Eckhart Tolle Wants You to Awaken… Now!

I’m quite familiar with Eckhart Tolle’s teaching. I’ve spent months studying the The Power of Now, and I got caught up in the A New Earth mania sponsored by Oprah. But I think he’s starting to believe his own hype. I think he is really starting to see himself as a new age Messiah. I subscribed to his channel on YouTube, and I found this passionate plea for us all to awaken:

Well okay… I guess he is as passionate as he can be for someone who claims to have no ego. There’s a point where he asks us to let this new consciou take us over. Something about that makes me nervous. What makes this other consciousness any better than mine? Is he for real? What do you think?

What is a Dharma Addict?

August 31, 2008

I think the most challenging thing I’ve avoided trying to do (and I’ve avoided trying to do a great many things in this life) is stating clearly the purpose and intent of this web log.

The purpose is to discover a community based on common truth. Here’s one truth. I’m a Dharma Addict.

What is Dharma?

What is an addict?

Much to do…

I don’t want to get too caught up in this illusion as if it matters. This life can be anything I choose. Shaking off the illusions should be my primary concern, and awakening others should be my primary purpose. I’m grateful that I can rise and remember.

… to awaken and help other…

I was talking to a large motherly woman called NaNa last night. We spoke together about the insanity of this world. We spoke of all the meta processes involved in living in Babylon: Finding a company to work for, trying to make some money, and paying for goods and services, which allow us to have and enjoy our lives. These meta processes create meta belief systems to support them; so that we can go through this illusion of life and believe we are sane and everything is as it should be. NaNa and I spoke together about how much closer we would be to living truly and completely if we lived in nature where every day our time would be taken finding or creating just what we needed to have and enjoy our lives instead of the also supporting the system which takes so much. Living simply is sounding very rewarding right now.The Bodhisattva is in me though. My bodhicitta heart helps me to feel the need to awaken others as I wipe the crust from my eye.

New Biology

This is a brief introduction to a lecture by Bruce Lipton Ph.D. As with most introductions, there is quite a bit of hyperbole, but if you follow the link to the full lecture below, he gives a throughout explanation of an important shift in scientific thinking.

Full Lecture

In the full lecture, Dr. Lipton explains how the theoretical shift from Newtonian models to Quantum models shows that the body operates not by the rules of matter but by the rules of energy. Which makes all of the above hyperbole, quite possibly, an understatement.

Awakening

I’ve been barreling through Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. The story is amazing. I’m so happy I reach a point in my life when I’m ready to hear it.

There is a part on page 37 at the beginning of the chapter called Awakening where Siddhartha goes through the process of creating value from emotions. As Siddhartha leaves Gotama — the Buddha, the Perfect One, his first holy man — his dear friend Govinda and “his former life behind him in the grove. As he slowly went on his way his head was full of his thoughts. He reflected deeply, until this feeling completely overwhelmed him and he reached a point where he recognized causes; for to recognize causes, it seemed to him, is to think, and through thought alone feelings become knowledge and are not lost, but become real and begin to mature.”

Our feeling can have value in this realm of abstract thinking. The process of reflecting deeply on an emotional impulse until it overwhelms me, reaching a point where I can recognize causes is the point. This is thinking, Siddhartha said. Later on in the book when he is looking to win the favor of his first woman, the courtesan Kamala, he is asked what he can do and he says, “I can think. I can wait. And I can fast.” They don’t seem so, but those are powerful gifts. These gifts make him an individual and for one who fully comprehends the oneness of the university recognizing one’s worth and ability as an individual is quite impressive. He does not take credit for God’s works. But with the gifts he possess, all of God’s gift find their way to and through him. Yes I. I can think. I can wait. I can fast.

Yes I.

Fasting – Day 3

I’m amazed as I lay down to sleep how easy this fast has been. Today the sounds have been most vibrant. I comtemplated going another day because I feel so much energy and clarity of thought. But tomorrow I am looking forward to feeling the energy of fruit juice. Just a little not so much it makes me sleepy. Just a little.

Fasting – Day 2

Today the smells have been incredible. As I walk around Berlin, I’ve noticed more than ever the smells from the bakeries, pizza places, imbisses, and restaurants. I guess that’s hunger, but the way I experienced it felt more like love. It was pure appreciation without the attachment to having the object of my attention.

This morning I had a little trouble getting out of bed without my usual addictions to motivate me. I’m glad I did though it was a beautiful day.

Fasting – Day 1

September 23, 2008

Today I began a three-day water fast with my new friend Nathan. This will be my second structured fast. I’ve gone for a day or two without eating, but those times were more spontaneous and without the intention of healing. We found some good information on fasting at the Mudita Journal. We decided on a three-day water fast because we didn’t have much time and we wanted to get the most bang for our buck. Yesterday I had only fruit juice. Today I began the water fast in earnest.

The first thing I noticed was my smell. As I took a shower this morning there was a rankness I wasn’t used to. I stopped wearing deodorant about a year ago as I became comfortable with the smell of my own body and this was not my normal smell. My mother always drummed it into me to wear deodorant. I always thought it was because we stank more because we were black and we needed to wear deodorant so we wouldn’t offend white people. It’s funny how these things get drummed into us and how we rebel.

The second thing I noticed was the hunger. I hadn’t been hungry in a week or so. I had been using food as a comfort, and the hunger never had a chance to arise faster than my neurosis.

The third thing I’ve notice is the passing of the hunger and my awareness of the feelings that took its place. I went to lunch with some friends at a nice vegetarian restaurant in Kreuzburg. There is something about cleansing the body that helps to enliven the senses. The colors of the food were so vibrant, almost magical with the red and purple beets, the bright orange carrots, and beautiful green tabuli. As I sat stood in line and looked at the food I noticed waves of feeling more akin to joy than suffering rush through my body. The feeling didn’t come from a specific place in my body, like the hunger which came earlier from my stomach. It was hard to tell if it even came from me or through me from outside somewhere. The same thing happen as I sat down to enjoy the company and conversation with my friends during their meal. I felt wave after wave of good feelings. I don’t know where feeling came from or what it was about, but I did enjoy the heightened awareness.

Self-Importance

The Tibetian word for self-importance is called Shengpa. Dzigar Kongtrul describes it as the “charge” behind “I like and I don’t like,” the charge behind self-importance itself.

The three main bases of self-importance are (1) attachment to possessions, (2) body, and (3) merit.

The Final Four Practices

Shantidev concludes his presentation of the sevenfold offering with the final four practices: (1) rejoicing, (2) requesting the teachers to present the dharma, (3) asking them to remain with us, and (4) dedicating the merit.