Month: December 2023

Relative Bliss

Since Eckhart Tolle has been a point of heated discussion I thought I would pose a question directed at the heart of his teachings.

The core teaching that he puts forward and that seems to excite people is centered around the great peace and bliss one will feel if they take his advice and cease identifying with the false self or ego.

Now in the beginning of his book, “The Power of Now,” he tells of how he discovered the ego, put it aside and entered into such a strong bliss that he was so caught up he could do not much else than live in a park for a couple years.

I was curious whether his teachings had led others to this state so I read numerous reviews of his books on Amazon. I found a lot of positive comments but could not find anyone who said his writings had led them to a similar experience.

My question is this.

Have you or anyone you know had any such experience which is directly related to studying Tolle’s writings? I of one reader had a similar experience, but it was before he read Tolle’s materials. For him I would ask if studying Tolle enabled you to enter back into that state?

I thought I would analyze Tolle’s spiritual experience since this seems to be the carrot that attracts so many to his teachings.

Before he had his epiphany he was going through a great personal depression. He said he woke —

“With a feeling of absolute dread. I had woken up with such a feeling many times before, but this time it was more intense than it had ever been. The silence of the night, the vague outlines of the furniture in the dark room, the distant noise of a passing train – everything felt so alien, so hostile, and so utterly meaningless that it created in me a deep loathing of the world. The most loathsome thing of all, however, was my own existence. What was the point in continuing to live with this burden of misery? Why carry on with this continuous struggle? I could feel that a deep longing for annihilation, for nonexistence, was now becoming much stronger than the instinctive desire to continue to live.”

The first thing that concerns me about his experience is this extremely unnatural depression seemingly for no given reason. Was he going through a divorce? Did his mother die or did someone run over his dog? It would be interesting to know if there was some reason for this unnatural depression or did it just come upon him? Whatever the case it sounds like he could have had a chemical imbalance of some kind.

Then he reached such a low that he came to the realization that the false self of ego was causing his problems and he removed himself from identification with it. He was sucked into a void that brought him a great bliss so after the experience everything he saw was a source of wonder and joy.

He felt such great bliss that he wasn’t motivated to do anything for himself. He says:

“I was left with nothing on the physical plane. I had no relationships, no job, no home, no socially defined identity. I spent almost two years sitting on park benches in a state of the most intense joy.”

Now the first thing that makes his bliss difficult to evaluate is that it followed a depression so great that he did not even want to continue to exist.

If one is in great pain, then feeling normal is bliss. I know I have been in such great physical pain several times that when relief came, normal was bliss.

The question arises then as to whether Tolle just moved up to normal or a little above normal consciousness and, because it followed a deep depression, that it felt like a great bliss.

Perhaps it would be helpful to compare this to my own highest experience.

My highest bliss was something beyond what I can put in words. If I had to describe it I would say it was something like basking in the spiritual essence and power of a thousand suns. But the interesting thing in my case was that it did not follow any feeling of depression. My circumstances at the time may have depressed many but I was quite at peace with myself and quite happy with my life and enjoyed living it. From this consciousness of enjoying peace, soul contact and fulfillment I was taken to a bliss a thousand times greater than the minor bliss I had.

Even though I have been through many painful experiences I can only remember one time I was depressed and that was a time I was penniless and without food and starving. That depression lasted about five minutes and then my mind got a hold of me, slapped me around and told me to get a hold of myself and quit being a baby. I thus gathered myself together and moved forward and survived the experience and was the wiser for it.

This was not my most painful experience by far, or my most stressful, but it was the one with the greatest temptation to enter into the depressed state. I did not enter into the depressed state because I DECIDED not to. Our power of decision has the power to accept or reject any state of mind that is presented to us.

From my observations, here is the positive and negative that can result from a point of tension derived from a negative or depressed state.

The positive is that the person can change his direction toward a more productive life. For instance, an alcoholic or other addict usually has to hit rock bottom before he will change. Then after hitting rock bottom there seems to be nowhere to go but up and the person will often make a decision to change his life for the better.

