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Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

Suffering Consciously: Confronting Illness and Addiction

This episode is a re-release; it originally aired November 17, 2022.  In this podcast, Eckhart answers questions about addiction and facing illness consciously. Eckhart speaks with a woman who had cancer fears its return and the possibility of an early death. While difficult, Eckhart encourages her to practice presence by staying in the moment because he explains then there is less opportunity to play out scenarios where death seems imminent. He urges her to release the mental gymnastics that plague all of us. He says it’s imperative that we work with life’s challenges and allow them to push us into awakening.

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  • Watch Your Mind

    35:23|
    This episode is a re-release; it originally aired December 22, 2022. In this podcast Eckhart discusses the path to awakening. He encourages listeners to detach from the mind, instead of being the mind. He says most of us get so enmeshed in our thinking we mistake it for reality. He also believes the mind tells us we need a long list of criteria to advance spiritually. But Eckhart says enlightenment is not something we attain in the future – in truth, full consciousness is closer than we think. We can break through our thinking to awaken, right here, right now.
  • Forgiving our Unconsciousness

    47:32|
    This episode is a re-release; it originally aired December 15, 2022. In this podcast, Eckhart talks briefly about what he calls the beingness behind our five senses which lead to the deeper essence of who we are. Eckhart then answers a question about forgiveness. He says until we are strongly connected to our deeper self, all of us will act out unconscious patterns that cause suffering. Eckhart says eventually we wake up and ask, “How could I have done that?” He says recognizing our unconsciousness is forgiveness. He believes once we realize we can make amends to those we’ve hurt and learn to forgive our unconsciousness, we understand that we didn’t have the awareness to make a different choice at the time.
  • The World is Not Here to Make You Happy

    34:31|
    This episode is a re-release; it originally aired December 8, 2022. In this podcast, Eckhart answers a question about overcoming suffering and finding happiness. Eckhart says the world is not here to make us happy, it's here to make us conscious. He says the beginning of awakening is the end of suffering. We are liberated from the demand that anything should make us happy. Eckhart explains the world does not have the power to make us happy. But it is a wonderful catalyst to help us awaken.
  • Recognizing The Essence of Who You Are in Everyone

    39:19|
    This episode is a re-release; it originally aired December 1, 2022. Eckhart begins this episode discussing the purpose of suffering. He says suffering is the great awakener, that cracks the shell of the ego. He believes through the crack something beautiful and profound emerges. Eckhart describes it as our true essence. He says as we become familiar with this deeper dimension, we discover the very same “beingness” exists in others. He says recognizing the essence of who we are in everyone, is just one of the joys of spiritual awakening.
  • The Ego and the Need to Be Right

    51:34|
    This episode is a re-release; it originally aired November 24, 2022. In this podcast, Eckhart gives a brief talk about the difference between being versus becoming. He says when we focus on becoming, we look to the future for our fulfillment. We lose sight of our being which is connected to the now. Eckhart then answers a question about the need to be right and winning an argument at all costs. He explains as we grow in presence the drive to be right diminishes. The ego loosens its grip, and we discover we might even be willing to admit we’re wrong. He says that is a sure sign of spiritual growth.
  • Liberation From Yourself

    32:03|
    This episode is a re-release; it originally aired November 10, 2022. In this podcast, Eckhart encourages participants to start with a moment of stillness. He says through quiet and calm we get in touch with that part of ourselves Eckhart calls “The Deep I.” Eckhart believes that by reaching beyond our personality and our physical bodies we will discover a deeper dimension to who we are. He says it’s here where we transcend the old inner narratives to find liberation from ourselves.
  • Bringing Consciousness to the Grief Process

    39:44|
    This episode is a re-release; it originally aired November 3, 2022. In this podcast Eckhart answers questions about dealing with grief consciously. He asks what does the grief process look like for an awakened person? Do we experience the classic stages of denial, anger and bargaining? Eckhart says even if we’re in touch with the transcendent dimension, we will still experience grief, it doesn’t disappear completely. He believes, however, the intensity will be less. Eckhart explains that facing the possibility of death is vital because it is the catalyst for the evolution of our consciousness and without that experience, there would be no expansion of our awareness.
  • Why Awakening Leads to Freedom

    34:40|
    This episode is a re-release; it originally aired October 27, 2022. In this episode, Eckhart answers questions about why it’s important to seek awakening and how we can learn to function in a world that seems chaotic. Eckhart says we must learn to awaken to free ourselves of suffering. It is part of our legacy to realize a sense of peaceful aliveness that is independent of our external circumstances. He believes when challenges arise, we shouldn’t spiral into unconscious reactivity. He says that only amplifies the problem. Instead, Eckhart suggests we should release our ego and move towards transcendence.