Topic: Tolle’s “A New Earth”

[littlefeather]

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven"
Matthew 5:3

I am not quite sure I understand what this means.  How is a person poor in spirit?  How is this possible?
 

[Definitive Journey]

~

As I picked up my son from school yesterday (he was in the art room helping the art teacher ... he usually doesn't frequent the art room). I was waiting for him to gather his things and turned around in the courtyard, noticing the inscriptions on the adobe wall up above.  Your words just reminded me of them.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven"
Matthew 5:3

and....

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth"
Matthew 5:5

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said, “for theirs will be the kingdom of heaven.” What does “poor in spirit” mean? No inner baggage, no identifications. Not with things, nor with any mental concepts that have a sense of self in them. And what is the “kingdom of heaven” The simple but profound joy of Being that is there when you let og of identifications and so become “poor in spirit.”

In the Sermon on th Mount, Jesus makes a prediction that to this day few people have understood. He says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” In modern versions of the Bible, “meek” is translated as humble. Who are the meek or the humble, and what does it mean that they shall inherit the earth?

The meek are the egoless. They are those who have awakened to their essential true nature as consciousness and recognize that essence in all “others,” all lifeforms.  They live in the surrendered state and so feel their oneness with the whole and the Source. They embody the awakened consciousness that is changing all aspects of life on our planet, including nature, because life on earth is inseparable from the human consciousness that perceives and interacts with it. That is the sense in which the meek will inherit the earth.

z

[littlefeather]

~

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said, “for theirs will be the kingdom of heaven.” What does “poor in spirit” mean? No inner baggage, no identifications. Not with things, nor with any mental concepts that have a sense of self in them.

Interesting, I would have thought these people would be rich in spirit!
 

[daphne]

~

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said, “for theirs will be the kingdom of heaven.” What does “poor in spirit” mean? No inner baggage, no identifications. Not with things, nor with any mental concepts that have a sense of self in them. And what is the “kingdom of heaven” The simple but profound joy of Being that is there when you let og of identifications and so become “poor in spirit.”

In the Sermon on th Mount, Jesus makes a prediction that to this day few people have understood. He says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” In modern versions of the Bible, “meek” is translated as humble. Who are the meek or the humble, and what does it mean that they shall inherit the earth?

The meek are the egoless. They are those who have awakened to their essential true nature as consciousness and recognize that essence in all “others,” all lifeforms.  They live in the surrendered state and so feel their oneness with the whole and the Source. They embody the awakened consciousness that is changing all aspects of life on our planet, including nature, because life on earth is inseparable from the human consciousness that perceives and interacts with it. That is the sense in which the meek will inherit the earth.

z

I would think that to be truly egoless, one could not also be meek or humble, since being meek or humble, implies that some"one" is being meek or humble.  Don't know whether Jesus said that or not.. but it certainly sounds like a good control tactic for a religion! 

[Michael]

its always been a tricky quote.

the only explanation most of us adopt, is to interpret the words meek and poor in terms of egoism.

[Definitive Journey]

~

Such it is with words...

z

[daphne]

~

Such it is with words...

z

Yeah... words can be a real bitch eh?!   

[Definitive Journey]

~~

Yeah... words can be a real bitch eh?!   

 

Share your words with us over here:  http://restlesssoma.com.au/restlesssoma/index.php?topic=2049.0

P.S.  Hiya Daph!

[daphne]

~~

 

Share your words with us over here:  http://restlesssoma.com.au/restlesssoma/index.php?topic=2049.0

P.S.  Hiya Daph!

ribbet ribbet..   

Hiya Zam!   

[Definitive Journey]

~

THE THREE MODALITIES OF AWAKENED DOING

There are three ways in which consciousness can flow into what you do and thus through you into this world, three modalities in which you can align your life with the creative power of the universe. Modality means the underlying energy frequency that flows into what you do and connects your actions with the awakened consciousness that is emerging into this world.  What you do will be dysfunctional and of the ego unless it arises out of one of these three modalities. They may change during the course of a day, although one of them may be dominant during a certain stage in your life.  Each modality is appropriate to certain situations.

The modalities of awakened doing are acceptance, enjoyment, and enthusiasm. Each one represents a certain vibrational frequency of consciousness. You need to be vigilant to make sure that one of them operates whenever you are engaged in doing anything at all – from the most simple task to the most complex. If you are not in the state of either acceptance, enjoyment, or enthusiasm, look closely and you will find that you are creating suffering for yourself and others.

