This is a sneak peek from our Summer 2017 issue Inspiring interview with Eckhart Tolle. The issue is out now. Pick one up free in one of our stockists all over Ireland to read the full article, or subscribe to have it delivered.
By: Aisling Cronin / Interviewer: Paul Congdon
Eckhart Tolle is a well-known writer and spiritual teacher, whose books ‘The Power of Now’ and ‘A New Earth’ have become seminal works within the field of self-development. Ahead of his planned appearance in Dublin in September, we heard about his thoughts on Jesus, his love of dogs, and his experiment with LSD.
Last time we spoke, you mentioned that you were writing a book on Jesus. How has that evolved and what are you currently working on?
I can’t say exactly when my writings are going to evolve into a book. There are many aspects of Jesus that are very important to understand: the actual person, the mythological figure, and the spiritual teacher, for example. However, I can say that Jesus’ teachings have more depth than, perhaps, many regular churchgoers realise. The essence of Jesus’ teachings is the transformation of human consciousness, and a recognition that there is a dysfunction within it. ‘Salvation’, in the terminology that he uses, is transcending the dysfunction that we inherit, which is sometimes referred to in Christianity as ‘Original Sin’. You can see that dysfunction clearly when you read history or watch the news tonight.
A lot has happened since we last spoke in 2015, and we have seen an increase in fear based politics in the USA and Britain. How can we navigate times like these?
The main thing is not to be drawn too much into reactivity, believing that the problem lies within individual people or groups. What we see on the news are movements of underlying unconsciousness that have to come to the surface to play themselves out. Unconsciousness always has to come to the surface. If it is not recognised within oneself, it is experienced as an outer event. The external world becomes a reflection of your inner world. This applies both to the individual and the collective. These events can definitely seem negative from one perspective, but seen from a higher spiritual perspective, they are necessary for the awakening of humanity.
This is a sneak peek from our Summer 2017 issue Inspiring interview with Eckhart Tolle. The issue is out now. Pick one up free in one of our stockists all over Ireland to read the full article, or subscribe to have it delivered.
Eckhart Tolle will be speaking in Dublin on September 9th in the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin. For more information about the talk, go to: seminars.ie