The negative is this. During the negative state or during the shift to a more positive one the person often does not think that clearly and is subject to illusion. He will sometimes come away from the point of tension with a mindset that he has the solution to everyone else’s problems when he has not yet solved his own.

On the other hand, if one goes from a positive state to an even more positive state the seeker can maintain the presence of mind to put everything in its right proportion and perspective and illusion is much less likely.

“Labour therefore, is the real measure of the exchangeable value of all commodities. The real price of every thing, what every thing really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.” Adam Smith, “The Wealth of Nations,” Book I, Chapter 5

 

Identification, Fusion and Integration

Perhaps the core teaching that runs through Eckhart Tolle’s writings is that we should release ourselves from identification with the pain body. It takes a little digging to get a full picture of what he means by the pain body but “the three worlds of form” would basically cover it. The three worlds of form are the physical/etheric, the emotional and the mental.

I agree with him that it is indeed an important step to detach ourselves from the worlds of form. For the average person it seems that he is the form and he indeed needs to come to the realization that he is not his body, feelings or lower mind. He can then come a step closer to his true self and see all that transpires in our reality from the viewpoint of the observer.

Now seeing yourself as the observer does not instantly connect one with the higher worlds through the soul, but it is an important step. What it does is remove much of the interference that produces static and thus higher consciousness and contact becomes possible.

Temporary identification with the lower worlds in the whole scheme of things is a positive thing for it gives us a chance to gain experience and evolve into higher states of consciousness.

Fusion with the lower worlds is not a good thing for such intense merging with the unreal makes it seem more real than true reality. The entity thus gets stuck there unable to evolve to the higher until the lower is destroyed.

Those who do so fuse are called the Dark Brotherhood and take the dark light of matter as a substitute for the bright light of the soul.

Now that we find ourselves descended into matter, we can go by this rule of thumb. Identification and/or fusion with that which is lower than our current consciousness is negative and can pull us backwards in evolution.

Identification and/or fusion with that which is higher is a positive occurrence and moves us forward in evolution.

Here then is our current situation. We have identified with the lower worlds and thus our focus of attention has drawn us here. Now the temptation is to fuse here. This temptation we must resist and seek to move higher by shifting our identification from the world before us to the kingdom of the soul.

How do we do this?

Before we can shift our identification, we must make a conscious shift of attention.

This is done in three stages.

[1] First the seeker theoretically learns that there are unseen worlds and is presented with teachings about the kingdom of God and the soul. This draws from him a portion of his attention, whether he believes or not.

[2] The seeker contemplates higher teachings and, after a time, he develops a hope that they are true. The soul then draws a larger portion of attention, but not enough to produce identification.

[3] The seeker has experiences that prove to him the reality of the soul and when the reality of the soul becomes certain knowledge, he then has a shift of most of his attention to that realm. It is at this time that identification begins to take hold.

After a period of identification, the power of focused attention then does its job and the seeker then fuses with his soul. This soul infused personality then works on his next step and focuses on his Monad. He then repeats this procedure until “he and his father are one.”

On a lower level we can use the principles of identification and fusion to our advantage.

Here are real world examples of where they could be used:

Jack is socially awkward and admires Jim for his smooth approach with people. He wishes he could be more like him.

Louise didn’t do well in school and never finished high school. A lot of people seem to think she is not very intelligent. She is fed up with this image and now wants to change and be seen as intelligent by others.

Tony has never had much money and is fed up and wants to change his financial situation to one of abundance.

How can these three use identification and fusion to accomplish their goals?

To understand how these two principles can apply to these examples and ourselves on a practical basis perhaps it would be a good idea to go back to a book I read many years ago.

It was called “Psycho-Cybernetics” and was written by a plastic surgeon named Maxwell Maltz.

After practicing plastic surgery for a number of years, he noticed an interesting effect on many of his patients. An improvement made on their looks was followed by a positive change in their personality. A more pleasant face made then a more pleasant and outgoing person.

He then came to the conclusion that they real key to positive change was not so much physical change, but a change in the way we see ourselves. He thus wrote a very popular book on the idea that by changing the way we see ourselves we can change the way we interact with others and achieve much greater success in life.

