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Eckhart Tolle - Spiritual Quotes & Biography

 

"The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it."

"The past has no power over the present moment."

"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life."

"Life is the dancer and you are the dance."

"The power for creating a better future is contained in the present moment: You create a good future by creating a good present."

"All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence."

"You are not separate from the whole. You are one with the sun, the earth, the air. You don't have a life. You are life."

"The more you live in the present moment, the more the fear of death disappears."

"The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated."

"The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive."

"If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place."

"Be true to life by being true to your inner purpose. As you become present and thereby total in the now, you begin to sense the essence of who you are."

"Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now."

"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment."

"I didn't understand it; I just realized the next day that I was suddenly at peace. There was a deep sense of inner calm, although externally nothing had changed, so I knew something drastic had happened. A while after this transformation, I was talking to a Buddhist monk who said that Zen is very simple: You don't rely on thought anymore; you go beyond thinking. Then I realized that's what had happened. All that unhappy, repetitive thinking wasn't there anymore."

 

"You are the universe, you aren't in the universe."

"Don't seek happiness. If you seek it, you won't find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness."

"The more you know yourself, the more clarity there is. Self-knowledge has no end."

"The greatest achievement of humanity is not its works of art, science, or technology, but the recognition of its own dysfunction."

"You are not a problem that needs solving."

"Most people's lives are run by desire and fear. Desire is the need to add something to yourself in order to be yourself more fully. All fear is the fear of losing something and thereby becoming less."

"Accept - then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it."

"Give up defining yourself - to yourself or to others. You won't die. You will come to life."

"All you really need to do is accept this moment fully. You are then at ease in the here and now and at ease with yourself."

"The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it."

 

"Thinking and consciousness are not synonymous. Thinking is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought."

"Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you."

"To end the misery that has afflicted the human condition for thousands of years, you have to start with yourself and take responsibility for your inner state at any given moment. That means now."

"Don't let a mad world tell you that success is anything other than a successful present moment."

"Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally."

"All that is required to become free of fear is to be aware of it, because awareness of fear dissolves it."

"If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place."

"If you don't know what your life's purpose is, your purpose is to find your purpose."

"You cannot be both unhappy and fully present in the Now."

"A person's worth is independent of their achievements or lack thereof."

"The more you live in the present moment, the more the fear of death disappears."

"Love is not selective, just as the light of the sun is not selective. It does not make one person special. It is not exclusive. Exclusivity is not the love of God but the "love" of ego."

"The greatest gift you can give someone is your own happiness."

 

"Life is an adventure, it’s not a package tour."

"Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose."

"Your inner purpose is to awaken."

"The moment you realize you are not present, you are present."

"Instead of seeking happiness, seek a state of inner peace."

"The only true purpose of human life is to reconnect with the timeless and formless essence of your being."

"True change happens within, not without."

"Don’t let a mad world tell you that success is anything other than a successful present moment."

"The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom."

"The greatest satisfaction you can obtain from life is your pleasure in producing, in your own individual way, something useful to others."

"Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed."

"Watch any plant or animal and let it teach you acceptance of what is, surrender to the Now. Let it teach you Being. Let it teach you integrity - which means to be one, to be yourself, to be real."

"The past gives you an identity and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whatever form. Both are illusions."

"If you aren't in the moment, you are either looking forward to uncertainty, or back to pain and regret."

"Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive."

"The secret of life is to "die before you die" - and find that there is no death."

"People don’t realize that now is all there ever is; there is no past or future except as memory or anticipation in your mind."

"Give up waiting as a state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into waiting…snap out of it. Come into the present moment. Just be and enjoy being."

"True communication is communion - the realization of oneness, which is love."

"Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you."

"The moment you become aware of your ego in action, you are present. Whenever you are able to observe your mind, you are no longer trapped in it."

"Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to "die before you die" - and find that there is no death."

"Acceptance of the unacceptable is the greatest source of grace in this world."

"Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence."

"Life is an adventure, it’s not a package tour."

