-known member
I need to constantly remind myself that I too was unconscious like the majority of people I see around me
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Yes, I was too, and still am to a degree, and I think this was a major part of my depression and social anxiety. Getting consumed by thoughts and stress, stuck in a circle of compulsive habit and thinking, all ego-induced.

Other people who have their life more "on the rails" probably also live in a state of unconciousness, but atleast they've found small moments of presentness and conciousness, be it in sport, social gathering or other things. Most are still very much egoic driven though. Others delve into drugs or alcohol to escape the mind.

Tolle's teachings really opened my understanding of the ego and mind up far more then anything else ever has.
 
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sullyS25

sullyS25

Well-known member
gustavofring said:
Other people who have their life more "on the rails" probably also live in a state of unconciousness, but atleast they've found small moments of presentness and conciousness, be it in sport, social gathering or other things. Most are still very much egoic driven though. Others delve into drugs or alcohol to escape the mind.
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I agree with this completely and while they may be better in social gatherings or at sports I think they are still ego driven while taking part of these activities. Always concentrating on a future goal that will make life much better because while they may be very social they dont realize some people struggle in social situations and take there social skills for granted. They worry about other things. As for the drugs and alcohol thing you mentioned, that was me up until a year and a half ago until i discovered these teachings in a treatment facility. After reading "The Power of Now" I learned how to calm my mind and not identify with all the thoughts I was having. It is very nice
 
gustavofring

gustavofring

Well-known member
what's difficult about being constantly "present" is that it requires a great deal of self-discipline.
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Yes it is. I constantly have my mind running wild. Especially around others.

It is difficult when you're trying to concentrate and you have blunt and loud people around you. It is difficult when life is $hit and you're trying not to think of the future and how you want to escape the situation.

I can be aware of thoughts, but I still have stress burning inside me. Simply being aware of the stress does not make it disappear. It can soothen it a great deal and make you not feel totally overwhelmed though.
 
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dyingtolive

Well-known member
for about a year and a half now, i've been mostly angry... and living in that anger.

For the couple of years before that, I was doing a lot of meditation, everyday and had a lot of self-discipline, and i was very conscious of my "ego", my thoughts, in an observer perspective,

Looking back, I was able to do more stuff. I felt more free, to an extent. But I have always felt like I was still trapped in a box in other areas of my life. And not before long, life happened and i got fed up. I stopped caring, I stopped trying. I gave up peace... It was just no longer possible to live that way anymore...

Anger filled me up, and i stayed there. And there was no other way. It was right for me. I was still being true to myself. I would be lying to myself to tell myself everything is OK... and that I could be peace.

So I went there... But I wanna go back now... and I wanna breathe again and start over.
 
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