Sometimes I envision the spiritual landscape as an ecosystem in which teachers occupy varying niches. When one passes away, another moves in to fill the niche. I see Eckhart Tolle filling the niche left by Jiddu Krishnamurti: that of world-travelling teacher trying to spread the message of a new way of living to as many people as possible. Like Krishnamurti, I think Eckhart Tolle will be with us for many years.

A look through Eckharttolle.com reveals an organization devoted to making money: $25 for an audio download of "Know that I Am", card decks, calendars, music, a bewildering array of cd and dvd boxed sets, and his books -- The Power of Now, Stillness Speaks, A New Earth, and Milton's Secret (a children's book which I have not read). Coming soon: EckhartTolle TV with loads of Eckhart Tolle goodies for subscribers. The site does have a few YouTube excerpts for free, and a small selection of articles.

The preceeding paragraphic prelude reveals my main concern about Tolle -- the profiteering! A 2009 Australian two-day retreat costs $685 (USD); nets you three hours a day of Eckhart lecturing, an hour-long introduction Friday evening, plus two hours of "movement meditation" with his girlfriend. Accomodations and meals are extra and you better not try to record the lecture.

Yet almost no one seems to be taking Eckhart to task on his profiteering. Instead, they excuse it by pointing to his penniless past and how he never set out to make money. His big paychecks are simply payoff for his good work. How much money does one person need? I'm certain he could retire comfortably from the profits off of the best-selling The Power of Now.

So here I am, harping on money-making, again. Why? Because I still maintain that anyone who has truly seen through the illusion of the world and mind, would not be interested in profiting from helping his fellow-man. Yet my feeling, when I read his material, is that Tolle has seen through the illusion. I can't explain my conflicting reaction. My advice is to avoid the organization: don't become a Tolle worshipper; don't buy the calendars.... Instead, read The Power of Now, Stillness Speaks, and A New Earth, then practice his suggestions with all your heart. They may not take you all the way, but will carry you a long way down the interior road toward our True Self.

Here are some key quotes from A New Earth:

Eckart Tolle is wildly popular, though I'm baffled by that as his message is generally quite confrontational. At the beginning of A New Earth he states, "The 'normal' state of mind of most human beings contains a strong element of what we might call dysfunction or even madness." In one of his recorded lectures, he tells the audience that their life is nothing more than the space between two dates on a tombstone... and the audience laughs. It seems everyone thinks Tolle is talking about the clueless fool in the seat next to them. Perhaps Tolle's demure personality causes some of this reaction. In a way, it's hard to take him seriously -- he's so softspoken, so relaxed. He could hold a gun to your head and you couldn't imagine him pulling the trigger.

A final note: when the day comes to move deeper than Eckhart's current teaching, look especially to Nisargadatta's Consciousness and the Absolute. There you will find the next step.

I'll leave you with an excerpt from The Awakening West where Tolle describes the moment of his realization:

...for many years I lived in a state of great fear and continuous fluctuation between states of depression and high anxiety. This was to the point of becoming almost unbearable. One night I woke up in the middle of the night, as I had many times before, in a state of even more intense dread and fear. The mind had lots of reasons why I was feeling fearful, and yet that state was continuous no matter what my external situation was. It became so unbearable that suddenly the thought occurred to me, "I cannot live with myself any longer." That thought was the trigger for a transformation. The thought kept repeating itself many times in my head and then suddenly there was a stepping back from the thought and a looking at the thought. I asked, "Who is the 'I' and who is the self that I cannot live with?"

In Zen they have koans and it's almost as if a koan spontaneously appeared in my mind. A koan's purpose is to destroy conceptual thinking because it has no answer on a conceptual level. So, I asked, "Who is the self that I cannot live with? Are there one or two? If I cannot live with my self, who is that self?" And then, beyond thought, there was a recognition of the "unhappy me," as I later called it, as being something completely non-substantial and fictional. Then consciousness withdrew completely from identification with that "unhappy me." At that moment the whole structure of the "unhappy me" and its pain collapsed because the withdrawal of identification was so complete. What was left was simply beingness or presence. There was still a moment of fear. It felt like being drawn into a hole within myself, a vast whirlpool, and a realization arose in my chest, "Resist nothing." That was the key. Then resistance was relinquished and I don't know what happened after that.