He did not use the words identification and fusion, yet he taught the principles behind them.

In other words, many who have undesirable looks identify their inner self with the ugly outer and because of this identification they are afflicted with a negative personality.

When surgery is performed on these people and their looks improved then they re-identify with the new image and their personality followed becoming more pleasant. After a while they fuse with the new image and are permanently changed.

If you want a more pleasant personality like Jack, be seen as smarter like Louise or more prosperity like Tony, then one of the keys to accomplishing this is to meditate a couple times a day and identify yourself with that which you desire to be. If a person will do this then both an inward and outer change will follow. To insure success the person must keep this identification in his consciousness throughout the day. If he does, he will soon fuse with the new image and no more effort will be required. It will then seem as if he was always this new person.

When we see how these principles apply to standard living, we can gain a clearer view of how we can apply them to higher spiritual aspiration. The seeker must obtain an image of his future spiritual self and then identify with it in the present. This will fuse the present with the future and speed the course of evolution.

As with most principles, a Trinity is at play here. In addition to identification and fusion, the third principle is “integration.”

We know that fusion follows identification, but where does integration fit in? Is it first second or third place in the Triangle?

Explain how integration applies to us as we seek to take higher steps in personal and group evolution.

On a higher turn of the spiral, the application of these principles is far beyond what we have imagined. Even so, it is best to stretch our minds and imaginations as much as possible. We develop our spiritual vision through exercise just as we do our physical muscles. This is why it is so advantageous for the group to grasp meaning by contemplation and investigation rather than merely being told a version of the truth.

Those who merely rely on being told without thinking things out for themselves are like those who sit around all day and never get any exercise. We must get into some active motion to strengthen ourselves in any endeavor we approach.

Most of the group placed integration as second in the series as follows: identification – integration – fusion. But then a few of you placed it last: identification – fusion – integration.

So, which is correct?

First let us take a look at the meaning of the word “integrate.” The common meaning is: “To make into a whole by bringing all parts together; unify. To make part of a larger unit.”

The metaphysical meaning goes beyond this somewhat and implies more than merely bring parts together. Parts are indeed brought together to produce integration, as we are speaking of here, but from a spiritual angle the extra ingredient involves consciousness. The seeker not only brings together the higher and lower, but relates them together in his consciousness so they are fully accepted as belonging together. “Conscious acceptance” is the extra key to spiritual integration.

First comes identification. The disciple identifies the higher and sees himself from this higher vantage point. Eventually he realizes the higher is not separate from himself and the identification becomes more of a reality than he had previously imagined. As the reality of the oneness of the higher and the lower become realized, he finds he must adapt to the new reality and integrate his consciousness to accept his “new birth” or new self. When this conscious acceptance is complete, the higher and lower become fused. They are no longer two or more parts but one greater life.

But what about those who said that integration follows fusion? Is there anything to this thought?

Perhaps. To understand let us look at the next step beyond fusion. What happens next is that the fusion is discovered to not be the end of the journey, but a step in the journey and a still higher vision of life is seen. Again, he uses the principle of integration and accepts the fact that his spiritual journey is not at an end, but a new beginning. When he integrates this into his consciousness he lays the groundwork for identifying with a still higher plane and aspect of the One Great Life. Thus the process goes something like this: identification – integration – fusion – integration – higher identification, etc.

In addition, the principle of synthesis is used continuously along the way.

Question: What is the difference between synthesis and integration?

Integration comes before synthesis in the creation of higher life. First there is a desire for the higher, then after some comprehension is grasped the seeker identifies. As the period of identification begins differences between the higher and the lower are noted. For the identification to continue the seeker must therefore integrate his consciousness with the higher by disregarding the differences. This is done by an act of the will.

It is at this step that many fail in group work. The seeker may identify with the group and believe in its goals, but to integrate he must deal with the belief system of his past as it relates to the group work and purpose. Some things must be added and some either given up or put on the shelf. If he is too attached to the past he may not possess the will to integrate. Now, it is understandable that some groups are so far off the mark that integration would be undesirable. We are not talking about this situation, however. We are talking about a group with desirable goals. It matters not how perfect the group, this process of integration and adaptation will be necessary.

