Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

In this podcast, Eckhart talks about how difficult life circumstances often trigger awakening. Whether it’s a life-threatening disease, loss of a loved one or break up of a marriage he says pain is the touchstone to all spiritual growth. Eckhart says many people eventually become grateful for their problems because without them they would not evolve. Eckhart also describes it as liberation from the burden of oneself. When the hard shell of the ego cracks open, we discover a realm of consciousness we haven’t known before. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this episode, Eckhart explains that it is the destiny of all people to awaken from the conditioning of their minds and to free themselves from compulsive thinking. He explains when we resist awakening, we create suffering for ourselves and others. But even then difficulties can eventually bring about spiritual growth. He says the process is gradual and there will be many setbacks because humanity is not a finished product. Eckhart explains the entire universe is moving toward higher consciousness. We are a part of a vast evolutionary movement. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this episode, Eckhart talks with an audience in Prague. He explains what happens as we become more conscious. He says we suddenly recognize our Beingness, in addition to the human aspect of ourselves. We become aware of the transcendent realm that Eckhart describes as an emanation from the one source of universal consciousness. Eckhart says we can also call this God. Clarity emerges, because our mind is free of compulsive thinking. We sense more deeply the aliveness of everything around us. We experience the sacredness of another person, a tree, a flower. Eckhart says the secret of life is to continue giving our fullest attention to whatever is in front of us. He explains there’s beauty in the simplest things when they’re done consciously. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this podcast, Eckhart talks further about a necessary shift in consciousness. Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism all point to this message. Collectively, we’ve been reaching toward enlightenment for millennia. The Buddha taught that we are here to awaken. Jesus also emphasized the importance of staying awake. Each of these traditions suggests there is a higher level of consciousness beyond our waking state. But Eckhart says for most of us that lies dormant because we are enmeshed in the ego. He explains suffering is inseparable from the ego identity and once we realize that, we will find the path to liberation. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this podcast, Eckhart talks with an audience in Prague. He explains that most people are searching for an identity. For many that leads to disappointment. Eckhart uses the word dukkha which in Buddhism means suffering. He explains most of us are consumed with thoughts about our problems which become part of our identity. We also define ourselves through externals: our bodies, possessions, even our ancestry becomes an identity. Eckhart says many people don’t realize they are unhappy because they think it’s a normal state. Eckhart explains we’re looking in the wrong place because when we discover our true identity, we awaken spiritually. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this episode, Eckhart talks further about freeing ourselves from the ego. He says while it served a powerful purpose for our spiritual growth, it’s now time to let it go. Eckhart explains one of the pitfalls of the ego is our emotional reactivity. He says challenges have the potential to pull us into anger and fear. When we react, we’re at the mercy of situations and other people; they affect us internally. But they don’t have to because Eckhart says it's an enormous discovery to finally realize difficulties don’t have to derail us. Things can still go wrong but we don’t have to react and instead practice presence. Suddenly we find we’re more conscious because he says as we grow in awareness our emotional reactivity recedes. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this episode, Eckhart talks about the two different aspects of knowing: conceptual knowing and a deeper kind of intuitive knowing. He says indigenous cultures and people in the ancient world were deeply familiar with the idea that everything has a soul. They shared a profound empathy with nature and felt its aliveness. Eckhart says we have lost touch with this kind of knowing in current times. Through the overdevelopment of thinking, we have reduced the natural world to mental concepts. Today we think of evolution as a random process devoid of meaning. Eckhart says it’s the price we’ve paid for the over-emphasis on science and technology. To illustrate his point, Eckhart recalls a tour through a magnificent forest. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this podcast, Eckhart says as we grow spiritually, we approach the challenges in our lives differently. We may encounter obstacles or difficult people, but he says we don’t get discouraged. We should face the issue in front of us consciously because we’ve learned to accept the present moment with ease. The ego believes fighting against situations is real power, but the opposite is actually true. The ancient romans had a phrase: Amor Fati. Eckhart says it means to love what is. He explains true power comes when we love the Is-ness of the present moment, no matter what. