Stillness Within Meetup: Eckhart Tolle – The Voice Inside Your Head

/in /by

Saturday February 11th

The February Stillness Within Meetup was a great chance for seven of us to get together and enjoy a recently released video talk by Eckhart Tolle called The Voice Inside Your Head. This talk was somewhat introductory, as it was given to employees in a large company, many of whom were not familiar with Eckhart’s teachings.

The highlights of the talk included:

  • our tendency to have a constant stream of thought which sometimes serves to strengthen a sense of ‘me-ness’,
    • a description of the process that surrounds much of the suffering we face in life, particularly in situations where the condition (such as losing a job) is somewhat stressful, but the thoughts and stories we tell ourselves about it can tend to create much more fear, anxiety or other kinds of suffering,
    • what can happen when we begin to see that we are not our thoughts – that thoughts come and go within something much more expansive (e.g. a sense of awareness or consciousness), and
    • not taking our thoughts or internal stories so seriously can be a first step towards loosening the likelihood of feeling consumed by thoughts (or strong feelings). This last one is where Krishnamurti would have pointed to a deeper inquiry or observation… to notice the cycle of our own thoughts, where they come from, the patterns, and also the fact that they are always moving through, taking on different forms over time but at times, being seen as insubstantial or fleeting on their own.

Eckhart talked about some practical strategies for developing a conscious awareness of this broader field of beingness that can even go far beyond a sense of self. He described using a simple breath awareness practice, noticing fully as each breath comes in and out. He also described a practice of sensing body aliveness or scanning, starting with the feeling of life in our hands and feet. Finally, when we have more experience, we may be able to allow the thought process to even subside for periods of time. Through these practices, we may begin to widen our aperture of seeing and sensing, such that identification of a finite self becomes less and less dominant… we see ourselves only as part of wholeness.

It was a lovely session, followed by a group awareness meditative practice which all seemed to enjoy.

Thanks to Krishnamurti Centre for hosting us once again.