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Eckhart Tolle (German pronunciation: [ˈɛk.haʀt ˈtɔlə]) (born February 16, 1948) is a German / Canadian spiritual teacher, motivational speaker, and writer.[1]
Early life[edit | edit source]
Born Ulrich Leonard Tolle in Lünen, near Dortmund, Germany, Eckhart Tolle lived with his father in Spain from about the age of 13 to 19, approximately between the years 1961 and 1967, after which he moved to the United Kingdom.[1] He had no formal education between the ages of 13 and 22, refusing to go to school because he felt it was "hostile environment"; instead, he pursued his own interests, such as literature, astronomy and language.[1]
Tolle graduated from the University of London and entered, but did not complete, a doctoral program at Cambridge University,[2] having studied literature, languages and philosophy.[1] At the age of 29, Tolle experienced what he calls an "inner transformation" after suffering long periods of suicidal[3] depression.[2]
Since 1996, he has lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[4][5]
Teachings[edit | edit source]
Tolle's emphasizes not being caught up in thoughts of past and future as a way of being aware of the present moment. He asserts that it is the feeding of the human ego that is the source of inner and outer conflict, and that only by examining the ego may people begin to see beyond it and obtain a sense of spiritual enlightening or a new outlook on reality.
Influences[edit | edit source]
At about the age of fifteen he received five books that were written by a German mystic, Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken, also known as Bô Yin Râ. Tolle responded "very deeply" to those books.[1] He said the first texts with which he came in contact after the awakening and in which he found deep understanding were the New Testament, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Te Ching and teachings of The Buddha.[1] In The Power of Now, he mentioned the writings of Meister Eckhart, Advaita Vedanta, A Course in Miracles, the Bible, mystical Islam, Sufism, and Rumi's poetry, as well as Zen Buddhism's Lin-chi (Linji in pinyin ) (Rinzai) school. In the book Dialogues with Emerging Spiritual Teachers by John W. Parker, he has acknowledged a strong connection to J Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharshi and stated that his teaching is a coming together of the teachings of both those teachers, and it is a continuation of that. In addition, he states that by listening to and speaking with the spiritual teacher Barry Long, he understood things more deeply.[1][6]
Business organization[edit | edit source]
Tolle's for-profit company sells a wide variety of spirtual development materials via his website. In a 2003 interview with the Telegraph Magazine, Tolle indicated that he has no intention to create "a heavy commercial structure". Neither has he any intention to set up an ashram or centre, but has left open the possibility that "it could develop organically".[7]
Works[edit | edit source]
Books[edit | edit source]
- The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, New World Library, October, 1999 ISBN 1-57731-152-3 (HC) ISBN 1-57731-480-8 (PB)
- Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises from The Power of Now, New World Library, October 10 2001 ISBN 1-57731-195-7 (HC)
- Stillness Speaks: Whispers of Now, New World Library, August, 2003 ISBN 1-57731-400-X
- A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, Dutton, October 11 2005 ISBN 0-525-94802-3
- Oneness With All Life: Inspirational Selections from A New Earth, Penguin Group, November 2008
- (to be released in September, 2009) Guardians of Being
Audio Books[edit | edit source]
- What is Meditation?
- Practicing the Power of Now
- Companion to the Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, June 2001
- Living the Liberated Life and Dealing With the Pain Body, October 2001
- The Realization of Being: A Guide to Experiencing Your True Identity, October 2001
- Know That "I Am", January 1 2002
- Even the Sun Will Die: An Interview With Eckhart Tolle, September 2001
- The Eckhart Tolle Audio Collection, September 2002
- The Essence of Now, 2002
- Choose to Awaken Now, 2002
- In the Presence of a Great Mystery, 2002
- Realizing the Power of Now: An In-Depth Retreat With Eckhart Tolle, June 2003
- Entering the Now, August 2003
- Gateways to Now, September 1 2003
- Whispers, January 1 2004
- The Flowering of Human Consciousness, May 2004
- Living a Life of Inner Peace, October 10 2004
- Practicing Presence: A Guide for the Spiritual Teacher and Health Practitioner, November 1 2004
- Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat: Stillness Amidst the World, October 10 2005
- Through the Open Door: Journey to the Vastness of Your True Being, January 30 2006
DVDs[edit | edit source]
- The Flowering of Human Consciousness: Everyone's Life Purpose, Namaste Publishing, Inc., 2001 ISBN 1-59179-154-5
- Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat - Stillness Amidst The World, New World Library, ISBN 1-57731-509-x
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Dialogues With Emerging Spiritual Teachers, by John W. Parker Sagewood Press, 2000. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "int" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "int" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "int" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "int" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Eckhart Tolle Biography New York Times, Times Topics, March 5, 2008.
- ↑ Ripples on the Surface of Being, What is Enlightenment. Retrieved on 2009-04-20.
- ↑ Spreading the Change The Vancouver Sun, February 2, 2008.
- ↑ Eckhart Biography. Retrieved on 2009-09-06.
- ↑ Eckhart Tolle Australian TV Interview, Seven Network. Retrieved on 2009-04-20.
- ↑ Why now is bliss. Retrieved on 2009-02-21.
External links[edit | edit source]
“Damn, I hate warts. I really do. Warts are just the worst thing ever, worse than painful glandular swelling,
worse than boils in random, embarrassing places, worse even than this quote.”