Here's a relatively unknown, but comprehensive site that includes several interviews of Tolle: Eckhart Tolle: a fan site

A thoughtful Satsang Report from a Eckhart lecture courtesy of Sarlo's site (scroll down the page for the Eckhart review).

To get a feel for the criticism of Eckhart Tolle, visit this Guruphiliac page or this humorous essay on Sarlo's site. Also, here is a YouTube video where a reporter gives a half-hearted attempt to question Eckhart about his money-making activities:

Here is Oprah talking with Eckhart on SoulSeries. I like this very informal interview. Most YouTube video of Eckhart is him on stage.

An entertaining interview of Eckhart on Canadian tv:

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Eckhart Tolle: spiritual teacher

From: Larry Crane. (Los Angeles, Tel. 888-735-3731)

Dear Reader,

Have you heard of Eckhart Tolle? Eckhart Tolle is a living embodiment of unshakeable peace. He was recently featured on Oprah Winfrey; and is the author of the book The Power Of Now and, most recently, A New Earth Awakening Your Lifes Purpose Whats more, through his books and speaking engagements

And hes doing a fantastic job.

Especially with his latest book A New Earth.

But what if you havent read Eckharts book, A New Earth.

Should you rush out and buy a copy?

Or should avoid it like the plague?

Im going to answer those questions by asking you to play along with me for a moment and, imagine in your minds eye two twin brothers.

Each twin is (obviously) exactly the same age. Lets say 44. Each twin has recently been sacked from their job and has almost zero future job prospects (or earning capacity). Each twin is also going through a bitter divorce. And because each twin is being soaked for a hefty divorce settlement; theyre both staring bankruptcy in the face.

What else?

Oh yes, each twin is riddled with stress unable to sleep at night because their homes are on the verge of being foreclosed.

In other words

Lying in tatters.

But guess what?

One twin (lets call him TWIN A) sees Eckhart Tolle interviewed on Oprah likes what he hears about living an effortless life and so after the show rushes out to buy Eckharts latest book A New Earth.

The other twin (lets call him TWIN B) doesnt see Eckhart Tolle being interviewed on Oprah. In fact, he doesnt see any TV because

Cant even muster the energy to watch daytime TV.

This goes on for some time. Long enough for a friend to get worried about TWIN B.

And its no wonder, after all, all the life has gone out of him.

And so, this good Samaritan friend makes a visit to TWIN B to lift his spirits and also drop off 20-CDs for TWIN B to listen to while wallowing in bed.

And then the friend leaves.

Meanwhile, the other twin TWIN A is racing through his copy of Eckhart Tolles book A New Earth.

Hes never read anything like it before. And, for the very first time in his life, TWIN A understands (because of what he reads in A New Earth)

He loves the idea of this revelation.

And who can blame him?

After all, he can now see how his negative thought patterns (including fear, worry, and stress) are responsible for putting his entire life into a tail spin.

In no time at all, hes read the book, A New Earth front to back. He even reads it a second time. And a third. Taking reams of notes as he goes.

Okay, lets revisit the second twin. Remember him? Hes the twin (TWIN B) who was so depressed he couldnt even muster up the energy to get out of bed.

For all intents and purposes

With no earthly hope of turning his bleak situation around.

Or so it seemed.

But as we all know, life is sometimes very deceiving and that was extremely true in this case.

Heres why: Remember TWIN B had that friend drop by and leave him 20-CDs to listen to.

Well, as it happens, TWIN B did listen to the first of those CDs. And then he listened to the second of those CDs. And so on, until hed listened to all 20-CDs.

And much to his surprise

What was on those CDs?

Ill tell you in a second.

First, I want you to hit the fast forward button in your minds eye to 12-months down the line and revisit both twins for old times sake.

How do you suppose TWIN A will be doing in life?

You know, the twin who got a copy of Eckhart Tolles new book A New Earth and read it over and over.

Well, astonishingly enough

Meaning: He is still in big-time financial trouble.

He is still unemployed.

He is still single and alone.

And he is still fighting off the foreclosure of his home.

