heidigable

Hi Kim, Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I used to think that I had to learn how to control all of my thoughts, that I wouldn't be "right" until my thoughts were all positive, forgiving, open & loving. I love your quote from Eckhart: "All it means is that I am no longer identified with thoughts. I don't think in terms of 'I'm free of ego.' That would be ego again." I think that it's not about me being free of my mind chatter - it's about realizing that it doesn't define me. So I can observe it, I can learn from it & the emotions it evokes - but I am separate from it. I've thought of happiness and peace coming from living an authentic life - from really knowing and appreciating "who I am". This discussion has shown me how what I was calling "authentic" is really my connection to spirit, to my essence. It is truly a gift to be able to feel the presence of "that which cannot be named" in my life. I wrote about my own personal recognition of it here: http://www.iwasthinking.ca/2008/03/10/open-wide/ Thank you - and Oprah and Eckhart - for opening this conversation! Heidi Hass Gable

inrpeas

Hello Kim! Thank you for this beautiful blog! I loved what you said here: Sumanjoshi asks, "Why are we concerned about our human species survival as a form, if we are not the form? Kim's answer: "Having "concern" is to care about humanity's existence. That deep caring is love. Love is the recognition of the formless within the form, the eternal within the impermanent. We honor the form because we love the formless within it. Because we honor the form, we are concerned. Because we recognize the formless within the form, we are not afraid of loosing the form." Kim, I have heard this question asked before, but I feel peaceful when I read this answer. We honor the form because we love the formless within it. That sums up a lot of things. Love, your friend, Laurie Immekus

bbraasch

"Many times I have been in a state of presence, of devotion and reverence, while in the next moment, my primary attention got drawn elsewhere - into money, things, thoughts, emotions. Suddenly I would find myself in suffering again, inner hell. I began to learn to use suffering as my alarm clock, my wake-up call to return to present moment awareness, to inner peace, to being one with the essence of who I am." Our friend Liping Zhu meets people in her Qigong training who are seeking a cure for pain. She teaches a set of practices. These provide a new approach to finding peace, but are not themselves the remedy. They're practices, not pills. I like the idea of recognizing the pain as the alarm clock. Liping says "relax your shoulders" and we remember to let whatever we're carrying there go. When I sense the alarm, I will relax my shoulders. Thanks so much for making this series available. My shoulders are learning to relax. To me, enlightenment is arriving one reminder at a time, and perhaps the reminders will be less frequent as my practice improves. I asked Liping if there was some ingredient that made the practice work. She looked at me and said "faith". It was the most beautiful and profound explanation. using a word that had lost its meaning to me until that moment. The present moment is that close to us in every breath we take.

crb1948

Hi Kim! I very much enjoyed reading both of your blogs. Your comment "I began to learn to use suffering as my alarm clock" is beautifully expressed. Thank you. I have read "The Power of NOW" several times and I am on my third reading of "A New Earth". Initially those readings provided insights but I still held them primarily as thought forms. It was when I first watched Eckhart's DVD "Stillness Amidst the World" that I truly began to move beyond concepts. I believe this is because when Eckhart speaks, the words are secondary. It is his presence that makes the difference. When he mentioned the story of the woman who was ill in the hospital and Oprah asked Eckhart what he did to affect the change in her...he simply replied that he was present, that he did not feed her thoughts nor resist her thoughts. Though his words are clear and true, and they are such valuable pointers for our own awakening, for me it is who he is that has the most profound transformative effect.

angelic503

"The Now is the foundation for the rest of your life." This was so profound when I heard it last night that time stop. I felt I was entering a different space, like a different dimension. I felt the Awakening. Everything was clear. Thank you Kim for sharing this blog with us. I send my prayers and love to Oprah and Eckhart for sharing with us this enlightening experience. JA Miami,FL

pdgitar

Know It. Live It. Humbly, Our ego, Begins, Loving. Hiddenym P.W.F. 6 x 6

woman2006

Oh my gosh, that is the same for me... I thought I had to change my thoughts to be positive and I kept saying, what is wrong with me? Why did I think that really negative thought? It has been working so well lately (my thoughts have been much less negative) and I did not realize why until I read your post. It's because I am letting go of my thoughts. I recognize the voice of my "ego" and I let it go. Not that they have changed to positive... but there are several less negative ones now. Hope that makes sense. Thank you for your post as it helped me to clarify why this has been working for me this time around. I just want to be sure I do not repeat what I had been doing before because it was not working for me.

n1mr0d

"A New Earth" has renewed me heart and soul. About two years ago (Christmas 2005) I "lost my mind" in a way that sounds very similar to what Mr. Tolle describes in his books. I literally felt I would be obliterated, like I was losing my mind. It actually felt as though I would be destroyed heart and soul. But once I faced my fear which basically meant doing what I thought was right rather than what my ego was screaming at me to do - I felt the most dynamic peace! It seemed to be that dichotomy between doing what I knew to be right in my heart versus doing what seemed like would FEEL good emotionally. It took me about a year before I had come to terms enough with the event to try and record the event that my wife and I refer to as "the day I lost my mind". Bear in mind I was at an extreme point of tension trying to decide whether to do what I KNEW was right and speak the truth of a matter to my friend versus not speaking because I was afraid it would hurt his feelings and my ego didn't want him to "hate" me, when the "event" occurred. I have included a description of the "event" below my "signature". Since then, I have been floundering like a fish out of water to put it mildly, I have had no context in which to place what happened to me no way to relate to it. I didn't know what it was, why or how it happened nor (and more importantly) HOW CAN I DO IT AGAIN!!!!!!! Mr. Tolle's books, which I found completely by accident via my friend Susan Carter directing me to watch a youtube video, which lead me to find out about Oprah's Web Class and when I investigated that and watched the video of the first class, (unusual for me) I found myself driving 120 miles to get a copy of the book. I have since finished "A New Earth" and am now re-reading "The Power of Now" - which judging from my highlights in the book impacted me the first time I read it many years ago - but which I had susequently completely forgotten about. I just want to say thank you to you both, really - from the bottom of my heart. Before, I had no idea what had happened to me, why it happened or more IMPORTANTLY how to get it back - now to find out 2 years later that Mr. Tolle has basically written a textbook "how to" is just a life saver for me and had it not been for Oprah's Web Class I likely would not have found it. Thank You! Sincerely, Dan This is how I tried to describe the event in September 2006 to an online spiritual study group called "Keysters" that I am a part of: ---- start of account --- "First of all bear in mind it is impossible to describe (I've tried to SEVERAL times) but the FEELING was as if everyone - every single person I ever had or would know, like or respect along with everyone I didn't (basically the entire world of all the people that ever had or will exist) was ranged completely around and encircling me. Each and every person was using their individual different technique to get me to "change my mind and come to my senses"; arguing, yelling, wheedling, complaining, ordering, belittling, bullying, reasoning, etc, etc, etc - every method that you can imagine to coerce someone into changing their mind was being used on me. My friends thinking I'm nuts, stupid, uneducated, dorky, INSANE, etc, all of it. This is really hard to describe but basically I felt like I was alone on an island of myself surrounded by a bottomless moat just wide enough to step across with a little effort and ranged around me as far and as wide as I could see was EVERTHING, this SEA of EVERYONE telling me how wrong I was and that all I had to do to be NORMAL was SOOOOO simple - just change my mind, turn my back on myself (what I felt was right) and SIMPLY step across to their side, the side of normality, sanity and goodness along with the rest of the world. Now in reality, no one was telling me anything about anything but the above is as close as I can come to describing the turmoil I was feeling INSIDE. I began to be concerned about my own ability to be objective (to put it very mildly) and leaned very heavily upon my wife for support, I even exaggerated what I was feeling somewhat in my descriptions/explanations to her in order to try and give her a little EXTRA cause to doubt me, but she never did. I am pretty sure that if she had not been my unshakeable rock in the midst of that shitstorm, I would have been utterly and unretrievably destroyed beyond all recognition and use. I know that is hard to understand, it is for me still now, how I could have felt like that!! Anyway this 'bad' feeling was interspersed with periods of exceptional good feeling in what seemed to me at the time and even up until a few days ago still did, in waves where the 'bad' seemed to coincide with the times when I was agonizing over whether to be "blunt" with my friend or not, and the "good" seemed to come immediately upon the heels of my actually deciding to and actually speaking 'bluntly' the plain truth (as I saw it) to him. [...] The best way I can think of to describe it was that everything was right, just RIGHT. With the world, with EVERYTHING. It WAS as it SHOULD be, I knew the reality of the brotherhood of man, the benevolence of god and the goodness of the universe as a very basic reality that was so much of a no-brainer and a GIVEN that it was not even an issue that could COME to mind to consider. That there was no need to GIVE UP anything or change anything to ATTAIN it, it wasn't even attainABLE, it was just WHAT IS. And I KNEW it, it was not just wishful (or reasoned) thinking, I KNEW! It was like the best high from the best drug you can possibly imagine but without ANY of the the negative side-effects - no mental cloudiness, no emotional roller-coastering, no downside at all. My mind was perfectly clear and functioned as well if not better than normal, I was able to deal with issues (that normally would have been interpreted as negative) as they arose concisely, quickly and effectively EXCEPT there was no negativity associated with any of them, they were just THINGS to be dealt with and forgotton. Of no more, nor LESS importance than any other event. It