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this episode, Eckhart talks with an audience in Hawaii. He jokes that while many are reluctant to leave the island paradise, their task is to bring expanded consciousness to every area of their lives. Eckhart explains as awareness grows, we add a dimension of presence to everything we do. We may work the same job, but we do it in a different way. We become still and then take our insights into action. Eckhart says giving the fullest attention to our performance in the moment is critical. Then whatever task we perform has purpose whether it’s creating a work of art or running a company we release excessive focus on the outcome.  The Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu text, referred to it as Karma Yoga because Karma means action. When we attend to our daily lives whatever action we take becomes part of our spiritual practice. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this episode, Eckhart explains once we accept that life is here to challenge us, we can let go of our resistance. When adversity shows up, including the difficult people in our lives, we can recognize them as a catalyst for change. Eckhart says no one can act beyond their level of consciousness. And when we expect others to be more aware than they are, it’s a recipe for suffering. Eckhart admits we all will experience conflict in relationships with family, friends and colleagues. He reiterates that life is not here to make us happy, it’s here to help us awaken. He says no one awakens in their comfort zone. So, when difficulties arise – surrender because it’s the quickest path to peace and perhaps enlightenment! Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this episode, Eckhart unveils more of his unique wisdom. He elaborates on knowing one’s self beyond our conceptual identity. He explains we all have an image of ourselves defined by our bodies, clothes, careers, and the voice in the head which he describes as the narratives we create to interpret the world. All these things contribute to our sense of self. Eckhart says we need to look further. He explains the ancient Greeks defined the idea with the aphorism Know Thyself. Eckhart says this wisdom points to a more profound knowing and a deeper self which is beyond the personality. In Hinduism it’s called the Atman. In Buddhism it’s called the no-self. Eckhart says many traditions recognize this sacred aspect as part of our spiritual heritage. In knowing thyself we discover the deepest core of our being. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this podcast, Eckhart discusses the Horizontal and the Vertical dimensions as he has in previous talks. Eckhart explains the Horizontal is the realm of our everyday lives, where we experience the world with our senses, doing and thinking. Then there’s the Vertical or the transcendent which is where we have the root of our being.  Eckhart says it’s our job to bring the two together and to have a foot in both worlds. Eckhart says as we grow in awareness, we will realize we are but temporary manifestations of this vast consciousness that is the miracle of life. He says while we are here on earth, we must learn to be in the world, but not of it. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this episode, Eckhart talks more about transcending the heavy burden of self. He says most people can’t stand themselves and yearn to be free…even if the desire is unconscious. He says the relentless barrage of thinking pushes many to seek relief… through substances like… alcohol, marijuana or other drugs. He explains for a fleeting moment we may find a reprieve… until the high wears off…and we’re back in the turmoil again.  Or we post on social media…hoping to find love and acceptance there… racking up “likes.” But that too often backfires. Eckhart says we’re reaching for the wrong thing. We will never find what we seek in our limited thinking, or our superficial ideas about ourselves and the world. Eckhart says the greatest spiritual practice we can do is to let go of thought. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this podcast, Eckhart talks about living more consciously and how it transforms our lives. He says when we live in both the Being and the Doing dimension, it brings harmony, especially in our relationships. He explains then we’re no longer looking for conflict and we don’t fear or compete with other people. The toxic dysfunction that is part of the ego dissipates. Eventually, we are able to sense the deeper self in others, beyond the personality, because we have experienced it in ourselves. The recognition of this sacredness is the greatest gift we can give anyone. Eckhart says it is also what Buddhists call Meta or loving-kindness. He believes this is what the world truly needs, and it will transform everything. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods  You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this podcast, Eckhart says all of us will experience a flowering of consciousness. However, it may not take root in this lifetime. Eckhart says many people lose faith in God when things go wrong in their lives. They feel God has broken a promise. Eckhart says he had this experience in childhood having grown up Catholic, he prayed every night for his family life to improve. But it didn’t get better. By the time he was thirteen, Eckhart says he lost interest in God, because he thought God had lost interest in him. He says God is something far deeper than what we pray to and vaster than any mental concept or idol we may worship. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods   You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN   