Why is this?

Actually the answer is very simple:

TWIN A (after reading Eckhart Tolles book, A New Earth) understood how his negative thought patterns were responsible for putting his life into a tail spin.

And he really understood it. At least on an intellectual level.

Trouble was, although the ideas Eckhart Tolle had put forth on paper in his book sounded great TWIN A had no idea how to translate them to his life.

Which is a shame because as you know

Lets turn our attention back to TWIN B.

How will TWIN B be doing 12-months down the line?

Amazingly

In other words: He will have come into possession of enough money to eliminate all his debts and money problems.

He will have got the job of his choice or started his dream business.

He will have met and fallen in love with his dream woman.

And, he will be living in the home or condo of his choice.

In short

Whats going on here?

How can this be?

Actually, the answer lies on those 20-CDs TWIN B listened to while wallowing in bed.

See, those CDs were like no others. They were not musical CDs. They were not trance inducing hypnotic or subliminal programming CDs. They were not rah-rah motivational CDs.

Nor were they positive visualization CDs. No.

Why?

Because as TWIN B soon found out just by listening to those CDs, you are guided through the quick and easy experiential process of letting go of your entire negative thought patterns and feelings.

And it happens effortlessly with no intellectual understanding of the process whatsoever.

Can you now see whats going on here?

Allow me to spell it out for you:

Theres a big, BIG difference between intellectually understanding something and proving it out to yourself experientially.

In fact, in terms of real world results

As the story of TWIN A and TWIN B demonstrates.

But what about you?

How does any of this help you?

Well, in case you havent already guessed, those 20-CDs I referred to in the story above are the recordings of the Release Technique.

And in case you dont already know the Release Technique is hands-down the fastest and easiest way to

But dont just take my word for it.

Take a look at this video and listen to the real life transformations that were made possible by the Release Technique:

Did you watch it?

If so, Im sure youll agree its testament to the miraculous power of the Release Technique.

But do you know whats kind of funny?

The amazing success stories above are rather run of the mill to use here at the Release Technique. In fact, our offices receive miraculous success stories almost every day by email and letter.

And so on.

Well listen: The Release Technique was developed over 50-years ago by an accomplished physicist and engineer (called Lester Levenson) who used the technique to enter a state of 100% bliss with no sorrow independent of outer circumstances. And he did it in just 3-months.

Which is pretty amazing since he had no clue what he was doing.

Today, people are using the Release Technique to go free in a matter of weeks!

See, once you learn how to use the Release Technique to pull up and erase your suppressed negativity youll naturally have a positive state of mind and therefore you effortlessly go free and attract abundance into all areas of your life.

And as astonishing (even bizarre) as the Release Technique may sound, it has been scientifically verified by Dr. David McCelland of Harvard University, and Dr. Richard Davidson of the State University of New York.

The Release Technique is also used and endorsed by Dr. John L. Kemeny (an associate of the late Albert Einstein), and hundreds of the most financially successful people in the world including hard-nosed business executives from top Fortune 500 companies such as Exxon, AT&T, Merrill Lynch, TWA, Chemical Bank, and Mutual of New York.

I consider The Release Technique to be the best contribution to preventative medicine putting one immediately in a positive attitude. This technique is simply the most effective way to reducing stress and depression. It constitutes a dramatic advance in the field of health and wellness. Christopher R. Pruitt, M.D., Director of the American Wellness Institute, Scottsdale, AZ

I have conducted case studies of dozens of patients who have been able to get rid of depression , anxiety, and rage very easily with THe Release Technique. I use it myself and I highly recommend it. I even made $2.5 million using this amazing technique. Dr. Raul Rodriguez, Medical Director of Rivercrest Hospital, San Angelo, TX

The Release Technique is used day in and day out by people just like you all around the world.

Of course, many skeptical people have tried to disprove the effectiveness of the Release Technique. And, to be honest, Im not sure whether to say they failed or succeeded because in each case

And it happens effortlessly!

See, the reason the Release Technique works and works 100% of the time for everyone who uses it is because its based on three CORE TRUTHS:

CORE TRUTH #1: It is your own suppressed negativity that is the root cause of all your life problems. Its your own suppressed negativity that keeps you from having the peace of mind, riches and toys you so desperately crave.