was a feeling like a person would give up anything, ANYTHING, ANY THING at all in order to have!!! ALONG WITH the simultaneous KNOWING that not only was it not necessary to "give anything up" to 'get', there was nothing a person HAD to do or COULD do or especially nothing to GIVE UP in order to "get" it. I know that doesn't make any sense but it is the closest I can come to describing it. The feeling itself was peaceful but with the power and dynamism of the most ecstatic happiness. I normally think of peace as an easy- going contentment, everything is good but an even-tempered fairly low, sedate energy type feeling and happiness as a very out-going, energetic, bouncing off the walls type dynamic energy, so if you took that contentment kind of utter PEACE but gave it the dynamic energeticness of absolute HAPPY, that is what I FELT. This PEACE stayed with me for a couple days before I started noticing that it was (or possibly worrying that it might) wear off somehow. I remember asking my wife to try to stay as positive around me as possible as I thought that might help me maintain - but as a couple more days went by my usual negativity crept back in gradually until shortly I was mostly, except for that beautiful memory, back to my normal old self." --- End of account ---- PS: If the occasion arises, I would like you Kim and/or Mr. Tolle to address the following concerns when he has time. 1. Meister Eckhart? Did Mr. Tolle change his name from Ulrich to Eckhart? If so, when and why? I don't mean to sound disrespectful as I have gained much from your teachings but that sounds to me like an odd thing for someone who is "egoless" to do. 2. Negate the Mind? Some folks are interpreting Mr Tolle's words to mean that one should negate the mind, that the mental body should be shunned for a world of feeling or emotion. I personally think he would agree that the mental body is just like any tool - it needs to be trained, mastered and used. The "sin" or missing of the mark comes in when one identifies with the mental body, thinking he IS the mental body rather than it just being another tool such as the emotions or one's hands. The same is true of the emotional body, which is also a tool to be trained and mastered - one can also become identified with it as though it were himself, just like you can with the mental body. I would just like Mr. Tolle to address that potential misconception that folks could get - that it can SEEM as though he is teaching that one should negate the mind. 3. Dweller on the Threshold? Tolle's description of the pain-body sounds very similar to that of the "Dweller on the Threshold" described in other previously esoteric teachings (and even has its own entry on Wikipedia these days). The "dweller" is usually described in terms like these: "created by the negative energy of all of our fears, mistakes -- "sins," guilt and illusions from all of our past lives rolled into one bundle. The Dweller is actually a low life form that is fighting for its life and as such will do everything within its power to survive. Fear is its main weapon, for when the disciple overcomes his fears and faces the Dweller, it begins to "die" and go back to its source." I was wondering if Mr. Tolle was familiar with this concept and how it relates to his concept of the Ego/Pain-Body. 4. Nothingness Philosophy? Mr. Tolle's books, if not followed closely, could seem to be advocating what could be called the "nothingness philosophy". I think such a "philosophy" is probably illusionary, potentially very harmful and would like Mr. Tolle to address it in order to avoid confusion. Here is the "nothingness philosophy" in a nutshell: "There is a point between the dualities, between (or beyond) the high and low point of the wavelength, between light and dark, black and white, hot and cold which is neither up or down left or right. This point is beyond time and space, has no form, but the source of all things. This point is where the true God is. This is the point to which we must return if we desire eternal bliss. This point beyond time and space, this point of nothingness, sometimes called the great void, is where believers seem to want to go." Is this what you advocate that we "try to get to"? 5. Duality - Positive-Negative, Male-Female Polarities? Another posible point of confusion in Mr. Tolle's teachings is on duality, here is my take on the matter and I would like Mr. Tolle to address it if possible. It runs like this: "Positive and negative exist when they are close to being equal, but not quite equal. The imbalance of energy in our physical world thus causes one energy to be a sending one and one to be a receiver. The process of sending and receiving is an attempt by nature to bring balance in the universe. If all energies were to become perfectly balanced, then we would have perfect circles formed around a point which would then be reduced to a point of nothingness. As it is, there are no perfect circles and this lack of perfect circles of energy in motion creates a spiral of ever increasing size. The universe is a spiral of ever increasing size, ever expanding. Just as we humans are ever seeking to increase our ring-pass-not, even so is the universe as a whole expanding its ring. The universe of physical form (manifestation) is created because one of the energies dominates and this domination is called "the dominating good" by the sages. From the larger perspective, "evil" could be said to be that which takes us toward dissolution and nothingness, and "good" that which takes us toward creation and order. We thus have these two energies interplaying, one in the direction of disorder and dissolution, and the other toward order and creation. Thankfully the energy of creation dominates and thus the universe is ever Becoming and evolving as an ever expanding spiral. Whereas it is true that the positive energy dominates in our physical world, the negative dominates in the etheric (energy) and astral (emotional) realms. Then the positive dominates in the mental and so on up to the monad." Could you comment on this, please?