 

"Surrender to what is. Say ‘yes’ to life and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you. "Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there.’"

"True change is within; leave the outside as it is."

"Your outer journey may contain a million steps; your inner journey only has one: the step you are taking right now."

"Life is not an adventure; life is awareness."

"The secret of life is to ‘die before you die’ - and find that there is no death."

"‘What is’ is the foundation of everything. That’s the only thing that is true, the only thing that’s real."

"The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life."

"Let go of the attachment to the outcome and focus on the journey."

"Suffering is not holding you. You are holding suffering. When you become good at the art of letting sufferings go, then you’ll come to realize how unnecessary it was for you to drag those burdens around with you. You’ll see that no one else other than you was responsible. The truth is that existence wants your life to become a festival."

"Life isn’t as serious as the mind makes it out to be."

"Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you."

"Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time - past and future - the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is."

"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment."

"On a deeper level, you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a joyous energy behind what you do."

"Silence is an empty space, space is the home of the awakened mind."

"Being is not only beyond but also deep within every form as its innermost invisible and indestructible essence. This means that it is accessible to you now as your own deepest self, your true nature."

"Nothing that comes and goes is you."

"Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you."

 

 

"The past is no more; the future not yet. Nothing exists except the here and now. Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance but to do what lies clearly at hand."

"Identification with thoughts and the emotions that go with those thoughts creates a false mind-made sense of self, conditioned by the past."

"Be present as the watcher of your mind - of your thoughts and emotions as well as your reactions in various situations. Be at least as interested in your reactions as in the situation or person that causes you to react."

"To be identified with your mind is to be trapped in time: the compulsion to live almost exclusively through memory and anticipation."

"Nothing is worth more than this day."

"True communication is communion-the realization of oneness, which is love."

"You are not a problem that needs solving."

"Watch any plant or animal and let it teach you acceptance of what is, surrender to the Now."

"The moment you become aware of the ego in you, it is strictly speaking no longer the ego, but just an old, conditioned mind-pattern. Ego implies unawareness."

"Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found."

"Give up defining yourself - to yourself or to others. You won't die. You will come to life."

"Where there is anger there is always pain underneath."

"Don't let a mad world tell you that success is anything other than a successful present moment."

"The only true freedom there is, is in the realization that we are free."

"Space has no "existence."

You cannot understand space because it doesn't stand out. Although in itself it has no existence, it enables everything else to exist. Silence has no existence either, nor does the Unmanifested."

"Stillness is the language God speaks, and everything else is a bad translation."

"Discontent, blaming, complaining, self-pity cannot serve as a foundation for a good future, no matter how much effort you make."

"The more you make your thoughts (beliefs) into your identity, the more cut off you are from the spiritual dimension within yourself."

"Death is not the opposite of life. Life has no opposite. The opposite of death is birth. Life is eternal."

"You cannot find yourself in the past or future. The only place where you can find yourself is in the Now."

"Is there a difference between happiness and inner peace? Yes. Happiness depends on conditions being perceived as positive; inner peace does not."

 

"Once you have identified with some form of negativity, you do not want to let it go, and on a deeply unconscious level, you do not want positive change. It would threaten your identity as a depressed, angry or hard-done by person."

"With the ‘little me’ out of the way, you are free to realize the hugeness of the being you are."

"Acceptance of the unacceptable is the greatest source of grace in this world."

"Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand and becoming comfortable with not knowing."

"Silence is an ocean. Speech is a river. When the ocean is searching for you, don't walk into the river. Listen to the ocean."

"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness."

"Joy is the realization of the truth of oneness, the oneness of our soul with the world and of the world-soul with the supreme lover."

"Only the truth of who you are, if realized, will set you free."

"An emotion is the body's response to a thought".

 

 

Eckhart Tolle - Biography

Eckhart Tolle is a spiritual teacher and author who has had a profound impact on the world of personal growth and spirituality. Born in Germany in 1948, Tolle spent much of his early life struggling with depression and anxiety. It wasn't until he was in his 20s that he experienced a spiritual awakening that would change the course of his life.