ACCEPTANCE


Whatever you cannot enjoy doing, you can at least accept that this is what you have to do. Acceptance means: For now, this is what this situation, this moment, requires me to do, and so I do it willingly. We already spoke at length about the importance of inner acceptance of what happens, and acceptance of what you have to do is just another aspect of it. For example, you probably won't be able to enjoy changing the flat tire on your car at night in the middle of nowhere and in pouring rain, let alone be enthusiastic about it, but you can bring acceptance to it. Performing an action in the state of acceptance means you are at peace while you do it. That peace is a subtle energy vibration which then flows into what you do. On the surface, acceptance looks like a passive state, but in reality it is active and creative because it brings something entirely new into this world. That peace, that subtle energy vibration, is consciousness, and one of the ways in which it enters this world is through surrendered action, one aspect of which is acceptance.

If you can neither enjoy or bring acceptance to what you do - stop.  Otherwise, you are not taking responsibility for the only thing you can really take responsibility for, which also happens to be one thing that really matters: your state of consciousness. And if you are not taking responsibility for your state of consciousness, you are not taking responsibility for life.

ENJOYMENT

The peace that comes with surrendered action turns to a sense of aliveness when you actually enjoy what you are doing. Enjoyment is the second modality of awakened doing. On the new earth, enjoyment will replace wanting as the motivating power behind people's actions. Wanting arises from the ego's delusion that you are a separate fragment that is disconnected from the power that lies behind all creation. Through enjoyment, you link into that universal creative power itself.

When you make the present moment, instead of past and future, the focal point of your life, your ability to enjoy what you do – and with it the quality of your life – increases dramatically. Joy is the dynamic aspect of Being. When the creative power of the universe becomes conscious of itself, it manifests as joy. You don't have to wait for something “meaningful” to come into your life so that you can finally enjoy what you do. There is more meaning in joy than you will ever need. The “waiting to start living” syndrome is one of the most common delusions of the unconscious state.  Expansion and positive change on the outer level is much more likely to come into your life if you can enjoy what you are doing already, instead of waiting for some change so that you can start enjoying what you do.

When you say, I enjoy doing this or that, it is really a misperception. It makes it appear that the joy comes from what you do, but that is not the case.  Joy does not come from what you do, it flows into what you do and thus into this world from deep within you. The misperception that joy comes from what you do is normal, and it is also dangerous, because it creates the belief that joy is something that can be derived form something else, such as an activity or thing. You then look to the world to bring you joy, happiness. But it cannot do that. This is why many people live in constant frustration. The world is not giving them what they think they need.

Then what is the relationship between something that you do and the state of joy? You will enjoy any activity in which you are fully present, any activity that is not just a means to an end. It isn't the action you perform that you really enjoy, but the deep sense of aliveness that flows into it. That aliveness is one with who you are. This means that when you enjoy doing something, you are really experiencing the joy of Being in its dynamic aspect. That's why anything you enjoy doing connects you with the power behind all creation.

ENTHUSIASM

Then there is another way of creative manifestation that may come to those who remain true to their inner purpose of awakening. Suddenly one day they know what their outer purpose is. They have a great vision, a goal, and from then on they work toward implementing that goal. Their goal or vision is usually connected in some way to something that on a smaller scale they are doing and enjoy doing already. This is where the third modality of awakened doing arises: enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm means there is deep enjoyment in what you do plus the added element of a goal or a vision that you work toward. When you add a goal to the enjoyment of what you do, the energy-field or vibrational frequency changes. A certain degree of what we might call structural tension is now added to enjoyment, and so it turns into enthusiasm. At the height of creative activity fueled by enthusiasm, there will be enormous intensity and energy behind what you do. You will feel like an arrow hat is moving toward the target – and enjoying the journey.

To an onlooker, it may appear that you are under stress, but the intensity of enthusiasm has nothing to do with stress. When you want to arrive at your goal more than you want to be doing what you are doing, you become stressed. The balance between enjoyment and structural tension is lost, and the latter has won. When there is stress, it is usually a sign that the ego has returned , and you are cutting yourself off form the creative power of the universe. Instead, there is only the force and strain of egoic wanting, and so you have to struggle and “work hard” to make it. Stress always diminishes both the quality and effectiveness of what you do under its influence. There is also a strong link between stress and negative emotions, such as anxiety and anger. It is toxic to the body and is now becoming recognized as one of the main causes of the socalled degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Enthusiasm and the ego cannot coexist. One implies the absence of the other. Enthusiasm knows where it is going, but at the same time, it is deeply at one with the present moment, the source of its aliveness, its joy, and its power. Enthusiasm “wants” nothing because it lacks nothing. It is at one with life and no matter how dynamic the enthusiasm inspired activities are, you don't lose yourself in them. And there remains always a still but intensely alive space at the center of the wheel, a core of peace in the midst of activity that is both the source of all and untouched by it all.

Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth

[≈*≈]

Well ... I just finished the book.  I know ... I'm a slow reader

Here's a bit about Ego and what I've seen as sort of a "virus" with people.  Whether it's just in everyday conversation, or an all out "brawl", responsibility of word and action can be lacking.  One person's grievance becomes a "consensual" grievance.

I experienced this while working with a customer last Friday.  An opinion turns into a conviction and before you know it Everyone agrees (whether it's true, or not) ... I watched it happen in a matter of seconds.  The basis for this reasoning was Past interaction.  Our major competitor was involved and most of our company used to work for that corporation. 

It was interesting, to say the least ... without awareness, presence I would have drown.  A potentially "ugly" situation was turned "friendly"    When I speak or act from my essence, true self ... there is a connection.  That is Genuine.  Ego is not.  Ego usually has an ulterior motive and is quite transparent.   

"A New Earth (pg. 42 )  REACTIVITY AND GRIEVANCES
Whereas resentment is often the emotion that goes with complaining, it may
also be accompanied by a stronger emotion such as anger or some other form
of upset. In this way, it becomes more highly charged energetically.
 
Complaining then turns into reactivity, another of the ego's ways of
strengthening itself. There are many people who are always waiting for the
next thing to react against, to feel annoyed or disturbed about – and it never
takes long before they find it. “This is an outrage,” they say. “How dare
you...” “ I resent this.” They are addicted to upset and anger as others are to a
drug. Through reacting against this or that they assert and strengthen their
feeling of self.
 
A long-standing resentment is called a grievance. To carry a grievance
is to be in a permanent state of “against,” and that is why grievances
constitute a significant part of many people's ego. Collective grievances can
survive for centuries in the psyche of a nation or tribe and fuel a never-
ending cycle of violence.
 
A grievance is a strong negative emotion connected to an event in the
sometimes distant past that is being kept alive by compulsive thinking, by
retelling the story in the head or out loud of “what someone did to me” or “
what someone did to us.” A grievance will also contaminate other areas of
your life. For example, while you think about and feel your grievance, its
negative emotional energy can distort your perception of an event that is
happening in the present or influence the way in which you speak or behave
to ward someone in the present. One strong grievance is enough to
contaminate large areas of your life and keep you in the grip of the ego.
It requires honesty to see whether you still harbor grievances, whether
there is someone in your life you have not completely forgiven, an “enemy.”

If you do, become aware of the grievance both on the level of thought as well
as emotion, that is to say, be ware of the thoughts that keep it alive, and feel
the emotion that is the body's response to those thoughts. Don't try to let go
of the grievance. Trying to let go, to forgive, does not work. Forgiveness
happens naturally when you see that it has no purpose other than to
strengthen a false sense of self, to keep the ego in place. The seeing is
freeing. Jesus' teaching to “Forgive your enemies” is essentially about the
undoing of one of the main egoic structures in the human mind.

The past has no power to stop you from being present now. Only your
grievance about the past can do that. And what is a grievance? The baggage
of old thought and emotion."

[Michael]

That stuff on grievance is very true

[Jaharkta]

That is a good passage. My PC is breaking it all up, so I'm bringing it here for amplification:

"A New Earth (pg. 42 )  REACTIVITY AND GRIEVANCES

Whereas resentment is often the emotion that goes with complaining, it may also be accompanied by a stronger emotion such as anger or some other form of upset. In this way, it becomes more highly charged energetically.
 
Complaining then turns into reactivity, another of the ego's ways of strengthening itself. There are many people who are always waiting for the next thing to react against, to feel annoyed or disturbed about – and it never takes long before they find it. “This is an outrage,” they say. “How dare you...” “ I resent this.”  They are addicted to upset and anger as others are to a drug. Through reacting against this or that they assert and strengthen their feeling of self.
 
A long-standing resentment is called a grievance. To carry a grievance is to be in a permanent state of “against,” and that is why grievances constitute a significant part of many people's ego. Collective grievances can survive for centuries in the psyche of a nation or tribe and fuel a never-ending cycle of violence.
 
A grievance is a strong negative emotion connected to an event in the sometimes distant past that is being kept alive by compulsive thinking, by retelling the story in the head or out loud of “what someone did to me” or “what someone did to us.” A grievance will also contaminate other areas of your life. For example, while you think about and feel your grievance, its negative emotional energy can distort your perception of an event that is happening in the present or influence the way in which you speak or behave toward someone in the present. One strong grievance is enough to contaminate large areas of your life and keep you in the grip of the ego. It requires honesty to see whether you still harbor grievances, whether there is someone in your life you have not completely forgiven, an “enemy.”

If you do, become aware of the grievance both on the level of thought as well as emotion, that is to say, be ware of the thoughts that keep it alive, and feel the emotion that is the body's response to those thoughts. Don't try to let go of the grievance. Trying to let go, to forgive, does not work. Forgiveness happens naturally when you see that it has no purpose other than to strengthen a false sense of self, to keep the ego in place. The seeing is freeing. Jesus' teaching to “Forgive your enemies” is essentially about the undoing of one of the main egoic structures in the human mind.

