Through the Open Door by Eckhart Tolle

When I first discovered Eckhart Tolle, I was so excited that I started giving everyone copies of his book. Some of them were as stunned as I was; others found his writings kind of pointless and redundant. I finally found the pattern. If people read his book—on paper—they didn't get much out of it. But if they experienced the exact same words on tape or CD, they found them powerful and transformative. So now I only give away Eckhart Tolle in audio format.

Which is why I was so excited about Through the Open Door, which is recordings made at Eckhart Tolle retreats. I knew that once I started listening, I would immediately be brought to that state of mind that only he can evoke—and I was. The message makes sense, but it's the state of mind that keeps me coming back, listening to the same CD over and over again.

OK, (I hear you cry), so what is the message and the state of mind?

Tolle's message is the classic spiritual teaching of presence, or mindfulness, or awareness. Stop for a moment while you're reading this and take a few slow, conscious breaths. Feel the air coming in and out; watch the words flowing across the computer screen, into your eyes, and across your consciousness; listen to the ambient noises in the room, piercing but never completely masking the silence underneath. This is now, and it is real, and it is life.

Then watch how quickly your mind pops out of that state. Where does it go? It replays an argument you had yesterday. Or it expectantly hopes for something great that might happen tomorrow, or dreads something terrible. In short, it heads for the past and the future. It avoids the present moment—what Tolle calls "the Now"—which is, after all, the only thing that is actually real. Past and present exist as imagination in the Now.

You will get all that out of any of Tolle's books or lectures. One thing he particular emphasizes in this particular CD was the idea of your life story. I was born at this time; I was supposed to accomplish these things, but those obstacles got in the way; it isn't working out the way it was supposed to, but some day it will. We tell ourselves this story, with minor variations, over and over. We build an identity out of it. Take the story away, and what would be left? Would I even be me? Yes, you would, Tolle insists. Strip away the illusion and you will find your real identity, which has been waiting all along in the silence behind the thoughts. You don't have to wait; you don't need more time; you can go there right

Now.


Through the Open Door by Eckhart Tolle When I first discovered Eckhart Tolle, I was so excited that I started giving everyone copies of his book. Some of them were as stunned as I was; others found his writings kind of pointless and redundant. I finally found the pattern. If people read his book—on paper—they didn't get much out of it. But if they experienced the exact same words on tape or CD, they found them powerful and transformative. So now I only give away Eckhart Tolle in audio format. Which is why I was so excited about Through the Open Door, which is recordings made at Eckhart Tolle retreats. I knew that once I started listening, I would immediately be brought to that state of mind that only he can evoke—and I was. The message makes sense, but it's the state of mind that keeps me coming back, listening to the same CD over and over again. OK, (I hear you cry), so what is the message and the state of mind? Tolle's message is the classic spiritual teaching of presence, or mindfulness, or awareness. Stop for a moment while you're reading this and take a few slow, conscious breaths. Feel the air coming in and out; watch the words flowing across the computer screen, into your eyes, and across your consciousness; listen to the ambient noises in the room, piercing but never completely masking the silence underneath. This is now, and it is real, and it is life. Then watch how quickly your mind pops out of that state. Where does it go? It replays an argument you had yesterday. Or it expectantly hopes for something great that might happen tomorrow, or dreads something terrible. In short, it heads for the past and the future. It avoids the present moment—what Tolle calls "the Now"—which is, after all, the only thing that is actually real. Past and present exist as imagination in the Now. You will get all that out of any of Tolle's books or lectures. One thing he particular emphasizes in this particular CD was the idea of your life story. I was born at this time; I was supposed to accomplish these things, but those obstacles got in the way; it isn't working out the way it was supposed to, but some day it will. We tell ourselves this story, with minor variations, over and over. We build an identity out of it. Take the story away, and what would be left? Would I even be me? Yes, you would, Tolle insists. Strip away the illusion and you will find your real identity, which has been waiting all along in the silence behind the thoughts. You don't have to wait; you don't need more time; you can go there right Now.
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