After the seeker then accepts his next step and integrates, he then begins to synthesize and become a part of the higher life in a molecular order. He next fuses with the higher life until this seems to be the natural place to dwell in consciousness. As this fusion takes place so does additional synthesis. The unifying elements from the lower blend with the higher, leaving that which is not necessary behind. In the end you have a new creation which is synthesis of all workable parts collected along the path.

Integration in two parts of the universe will often produce two different results, but when complete and fusion/synthesis takes place the final creations are the same.

For instance, the various hydrogen atoms integrate and produce different results. But when they combine as two atoms molecularly, the results are the same.

Later they fuse and the result is always helium. It doesn’t matter when or where it happens whether it is in this galaxy or one far away.

Even so with us. As we evolve into higher consciousness, we achieve the same end results that other lives in other systems achieve. What we end up achieving is new to us, but this newness will be the same, in the end, as that achievement accomplished in other sections of the universe.

“He who praises you for what you lack wishes to take from you what you have.” — Don Juan Manuel (1282 – 1349)

March 24, 2008

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The Mind and What Is

Concerning Eckhart Tolle, a reader says he never says to not think, he says that the mind has to be subservient to the higher intelligence so that thinking is in alignment with soul.

That may be true but Tolle also says that life on earth was not created “through thinking.” This makes no sense to me. Can even a computer be created without someone doing some thinking? I don’t think so.

According to Tolle the mind is the major part of the ego and in many cases the power of thought can find the solution to emotional pain. Of course, if you go higher than mind to the intuition this is even better but mind is higher than emotion and can figure out how to satisfy the emotional body.

Then the reader says I am misrepresenting Tolle’s teaching on accepting what is.

So are you saying that when Tolle says to not resist what is, but to say yes to it, he is really saying to go ahead and change what is? But when we are attempting to change what is we are not really accepting what is are we? This complexity makes understanding DK look like kindergarten.

Yes, he may later tell us to accept what we cannot change, but the above statement was all-inclusive and tells us to accept all that is which would include that which we can and cannot change.

In the New Earth he tells the story of Hakuin, the Zen Master who yielded to unreasonable accusations and demands of his neighbors. He was not accepting what could not be changed, but what could and should be changed for the life of a child was at stake.

To this Tolle says:

“Only if you resist what happens are you at the mercy of what happens, and the world will determine your happiness and unhappiness.”

Now let us go back to the Hitler example. Hitler and Nazism happened upon the world. According to the “what is” philosophy those then that resisted him would have been “at the mercy of what happens.”

According to Tolle teachings then people should have not resisted what Hitler did (just as Hakuin did not resist injustice) because this gives Hitler power to make them happy or unhappy. Just accept whatever he does and if Hitler gasses your kid or takes away your freedom and you just accept it then neither the world or Hitler will have power to make you unhappy.

This is an incorrect teaching. You will recall that DK told us that the Christ and the Hierarchy did not accept “what is” and yield to injustice during World War II but threw their weight on the side of the Allies.

In Tolle’s example the Zen Master was falsely accused of impregnating a neighbor girl and he did not defend himself. As a consequence his reputation was ruined.

Instead of accepting the false accusations he should have defended himself and then after all he had done all he could do to reveal the truth it would have THEN been right to accept whatever happens. Not accepting what cannot be changed is where people really get in trouble and suffer grievances. But if our judgement tells us that change is necessary then it is not a virtue to just accept what is and not resist.

The famous truism correctly says: “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.” If all good men just accept what is then good men will do nothing corrective and evil will triumph.

Some think I should emphasize similarities with Tolle rather than differences, but I am taking the same approach that I have always taken from the beginning of this forum and that is to call truth as I see it. I was just going to make a simple comment on Tolle and then move on, but was asked to elaborate on what I thought were illusions in his teachings and since then it has taken a life of its own. I was then asked to refrain from more comments until I had studied his books. Well I have read both books and parts of them more than once. I believe I am ready to make as intelligent comments on Tolle’s writings as I was Benjamin Crème, The Urantia Book, “A Course in Miracles” and others.