bbraasch

Is a long paragraph. One of the concepts behind Qigong is energy balance with the universe. I think the energy wants to balance and given the space will find balance, but our unconscious politics over the kind of energy that sells by the gallon are putting this little spec of life forms challenge that and politics may in the end prevail. That need not ruin my day today, as the best I can do to change the energy is to be part of the right energy. I think about entropy as my body gives me a few examples, and I thank the universe for providing spiritual peace I lacked when I ran further and faster. Could this be the same existence for all things, physical entropy, spiritual growth? Alan Watts said we should let nature figure it out. That goes all the way down. Teilhard de Chardin wrote his vision of the path we are taking toward the omega point. We're going there together. Only some are aware of this.

smtan04

Hello and THANK YOU KIM! I just love that you have this blog as part of the New Earth experience, or should I say movement. I too was very moved when I heard Mr. Tolle say "The Now is the foundation for the rest of your life." That says it all.

smtan04

Hello again, I do have a question for Kim that keeps creeping up as I experience awakening. On Monday night's Webinar, Eckert said "Make friends with the present moment". While part of me believes "yes yes yes" to this statement, another part of me says "but what if you, or your form, is being physically assaulted or violated in a present moment?" For example, a woman at a domestic violence shelter asked me, "How can I be friends with the present moment the very moment I am being raped or abused by my partner?" I would love to hear how others would respond to this since I was not sure how too. Smtan04

meg134

I agree with you crb1948. " Though his words are clear and true, and they are such valuable pointers for our own awakening, for me it is who he is that has the most profound transformative effect." I, too, feel that the presence of Eckhart has the most profound effect. The part of me that sees a regular human who expresses such profound peace and knowledge is utterly transforming.

milkandsug

dear kim, "Love is the recognition of the formless within the form, the eternal within the impermanent. We honor the form because we love the formless within it." thank you for these beautiful and true words.

crdodson

Thank you again, Kim, for your wonderful insight. While I find the practice of presence very helpful in dealing with a difficult life situation I'm in at the moment, there's often an incredible emotional pain that washes over me. I find I can step out of it and 'see' it in awareness, but all too soon it returns. It's especially present when I'm with my partner, who has initiated a need for change. I would love to hear anything you and others may find useful in this area.

keelabeela

Hi Kim. Wonderful blog. I've been working on my Chapter 3 homework and wondering about ego and fear. If one of my fears is to feel like I haven't accomplished something worthwhile with my life (through work or art or whatever), is this really just my ego? I want to feel like I've done something with my life before I die. But is this fear just my ego talking? I'm confused. I'd love to hear from you.