And

CORE TRUTH #2: All of us have the inborn, natural ability to let go (erase) all of our suppressed feelings that have a negative hold over our lives.

And

More here:
A New Earth | Eckhart Tolle | Release Technique

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Eckhart Tolle

Once in a generation, an individual comes around who is able to help millions of people improve their lives through insight, wisdom, compassion and just plain common sense. For many people around the world, that individual is Eckhart Tolle.

Eckhart Tolle a teacher of spirituality who has connected with a large number of people around the world. Why? His message is simple and speaks directly to many of the problems we currently face as human beings in an ever-changing, highly stressful world.

At the age of 29, after suffering from years of depression and suicidal thoughts, Mr. Tolle experienced a significant breakthrough in his life. It is what he learned during this inner transformation that forms the basis for much of his work. A born teacher, Tolle saw immediately after his breakthrough that his path was to share what he had discovered with others as a means of helping them improve their lives be it coping with depression, healing emotional wounds or building stronger families.

Tolle draws from a variety of influences, including: Zen Buddhism, The Bible, Meister Eckhart and others. But it is the accessible, compassionate way that he delivers that message which has made him such an important figure to so many people.

For those who may not have heard Mr. Tolle speak, or had an opportunity to read his work, here are six of his important teachings about enlightenment and how they affect the inner workings of daily life.

#1: Live in the present moment.

Mr. Tolle urges individuals to live their lives in the present day, and not worry excessively about the things have come before, or might be waiting in the future. He believes that it is the human ego which acts as a distraction and causes people to fret about things have already occurred or that we cannot control in the future. Enlightenment is achieved by those who experience the present to the fullest.

#2: Believe in self-realization

One of the cornerstones of Tolles philosophy is that only when we understand ourselves will we enjoy true happiness. It is this understanding that helps us realize that we all have an important place in the world. We must all understand that as human beings we are extremely important, since it is our destiny to see that the universe continues to unfold.

#3: Take the Bible for what it is worth

Eckhart Tolle has become a controversial figure among Christians for his beliefs about the Bible. But Tolle is not dismissing the New Testament. Instead, he states that there are spiritual truths within its pages as well as things that have become distorted or misinterpreted over time. And when an individual is truly self aware, he or she will easily be able to separate the two and therefore gain more true meaning and spirituality from the Book.

#4: Those who desire things are not yet enlightened

Tolle states clearly that wanting for things means that you are believing in the future more than in the present. In his opinion, the present holds everything we need to achieve happiness and enlightenment. He believes that individuals should never see the present as merely a means to an end - for in the moment is where to self-realization and fulfillment is going to occur.

#5: Be aware of the pain-body

Another of Tolles most significant teachings is that of the pain-body. Tolle believes that over the years we, as humans, have become conditioned to think and act a certain way. He sees these behaviors as pain-body attacks and illustrates how they cause us, and those around us, harm. By observing and understanding these attacks, we become more self-aware and therefore gain the power to stop them.

#6: Do not fight what is

Perhaps the most easily-relatable of all of Eckhart Tolles teachings is the idea that we causes ourselves pain when we fight against the things that are happening to us in our lives. This resistance against what is causes endless sadness, stress and other negative issues. Accepting what is takes every individual to a higher level, and gives us the strength to achieve great things. Currently, Eckhart Tolle is one of the worlds best-selling authors and most sought-after speakers. HIs book The Power of Now has already been translated into over 30 different languages and sat for many weeks atop the famed New York Times best seller list. Tolle has also received a tremendous boost from Oprah Winfrey, who has had the man on her show and lists The Power of Now as one of her favorite books. Winfrey recently named Tolles latest book, A New Earth as a selection in her famed Oprahs Book Club.

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Six things you learn from Eckhart Tolle that will change your life | EnlightenmentRing.com

As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

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From "The Power of Now"...

Quote:

Your innermost sense of self, of who you are, is inseparable from stillness. This is the I Am that is deeper than name and form.

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As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

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As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

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I was actually looking for The Road Less Travelled but the shop was out of copies, and Mr Tolle's book leap into my hand. lol

" Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain."

