This is an article written by Father Richard Rohr, OFM, of The Centre for Action and Contemplation, about Eckhart Tolle and the Christian Tradition. I am republishing it here for the benefit of my readers.

by Richard Rohr, OFM

Although Eckhart Tolle is arousing great interest today, many think he is a novelty, New Age, or even non-religious. The process — and that is what it is — that he is teaching, can be traced through the Greek and Latin traditions of contemplation, the apophatic tradition in particular, and the long history of what was sometimes called “The Sacrament of the Present Moment” (Brother Lawrence, OCD, Francisco de Osuna, OFM, Jean Pierre de Caussade, S.J.).

The mystical tradition inside of Orthodoxy and Catholicism often divided contemplation into two types: infused or natural contemplation, and acquired contemplation. Evelyn Underhill, the brilliant historian of mysticism, sees three forms of contemplation: 1. Mystical Contemplation of the Natural World, 2. Metaphysical Contemplation of the World of Being and Consciousness, 3. Theological Contemplation of the World of God.

After the oppositional mind that set in place during and after the Reformation of the 16th century, and after the Enlightenment of the 17th-18th centuries, this ancient tradition was largely lost, except among individuals. We lost the older Tradition of “praying beyond words” as the entire Western and Eastern Churches became quite preoccupied with words and proving words to be true or false. This is the only period that Protestantism and Evangelicals have ever known. So for at least 400 years, we have had neither an understanding of infused nor acquired contemplation! It is such foreign terrain to almost all Protestants, and most Catholics and Orthodox that they immediately think it is heresy or even pagan, when in fact, it is the solid tradition of the first 1400 years of Christianity! (Which I will try to document in my next book, The Third Eye).

Tolle is, in fact, rather brilliantly bringing to our awareness the older tradition of both “infused” or “natural contemplation,” and the two first types in Underhill’s listing. These are both the ground and the process for breaking through to theological contemplation of God, and acquired contemplation of Jesus, the Gospels, and all spiritual things. He is teaching process not doctrine or dogma. He is teaching how to see and be present, not what you should see when you are present. Eckhart Tolle is our friend, and not an enemy of the Gospel. There should be no conflict for a mature Christian. “Anyone who is not against us, is for us,” as Jesus said, and he also said, “Fear profits nothing.”

What Tolle Is Not:

1. Eckhart Tolle is not a Christian theologian or teacher.
2. He is not teaching Christian contemplative prayer or Christian prayer at all.
3. He is not teaching any dogmas or doctrines as such.
4. He is not presuming or teaching that there is a personal/relational God (but neither is he denying it).
5. He is not a proponent of the social, communitarian nature of religion.

What Tolle is doing:

1. Eckhart Tolle is teaching a form of natural mysticism or contemplative practice.
2. He is teaching a morality and asceticism of recognizing and letting go of “the self that has to die” (Matthew 16:25), which he calls ego and Jesus calls the “grain of wheat” (John 12:24) so that another self can be born, which he would call “consciousness” and we would call the person born again in Christ, or something similar.
3. He is giving us some practices (similar to how John Wesley gave “methods” or Ignatius gave “exercises” whereby we can be present to the grace of the moment and stop the “passions,” the “egocentric mind,” or the “prideful self” which keeps us from true goodness (or God, as we would call it). Each tradition uses different language for what is to be overcome, but it is always some form of “un-love” and selfishness (which he calls ego). ECKHART TOLLE IS NOT ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE ANYTHING. HE IS ASKING YOU TO TRY SOMETHING! You will know if it is true, if you try it, and you will not know if it is true or false, if you don’t try it. No point in arguing it theoretically or in the abstract.
4. He does assume and imply a worldview that is foreign to many, if not most Christians. For Tolle, Being, Consciousness, God, Reality are all the same thing, which is not all bad, when you come to think of it. Of course, his very point is that you cannot think of it at all, you can only realize it. I would not call him pantheistic (all things are God) as much as panentheistic (God is IN all things).
5. His brilliant understanding of the “pain body,” as he calls it, is actually very close to the Catholic notion of Original Sin, and does give a corporate, communitarian, mystical understanding to religion. We are all in this together, and share one another’s pain. I’m not sure he makes clear how we share one another’s joy, except that he tends to create very “low maintenance” people who can relax and enjoy life.

