And maybe it’s a product of maturity (read: age). I think youth carries with it both an arrogance and an ignorance of what it is to be spiritual. Only through the ups and downs of many years on this earth can our third eye be opened. (Obviously, there are exceptions; some young people are very spiritually aware.) So over the past several years, these ideas that I had been taught to spurn as “new age”—but which in reality are ancient—started to intrigue me.
I suppose like so many others I had come to tire of the rigid confines of fundamentalism. More accurately, I suppose, I started to see its limitations. Jesus said that for new believers his truth was like milk; as we get older, the milk no longer does it for us, and we crave meat. That’s where I found myself.
Little did I realize that there was a world of truth and wisdom out there beyond what I had been presented. This is when I started getting into Celtic spirituality. (More about that in another post, perhaps.) And one of the other sources for seemingly simple yet deeply profound wisdom for me is Eckhart Tolle. He has introduced many people to the mystical way of being. I know, you may be thinking that this is just another in the long line of pop philosophy. And if taken on the surface, it can be. But if some of Tolle’s concepts can be truly considered, the results can be profound.
I have found myself going back again and again to some of Tolle’s quotes. They can be approached the same way that one might approach the Proverbs in the Bible or the sayings of Confucius. Superficially taken, they might appear to be platitudes. But if they are considered, weighed, grappled with, and held up to life’s experiences . . . the profound truth in them can be at once humbling and comforting. Here is one of my favorites:
The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.In times of anxiety and worry, this one can be a lifesaver. Things are as they are. Circumstances happen and life goes on. But it is how we think about events that so often get us in trouble. It takes a kind of step back to be able to see with some objectivity these things that can so easily tie our minds in knots. If we can somehow step back and really see things, they lose their hold on us. It is so debilitating to go through life as a pawn of circumstances. And please understand, I say all this as one who still struggles with these ideas at times, and not as one who has mastered any of it! But when I am able to gain this detached perspective, it is very liberating and calming.
This next quote is related to the first:
Can you look without the voice in your head commenting, drawing conclusions, comparing, or trying to figure something out?Actually, it is probably the first step in that first quote. The judgmental, analytic mind always wants to weigh things and figure them out. People sometimes talk about “getting out of your head” in approaching life. It’s the same idea. When we can look at situations, people, even objects with this neutral, non-judgmental view, that is the only way we can truly know them. And for some of us, this is a difficult adjustment to make. Immediately our minds want to evaluate—good or bad, safe or dangerous, pleasant or painful. Once we don these glasses, we have a hard time seeing through any other lens. We make decisions without having all the knowledge.
Simple, yet profound. A thoughtful review of Tolle’s ideas—or many other mystical, contemplative insights will usually produce the same result. I think life is like this. It truly is a paradox. Only when we honestly and fully accept that can we have peace with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment