Stillness Within December Meetup: Eckhart Tolle – A Deeper Knowing

At the December meetup, six of us gathered to enjoy a recent talk by Eckhart Tolle.  The talk delved into the two ways of knowing:  conceptual and intuitive.  Eckhart emphasized that while both are necessary, in modern society we have over-valued conceptual knowledge, leading to widespread habitual or even compulsive thinking. He also suggests that while thinking can be used to manifest our reality, it is only through spaciousness and the cessation of thinking that we are able to create from the depths of Being.

Members resonated with many of the key messages such as taking many small moments each day to rest into beingness and allowing thoughts to settle.  Eckhart for example, pauses in between activities to enjoy the sense of ‘un-doing’.  It was fun to imagine those around him asking why he is sitting in his car so long after turning it off!  In a society that often calls us to move immediately to the next priority or activity, I loved this affirmation of the joy of stopping to simply remember our essential beingness.

“There is a great happiness in not wanting, in not being
something, in not going somewhere” Jiddu Krishnamurti

In another example, Eckhart talked about making the present moment your friend – saying yes internally to whatever arises.  Tricky – for sure when things are not what you would have chosen!  Eckhart suggested that accepting ‘what is’ is a first step – denying or getting angry about what’s happening, often leads to greater suffering and less effectiveness in addressing situations.  He could have had a wonderful discourse with Krishnamurti on this topic, who linked back to the concept of true knowing:  “The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence“.

Thank you to those who came out as well as to KECC for their support for this event.