Tolle's teachings are grounded in the idea that we can all learn to live in the present moment, free from the negative thoughts and emotions that can hold us back. His books and teachings have helped millions of people around the world to find peace, joy, and fulfillment in their lives.

Brief history

He was born Ulrich Leonard Tolle in Lünen, Germany, on February 16, 1948. He spent much of his early life feeling deeply unhappy, and by his late teens, he was struggling with depression and anxiety. Tolle went on to study at the University of London, where he received a degree in literature and language.

After graduating from college, Tolle became a teacher and taught at the university level for several years. It wasn't until he was in his late 20s that he experienced a profound spiritual awakening that would change the course of his life.

Tolle spent the next few years wandering around Europe, living as a vagrant and contemplating the nature of consciousness. He eventually settled in North America and began teaching meditation and spiritual practices to small groups of people.

Major works

* The Power of Now: Tolle's first book, The Power of Now, was published in 1997. It quickly became a bestseller and has since sold millions of copies worldwide. The book offers a practical guide to spiritual enlightenment, showing readers how to live in the present moment and free themselves from negative thoughts and emotions.

* A New Earth: Tolle's second book, A New Earth, was published in 2005. Like The Power of Now, it quickly became a bestseller and has since sold millions of copies. The book focuses on the idea that we can create a new, more peaceful world by learning to live in the present moment and recognizing the interconnectedness of all things.

* Stillness Speaks: Tolle's third book, Stillness Speaks, was published in 2003. The book offers a series of meditations and insights into the nature of consciousness and the importance of stillness in our lives.

* The Eckhart Tolle Audio Collection: This collection features recordings of Tolle's lectures and teachings, offering listeners a deeper understanding of his ideas.

* Guardians of Being: Tolle collaborated with illustrator Patrick McDonnell to create this book, which combines McDonnell's whimsical drawings of animals with Tolle's teachings on mindfulness and living in the present moment.

Awards and accolades

His books have been widely praised for their clarity, wisdom, and practicality. He has received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including the prestigious British Book Award for Author of the Year in 2008.

Tolle's books have also been praised by a wide range of spiritual leaders and thinkers, including Deepak Chopra, Oprah Winfrey, and the Dalai Lama.

Legacy and impact

His teachings have had a profound impact on the world of personal growth and spirituality. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide, and he has been credited with helping countless people find peace, happiness, and fulfillment in their lives.

Tolle's teachings have also been embraced by a wide range of organizations, including businesses, non-profits, and spiritual communities. His ideas have been incorporated into mindfulness and meditation practices, therapy, and personal development programs.

Tolle's legacy is one of compassion, wisdom, and a deep understanding of the human experience. His teachings offer a roadmap for anyone seeking to find peace, joy, and meaning in their lives.

Bibliography

• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (1997)
• Stillness Speaks: Whispers of Now (2003)
• A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (2005)
• Milton's Secret: An Adventure of Discovery through Then, When, and the Power of Now (2008)
• Guardians of Being: Spiritual Teachings from Our Dogs and Cats (2009)
• Oneness With All Life: Inspirational Selections from A New Earth (2008)
• The Joy of Being: Awakening to One's True Identity (2021)

In addition to his books, he has also recorded a number of lectures and talks, which are available on CD and DVD. He continues to teach and offer guidance to those seeking a deeper understanding of spirituality and the human experience.

Tolle's impact can also be seen in the numerous organizations and initiatives that have emerged in response to his teachings. For example, the School of Awakening, founded by Tolle's former assistant Kim Eng, offers workshops and retreats focused on Tolle's teachings, while the Eckhart Tolle Foundation supports a variety of programs aimed at promoting greater awareness, compassion, and peace in the world.

Despite his success and acclaim, Tolle remains a humble and down-to-earth teacher, committed to helping others find greater peace and fulfillment in their lives. His teachings continue to resonate with people around the world, offering a powerful antidote to the stress, anxiety, and confusion of modern life.

 

 

 

 

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