In Tolle’s world, Jesus is not central. However, he is a beloved teacher, who does it perfectly right himself. “Redemption,” as we understand it, is not necessary beyond letting go of our own fears, negativity, and oppositional energy. He might understand reality itself as gracious. We would localize that grace in and through Jesus, as the “Sacrament” of all of Creation.

Although Eckhart Tolle is not a Christian teacher, we must not assume that makes him an anti-Christian teacher. Today we need whatever methods or help we can receive to allow the Christian message to take us to a deeper level of transformation. Our history, and our guidance of Western history, shows this has clearly not been happening on any broad scale. This is an opportunity for us to understand our own message at deeper levels. It would be a shame if we required him to speak our language and vocabulary before we could critically hear what he is saying—that is true and helpful to our own message.

What if John’s Gospel had refused to use the word “Logos” which was a term directly taken from Platonist philosophy? What if Paul had kept the limited vocabulary and categories of Judaism when he preached in Rome and Athens? What if Thomas Aquinas had not written his Summa because it was a dialogue with Aristotelian philosophy? Would they have had any success as evangelists?

Admittedly, this will be much harder for those Christians who emerged after the 16th century when the older contemplative tradition was no longer taught, or understood even by the older Tradition. Catholics and Orthodox simply have the trustful advantage of apophatic saints like Clement of Alexandria, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory Palamas, Dionysius the Areopogite, Bonaventure, Francisco de Osuna, Meister Eckhart (whose name Mr. Tolle chose when he recognized his gift as a spiritual teacher!), the Cloud of Unknowing, John of the Cross, and Jean Pierre de Caussade.

Unfortunately, most of Western Christianity has understood Jesus apart from the eternal Trinitarian life and the Pre-Existent Cosmic Christ that is presented in Colossians 1:15-20 or Ephesians 1:8-11. Here “The Son” is at work in the universe from the very beginning and everywhere, and not just during and after Calvary (which Protestantism has tended to exclusively concentrate on). Remember, both Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure said “Deus est Ens” — God is Being Itself. This is not new or dangerous teaching, but if ones denominational tradition has no tradition of philosophical theology, or no tradition of the pre-existent Christ as the Second Person of the Trinity inherent in the very pattern of creation, then I admit that Eckhart Tolle will be quite foreign terrain. That does not make him wrong.

I have learned to join with Peter, who said after much resistance, “God has made it clear to me that I must not call anyone profane or unclean” (Acts 10:28), and I am willing to hear truth today wherever it comes from, as long as it does not compromise the Gospel. As St. Thomas Aquinas said, “If it is true, then it is from the Holy Spirit.”

I must join with Paul who in preaching to the secular Athenians, said “God is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and have our very being” (Acts 17:28). That is an excellent foundation for trusting Eckhart Tolle’s natural mysticism. We are also preaching to a largely secular world, and must find a language that they can understand and draw from, as Paul did, and not insist that they learn our vocabulary before we can even talk to them or hear them. How else can we ever be “all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22) or dare to think that we can “preach the Gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15)?

Center for Action and Contemplation

P.O Box 12464 Albuquerque, NM 87195 | (505. 242-9588 www.cacradicalgrace.org

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Sometimes spirituality is just, uh… too much about the spiritual side of life.

You know. The prayer, disciplines, reading, etc.

Life is life though. It happens.

And it affects us.

In this post, let’s look at 5 things that are part of most people’s day-to-day existence that can and will affect your spiritual awareness.

You may or may not be affected by all five. I am certainly affected by all of them to some degree.

The goal here is to become more aware of the effect of these factors. This will enable you to make better choices, but also just to understand what you are experiencing when you are experiencing it…

1. Sleep

This is important. Listen carefully…

You are much more prone to spiritual unconsciousness and identification with negative thought patterns if you are tired. Sleeping well might be the most important spiritual practice there is.

I know it is not always within your control, but try and sleep the amount of hours that you know you need to perform at your best. For me it is 8, for my wife it is 6. What’s your number?

Be very selfish with this.
Your sleep is of the utmost importance.

2. Socializing

This ties in with the previous point. The when and how of your social life definitely affect your level of spiritual awareness.

If I attend someone’s birthday party and the Jägermeister shots flow just too freely, the next day I will have a hangover. I will be tired and miserable.