The past has no power to stop you from being present now. Only your grievance about the past can do that. And what is a grievance? The baggage of old thought and emotion."

I'm not missing the point about grievance, which I agree can indeed end up coloring all our perceptions, like poison.

Something is missing in this explication about "forgiveness", however, though I'm hard-pressed to put my finger on it. I just want to tentatively work it out here, on paper. This isn't a commentary on Tolle -- these are my primitive thoughts.

It seems to me that there would come a point in one's path wherein "forgiveness" simply isn't necessary. "Forgiveness" implies the state of being offended, and if one is not "offended" to start with, then this ritual is unnecessary. (The ritual of forgiveness, that is.)

As the story goes, Jesus said on the cross, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." That was generous of him, for indeed something heinous was occuring, I suspect anyone would agree, believer or not. "Killing" or "murder" was certainly against Jewish law. But was God or Hashem "offended"?  I don't know ... perhaps that jealous god was offended -- he did seem to have a penchant for a lot of irrationality, per what was written in the Tanach. Did Jesus die "offended"? Does anyone die "offended"? Isn't being "offended" moot, come death? And if being "offended" is moot, I submit that so is "forgiveness". We give this ritual too much power.

Still, there are many remedies in Jewish law for the wrongdoing done to others. They have proscriptions regarding the begging and acceptance of "forgiveness" as well.

In my view, it's about responsibility and reparation, not about what niggles at our egos. What do we owe others? What can we negotiate together -- let's put it in some terms rather than this New Age "forgiveness", which is a hair from being the indulgence of self-pity.

It seems to me that damage-control and -repair are much more significant than this rote ritual of "forgiveness". If a man was recklessly driving and wrecked my fence when he ran into it, it has more meaning for me if he took care of rebuilding the fence, rather than his begging of "forgiveness". I could "forgive" him easily ... but what about that fence?

On the other hand ... if a man, deliberately or accidently, killed a loved one of mine, he cannot replace that loss. That is entirely between him and his maker. There is no repair available to me for that loss. So what we have then is a gaping imbalance, which only I can restore for myself. That is, if 'restoration' is even possible -- it's for me to go on, and find and renew my own joy in living. His begging of my forgiveness makes no difference in that. Visualizing him imprisoned for the rest of his life makes no difference in my healing. In fact, the more I 'enjoy' that scenario, the less I have re-empowered myself.    "Forgiveness" is really the least of it, but I could make things worse for the rest of my life, for sure, by hanging on to my anger and resentment about it.

In the end, "forgiveness" is a ritual performed for self, in its rote-ritual form. It has nothing to do with the other, from whom we beg it. In that respect, it's a lie, for I don the pretense of begging your forgiveness, when what I really need is my own self-reckoning. When what I really need is to make amends and repair. "Remorse" is a drunkard's dream.

Absolution and Unconditional Love

Where "forgiveness" might have value is precisely where we could stand to redefine it or rename it.

I've done wrong, I've done wrong, my existence is miserable and I'm worthless.  I've gone mad with my self-contempt -- I did this to person A, and that to person B. I can't make amends --- do you still love me? Will you eternally disapprove of me, am I doomed with no light at all? Will I still be able to see your light?

Seems like an act of pure folly to ask this of person C, who has nothing whatever to do with my wrongdoings or negotiations. And yet ... there is this existence of pure, unconditional love, which shone upon the beggar can indeed pull him out of the shitter. Some people have that .. by virtue of their enormous shakti, or sometimes by virtue of their place in our lives. And, if we are lucky, we can be "blessed" by their "forgiveness".  It's a kind of absolution, and probably the thing upon which the Confessional was based, many moons ago. Though it's never as simple as 20 'Hail Mary's'.

To have that unconditional love in one's life is not the end-all solution, though -- it's just a temporary life-saver.  We still must do the work. We have to repair that fence! But, this shakti can save a life .. can give one the temporary balance to walk the tightrope across the abyss in the pitch-black. It has enormous value, in other words. But is it "forgiveness"?  No, it's Love. And a rare, rare thing in this world, even for our best aspirations.   We misunderstand it, most of the time.

Those are my thoughts for now, subject to amendment and change.

[littlefeather]

It seems to me that there would come a point in one's path wherein "forgiveness" simply isn't necessary. "Forgiveness" implies the state of being offended, and if one is not "offended" to start with, then this ritual is unnecessary. (The ritual of forgiveness, that is.)

Agreed.

[daphne]

There's a rather thought provoking little book... The Sunflower, by Simon Wiesenthal - on the possibilities ands limits of forgiveness.