I have been stating where I agree and disagree. The problem is that when I agree with what he says about all I have to say is “I agree.” When I disagree I must give an explanation or the disagreement will not make sense.

It seems the whole world is following after this guy and in awe of his wisdom. I think it is important for followers to get exposed to a different point of view on some of the more controversial teachings.

Yes, I could ignore our differences and whitewash my words and perhaps an opportunity would come to attract the Tolle believers. But to do this I would have to speak half-truths when commenting on his materials. I would rather speak the highest truth I can perceive and accept what is and have a smaller audience that isn’t afraid to look at alternative views.

Any success through not following the highest I know will be temporary. Only the purest possible truth can withstand the test of the ages.

March 23, 2008

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Comparing Teachings

Eckart Tolle speaks over and over to those who are in pain, have anxiety, worry and unwanted thoughts that disturb them. Actually, his book reminds me a lot of Dale Carnegie’s “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.” He uses a different vocabulary but a lot of the advice is the same as well as the end goal of being at peace despite the concerns surrounding us.

Here are the words of an Amazon reviewer on the Carnegie book that sounds a lot like the reviews of the Tolle books:

“And most importantly, this book teaches you how those people learned to LET GO of their worry and truly, start living differently. Since reading this book, I can much more easily let go of things that used to tear me apart and made me sick thinking about. I wish the author was around to thank, but somehow you just know he knows.”

Actually, I think Tolle’s writings correspond to Carnegie’s “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.” Similar to “The Secret” is to Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich.” Similar ideas of old in a new package for the present.

Here is some additional dialog comparing my thinking to Tolle’s writings:

ET: The ego says: “One day, when this, that, or the other happens, I am going to be okay, happy, at peace.”

JJ: I agree here that many people’s egos seem to have this illusion and for these people Tolle’s writings will be especially helpful. Actually, disciples usually aren’t that bothered if they are happy or not but of course happiness is more fun.

ET: Tolle talks about how enlightened people oscillate between mind and no mind.

JJ: I agree with this and have pointed out how many of the great minds of the past have been “absent-minded” because of their focus on ideas. I do not know if I would call it mindlessness as more of a quieting of the mind chatter of the lower self.

ET: “The mind is essentially a survival machine. Attack and defense against other minds, gathering, storing, and analyzing information.”

JJ: Sounds like he is talking about consciousness as related to the physical brain rather than pure mind.

ET: “In the way I use the word (Mind), is not just thought. It includes your emotions as well as all unconscious mental-emotional reactive patterns.”

JJ: This is a pretty broad definition of mind. No wonder some of his writings on mind seem confusing.

ET: “It wasn’t through the mind, through thinking, that the miracle that is life on earth or your body were created….”

JJ: I would say it had to be done by some kind of mind that figured things out. Let us go back to a time that our DNA did not exist and there was only conscious intelligence focused in the NOW. At that time the DNA did not exist in the present, but the future. Some mind had to come along and look at the needs of the future and figure out how to construct the DNA. If there are any other theories on how intelligence could do this without thinking I would like to hear it.

ET: Suppression is not healthy. We need to be in touch with our emotions.

JJ: Agreed.

ET: He says the mind cannot find the solution to emotional pain.

JJ: My mind has found the solution to emotional pain on a regular basis throughout my life. Without my good ole mind I may have gone insane for I have had much more than my share of emotional turbulence. From my observation it is those who do not think about what they are doing that create the great emotional dramas.

ET: “Love, joy, and peace … are not what I would call emotions.”

JJ: Love and joy are not negative emotions, but I would definitely call the feeling of them an emotional experience.

ET: “The intensity of the pain depends on the degree of resistance to the present moment, and this in turn depends on how strongly you are identified with your mind.”