radhikab

Our primary purpose in life is to honor God. Wow! Something very profound yet you have put it in such simplicity I love it. Thank you so Much Kim, thanks to Eckhart and Oprah. Love, Radhika.

mamaaj

What an interesting journey we have all decided to take together! What a wonderful time to be living in that allows us all access to one another in this process to lead better lives as a global community! When has there ever been a better launch time than now? Right now, there are people all over the globe thinking about the same thing we are- finding the inner world we all share without shame, or hate, or fear, or strife. And to top it off, we can all write to each other with words that are inadequate about just how truly fantastic this moment is for us all, and everyone can read it and try to connect some more. Now is a pretty good time. Thank you all for being present, now.

nad1275

I'm very thankful for the book "A New Earth" written by Eckhart, and the online class that he and Oprah are offering once a week. Since I've been reading the book and attending class I've noticed a shift right away. I am a spiritual person and I've always been aware and now I'm even more aware. I know the book and class are changing my life and taking me to the next level of my spiritual journey. I watched the first class by Oprah and Eckhart, and like many others there were times when the video stalled. During class I submitted a question and I'm not sure if it was received. I am a writer and I love to write, it's my passion. I've been writing poetry, short stories and writing in journals from a very early age. I received a degree in journalism and after graduation worked as a newspaper reporter for around three years. While I was working as a reporter I experienced overwhelming disappointment when I realized that I did not like working as a newspaper reporter. I found working in the newsroom to be a negative environment and not a positive experience. I wanted to work in a positive environment and do work that was positive. My spirit was very unhappy when I had to go to work and so I started to look for work in other areas. It was difficult because not many people wanted to hire me with a journalism degree, at the time they were looking for people with other degrees. So out of my disappointment and frustration I moved back home and decided to make a career change. Since I enjoy helping others and find it very rewarding I went back to school and received a diploma in social service and I am currently pursuing a health care degree. I feel better about the work that I'm doing because I'm doing something to improve the quality of another person's life. Yet my passion is still writing and I write poetry with ease. Yet I found that I had difficulty completing the novel I'm working on. One day I was passing a church and I asked God what is my purpose? God's answer was to just write, that's all you have to do. I know God is leading me to write a novel and others because the spirit has given me the ideas I need. My question that I submitted in the first class is this: I'm in the process of writing a novel and I have not completed it out of fear. Questions come up such as what if I fail? or what if I succeed? So I've been afraid of both success and failure. I realize now after reading chapters two and three that fear comes from the ego. My question for Eckhart was how do I let go of the fear to do what God is leading me to do? Moments ago I was reading the blog by Kim Eng and she answered my question about the fear I experienced, when she wrote: "However, when you are rooted in stillness, you are free of fear. When you are fully in the present moment, accepting what is, there is no fear. You are not afraid of the unknown anymore. It is the ego in you that is afraid of the unknown. The fear of the unknown is the mind, or ego's, projection." One of my favorite passages of the bible is "Be still and know that I am God" I have several beautiful plaques on my wall with passages from the bible and this is my favorite one. It is such a simple and profound statement. I have gone into stillness many times and I know in my spirit and heart that with God there is no fear, but my ego did not want to let go of this fear until now, because now I am aware. The fear is gone and now I'm at peace about continuing my novel. I want to thank Kim for answering my question through her blog. Thanks so much!

hallenbroo

If we are living in the present, and focus our attention on the Now, does that mean that we do not plan for the future because we are only concerned about now? I have 2 small kids and I feel like am constantly planning our future events, from summer camp to college funds. Should I let it all go and have faith that it will all work out when I get there? Laura

susan92407

Thank you so much, Kim, for your contribution to this life-changing experience. I love reading your blogs and all of the comments. This really is a once in a lifetime experience with Eckhart and Oprah conducting this class. For me, invaluable information is provided about how and what to do in the way of exercises; sharing ideas; and discussing the concepts in Eckhart's book. Finally, for me, things are moving from an idea in my head to actually understanding and allowing moments and things to just be. One thing I've noticed is the voice in my head, is a narrator. . .when I'm not thinking about anything in particular, I'll become aware of this voice just describing my reaction to things. I had an ah-ha moment the other morning on a walk, and right away this voice began explaining it to someone. And of course, when that happens, the enjoyment of the moment is gone. Is this my ego just letting me know 'I'm still here'? I'm becoming more and more aware of it and am able to quiet it down, but it just shows up all the time and in this way. Thanks again, Kim. Love and peace to you.

