January 14th Stillness Within Eckhart Tolle –

During the January regular meetup, 7 of us gathered to explore a number of common Qs and As that have been asked of Eckhart Tolle, including dealing with illness, whether pain or suffering is necessary for evolution of consciousness, and how we can overcome fear in the midst of health crisis.

There were quite a few points in the responses that resonated with the group. For example, the notion that suffering or pain can present an opportunity to surrender (rather than get caught up in a narrative around the situation or resisting the situation in some way).

The group felt that some of the content shared by Eckhart was definitely valued in terms of life experiences currently arising in our lives. And that finding quiet joy in small day to day moments, can bring a subtle experience of lightness, even in the midst of challenges or ’emotional’ storm fronts that may pass through.

With time left over at the end, we also watched a video which was recently released: Happiness beyond thought. Eckhart echoed Krishnamurti’s pointing here. He suggested that we all experience at times, brief pauses between thoughts that eventually become wider and deeper… often these are the times that a sense of divine, or subtle unlimited joy can arise… showing us aspects of our own existence that our day to day experiences often miss. Of course, like K. points out… this subtle joy is less accessible when the mind is consumed by constant thought.