JJ: We are close on this but with a subtle difference. I have said that pain is caused by a resistance to impulses received from the soul. Sometimes you need to resist what is to avoid paid. For instance, if we did not resist Hitler we would have multiplied the pain of humanity many times over. When I see I am about to drive over a cliff I will resist what is and my good old faithful mind will make a correction that saves much pain.

ET: “Always say ‘yes’ to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to something that already is? What could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is.”

JJ: I really, really, really disagree with this. So people living under Hitler should have just accepted the Nazis because they were “what is” at that time? Thank God I have not surrendered to what is or I would be miserable. I have changed “what is” so my life is free from emotional pain and quite joyful.

Now if he were to tell us to accept the things we cannot change, or higher will, then that would be a different matter, but he did not say this.

ET: In the chapter of “Power of Now” called “Past Pain: Dissolving The Pain-Body” he describes the pain body as composed of past pains that are activated by a trigger of some kind.

JJ: Some think this is the Dweller on the Threshold but he is almost exactly describing the reactive mind, or body from L. Ron Hubbard’s “Science of Mental Health.” The problem is he doesn’t give Hubbard any credit for borrowing his ideas. He does use the term “reactive” several times in describing it but would be more concise if he used Hubbard’s word “engram” to describe the “dormant” pain.

According to Hubbard the reactive body was a survival mechanism that evolved in all animal lives that the human is on the verge out outgrowing for we do not need it to survive as do the animals.

The reactive body is not capable of logic but just simply reacts to pain as a survival mechanism.

Let us take a small fish for instance that has wandered into dangerous waters. He encounters a bigger fish that chased him, takes a bite out of his tail, but he barely escapes with his life. During the moment of intense danger and pain his reactive body kicks in and takes a snapshot of everything the fish experienced to avoid this situation again. This body will record a couple things like the type of seabed, the other fish in the area or maybe even the temperature of the water. These recordings are called engrams.

Then the fish may live a pretty normal fish life for a month or so but then when he wanders into the dangerous waters again, he sees a similar seabed again and this kicks in the engram. The reactive mind takes over and the fish panics whether there is a predator fish there or not. The fish feels a painful impulse to get out of there fast and he flees from what the reactive mind sees as danger.

Hubbard says the reactive mind has been helpful for animals and primitive man, but for modern humanity it creates more problems than it prevents.

Let us say, for example that you are playing ball and get hit on the head and are laying on the ground in a semi conscious situation. Your reactive mind kicks in and for your protection it tries to assess everything you should avoid in order for the pain to not return.

Here is what it takes in:

1. The thumping of feet.
2. A sweaty smell in the air.
3. Someone shouts: “Get a doctor!”

These then are three triggers in the reactive mind that can be activated any time.

Let us suppose the guy heals up and resumes life as normal for ten years. Then one day his grandmother has a heart attack and everyone gathers round. He hears the thumping of feet, the air smells a little like sweat and someone yells, “Get a doctor!”

Suddenly the engram kicks in and the guy gets a splitting headache. Little does he know that this is his reactive mind’s signal to him that he is in danger and should flee. Instead, he just wonders where the pain came from.

Now the engram is activated the headache may return any time he hears the word “doctor” and may even lead to an unreasonable fear of doctors.

He has no idea what is happening to him because he does not understand the reactive mind.

Now according to Hubbard all of us have many engrams that interfere with a productive life and causes unnecessary fears and worries. He developed a method of returning to the pain and neutralizing it. When all engrams are neutralized the person is then a “clear,” and his state of being is supposed to be much enhanced.

Now where Hubbard created an elaborate and very expensive method of becoming “clear” Tolle has developed a simple one which simply consists of detaching oneself from the pain or reactive body and raising one’s consciousness. He was not the first to suggest this method as I briefly described it several times as early as September, 1999.

I wrote:

“The removal of engrams can have some benefit for the astrally polarized person, but what the Scientologists do not realize is that soul consciousness can eliminate most of the problems created by engrams, and the financial cost is zero.

“He who has firm soul contact can register the effects of engrams, prayers, influences and then let them pass through him and dissipate into the ethers.

