Namaste all,

I might be the only one, but I didn't really enjoy the Power of Now. I like his talks very much and probably agree with 99% of what he says, but for some reason (not sure what) I didn't like the book too much.

A similar book that I have found to be more than worth its weight in gold is I Am That by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (don't be put off by his name! LOL). I've been reading this for about 11 years now and the words in this book are still fresh and cut through the nonsense of the mind with such amazing piercing clarity. So if you enjoyed the PON I think you would probably enjoy this book too. If you get the opportunity please check it out.

Om Shanti
Neil

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John wrote:

I suppose if they're the ''blow up kind'' you best not.......also watch out for anything else you might let slip about your sexual practices Scott,.......... as rumour has it theres an ex vice squad copper on the forum

LOL, never worked 'vice' thankfully, just computer crime and fraud...

Have no time for the blow-up kind, though at least they share my opinions on not thinking hahaha. I'm more a virtual kind of guy.Anyway, why am I taking flak on sexual practices from a man who lives in Ayrshire that has a sheepdog as his avatar hahaha Altogether now - baa, baa, baa

Scott

PS I suspect I'm about to be informed that's not a sheepdog, but it was close enough for the purposes of humour

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Sorry Neil, never saw your post there when I replied to John. (Can I just point out that you are also suspect, having moved from Ayrshire to Aberdeen!!!)

I think I may have mentioned it earlier but I have never actually read his book, I listened to the audio version that I got from audible.co.uk. I have told many people that I don't think I would have found his work so accessible if I had read his words. Hearing them, and with his own voice too, seems to have struck a chord. It's almost like it bypasses something (the thinking mind?) and goes deeper in audio format. Maybe I'm just more focused on the auditory sense, but that might work for you too (especially if you find his talks accessible).

I enjoy his retreats too (on audio of course), and his latest book "A New Earth" seems a little more mature than "Power of Now", like he's settled a little and not quite so forceful in his opinion.

Going off on a tangent now but if yo ulike Tolle then another couple of speakers I have enjoyed (though somewhat different) are Ram Dass and Alan Watts.

Cheers,

Scott

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I suppose we better get back to some high brow stuff now .... Jayne says she saw old Eckhart on UTube and he looked like a dead brainer...half asleep....zombie like. ...Which makes me think Jon 's better off thinking...........Im with you on this one Jon!!

Last edited: 26-02-2007 09:18:47 PM

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I've seen some of his talks, and wouldn't say he's zombie-like. What he does do, especially at the beginning of talks, is take a wee while to listen in and see what's going on within. In one retreat talk I listened to someone asked him about performance anxiety and during his reply he mentions that he doesn't script his talks at all. He just listens in and see what arises for him to relay to people. He found early on that when he has a script it feels false, destroys the flow and energy, and brings in performance anxiety as he then has a 'thing' (i.e. the script) that his talk must measure up to (and will be bound to fail).

He does expressly state in PoN that if the result of following his ideas is to somehow lessen the human experience, it wouldn't be worth it. So if it did turn people into zombies, there would be no point. The aim isn't (as is often the misunderstanding with Yoga as well) to find a trance-like state. That said, when people find peace and their actions/ideas flow from a deeper place, they may seem slower and calmer in their actions, so some may mistake this as being trance-like.

On the topic of being zombies, I my thoughts on that are that a zombie is someone who goes about their life mindlessly doing things. The whole point of being present, of paying attention to the present moment, is of becoming mindful. Mindlessness is when we give over to the ingrained patterns and habits of the thinking mind. So in that respect, people who live in their minds are the zombies, though the constant re-action to everything that happens may not make it appear so in the "zombie movie" sense of the word.

Anyway, I don't actually consider it my mission in life to convert everyone (anyone) to this approach. I've found it to be a great, crystal-clear and simple, insight in how to connect with true being. If anyone might be interested in that they can try it out and see if it works for them. If not, then don't.

To actually discuss the idea is engaging the thinking mind, and is not going to lead to any deeper understanding of what it's all about. So if you fancy it, investigate - don't pay so much attention ot the concepts and words as to the experiences they give.

Cheers,

Scott

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"He just listens in and see what arises for him to relay to people" this is a great concept, I know many motivational speakers who do this.

"He found early on that when he has a script it feels false, destroys the flow and energy, and brings in performance anxiety as he then has a 'thing' (i.e. the script) that his talk must measure up to (and will be bound to fail)."
Wow, this from someone so at one with himself, sorry, sounds like a cop out to me. Performance anxiety???????

"That said, when people find peace and their actions/ideas flow from a deeper place, they may seem slower and calmer in their actions, so some may mistake this as being trance-like."
Or on drugs.


