Mind and the Witness Consciousness Perhaps a more significant difference in the perspectives of Eckhart and Sri Aurobindo regarding the role of mind in spiritual life pertains to the witness consciousness. As stated earlier in this chapter, in Eckhart's view, to be identified with the mind is to be in a stare of unconsciousness; it is a state in which one is not present. Therefore, when one is identified with the mind, one does not have a 38 Effort of the personal will. 39 Sri Aurobindo, Utters on Yoga, SABCL. Vol. 24, p. 1293. 40 The Divine Force. 41 Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga, SABCL. Vol. 24, p. 1717. Page

2 Interview with Eckhart Pondicherry, India—February 2002 (Dr. D. E. Mistry was also present and participating. Eckhart's answers have been transcribed verbatim as far as possible, with minimum editing. Most of the questions have been summarized or otherwise edited.) DALAL: "Presence of mind" is an expression which the dictionary defines as the "ability to act calmly, quickly, and sensibly." Does this presence of mind denote anything related to what you call Presence? ECKHART: Very often with words or expressions, it is a question of how the word is used. Sometimes different people use the same expression or the same word but they mean

Index A absolute self-giving, 109 Advaita process / Adwaita process, 69 of the way of knowledge, 114-117 agnosticism, 2, 4 aspiration, 3,4, 12, 107, 111, 120 attention, 38, 39, 104, 105, 117, 152 avyaktam, 78 B Bahai faith, 2 being, concept of, 77, 78 Bhagavad Gita, see Gita Buddhism aim of spiritual practice, 144 attention, 104, 105 concept of surrender, 109 egoic self, 144 enlightenment, 151 meditation, 117 perspectives of time, 20, 21 practice of living in the present moment, 151-153, 155 self concept, 77, 78, 80, 114, 115 C calm state, de

Eckhart Tolle & Sri Aurobindo TWO PERSPECTIVES ON ENLIGHTENMENT Books by A. S. Dalal Psychology, Mental Health and Yoga Essays on Sri Aurobindo's Psychological Thought Implications of Yoga for Mental Health A Greater Psychology An Introduction to the Psychological Thought of Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo and the Future Psychology Supplement to A Greater Psychology Compilations from the works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother Living Within The Yoga Approach to Psychological Health and Growth The Psychic Being Soul—Its Nature, Mission and Evolution The

The Witnessing Presence Becoming the witnessing Presence is the one remedy Eckhart teaches not only for eliminating mental noise but also for liberating oneself from all other characteristics of the ordinary consciousness, such as fear, desire, and all forms of egoic resistance to life. If I recall 19 Eckhart Tolle, Hollyhock Retreat, Canada, September 2000. 20 The Mother, Words of the Mother, CWM. Vol. 14.p.371. correctly, in the first letter I wrote to Eckhart several years ago, I stated two things: first, the encouraging message I found in his reaching that the witnessing Presence is not part of the old consciousness—it indicates the arising of

The Process of Inner Change One of Eckhart's most appealing teachings is regarding the process of inner change. In its simplicity and beauty it is comparable to the "supreme secret" of the Gita revealed in its last chapter where Krishna says to the disciple: Become My-minded, My lover and adorer, a sacrificer to Me, bow thyself to Me, to Me thou shalt come, this is My pledge and promise to thee, for dear art thou to me. Abandon all Dharmas97 and take refuge in Me alone. I will deliver thee from all sin and evil, do not grieve."98 95Talk at the Intensive "The Awareness That Is Beyond Thought: San Francisco. CA. November 18. 2000 96Sri Aurobind

Chronological Time and Psychological Time The explanation of the paradox that time is an aid as well as an obstacle lies in the distinction Eckhart makes between chronological time and psychological time. Chronological or clock time is, of course, needed, says Eckhart, in all practical tasks, such as learning a language, playing the piano, or even making a cup of tea. What Eckhart stresses is that, while using time is required in all such tasks— which may involve even planning for the future—it is necessary to return immediately to present-moment awareness when practical matters have been dealt with. Time becomes an obstacle if one loses 26

Evolution of Consciousness Sri Aurobindo and Eckhart are perhaps the only world-teachers who have adumbrated a leap in the evolution of consciousness and the consequent emergence of a new species of beings on the planet. Describing the evolution of consciousness with reference to the human being in primarily psychological terms, Eckhart says that the world comes into manifestation when consciousness takes on the disguise of innumerable forms on land, and in the sea and air, until the forms reach such a complexity that consciousness loses itself by identifying itself with the forms. Thus, consciousness in the human being is at present completely identified

1 Eckhart Comes to Me A few years ago, a friend, Dr. D.E. Mistry, sent me a copy of Eckhart's book, The Power of Now. The power of its words immediately gripped me. I intuitively felt that the words did not express some mental constructions based on theory but spiritual insights arising from Self-realization. Each time, to read the book was to enter a meditative state or what Eckhart would call the state of Presence. After several readings, the book still continues to exert the same influence on me. In 2001 I had the good fortune to attend a talk given by Eckhart in Palo Alto, California, and a weekend retreat at Esalen in Big Sur. His spoken words

Method of Spiritual Practice As stated a little earlier, Eckhart does not consider the term "practice" to be quite appropriate in spiritual life because practice implies personal effort of some sort, whereas enlightenment is not something 76 Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga, SABCL. Vol. 20. p. 54. 77 Ibid .. p. 80. Page-112 that can be brought about by any egoic effort; it comes about as a result of the surrender of the ego and a cessation of the ego's seekings. Therefore, the question of method of spiritual practice is not quite relevant to Eckhart's teaching. What Eckhart teaches are portals for entering into the state of e