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There are some good videos of his on YouTube, if anyone is interested. I find his teachings and perspective really, really helpful.

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As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

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When I first heard him, I thought he was awesome. Oprah has said that he is the greatest spiritual leader of our times. Then, when I really paid attention, I thought, "He knows about the 12 steps and Buddhist religion and is now taking what he has learned and put them in a book". Buddhisim teaches that desire is the culprit of being unhappy. One Day At A Time and stay in the moment taught in 12 steps recovery is the same as Tolle's teaching. The pain body teaching is what the 12 steps do to relieve people of trauma and harm that happened in the past by digging down deep. Interesting stuff.

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As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

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Of course he seems to be very genuine, he's making millions by knowing people are looking for a way out of their misery.

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If you like Eckhart Tolle, you may also like Jiddu Krishnamurti. Tolle was very influenced by Krishnamurti. Tolle is a bit easier reading, though. Krishnamurti requires a greater concentration and intensity of thought. He can also be a bit grouchy.

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His "The Now" is very much like Deepak Chopra's "The Gap"

"Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription is more Taobell!"

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I read Tolle several years ago, liked the message & found it compatible with some fundamental beliefs I held, but did not really commit to what he said. A couple of months ago I found myself in a sad place, and I opened his book, The Power of Now. Found just what I needed: I was struggling with some attacks from other people, and Tolle wrote of being less attached to beliefs. I finally realized that was something that had plagued me for some time: I was defining myself by what I believed, so beliefs to the contrary were received as personal. I wasn't separating the two. It was a powerful lesson for me, one I am trying to put into practice.

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Zencat, Thank you for the Tolle video. It speaks volumes about some things I have encountered about myself. As a younger person with lots of energy & enthusiasim I received lots of praise for my fervor and committment to causes. Perhaps I allowed that to bleed into other parts fo my life. Being attached to strong feelings about this or that has been a trademark, something I was proud of doing because I thought it was related to integrity or something. As with other things in my life, I have come to find that it is no longer useful. Alcohol, once a soothing balm, became no longer useful. Ego sustained me for a while, I guess, and then it became a hindrance. People in AA speak of peeling away the layers of the onion--and that there are many tears associated with that. I have been sober quite a few years, but I help that I never lose the willingness to grow just a bit more.

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Eckhart Tolle - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction ...

The brain as a maze. Getty/PASIEKA

By Heather Scoville

Updated January 25, 2015.

Definition:

Evolutionary psychology is a relatively new scientific discipline that looks at how human nature has evolved over time as a series of built up psychological adaptations. Many evolutionary biologists and other scientists are still reluctant to recognize evolutionary psychology as a valid science.

Much like Charles Darwin's ideas about natural selection, evolutionary psychology focuses on how favorable adaptations of human nature are selected for over less favorable adaptations.

In the scope of psychology, these adaptations could be in the form of emotions or problem solving skills.

Evolutionary psychology is related to both macroevolution in the sense that it looks at how the human species, especially the brain, has changed over time, and it is also rooted in the ideas attributed to microevolution. These microevolutionary topics include changes at the gene level of DNA.

Attempting to link the discipline of psychology to the theory of evolution via biological evolution is the aim of evolutionary psychology. In particular, evolutionary psychologists study how the human brain has evolved.

The different regions of the brain control different parts of human nature and the physiology of the body. Evolutionary psychologists believe that the brain evolved in response to solving very specific problems.

The Six Core Principles of Evolutionary Psychology

The discipline of Evolutionary Psychology was founded on six core principles that combine traditional understanding of psychology along with evolutionary biology ideas of how the brain functions.

These principles are as follows:

Areas of Evolutionary Psychology Research

The theory of evolution lends itself to several areas where psychological adaptations must occur in order for species to develop. The first is basic survival skills like consciousness, responding to stimuli, learning and motivation. Emotions and personality also fall into this category, although their evolution is much more complex than basic instinctual survival skills. The use of language is also linked as a survival skill on the evolutionary scale within psychology.

Another major area of evolutionary psychology research is the propagation of the species, or mating. Based on observations of other species in their natural environments, the evolutionary psychology of human mating tends to lean toward the idea that females are more selective in their partners than males. Since males are instinctively wired spread their seed to any available female, the male human brain has evolved to be less selective than that of the female.

The last major area of evolutionary psychology research centers on human interaction with other humans. This large research area includes research into parenting, interactions within families and relations, interactions with people that are not related and the combination of similar ideas to establish a culture. Emotions and language greatly influence these interactions, as does geography. Interactions occur more frequently between people living in the same area, which eventually leads to the creation of a specific culture that evolves based on immigration and emigration in the area.

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Evolutionary Psychology - Evolution Definition

Hello to all:

This holiday season experience the Joy of Being.

Eckhart explains that the primary purpose of your life is to bring conscious awareness to each moment. During this holiday season of giving and receiving, perhaps the most valuable gift you can give to others, the world and yourself, is the light of your conscious awareness the joy of Being.

In this video, Eckhart sings the Ode to Joy by Beethoven and reads the poem by Schiller. Eckhart explains that joy brings you back to the state of connectedness with all humans. There is something divine in the state of joy.

The joy of Being, which is the only true happiness, cannot come to you through any form, possession, achievement, person, or eventthrough anything that happens. That joy cannot come to youever. It emanates from the formless dimension within you, from consciousness itself and thus is one with who you are. Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

Throughout this holiday season, Accept the present moment and find the perfection that is deeper than any form and untouched by time. Allow the joy of Being to emanate from within you; this is how a new earth will arise.

The joy of Being is the joy of being conscious. Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

https://www.eckharttollenow.com/s/qzf6ot

Eckhart Tolle Now is dedicated to providing you with the resources to put Eckharts teachings into practice everyday to transform your life, which ultimately transforms the world.

Warm Regards, Your friends at Eckhart Tolle Now

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Karen Mayo is an artist from Melbourne, Australia, who has completed a Mastersdegree in Art in Public Space, and who is currently studying to be a secondary school artsteacher at the University of Melbourne. This is the story behind the picture she took forour photography contest, and how she has been inspired by Eckharts work. []

Here is a spiritual practice that will bring empowerment and creative expansion intoyour life. Make a list of a number of everyday routine activities that you performfrequently. Include activities that you may consider uninteresting, boring, tedious,irritating, or stressful. But dont include anything that you hate or detest doing. Thats acase either for acceptance or for []

One of the remarkable things about Eckharts teachings is that each time I listen to atalk, whether I have heard it several times or for the first time, there is a freshness.There is a vibrant aliveness behind the words that brings my awareness back to thepresent moment. I was reminded of this recently when I []

Eckhart says, Even a stone, and more easily a flower or a bird, could show you the wayback to God, to the Source, to yourself. When you look at it or hold it and let it bewithout imposing a word of mental label on it, a sense of awe, of wonder, arises withinyou.Its essence silently []

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February | 2015 | news - Eckhart Tolle

Dr. Jacob Liberman is a pioneer in the fields of light, vision and consciousness, and author of Light: Medicine of the Future, Take Off Your Glasses and See, and Wisdom From an Empty Mind. He earned a Doctorate of Optometry from Southern College of Optometry, a Ph.D. in Vision Science from the College of Syntonic Optometry, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the Open International University for Complementary Medicines. He is a Fellow Emeritus of the American Academy of Optometry, College of Optometrists in Vision Development, College of Syntonic Optometry and International Academy of Color Sciences, and Past President of the College of Syntonic Optometry. He is also the recipient of the H.R. Spitler Award for his pioneering contributions to the field of phototherapy. Dr. Liberman has shared his discoveries and insights with more than 2,000 audiences worldwide and been enthusiastically endorsed by luminaries in the fields of health, science, spirituality and sports. He is the inventor of the Color Receptivity Trainer, Spectral Receptivity System and EYEPORT Vision Training System, the first FDA-cleared medical device that significantly improves visual performance. Dr. Liberman is the Founder of Exercise Your Eyes, Inc. and President of the International Society For The Study Of Subtle Energies And Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM). He is a faculty member of the Institute for Scientific Exploration and serves on the advisory board of the Institute for Science, Spirituality and Sustainability. His most recent project, EYELIGHT, will revolutionize our understanding of how light interacts with the body by evaluating the composition of light entering and exiting the eyes.

