Learning to Be!
“You are here to enable the divine purpose of the Universe to unfold. That is how important you are!” ~ Eckhart Tolle
I’ve known since I was very young that I was meant for something bigger. I mean really. The first thing I knew I wanted to be when I grew up was the Easter Bunny. And I’m Jewish. Now as you cut through your giggles, here’s what I’m pretty sure I actually meant by that — I knew from very early on that societal constraints, “shoulds”, and rules didn’t really mean anything.
We live here on Earth, together with billions of fellow human beings. That we live is an irrefutable empirical fact. Similarly, the fact that other people live on Earth, too, is also an empirical fact. We do not merely live, however, but we are also personalities.
We are personalities who are similar to each other in various respects, and largely different from each other in other respects. That we are personalities, different from each other is also an empirical fact for us. Out of these two experiences, however, only one is true, the other is deception.
Woo-woo. New ager. Yogi. Granola. Hippie. Witch. Kool-Aid drinker. Cultist. “Weirdo.”
Just some of the not-so-loving terms often used to describe those of us who have a fascination and curiosity for non-religious spirituality. And used by those who have little to no understanding or interest in this subject matter.
Which is why I know many of you keep your spirituality under wraps. Hidden from the outside world. Or only revealed to other “awake” people around you (a.k.a. like-minded individuals). I get it. Nobody wants to be shamed. Made fun of. Ridiculed. Outcast.
It’s so interesting how conventional philosophy approaches and flirts with the obvious truth, but cannot really confront it because Science itself is yet another dogmatic set of beliefs –founded on questionable assumptions, like the belief that we are separate individuals..
In this very compelling TED talk, philosopher Daniel Dennett makes the “scientific” case that neither our thoughts or beliefs are “us” –he compares them to the parasites that can take over an ant and even make an individual ant commit “suicide” to reach the parasite’s goal –the top of a leaf.
In this wonderful talk Dennett uses a “scientific” and
Question: What happens to the jnani after death?
Nisargadatta Maharaj: The jnani is already dead.
“Die Before You Die” – Eckhart Tolle
This past Sunday, I almost did not watch the 60 Minutes piece on 90 year olds because I turn 65 on May 19, and the prospect of my deteriorating physical form had caused me a great deal of anxiety at one time.
This abated when I sought therapy for a variety of phobias, and when I joined Michael Jeffreys’ Eckhart Tolle group I became more acquainted with the concept of “die before you die.” To me this means
“My thoughts are driving me crazy!” “If only I could unplug my mind, I would be happy.” Because our thoughts often overwhelm, confuse, frustrate and even seem to torture us, there are times we wish the mind had an OFF button. That if we could somehow turn “the noise machine in the head” off, we would have peace.
However, what the great sages and mystics have repeatedly told us throughout history is that the solution lies NOT in trying to get rid of our thoughts, but rather in stopping our habitual and robotic tendency to identify with them.
Eckhart Tolle often quotes Jesus:
“I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Whеn уоu аrе рrеѕеnt in thiѕ mоmеnt, you brеаk thе соntinuitу of your story, оf раѕt аnd futurе. Then truе intelligence arises, аnd аlѕо love.The only way lоvе can соmе into уоur lifе iѕ nоt thrоugh fоrm, but thrоugh that innеr spaciousness that is Presence. Love has nо fоrm.
– Exсеrрt frоm Eсkhаrt Tоllе’ѕ Stillness Amidѕt thе Wоrld
Living in the Nоw
Nаturе. A flower – perfect in еvеrу wау and fullу рrеѕеnt in thе now. Thе flower dоеѕn’t wоrrу аbоut whеthеr thе sun will shine or whеthеr it’s going tо rаin.