Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

In this podcast, Eckhart talks about the coming changes for humanity, including a shift to a different level of consciousness. He explains collectively, we are going through difficult times now, because real change only occurs when society is pushed to the brink. He says without adversity, there is no transformation. He believes we need not be afraid when hardship strikes because that too will be a catalyst for more spiritual growt...

In this podcast Eckhart talks about the pitfalls of the ego and the need to feel superior. He explains we seek an identity through external distinction like wealth, fame, even our nationality, to dispel the anxiety that we’re not enough. He says the focus on image creates a false sense of self. He shares examples from his own life. Growing up Eckhart’s family struggled financially, which left him with low self-esteem. He asked why ...

In this episode, Eckhart laughs with his audience. He exclaims there’s hope for humanity when such a big crowd seeks greater consciousness. He also explains that inspiration can quickly turn to perspiration when we encounter obstacles, especially with the people in our lives. He quotes existential philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre who famously said: Hell is other people. While Eckhart believes that is an ego-based perspective, many of ...

In this podcast, Eckhart says it’s vitally important that we become familiar with the mystical aspect of our lives. However, he explains it is not something we can easily define, nor can we truly understand sacredness until we catch a glimpse of it. For that to happen, Eckhart says we must learn to stop the mind with its incessant thinking and labeling so we can become present. Eckhart reveals that on a deeper level, presence is ac...

In this episode, Eckhart explains to a live audience that a deeper movement has brought them together and the goal is to help them awaken. He says many ancient spiritual teachings point to this timeless idea of metamorphosis including the parables of Jesus and others. He explains the root of the word Buddha means to be awake in Sanskrit. Eckhart explains when we shift to higher consciousness, we have access to wisdom which is far d...

In this podcast, Eckhart talks about the future of religion. He says the next step for the human race is to shift from worshiping God as a concept, to experiencing God as part of our own essence. He explains once we awaken to this realization, we no longer contribute to suffering in the world because the ego disappears and with it goes continuous judgment of others. He says when we don’t react to their personalities, we recognize t...

In this episode, Eckhart talks about how we define success. He asks: Do we look to the world to determine that for us? If yes, we may be heading down the wrong path, because to a large extent Eckhart says the world is insane. He explains money, property, prestige and power do not signify we’ve reached the pinnacle. He says for the people who strive to attain these things, many report after the initial high, comes a very emotional l...

In this episode, Eckhart continues his talk with an audience in Budapest, explaining that if we are waiting for the world to make us happy in the form of the right person, place, job or situation. We will probably wait for a very long time. He says our expectations for the perfect life usually lead to deep disappointment.  He explains life is fragile and cannot possibly meet all of our demands. He says we ask ourselves “what is the...

In this episode, Eckhart talks to an audience in Budapest, Hungary. The crowd erupts with laughter and applause when he speaks a few words in Hungarian, especially the word for Now which is Most. Eckhart then explains that the next step in the evolution of humanity is to awaken. He says there is the potential in every person for a deeper dimension of consciousness, which is the light of God.  He says many people look for themselves...

In this podcast Eckhart, reminds us that the world is not here to make us happy, it’s here to make us conscious. He says if we don’t embrace that, then we will be irritated or even outraged when life pushes us to deal with difficulties which he describes as a pitfall of the ego. He says we don’t have to work hard to awaken, rather we can let the awareness shine through us. Eckhart says it takes no time to be who you are and that re...

In this podcast Eckhart talks to an audience in Chicago. He recalls fond memories of traveling to the Windy City to Harpo Studios back in 2008. For 10 weeks Eckhart and I hosted a webinar based on his New York Times bestselling book A New Earth. The book had a profound impact on me, and I wanted to share it with a larger audience. Those sessions were groundbreaking. Since then, millions of people have downloaded that webcast and li...

In this podcast, Eckhart talks with an audience in Paris. He contemplates the mysteries of space and the subatomic world. He says the greatest mystery is that the universe is conscious.  He remarks that science has not yet been able to examine consciousness, because it’s not an object and it is not generated by the brain. He says science has not yet discovered its source. However, Eckhart says there may come a time when science and...

In this podcast, Eckhart talks about how many of us react when the world doesn’t go our way. He says we either surrender and accept the situation or more often than not, we go into victim mode: victim of circumstance, victim of other people or even God. He goes on to explain if loss is involved then bitterness and anger set in, and the ego becomes more entrenched. Eckhart mentions the ancient wisdom of Buddha who talked about suffe...

In this episode, Eckhart discusses excessive thinking as the source of incredible unhappiness for millions of people. He goes on to explain that it’s not the circumstances of one’s life that makes people miserable. It’s the overthinking that causes their suffering. Eckhart shares a story from his own life just after he experienced his awakening. He was homeless and spent many days on a park bench. He admits he would have been justi...

In this episode, Eckhart sits down with an audience in Paris. He encourages participants to explore the experience of his talk, beyond the words, because it holds the seeds to awakening. He also talks about the obstacles presented by the ego which he illustrates with the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus. The story goes that Narcissus was a beautiful young man who drowned in a pool of water gazing at his own reflection. Eckhart expla...

In this podcast, Eckhart talks about our connection to the source of universal consciousness, which he compares to the vastness of the ocean. He says each person with individual awareness is like a small ripple on the surface of that ocean. However, he believes if we only ever know ourselves as a ripple then we won’t recognize our true depth.  Eckhart asks participants to consider who they are beyond the surface, as a person with a...

In this episode, Eckhart talks with an audience explaining the primary reason for this gathering is to become more aware of our transcendent consciousness, the part of us that is beyond the limits of our personality. He says we can do that through stillness because when we practice stillness, we counteract what Eckhart calls ‘possession by the mind.’ He explains most of us are completely absorbed by thinking, without realizing it. ...

In this episode, Eckhart talks about suffering consciously and how to deal with difficult emotions  including fear, anxiety and regret. Eckhart also discusses Nihilism - the belief that life is pointless and devoid of meaning. He explains the idea dates back to Darwin and his idea that evolution is a random chain of events involving molecules and atoms aimlessly coming together over millions of years. Eckhart says this very limited...

In this podcast, Eckhart explains that humanity is at a pivotal point. He says the most urgent task of our lives is to connect more deeply with the transcendent part of ourselves. Eckhart explains the possibility is always there, just waiting to be discovered. He uses an ancient Greek term called “Metanoia” which means a profound spiritual awakening brought about by a dramatic shift in consciousness. In certain mystical traditions,...