Wanting and craving creates suffering. I've been listening to Eckhart for quite a while now on my iPod. I have less wrinkles! Go with Eckhart to have true wealth, the inner kind.

Love is the infinite source and also the ion. It is all that is within all matter. It is all that is within all non-matter. Now, if you look upon matter you will know that it is only a manifested reality of your own thoughts. These thoughts, will express and create the matter and your reality. The reality can be converted back to space. The space can be infiltrated with thoughts and created. It is back and forth this way. Matter non matter. All of the universe is constant in its continuous matter non matter cycle. However, the matter non matter cycle exists in only one moment and all time simultaneously. This simultaneous existence, gives and merges the ability of manifestation of matter and manifestation of non matter. Non matter is an essence of isness and space and no time. It is. It is very difficult to understand non matter and isness because matter manifestation bombards our senses. But non matter is the real essence of all. non matter is the all possibility. The everything. It at the same moment is no thing at all.

I wrote this, 4 years ago after meditation, and came across it yesterday. After 4 years I finally understand it myself.

Okay, here is my spin....

I actually think the two are very similar (The Secret and ANE). The biggest difference is that The Secret was marketing for the masses and it was assumed that materialism is the only thing that sells. Tolle, on the other hand, isn't afraid to go to what is deeper. I have seen aspects of the Secret work in my life, but not on the level of materialism and desire for "stuff." When you break it down, the two are very similar in essence....see, by being in the present and not labeling things good or bad, we create a vibrancy/frequency of peace and calmness and it is THAT feeling and frequency that goes into the world and therfore, comes back to us. Tolle mentions the need for things....we just have to not NEED (desire, our life will be ruined if we dont get it....etc.) things. We can prefer an outcome (the raise, the new car, etc.), but if we are attached to that outcome, then we suffer. If we are not attached, regardless of the outcome, we are still at peace and that will bring more of the same....eventually freeing us up to get the new car, etc. As long as it is kept in perspective.

Hope this makes sense...

KCbala - You said the secret word "attachment". It is our attachments that keep us from being in the moment, perpetuate our fears, etc. A wise man once told me to let go of anything that was an attachment. That meant possessions, thoughts, preferred outcomes, etc. Whatever I really needed would come back anyway. What did not come back was in effect baggage that I did not need. It has taken many years to master this idea. I am completely there. However, I am much happier and see things more clearly than I did many years ago.

Agree totally - well said!

Neither of the books, or thoughts, are wrong, they just emphasize different human actions. We live a life of free-will. In our life we can choose what we want from this life. We can either choose to manifest possessions, or we can choose to focus on living an ego free life, or both! Tolle is providing valuable information on how to free ourselves from our ego and to open to what I call our "higher self". In doing so we are provided with the tools we need to make our life both fulfilling and productive. Being material people we often want to add to our collection of "stuff", thus "The Secret" provides the tools to do so. If we are able to stay in an ego free life with a huge collection of "stuff" we will have achieved what many people would believe to be the ultimate life; however, others who chose to life filled with "stuff" wouldn't be very impressed. Oprah is providing enlightenment to the masses, but what we do with it will always be our choice.

Ooops...what I meant to say was: "others who chose NOT to life filled with "stuff" wouldn't be very impressed. Sorry!!!