Mind, Soul and Argument
Reader: You just teach about stuff whereas Tolle discourages learning and focuses on experiencing it.
JJ: You just related one of the problems of Tolle’s teachings. He encourages people not to learn about “stuff” but then you must first learn about his stuff presented in an intellectual way through the use of the mind which he tells us to discard.
In the past I have encountered many people with his basic approach who have been very dogmatic in their presentation. We have had numerous people come on the group with Tolle’s point of view who have been very critical and disruptive.
I find it interesting that the most attacking posts since the beginning of this forum have been from those who have claimed to have had this Tolle experience with the “Unmanifest.” I can’t think of one believer who was not dogmatic, attacking, accusing, distracting and a problem to the harmony of the group.
What is it about this doctrine of peace that makes these people so unpeaceable and aggressive by insisting we agree with their views?
Next the reader insisted that Tolle brought him to a peaceable state much more than my teachings have.
My response: Actually, you seemed like a very peaceable fellow until you came across Eckhart Tolle’s teachings. But if anyone is going through inner turmoil then the thing they need to do is experiment with different techniques to help them. I have personally found that when you join in a labor of service, following the highest you know, that it is almost impossible to have inner turmoil. No breathing exercises are necessary.
Let me clear up one more misunderstanding on soul contact. Soul contact that brings an inner knowing cannot be taught through a black and white step-by-step process or exercise program though certain teachings and processes can lead you in the right direction. Exercises like those given by Tolle, mystics, yogis and others can produce effects, some positive and some negative. They can increase awareness of the inner self, still the mind, help the student enter a peaceful meditation and sometimes lead to a down pouring of the kundalini where an overwhelming amount of energy flows through the body as happened in Tolle’s experience. This should not be forced, however or problems can be created.
None of the yogi exercises produce soul contact. The best they can do is help the student stabilize so he can direct his undistracted attention toward the soul.
To attain soul contact the student must use the higher aspect of mind which Tolle tells us we need to set aside in his program. Because the mind is needed on the path to soul contact this means that Tolle could actually be leading students away from it.
He does correctly say that we must not identify with the mind and indeed realizing we are not our minds is an important step. BUT with this realization we must then use the mind as an instrument assisting us toward higher contact.
The best exercise to achieve soul contact is the process called “seed thoughts.” Find words and teachings that inspire you and let them be seeds planted within your mind. Reflect on them again and again until a flashing forth occurs. This flashing forth is then a downpouring through the soul aligning the mind with the intuitive plane.
Another exercise is to just read the scriptures, writings from DK, me or others and attempt to see principles involved by using your mind. As you do this a flashing forth will occur when you are ready for soul contact. Then sometimes you will hear the still small voice, or sense impressions, in your quiet moments giving further light on what has been planted in your mind.
Those who attempt to put the mind aside as an instrument are only delaying soul contact. Instead, they will have intense emotional experiences, but not accompanied by any new understanding of higher principles. Intense emotional experiences without accompanying mental progression can produce a lopsided evolution. This is why the “nothingness people” that have come on board in the past seem to be such troublemakers. The same can happen with the person with too much emphasis on the mind and data. Balance is one of the keys to soul contact.
The bottom line is there is no easy path to soul contact. Achieving it takes a long struggle, but when attained a link is made with the intuitive plane and the Oneness Principle then opens up to his higher mind.
As I read along in Eckhart Tolle’s books I come across some odd statement about every other page that makes me question the man’s common sense. Here is one:
“When you live in complete acceptance of what is, that is the end of all drama in your life. Nobody can even have an argument with you, no matter how hard he or she tries. You cannot have an argument with a fully conscious person.” (From “Power of Now.”)
Now this probably sounds like a great statement to the emotionally polarized. “Yeah, man. Arguing is a bad thing. If he doesn’t argue then he must really be enlightened.”
It sounds like Tolle would never make it to this or any other forum on the Internet.
When I read this statement my “evil” mind reflected on those I have encountered in life who do not argue. The first group that comes to mind are the higher authorities in the Mormon Church. You can’t have an argument with these guys. They just state their absolute truth and that is the end of discussion. Any further disagreement means excommunication.
All the tyrants of the past do not believe in arguing. They merely pronounced their truth in a positive manner and that is it. End of discussion.
Then I thought — who is perhaps the most famous group in history for their intense discussions and arguments? It was the Founding Fathers, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Adams, etc. And who was it that was above the fray and did not want to participate in the arguments?
It was the Royalists — the supporters of the authoritarian British system.
Perhaps the most famous person who involved himself in arguments was Jesus. Everywhere he went he encountered people who argued with him and he argued back. We are even told he argued with the devil himself. He did not just ignore what the devil was saying as Tolle advises.
Other men who were deeply involved in arguing were Socrates, Galileo, Joseph Smith, Martin Luther, Newton, Copernicus, JFK, Lincoln, Edison, and virtually every single soul who has done anything of service for mankind.
In fact, who among the race has accomplished anything who was not good at presenting his case through argument? Even Gandhi made his case through argument from time to time.
If I were to meet Tolle in person the first thing I would do is to try and get a rise out of him. What would he do if I asked a provoking question? Just stare at me with deer in the headlight eyes or what? Maybe he’d just say, “Peace to you brother — go your own way and argue with yourself till you find your essence.”
Now if some readers tell me that I am misunderstanding again, that Tolle and I really agree on this, I think I’ll scream.
“All power corrupts, but we need the electricity.” — Unknown
March 18, 2008
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