“Any time you do not feel free it is because some knowledge is lacking for ‘you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,’ as the Master said.

“If we ‘seek first the kingdom of God,’ as Jesus also said, ‘then all things will be added.’ This includes a release from engrams and all unwanted influences from painful childhood experiences through soul contact.”

Now I doubt if Tolle got this idea from reading the archives but it does sound like he accumulated some of his ideas on the pain body from studying Hubbard’s writings.

Residual Reading

A reader was talking about getting impressions of books before actually reading them. I do something similar and it’s a little like the residual reading principle taught in my book “Eternal Words.” Often times I do not even need to see the book but just hear the name of the author and the quality of his writing and presentation looms before my inner vision. This has happened many times and it has been very accurate.

When I first heard the name Alice A. Bailey I knew I had to read her books even though, as it turned out, they went entirely against my belief system at the time.

You might remember a couple years ago I rated the writings of Helen Roerich before I had read anything she had written. I later read a couple of her books and found my assessment accurate.

When I first heard the title “A Course in Miracles” I felt the impression that this was a must read.

I had various impressions on “The Celestine Prophecy,” “Conversations with God,” Deepak Chopra, Gary Zukav, and now Eckhart Tolle before I read them, and they have all turned out just as expected. Since I have little time for reading, I find these impressions help me to use what time I have to the best advantage.

After our recent discussion on economics, I received an impression to read a certain book. It cost me fifty USD dollars but I bought it anyway because I know there are some things in there my soul wants me to absorb. I haven’t started it yet, but looking forward to the discoveries I will make.

I hear some thoughts in the background. What’s that? My mind was made up on Tolle in advance and that is why I am not understanding him? No my friends, it is why I do understand him and see things between his lines that some are missing.

“Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present.” — English Proverb

March 21, 2008

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The Mind Never Sleeps

There seems to be some confusion as to how my teachings on “being” compare to Tolle’s.

DK, Tolle and myself all talk of the advantages of “Being.” That has never been in dispute. The difference between Tolle and myself is not that he believes in Being and I do not — far from it. The difference is he subscribes to the basic tenet of the “Nothingness Philosophy” and I do not.

Here is the basic difference:

Tolle believes the created world is basically a source of pain that seems to serve no purpose except we need to escape from it. When we do this world and all its effects will be as if it never was. In the end we will be as we were in the beginning so we came here for nothing and all creation exists for no purpose except to escape from.

Both DK and myself see it differently. First, the goal is not to escape until we have fulfilled the goals of experience here. It is frustrating for the average person to focus on leaving this world before he has gained the experience he came here to attain. When we do go from precept to precept and line upon line until we do master all things, but as creation folds up, creation is not as if it never was. DK describes the great pralaya as “not as that which is not, but that which is esoteric.” He says that which we take with is “the quality of conscious knowledge and the fruit of all experience.”

This cannot happen in Tolle’s Nothingness Philosophy because he says that when all is said and done the world of creation with all us egos will be as if it never was.

DK talks about the first solar system and even though it is no more in the world of form he talks frequently of how its past existence still has a powerful effect on our present. Tolle says that only the present matters.

From Tolle’s perspective it should have no effect since it has gone to the Unmanifest.

The problem of Tolle placing so much emphasis on the fruitlessness of this world is that many followers will put premature attention on escape and wind up being of no use to God and man, similar to Tolle during the two years he spent on a park bench just dreaming of otherworldliness. It’s a good thing some well-meaning souls still in this world gave him some scraps to eat.

All those who believe in the “Nothingness Philosophy” admit that we have to make the best of the current reality, but they say in the end it will be as if nothing in creation ever was.

A lot of what Tolle says in this direction comes from A Course in Miracles, from which he seems to extract many of his teachings, but the Course does not teach that the final reality is nothingness, but everything. It does describe this world as a dream from which we will awaken, but it does say we will take some things with us just as DK does. Here is a quote:

“All your past except its beauty is gone, and nothing is left but a blessing. I have saved all your kindnesses and every loving thought you ever had. I have purified them of the errors that hid their light, and kept them for you in their own perfect radiance. They are beyond destruction.” T-5.IV.8

According to the Course then all that is related to love and beauty will go with us to the eternal world, which is far from nothingness.