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Who is Dr. Jacob Liberman? | JacobLiberman.org

The author of The Power of Now reveals the things that keep us continually frazzledand how to remove them from our lives. Peace is one of the most important human experiences. If you don't have peace, then you're not able to appreciate whatever else you do have. In fact, you may not even be able to recognize the good in your life because you have not recognized the good in yourselfyet. Here are a few things that may be getting your way: 1. You Mistake Peace for Unconsciousness Sometimes people feel peaceful when they become very tired. Others think that peace is what you feel after having a few drinks or taking drugs. (People use these substances, because they long for inner stillness and quiet.) Being half asleep or desensitized by drugs or a few glasses of wine can keep you from feeling your anxiety, fear, anger, resentment or worry. But this relief only lasts a short time. That turmoil is still therebecause peace is not unconsciousness. Peace is not being asleep or being numb. It's the opposite. It's a state of heightened aliveness, when we become more conscious rather than less, and this requires an awareness of the kinds of thoughts that habitually go through your mind. 2. You Mistake Peace for Happiness Many people think of happiness as a goal, something you're working toward that will eventually make you feel good or at peace with your life. To me, however, happiness is usually associated with a high that occurs when something nice happens. You feel happy when you get the job or find a $100 bill on the street. You feel happy leaving for vacation. But very often the vacation doesn't turn out the way it's supposed to, or it comes to an end, or while on that vacation you only think about the problems you're going to find when you come back home. In all of these cases, the happiness is temporary. After a while it subsides, and then, quite often, you'll even feel suddenly low. Because happiness isn't peace.

Happiness is actually quite superficial, whereas peace is deeper. Peace is immune to the polarities of life: the highs and lows, the hots and colds, the so-called goods and so-called bads. This is why peace is so crucial. Nobody goes through life without encountering all these experiences, inspiring or upsetting. When someone close to you dies or you have a health problem or you lose our possessions, you probably can't feel happy. Nobody could. But do you need to feel in absolute despair? Do you need to feel devastated? If you are at peace and connected with that deeper level in you, those kind of emotional extremes don't occur. You'll have a calm that is not affected by whatever happens in the world, because you have an acceptance and understanding of whatever happens in the world.

Next: Are you looking the right way?

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Eckhart Tolle: Why You Aren't At Peace Right Now - oprah.com

IACS Conference 2016

We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the 15th International Conference on Children's Spirituality - Spirituality and the whole child: interdisciplinary approaches which will be hosted by Dr Kate Adams at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, UK.

It will run from Tuesday 26 July Friday 29 July 2016. We welcome abstracts for a range of papers, presentations and workshops on the conference theme, and on childrens spirituality more widely.

Our international key note speakers will be:

Please join us for a thought-provoking and stimulating conference, set in the heart of the beautiful, historic city of Lincoln.

For more details see http://www.bishopg.ac.uk/childspirituality

Download the call for papers here.

On Saturday 4th October, IACS hosted a day event for UK members and other professionals interested in children's and young people's spirituality. 35 delegates attended the event, held at Woodbrooke Study centre in Birmingham. The event was well received and it provided a great opportunity for networking and learning together. A selection of photos can be found in the member's area.

A personal reflection on the day can be read here.

The 14th International Conference on Children's Spirituality was held in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela between 7th and 11th of July 2014. The theme was: 'Our children need peace: the role of the arts, ecology and social networks in children's spirituality'. A small number of scholars and practitioners (including a number of children) took part in a week of papers, workshops and discussion on topics of spirituality, digital culture and the arts.

For the sake of Children: hidden forms of power in caring for children's spirituality.

This conference was held in Leuven, Belgium between 10th and 13th July 2013. It was hosted by Professor Annemie Dillen and explored the complex relation between care and issues of power in situations where children's spirituality is at stake.

This conference was held at East Anglia University in Norwich, U.K. between 1st and 5th July 2012. The theme was 'Spirituality and Physicality: Crossing Thresholds' and was inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Photographs, videos and slideshow presentations from the conference are now available from the member's area.