To make matters worse, I will be much less prone to stick to my moral standards.

All this contributes to spiritual unconsciousness. It normally takes up to 48 hours to completely recover and rest well.

We need to socialize.
We need our friends.
They need us.

But to simply join them in their unconsciousness every time you see them is surely not the answer. You are aiming for a higher level of consciousness, not a lower one.

Stay present the next time a party picks up speed.

Be aware.

Spare a moment to think about the effect your consumption will have on your spiritual awareness.

3. Fitness and diet

The fact that your level of fitness and the quality of your diet has a large effect on your state of presence is undeniable.

This is very simple.

Don’t be unfit.
Don’t eat crap.

Both these mistakes will cost you on so many levels. Your level of spiritual awareness is one of those…

4. Your children

Let’s be real honest real quick. A child is one of the most precious gifts we can receive in this world…

Yet, our kids are specialists at draining our energy levels. They are super-energetic, loud, all over the show… All at once.

Well, that applies to my kids.
If your kids are less of a handful, please ignore this.

Sometimes we need time off. If you are not a single parent, talk to your partner. Communicate how you feel.

Help each other…

If the little ones are stretching your patience — take a break. Re-center. Find presence again.

Then and only then be a parent again. A present parent is worth so much more than an unconscious one.

5. What you watch/listen to/read

There is no denying that all forms of media convey something of the consciousness level of its creator. Marshall McLuhan was onto this when he famously said: “The medium is the message.”

In today’s world we are being exposed to media and messages from all sides.

It starts with email.
Surfing the web.
Text messages.
IM.
Skype.
Television.
Radio.
Books.
eBooks.
Blogs.
Your iPad/iPhone/Android/Blackberry apps.

The list is endless…

Beware. You are being exposed to more than what you hear/read/see.

The level of presence that these streams of media rub off on you is very real, and it could well be a good deal lower than the level of awareness that you are striving for.

As always, spend time consuming media that is aligned with your life’s chosen purpose and the level of consciousness you are striving to attain.

Conclusion

If it is your goal to attain a more permanent state of presence, you know the obvious…

Spiritual practice is important.
You need to be exposed to the right teachers.
You need to watch your thinking…

However, there is a host of other less-known factors that also affect you.

Make sure you sleep enough.
Socialize with moderation.
Maintain a fair level of fitness and don’t eat rubbish.
Be a good parent that understands the energy your kids take out of you.
Expose yourself to the right types of media.

However, remember that this thing called life is a joyous occasion if we spend it in the presence of the One who cares for us. You should also have fun and enjoy the peace… Don’t be too hard on yourself!

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Some people are scared of the word meditation. It is almost as if they associate the word prayer with the Divine, but they think of meditation as a secular practice.

Of course, if you are aware of the presence of the Divine — the Essence of Being — in everything and everyone around you, such distinctions are no longer necessary or useful. Then even the simple acts of breathing, walking or watching something closely become sacred acts.

Meditation is no different from contemplative prayer, silent prayer or centering prayer. It is a time where the focus is not on your small, false, ego self, but on your Essence. The Divine in you…

Meditation is simply a time of practice where you break identification with your stream of thought. For a specific period of time, short or long, your goal is to be free of compulsive thinking.

Meditation comes in many forms.

It could be a formal quiet time of twenty minutes twice daily. Or it could simply be a short time where you focus on your breathing. On the FindingSilence.com home page I describe how you can listen to the silence behind the sounds that you hear as a form of simple meditation.

Since this is the minimalist guide to meditation, we will only look at the practice of conscious breathing here. And we’ll keep it short!

Conscious breathing

Conscious breathing is one of the simplest forms of meditation.

You focus on your breathing.
This breaks identification with your thoughts.
You will feel yourself entering a state of peace.

It is that simple.

Try it now…

Just become aware of the air as it comes through your nostrils.
Don’t try and control your breathing, just be the witness of it.
It might deepen without you trying to make it deeper.
Notice the points of no-breathing at the end of the in breath and the end of the out breath.

Watch it. There it goes in. There it goes out. Try not to miss a breath.

Do this for as long as you can keep your attention on it. Don’t worry too much about how long it lasts. It is more useful to try and do this as regularly as possible.

As you engage it more and more often, conscious breathing will help you move from the state of mind identification to longer, more permanent intervals of pure presence.

