I simply don't consider him enlightened, at least within the parameters that MMY laid down.
Of course, as I pointed out, MMY might be wrong, but then again Eckhart Tolle may simply be deluding himself as well. The "gap" between thoughts that we call "pure consciousness" during TM isn't just between thoughts as verbalizations, but a gap "devoid of perception" of anything and everything. And here's a great example of Tolle's attitude towards things: Dissolving Ordinary Unconsciousness So how can we be free of this affliction? Make it conscious. Observe the many ways in which unease, discontent, and tension arise within you through unnecessary judgment, resistance to what is, and denial of the Now. Anything unconscious dissolves when you shine the light of consciousness on it. Once you know how to dissolve ordinary unconsciousness, the light of your presence will shine brightly, and it will be much easier to deal with deep unconsciousness whenever you feel its gravitational pull. However, ordinary unconsciousness may not be easy to detect initially because it is so normal. Make it a habit to monitor your mental-emotional state through self-observation. It's hard to get further from TM program for enlightenment than that. "Meditate and chop wood" becomes "mediate while chopping wood." L ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <sharelong60@...> wrote : Lawson, I think there are a lot of enlightened people around these days, including Tolle. But I also think that there are very few enlightened teachers. WRT to taking their theories and or practices to heart, I mostly go by how his or her energy feels to me. If they feel ungrounded, unintegrated, coming mainly from intellect, then I continue on my way. On Sunday, May 18, 2014 10:41 AM, "LEnglish5@... [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> wrote: In this case, whatever Eckart Tolle is talking about, is ipso facto not CC, let alone GC or UC. Of course, some may argue that his awakening is more profound than those baby forms of awakening defined in TM practice, and certainly, the entire American Buddhist community other than a few Zen and Ch'an practitioners, seems to celebrate the mindfulness craze which leads to a more fragmented style of brain fun ctioning where self-centers and the rest of the brain are not well-connected, but oh well. To each his own, for some operational definition of "his." L ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <sharelong60@...> wrote : Lawson, I heard second hand that Maharishi made a distinction between an enlightened man and an enlightened teacher. The enlightened man maybe popped into enlightenment while eating a strawberry. He then proceeds to teach the strawberry eating technique. OTOH an enlightened teacher can see where the seeker is and the entire path and so can effectively guide the seeker fuller and richer living. On Sunday, May 18, 2014 10:29 AM, "LEnglish5@... [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> wrote: I ran into a brief quote by Tolle about dreamless sleep, so I tracked down a book of his and found this passage: Dreamless Sleep You take a journey into the Unmanifested every night when you enter the phase of deep dreamless sleep. You merge with the Source. You draw from it the vital energy that sustains you for a while when you return to the manifested, the world of separate forms. This energy is much more vital than food: "Man does not live by bread alone." But in dreamless sleep, you don't go into it consciously. Although the bodily functions are still operating, "you” no longer exist in that state. Can you imagine what it would be like to go into dreamless sleep with full consciousness? It is impossible to imagine it, because that state has no content. -Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now, page 85. It seems obvious to me that he knows not what "witnessing sleep" is. L