heidigable

Hi Laura, I've struggled with the same questions - how am I supposed to live in this world, with everything that needs to be done on a day-to-day basis, planning for the future, but still stay present in this very moment? I've been learning that it's not really an either/or situation. It's more about my mental connection to a particular outcome that creates my mental anguish. I wrote on my blog about a funny little example that really helped me get clear about this: http://www.iwasthinking.ca/2008/03/13/in-this-moment/ Hope it helps you too!

sh0rty61

Hi Kim! Your whole paragraph that says that our life should honor God and how you use your suffering as an alarm clock really stuck a chord in me. A real lightbulb moment. I really desire to honor God with my entire life so that made me smile the smile of joy (it pulled me back to a resting place) and yet, like you, I get sucked in to things or situations going on around me. I often don't catch myself until whatever is going on is over and I remind myself, "oh yeah, I was really unconscious just now through all that. I totally got lost in that." I'm going to start using that concept of the alarm clock, too. That is very helpful in pulling me back to the NOW. This whole week I kept finding myself worrying about my family being sick with some viruses going around and them missing so much school and before I knew it, I was in this vortex of "what if's". The ego is a funny thing. I had to keep stopping myself and reminding myself that all my suffering was mind-made. Nothing terrible was actually happening in terms of my "what if's". I was making myself suffer more than just the actual illness was causing! LOL Thank you so much for your insights. It's really helping me.

lisanatoli

Hi Kim! Thanks for your beautiful blog. i am so excited by Eckhart and Oprah's webcast! I notice that Oprah keeps wanting to have an experience and I feel like she is asking great questions: what now? and what is it for? (being present, knowing the life energy in her hand, climbing the stairs, noticing a flower without naming it, practicing stillness) because how does being present solve problems, grievances, conflict, fear and confusion? I am wondering if Eckhart has practiced A Course in Miracles? it seems almost 200% percent to me that he has done all 365 lessons. He is awake. That is obvious. He has clarity, certainty and joy that you just don't normally see in most people. I keep thinking: he's definitely undergone the transformation of A Course in miracles. I could be totally wrong, but i don't know where that kind of consistent joy comes from except from the workbook of A Course in Miracles. And to me, it is the practical application - practice, use, apply - of "changing your mind" that brings peace and a state of mind where this is only love, all the time. It seems to me that presence is the first step, being still, being in the now, noticing, being aware, observing without reacting but then there is another step to take: in actively participating in changing every thought from fear to love. like Oprah asks: now what? What's it for? How does one go from fear to love, from sadness to joy, from loneliness to function, from a grievance to peace, from confusion to purpose, from conflict to happiness? I keep waiting for Eckhart to mention the practical application of A Course in Miracles. I am totally in love with your blog, and I'm so grateful for all the beautiful comments that everyone is posting here. Love, lisa Gorgeous for God ps: tell Eckhart if you read this blog that I LOVED the 3 minute youtube clip on space. Oh my God. I've watched it 20 times. It is so funny, clear and practical.

hallenbroo

Heidi- I will use that example as a gentle reminder about being open minded to the results. I enjoyed your blog, you are a good writer!

clearlife

Hi Kim - yes, suffering is a compassionate alarm clock, as my mentor Byron Katie says, which is there to wake us up from the "nightmare" of believing our thoughts, believing we are a "this." Everything serves our self-realization, even and including attachment to thought. What is there that is not a teacher, not a friend> One day I will print up a t-shirt that says "I (Heart) My Resistance" - brings me home every time. Once there is a taste of awareness, the mind's gig is up, its cover is blown, we can never NOT know who we are. Love and gratitude to you, Eckhart, and Oprah, Carol My story is here: http://www.clearlifesolutions.com http://soulsurgery.blogspot.com