If people cleaned up internal pollution, they would stop creating external pollution.
Eckhart Tolle is one of the leading authors of our time in the field of spirituality. Each of his thoughts is based on a personal, deeply felt experience. The books he wrote became bestsellers. The most famous of them are Now! Only this moment is truly yours and New Earth: Awakened and Conscious Living, which have fundamentally changed the lives of many people around the world.
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From severe depression to enlightenment
In his book Now! Truly yours is just this moment talking about your own experience. He lived in a dysfunctional family and until the age of 13 was extremely anxious and on the verge of suicide several times. Periods of depression and anxiety continued until he was 29. Then one night, he says, he experienced a state of immense anxiety and terror and said to himself: "I can no longer live with myself."
He realized that there was a duality within him – one SELF that was conscious and another SELF that he could no longer live with. He wondered which of the two he really was.
After that night, he didn't look at things the same way. When he opened his eyes in the morning, he felt a deep peace. He was fascinated by the beauty and liveliness of the objects in the room, by the rays of light coming through the window... Since then, this inner light has not left him.
He realized what had happened to him only years later, after a conversation with Buddhist monks.
The problem is internal dissatisfaction
Growing up, under the influence of family and environment, we identify with our mind. We create a mental image of who we are and begin to believe in our phantom, fictional self. It is our ego, the source of our suffering.
In order to survive, the ego feeds on our thinking about the past and the future. If we establish a friendly relationship with the present moment, our ego will no longer have anything to cling to.
Have you noticed that you are constantly missing something and longing for something? Ego is hidden behind this too. He wants things, money, success, reputation, power, because that's how he gains importance. But even when you give it all to Him, you still remain empty, unfulfilled and incomplete.
Tolle says that nothing external can fill your inner emptiness. You can fulfill it only from the inside - by being aware of your inner being, or who you really are.
The problem is internal dissatisfaction.A disease called compulsive thinking
Experiencing the burden of thought himself, Eckhart Tolle realized that modern man suffers from a serious disease that is not officially considered a disease. It is compulsive or excessive thinking. That inner voice that constantly resents something, criticizes and spins the same stories, is the source of your suffering. It not only poisons us and our surroundings, but also the planet we live on. At the same time, it weakens us and drains us of energy. It is time to finally be deeply aware of this.
Tolle says that our mind can be a very useful instrument, but also a destructive force. Unfortunately, today's man identifies himself with his thoughts and does not realize that his true nature is not hidden in his thoughts, but in the depths of his being. As much as 80 to 90 percent of our thoughts are completely unnecessary, says Tolle. Thinking about something that has happened or will happen only deepens the feeling of dissatisfaction and distances us from real life, which is always happening NOW.
Tolle teaches that there is no past or future because we can only experience the present moment. Only the present moment is real, and the past and future are psychological time. Once we realize this thought, our lives can change forever.
You are pure consciousness
Have you noticed that our thoughts are very changeable and we cannot control them? We don't know where and why they come from or where they disappear to. So they lead us, not us them, right? But that doesn't mean we can't get rid of them. "The beginning of freedom is the realization that you are not a being that persecutes you," says Tolle.
When we realize that we are not our thoughts, but the pure consciousness in which our thoughts appear, we can begin to see them as an objective observer. That's when we become aware of the voice we hear in our head, which most of the time only accuses, criticizes and holds grudges. This voice, says Tolle, belongs to the conditioned mind, which is the result of our entire past, as well as the collective cultural mindset we have inherited.
As we become a conscious witness to our thoughts, they will slowly lose their power and dissipate. Then we will feel great relief and freedom. A space will be created within us to connect with a higher level of consciousness.
As we become a conscious witness to our thoughts, they will slowly lose their power and dissipate.The present moment is eternal
Our thoughts are only a small part of the vast field of intelligence available to us, according to Tolle. The things that really matter, like beauty, love, creativity, joy, and inner peace, come from the area on the other side of the mind, that part that is not rational.
Another way to interrupt the flow of thought is to focus your attention completely on the present moment. The present moment is beyond time and is eternal. When we are fully aware of it, we will get rid of the burden of the past and the future, and thus the constant streams of thought.