I’ve received some additional comment relating the idea that my teachings are on the mental level reaching to the emotional and Tolle’s are from the buddhic/intuitive level reaching out to the mentally polarized.

To this Anni makes an interesting response:

“This simply doesn’t make sense to me! Do you really think that Tolle is teaching on the buddhic level? And just how many people on this earth would need that as their next step? Humanity is still polarized on the astral level, so even if we pretend that Tolle’s teachings are on the buddhic level — how many people would he appeal to on this earth? 10? 20? 30? 100? Certainly not ‘the masses’ — it is NOT their next step.

“In fact JJ’s teachings are for ‘the masses’ — helping them to take their next step into mental polarization.”

I agree with Anni here. I think my critics have it backwards.

The intuition reaches up to the buddhic plane and brings down original ideas and new light on principles, for the language in this plane is the language of principles.

As I read through Tolle’s words I see no new principles revealed and no new light shed on existing principles. He’s basically encapsulated several existing philosophies into a format of his own. If one maintains that Tolle is drawing from the buddhic level then you need to find a new principle that he is expounding.

If Tolle wants to reach mentally polarized people and lift them up then he would have to first reach into the buddhic plane himself and draw new principles and then present them on a mental level. Because Tolle sees the mind as an obstacle that needs to be set aside then I don’t see much of a chance of doing this. If he is not using the mind then he will be reduced to speaking on an emotional level. However, I see that he does use some mind even though he calls mind an enemy.

ET Dialog

I never intended to get so sidetracked on my differences with Eckhart Tolle [ET], but after all this feedback I thought I would make a post covering some of his teachings and whether or not they agree with my thinking.

ET: “Truth is within.”

JJ: A common maxim, but only half true. In this world we are stimulated from without and verify from within.

ET: “You are not your mind.”

JJ: Another ancient maxim and is true concerning your lower mind.

ET: “The greatest obstacle to obtaining the bliss of Being is identification with the mind.”

JJ: It is an obstacle to a handful of people who use their minds, but the greatest obstacle is identification with lower emotion since this is where about 90% of humanity is polarized.

ET: “Enlightenment is a state of wholeness, of being ‘at one’ and therefore at peace. At one with life in its manifested aspect, the world, as well as with your deepest self and life unmanifested — at one with Being.”

JJ: Enlightenment has to do with “light” rather than peace. An enlightened one receives light and has an increase in knowledge and understanding because of it. Peace comes to most people who follow their inner guidance.

ET: “We are one with all there is.”

JJ: Esoterically this is true.

ET: “Thinking has become a disease.”

JJ: Illusion is the disease and correct thinking is the cure.

ET: “There is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought.”

JJ: Without thought does intelligence even manifest? I do not think so. What is overlooked by Tolle is that there is a higher and lower mind. The lower mind is subject to illusion and the higher is not.

ET: “We need to watch the thinker to achieve enlightenment.”

JJ: Partially true. We need to be able to see ourselves as the observer and watch the physical, emotional and mental parts of ourselves as if we were watching a movie to avoid getting too attached.

ET: “The good news is that you can free yourself from your mind. This is the only true liberation.”

JJ: This may be a step toward liberation. The first great step happens when the seeker can recognize illusions that are embraced by the lower mind and then dispels them.

ET: “You can enter bliss in a ‘no mind’ state.”

JJ: This applies to the lower mind only. The higher mind never sleeps. If it did, we would not exist.

You can get quite blissful quieting the mind and emotions, but then it is necessary to return to the real (or unreal) world of form and play here until we achieve liberation.

Many things that Tolle says causes him pain are entertaining to me, which makes me wonder what kind of thinking process he uses.

The true object of all human life is play. —G.K. Chesterton

March 20, 2008

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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

To search the website, containing millions of words, replace the word “search” with the word or phrase you want to find and place the entire line in the Google search box.

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Index for Original Archives

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