"On the topic of being zombies, I my thoughts on that are that a zombie is someone who goes about their life mindlessly doing things. The whole point of being present, of paying attention to the present moment, is of becoming mindful. Mindlessness is when we give over to the ingrained patterns and habits of the thinking mind. So in that respect, people who live in their minds are the zombies, though the constant re-action to everything that happens may not make it appear so in the "zombie movie" sense of the word."
Scott, your whole point seems to be that people are either this or that, no grey areas, well from my experience there are plenty of grey areas. I wonder to day how many people actually 'Mindlessness is when we give over to the ingrained patterns and habits of the thinking mind.' It seems to me that if we were not in our minds we could not discuss this topic, hmmm.


"So in that respect, people who live in their minds are the zombies,"
Wow, you certainly know how to make a point, people who live in their minds,zombies???? wouldn't you call them thinking people. Surely, this whole thread and the words expressed are from peoples minds, their THINKING minds, and what makes it worse, is you didn't even say it was your opinion, you just made it as a statement.


"Anyway, I don't actually consider it my mission in life to convert everyone (anyone) to this approach. I've found it to be a great, crystal-clear and simple, insight in how to connect with true being. If anyone might be interested in that they can try it out and see if it works for them. If not, then don't.

To actually discuss the idea is engaging the thinking mind, and is not going to lead to any deeper understanding of what it's all about. So if you fancy it, investigate - don't pay so much attention ot the concepts and words as to the experiences they give."
Scott, did you engage your thinking mind to make these statements.

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I got the following in my inbox this morning which I thought was appropriate to this discussion:

"In case you haven't caught on, Andy...

You are not where you now think you are.

You are not what you now think you are.

You are not even who you now think you are.

Because even to think, in spite of its fantastic power to manifest, is to limit.

Ouch, my brain -
The Universe"

Sign up for notes from the Universe at: http://www.tut.com/AdventurersOath.htm

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Jon

It's quite clear from this post, and from the content of the private message you kindly sent me the other day, that I've annoyed you such that anything I post is going to come under fire from you.

Given what you have written to me I honestly doubt that your presence in this thread and your criticisms of what I write stem from an honest and sincere desire in you to investigate the validity of Tolle's methods. Accordingly, I do not see what good responding to your questions is going to do, it would only lead to a back and forth of posts between us that will become even more boring for everyone else than this interaction already is. I personally have no interest in such a discourse

If I have it wrong and you do have a real desire to investigate this, again I will repeat that you will NEVER understand this by intellectualising about it or analysing it to the nth degree. It is an expriential approach to be practiced in real life, not a philosophical one to be debated inforums. The only way you will truly be able to test out its validity by trying his methods.

Instead of looking at the menu and saying "that's impossible, a dish like that could never work", give it a taste. If you don't like it, then fine, try something else on the menu.

If I am right and you have no desire to TRY Tolle's methods then it would be really nice if you would desist and let those of us who are interested in doing so get on with it.

Thanks again,

Scott

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Ouch indeed! Am now signed up to receive a daily ouching. Maybe after a while there'll be nothing left to ouch

Cheers,

Scott

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More wisdom from Eckhart:

Last edited: 28-02-2007 03:04:41 PM

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Namaste Andy,

A very good posting that hit the mark. Thank you!


Om Shanti
Neil

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Scott

It's quite clear from this post, and from the content of the private message you kindly sent me the other day, that I've annoyed you such that anything I post is going to come under fire from you.
“ No Scott, you haven’t annoyed me, what you said annoyed me”

Given what you have written to me I honestly doubt that your presence in this thread and your criticisms of what I write stem from an honest and sincere desire in you to investigate the validity of Tolle's methods
“ Your quite right, I have no desire to investigate Tolle’s works in any form, and my critism comes from your arrogant attitude to what everyone SHOULD think.”

I will repeat that you will NEVER understand this by intellectualising about it or analysing it to the nth degree. It is an expriential approach to be practiced in real life, not a philosophical one to be debated inforums. The only way you will truly be able to test out its validity by trying his methods.
“Its is a pity you actually never said this before, as it is a much clearer, to me, indication of what you are talking about”

If I am right and you have no desire to TRY Tolle's methods then it would be really nice if you would desist and let those of us who are interested in doing so get on with it.
“Go right ahead, I wont trouble you again, unless of course, you start telling me what I should think and what I am if I don’t think the way you do”

Andy and Neil, your comments are valid, yet I feel you missed MY point. I do not wish to have discention, only debate. However, if someone, anyone, makes a statement that what they think is right and your a fool or worse if you dont think the way they do, I will respond in kind.

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Now can everyone see what I mean about the problem with language......


BIG SMILES EVERYONE (;

Last edited: 1-03-2007 02:07:22 PM

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