-023_Enlightenment—Living in the Present Moment.htm Enlightenment—Living in the Present Moment On the spiritual path, such as that of yoga, which envisages a distant goal, one is apt to lose the focus on the present moment and become obsessed by the goal of a definitive enlightenment that lies in the remote future. What Eckhart tries to drive home is the psychological fact that preoccupation with the future, and lack of awareness of the present moment, are essential characteristics of the egoic consciousness that seeks fulfillment in the future rather than in the present moment. Because the future never arrives, one lives, whether one is conscious of it or not, in a state of constant dissatisfaction

The Pain-Body Some of Eckhart's psychological insights that I have found to be of the most practical value pertain to what he calls the "pain-body." At firsr I found it somewhat difficult to understand very well the meaning of pain-body because I could not quite relate it to anything I had come across previously in the teachings of other Masters. But after a while I came to recognize readily the similarity between the pain-body and some aspects of what Sri Aurobindo calls the life-nature or the vital being, which is a distinct part of the human constitution as he describes it. Life energy is beautiful, says Eckhart, when it flows freely, but when it is trapped, it produces co

-040_Sri Aurobindo^s Teaching and Method of Practice.htm Appendix I Sri Aurobindo's Teaching and Method of Practice The teaching of Sri Aurobindo1 starts from that of the ancient sages of India that behind the appearances of the universe there is the Reality of a Being and Consciousness, a Self of all things, one and eternal. All beings are united in that One Self and Spirit but divided by a certain separativity of consciousness, an ignorance of their true Self and Reality in the mind, life and body. It is possible by a certain psychological discipline to remove this veil of separative consciousness and become aware of the true Self, the Divinity within us and all. Sri Aur

-042_Sri Aurobindo^s First Major Experience.htm Appendix III Sri Aurobindo's First Major Experience Now ".reach Nirvana was the first radical result of my own Yoga. It threw me suddenly into a condition above and without thought, unstained by any mental or vital movement; there was no ego, no real world—only when one looked through the immobile senses, something received or bore upon its sheer silence a world of empty forms, materialized shadows without true substance. There was no One or many even, only just absolutely That, featureless, relationless, sheer, indescribable, unthinkable, absolute, yet supremely real and solely real. This was not mental realization nor something glimpse

Acknowledgments I am grateful to Eckhart Tolle for granting me an interview that helped me towards a better understanding of his teachings. I am also grateful to him for suggesting that I make a comparison between his teaching and that of Sri Aurobindo. I would like to thank Mohan Nair, Publisher, Editions India. Without his persevering efforts and help, this book might have never seen the light of day. I am very grateful to Galadriel Nair for her invaluable help in transcribing the interview with Eckhart—a task that demanded much patience and endurance due to unexpected problems in recording the interview. I thank also Thomas Lilly who painstakingly transcribed long extract

-007_Resistance—Complaining.htm Resistance—Complaining Because of its feeling of constant threat, the ego sees life as an enemy and tends to meet events and circumstances with some form of negative reactivity and resistance, such as anger, complaint, criticism, or judgment. Thus, one tends to fight constantly with what is and continually to say "no" to the present moment, as if one has a perpetual issue with reality. In other words, one lives continuously at discord with the friendly universe and with the benevolent wisdom operating in the universe. Very few human beings are conscious of the fact that, in our normal or egoic consciousness, we are constantly at war with reality. Thus, for instance, v

-033_The Outer (Ordinary) Mind and the Inner (Subliminal) Mind.htm The Outer (Ordinary) Mind and the Inner (Subliminal) Mind The inner mind has also been previously alluded to (Chapter 5, pp. 91, 92) in connection with mind and the witness consciousness.

The Aim of Spiritual Practice One view found both in Eckhart's teaching and Sri Aurobindo's yoga—a view that is a radical departure from that of Hinduism and Buddhism—pertains to the aim of life and the object of spiritual practice. All the various schools of Hinduism aim at liberation (Mukti or Moksha) from the bondage of the ego and the cycle of incarnation by the realization of the true Self. Cessation of birth in the world is thus viewed in Hinduism as the ultimate culmination of yoga. In Buddhism, too, the aim of spiritual practice is to bring about an extinction (Nirvana) of the illusory self in order to get oneself free from suffering (Dukha). Thus, i

6 Postscript: Emerging Insights In the opening chapter of this book I have stated that I have yet to understand fully the intent of the Wisdom of the universe in bringing me into contact with Eckhart at the present stage of my inner journey. During the months that have elapsed since beginning of writing this book, that intent has become gradually more and more discernible. This postscript is an attempt to formulate some of the insights gained during this slow process, which is still continuing. In the first chapter I have mentioned some of the chief characteristics of the ordinary consciousness described by Eckhart, which have made a par

Personal Effort and Surrender Enlightenment, says Eckhart, is not something that you can make happen; it is something that is almost the opposite—something you allow to happen. Therefore he regards the term "practice" as not quite right because practice implies effort to bring about something. The practice that Eckhart teaches may be summed up in these words: Stay always present. Remain alert. Pay attention only to the present moment. Observe all that happens inside you as a detached witness of your thoughts and feelings. Become aware also of the consciousness that observes. Cultivate thoughtless awareness which does not label or analyze whatever you per