In this episode, Eckhart discusses one of his key messages: our primary purpose here on Earth is a spiritual one. He says it is our job to free ourselves of the mind-made sense of self, which has never been more destructive.  He says all ancient teachings point to this timeless message. Eckhart goes on to explain if we don’t come to some understanding of that truth in this lifetime, then we have completely missed the point.  Eckhart says that nomatter what we achieve in this world, it will not provide the lasting satisfaction we’re looking for. We will not fill the inner void which is where our spirituality should be. Careers, money, property prestige won’t do it. There may be some temporary sense of excitement or accomplishment. But it won’t last long. Eckhart says we must look to our beingness for salvation…then the transcendent dimension becomes a discovery, not an achievement.Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPodsYou can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN  

In this episode Eckhart talks further about the pain body. He compares it to the character Gollum, in Lord of the Rings. He says the pain body, feeds on suffering and creates misery for everyone.  However, Eckhart explains once we recognize the pain body for what it is, we don’t have to be held hostage anymore. Our awareness is the first step toward freedom. Eckhart goes on to say that people with a heavy pain body are often eager to awaken spiritually. The discomfort becomes so great, they take action to alleviate it. Eckhart admits he was such a person.  Early in life, he was deeply unhappy with himself… until age twenty nine, when he underwent a profound spiritual transformation. Eckhart explains the pain body may seem like a huge obstacle. However, paradoxically, he says it can also act as a powerful catalyst to awaken. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPodsYou can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN  

In this podcast, Eckhart says one of the hurdles we must confront regularly is our unconscious thinking.  He says our relentless, self-centered thoughts actually feed the ego and keep us mired in a fictitious sense of self. He explains the ego loves problems and strengthens its grip by creating suffering for ourselves and others. Eckhart says if we’re not growing spiritually, when crises strike, they will make us even more unconscious. But there’s a paradox. Eckhart explains suffering can actually push us to awaken. When we can’t take the pain anymore, we finally surrender. He says most unhappiness is not the result of life’s difficulties…it’s our reaction to them. Eckhart says when we have a foot on the path, misfortune is no longer an obstacle. Instead it becomes an opportunity for spiritual growth.Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPodsYou can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN  

In this podcast Eckhart talks with an audience in Stockholm, Sweden. He says the idea is to inhabit The Now. Ironically, he says most of us try to escape it…through activities, addiction or our thinking. We would rather be anywhere other than here. We say: “I’ve got too much going on. I don’t have time for presence. ” Eckhart explains this mindset can wreak havoc with our lives and create dysfunction. He says the most important thing any of us can do is to embody consciousness. He says evolution on this planet is actually happening through us. And on a larger scale, we are inseparable from the awakening universe.Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPodsYou can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN  

In this podcast, Eckhart elaborates further about finding freedom from the bondage of self. He says the first step is to confront our thinking and resist the urge to identify with every thought we have. Eckhart says rising above thinking paves the way to liberation. Many people try to free themselves through substances like alcohol, drugs, food and sex.  While these might provide some fleeting relief Eckhart says what we’re really doing is falling below thinking and spiraling down into unconsciousness and addiction. Eckhart warns that we arequickly moving towards a crisis point for humanity and the planet. However, reaching this pivotal moment does not have to spell disaster. On the contrary, Eckhart says it’s precisely during a crisis that we have the greatest opportunity to evolve and when the need is most dire,large-scale transformation becomes even more possible. He says many people are ready for a shift in consciousness. Eckhart urges us onward because he says awakening is no longer a luxury it’s a necessity for our survival.Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPodsYou can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN