Eckhart Tolle Weekend

  Eckhart Tolle Retreat: “A New Consciousness for a New Earth” February 27 – March 1, 2015.   This weekend retreat was focused around a retreat given by Eckhart in Assisi, Italy, in 2014. Five talks or guided meditation sessions with Eckhart were shown on DVD plus three guided meditations on CD with Kim Eng, Eckhart’s partner, on the inner body, the senses, and the pain body. During one of the talks Eckhart spoke in some depth of the teachings of St Francis of Assisi and drew parallels between his teachings and those of Eckhart. He also referred to the teachings of J. Krishnamurti and, again, mentioned the similarities with his own teachings. The five Assisi sessions covered a variety of topics, including the difference between thought and presence or being, putting attention on the inner body, form and the formless, essence identity vs. form identity, transcending egoic consciousness, stillness and transcendence, the path of effort vs. the path of relaxation and the integration of the two, the joy that is not dependent on circumstances or conditions, consciousness with and without content, spaciousness, and the essence of Zen (by which he claimed to have saved us twenty years in a Zen monastery). An additional DVD was shown entitled “Our Human Destiny” in which Eckhart spoke of the shift in human consciousness that we are a part of. The weekend also included some interesting group discussions facilitated by David, some chanting and movement guided by Ralph, two videos introducing Krishnamurti and his teachings, plenty of time for walks on the lovely property and for rest and quiet contemplation. Delicious meals were provided by Pearson College and Luis, the property manager, did everything possible to make the nine participants comfortable and to help the retreat flow smoothly. All attendees expressed great appreciation for the experience of the weekend and the value of the retreat.