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What can buddhism do for someone who has found their 'own' truth/path??
zenmyste
Veteran
For example; Eckhart Tolle , author of 'power of now'
Many believe he is enlightened!
He has and writes about 'awakening' to the NOW!!! And that is all!!
When we realize that NOW is all weve got and when we LIVE in the now fully - we will NOT SUFFER!
He doesnt write about reancarnation or rebirth etc etc - he just writes about living in the NOW
eckhart tolle isnt necessarily a "buddhist" !
He is just someone who lives in the NOW!
So my question is; can buddhism or taoism or any other religions still help him?
Or is he now at a point where he doesnt NEED buddhism??
Many believe he is enlightened!
He has and writes about 'awakening' to the NOW!!! And that is all!!
When we realize that NOW is all weve got and when we LIVE in the now fully - we will NOT SUFFER!
He doesnt write about reancarnation or rebirth etc etc - he just writes about living in the NOW
eckhart tolle isnt necessarily a "buddhist" !
He is just someone who lives in the NOW!
So my question is; can buddhism or taoism or any other religions still help him?
Or is he now at a point where he doesnt NEED buddhism??
0
Comments
Your own truth/path doesnt belong to you no matter how much you may wish it so.
With an open mind, one may find many varied resonances - the significance is determined by your own particular interpretation.
I can't speak on Mr Tolle's behalf - he may well answer queries - try emailing him and see whether and how he responds.
Eckhart Tolle has realized the I AM presence/awareness prior to conceptualization. This is evident in his assertion of being in the now, which from the Buddhist point of view is a gigantic reference point or source. So from the Buddhist context that is the apex of Hinduism and basically what is called the Atman. Buddhism basically is a response towards this world view through dependent origination and emptiness.
From an experiential point of view:
The I AM presence awareness has a spectrum. From the eternal witness to the one consciousness or source. It is very liberating and many mistakenly assume this to be the same realization as anatta and particularly emptiness.
To respond to your question:
Buddhism can help by taking the view of emptiness and applying dependent origination onto the source and thus deconstructing the centerness, source into a myriad of streams of consciousness rather than one gigantic consciousness. Also the tendency to solidify and grasp onto a singular reference point of that. Buddhism basically ends the proliferation of such clinging by negating the views of is and isn't. It may seem Buddhism is freedom from such and such but in the non dualistic schools of Buddhism freedom is for instead of from.
I can tell you from experience that the witness is just the self packaged up and made into something grander than it actually is. Same with the one consciousness. Basically it is killing one king and dressing up a new one in place.
To the question in the OP:
Everyone has their own path and own experience. Buddhism is just a system and view that brings about certain conditions for the individual to examine their experience. In many ways Buddhism can hinder progress for individuals but it can also benefit immensely.
The more and more I study and practice Buddhism and relate it to my life and experience the more and more I've come to the conclusion that Buddhism is about human spirituality. Well the essence of it, not the political or even cultural forms of Buddhism.
And also the beautiful thing about Buddhism is that it has context for people like Tolle and their level of realization, which is actually more common than we can imagine.
Enjoy.
Some people think he's enlightened (as per his own hype), others think he's a cult figure. To each his/her own.
There are plenty of people who don't "need" Buddhism. People who live rewarding lives giving to others and contributing toward improving society and the world. Maybe they got their dose of Buddhism in past lives. Or maybe they found their way naturally. I don't think Buddhism is about writing a prescription for other people. It's about working on ourselves.
My teacher says that "the watcher" is just a layer of conceptual thought. It is not any special stage it is just a concept that comes up in meditation. For some it may come up very frequently. So I think that is an interesting idea. Does Eckhardt lead people to be stuck to a concept of "I must watch what is happening in my meditation". Because that would just be taking a concept as a self or a fixation. In meditation there is an experience, a meditator (the one who meditates), and a commentator on the whole affair. It would be wrong to accept the commentator as a 'voice of lordly judgement'. The reason is that this commentator can be wrong conditioned thought. But it's (commentator) always there as far as I know.
He doesn't call himself Buddhist but he does give credit where it's due and tips quite a big hat to Buddha actually.
Have you read The Power of Now?
but
seeing IT is essential to become IT
others can not say whether one has just seen IT or already become IT
only the one can say that one has seen IT and One has Become IT too
one can check oneself whether one has greed or hate within oneself
if sometime there is greed or hate needless to say there is delusion and one is not enlightened
so
if there is no greed, hate and delusion all the time then that is Dhamma, Truth, Nature or whatever name that you can give
according to Tolle's writing it seems he has seen IT
but
more than that we (others) can not say
And what i mean is; eckhart doesnt mention a 'practices' like 8 fold path to become enlightened etc etc
He simply talks about surrending to the now!!
When we can do this (according to him) we will become enlightened..
So thats why i wanted to know the difference between buddhas 'enlightenment' and tolles enlightenment!
If they are the same, then we dont 'need' the 8 fold path to become enlightened , we just need to surrender to the now!
If we are in the now we may nonetheless practice: ethics, meditation, and awareness. I think that's more than likely the case, no?
Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now
As far as I can figure, Tolles writings are teachings on how to walk the eightfold path from his perspective.
The Power of Now reminds me of Present Moment Wonderful Moment by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Different styles but same message pretty much.
For others, Buddhism is like wearing a winter coat on a winter day ... sustaining and warming and appropriate to the season.
With or without Buddhism, with or without a winter coat, and irrespective of season, everyone is bare nekkid from the get-go. And isn't that the important part, the part that even a Buddhist or even a non-Buddhist can recognize and learn to enjoy? Coats are OK in their time, but bare nekkid is forever.
Belief is no substitute for knowledge. When someone solves their problems to the degree they require it does not mean they have or offer the skills to do this for others. So for example sports people during intense concentration in their effort, enter the now.
http://whistler.twestival.com/blog-entry/1102/guest-blog-finding-your-samadhi-through-physical-activity-and-fun.html
Having been 'in the now', the zone, awareness and quite a few other places, I know them. I also recognise that some people talk from experience and some talk from 'thus have I read, heard or believe is cool'. If you like, I know the condition of recognised and undergone experiences. There are quite a few . . .
The question is not whether somone else can interpret and develop their experience through those who have gone through and beyond but how do we get to the initial stage . . . And who can take us there . . .
This might be a job for 'Mr Cushion'. Just coming Sir. :wave:
With all due respect to Mr. Tolle. The following passage may not apply to him.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.131.than.html
but