Click on images to enlarge:

The Politics of Children's Spirituality

The 11th International conference on Children's Spirituality was held between 1st and 5th August in Richmond, Virginia, USA.

Photos and videos from the conference are now available from the member's area.

Click on images to enlarge:

At the AGM, the constitution was ratified and a copy can be found in the members area.

It was also proposed and agreed that the association should now be known as the 'International Association for Children's Spirituality' and any correspondence from now on will bear this name.

This conference took place at the The Hong Kong Institute of Education (Tai Po Campus) between 19th -23rd July 2010.The theme was Spirituality and Resilience.

Conference information as well as photo albums and and a short media clip of events are available in the member's area.

Click on images to enlarge:

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The International Association for Children's Spirituality ...

The friction between science and religion stretches from Galileos famous letter to todays leading thinkers. And yet were seeing that, for all its capacity for ignorance, religion might have some valuable lessons for secular thought and the two need not be regarded as opposites.

In 1996, mere months before his death, the great Carl Sagan cosmic sage, voracious reader, hopeless romantic explored the relationship between the scientific and the spiritual in The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (public library). He writes:

Plainly there is no way back. Like it or not, we are stuck with science. We had better make the best of it. When we finally come to terms with it and fully recognize its beauty and its power, we will find, in spiritual as well as in practical matters, that we have made a bargain strongly in our favor.

But superstition and pseudoscience keep getting in the way, distracting us, providing easy answers, dodging skeptical scrutiny, casually pressing our awe buttons and cheapening the experience, making us routine and comfortable practitioners as well as victims of credulity.

And yet science, Sagan argues, isnt diametrically opposed to spirituality. He echoes Ptolemys timeless awe at the cosmos and reflects on what Richard Dawkins has called the magic of reality, noting the intense spiritual elevation that science is capable of producing:

In its encounter with Nature, science invariably elicits a sense of reverence and awe. The very act of understanding is a celebration of joining, merging, even if on a very modest scale, with the magnificence of the Cosmos. And the cumulative worldwide build-up of knowledge over time converts science into something only a little short of a trans-national, trans-generational meta-mind.

Spirit comes from the Latin word to breathe. What we breathe is air, which is certainly matter, however thin. Despite usage to the contrary, there is no necessary implication in the word spiritual that we are talking of anything other than matter (including the matter of which the brain is made), or anything outside the realm of science. On occasion, I will feel free to use the word. Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in an immensity of light years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual. So are our emotions in the presence of great art or music or literature, or of acts of exemplary selfless courage such as those of Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. The notion that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both.

Reminding us once again of his timeless wisdom on the vital balance between skepticism and openness and the importance of evidence, Sagan goes on to juxtapose the accuracy of science with the unfounded prophecies of religion:

Not every branch of science can foretell the future paleontology cant but many can and with stunning accuracy. If you want to know when the next eclipse of the Sun will be, you might try magicians or mystics, but youll do much better with scientists. They will tell you where on Earth to stand, when you have to be there, and whether it will be a partial eclipse, a total eclipse, or an annular eclipse. They can routinely predict a solar eclipse, to the minute, a millennium in advance. You can go to the witch doctor to lift the spell that causes your pernicious anaemia, or you can take vitamin Bl2. If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate. If youre interested in the sex of your unborn child, you can consult plumb-bob danglers all you want (left-right, a boy; forward-back, a girl or maybe its the other way around), but theyll be right, on average, only one time in two. If you want real accuracy (here, 99 per cent accuracy), try amniocentesis and sonograms. Try science.

Think of how many religions attempt to validate themselves with prophecy. Think of how many people rely on these prophecies, however vague, however unfulfilled, to support or prop up their beliefs. Yet has there ever been a religion with the prophetic accuracy and reliability of science? There isnt a religion on the planet that doesnt long for a comparable ability precise, and repeatedly demonstrated before committed skeptics to foretell future events. No other human institution comes close.

Nearly two decades after The Demon-Haunted World, Sagans son, Dorion, made a similar and similarly eloquent case for why science and philosophy need each other. Complement it with this meditation on science vs. scripture and the difference between curiosity and wonder.

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Carl Sagan on Science and Spirituality Brain Pickings