I was at a Richard Rohr talk last year. He said that conscious breathing is the most important thing that he teaches. Don’t underestimate the power of this simple practice. Use it whenever you feel the need for silence or ‘space’ in your life.

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To become present is to become free of identification with your mind — your thoughts, emotions and judgments. When you are present, there is no anxiety, negativity or hostility.

For many artists and professional athletes, presence is the flow-state in which they do their best work or achieve greatness. Here’s a quote from an article in the ’70s by one of the first pro surfers, Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew:

“By… turning off the ego mind, one can slow down reality to a state where even the most intense situation can be dominated with total comfort.”

In short, being present equals being at peace. And from this state of peace you can truly be yourself and do your best work.

So, how can you become present in 5 minutes?

Whenever you catch yourself being unhappy, anxious, worrying, upset, or angry, take just 5 minutes (or even less) and do one of the following…

1. Listen to the silence

“Silence is the only language spacious enough to include everything and to keep us from slipping back into dualistic judgments and divisive words.” — Richard Rohr

As I explain on the home page of FindingSilence.com, you can switch from mind identification to inner stillness simply by moving your attention from the sounds that you hear to the silence that allows the sounds to be.

Silence is the space in which sounds exist. Inner stillness is the peaceful and tranquil space in which your thoughts exist.

By listening to and fully focusing on the silence you move to inner stillness — you become present.

2. Focus on your breathing

“I cannot sufficiently extol the value of [breathing awareness] for people who desire to attain peace and self-control and a deep inner joy in the midst of troubles.” — Anthony de Mello

Conscious breathing as a spiritual exercise is nothing new. Everyone teaches it… Why? Very simply, it works!

To become conscious of your breathing is one of the sure-fire ways to become present. It works under all circumstances if you are patient and persistent enough.

Simply ‘watch’ your breathing. Don’t try and control it, or make it deeper. Just be aware of every in-breath and out-breath.

Don’t allow your mind to deviate your attention. When you catch yourself in thought, just gently return your focus to your breathing.

Conscious breathing will help you become present every time you practice it.

3. Feel the aliveness inside your body

“Being can be felt as the ever-present I am that is beyond name and form. To feel and thus to know that you are and to abide in that deeply rooted state is enlightenment, is the truth that Jesus says will make you free.” — Eckhart Tolle

As you become more familiar with this type of exercise, you might want to try feeling the aliveness inside your body. Life energy awareness is something that can be practiced on a more permanent basis to anchor you in a constant state of presence.

Jesus was so aware of his inner life energy that he could feel energy leaving Him if someone touched his clothes. He also used the metaphor of light to refer to this awareness:

“If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” — Luke 11:36 (NLT)

How do you practice this awareness? Shift your consciousness to some part of your body and feel the aliveness there. It is there, even if you can’t feel it immediately.

Be persistent. Don’t think about life in your hands, go there and be the life in your hands.

Do this with your whole body. Spend 10 to 30 seconds on each part of your body, and then try and feel the aliveness everywhere in your body at once.

Exercise this regularly. Of all the disciplines I have practiced, this one has without a doubt been the most effective in helping me remain present.

Conclusion

By spending a very short time to shift your awareness from your thinking mind to the awareness that is your true Identity, you will be able to find lasting peace.

The duration of the times that you are present is not as important as the frequency of these times. Try and access a state of presence really often, even if just for a minute.

Over time presence will become your normal state, and this will positively transform your whole life. Deep peace and joy in all circumstances will become your normal state.

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This is a quote by one of my favorite authors on spirituality and the contemplative life, Cynthia Bourgeault. It describes a very effective spiritual practice for every day life… This one you can practice all the time, “moment-by-moment”!

“Although there are any number of spiritual practices both ancient and universal to bring a person to a state of permanent inner “yieldedness,” the most direct and effective one I know is simply this: in any situation in life, confronted by an outer threat or opportunity, you can notice yourself responding inwardly in one of two ways. Either you will brace, harden, and resist, or you will soften, open, and yield. If you go with the former gesture, you will be catapulted immediately into your smaller self, with its animal instincts and survival responses. If you stay with the latter regardless of the outer conditions, you will remain in alignment with your innermost being, and through it, divine being can reach you. Spiritual practice at its no frills simplest is a moment-by-moment learning not to do anything in a state of internal brace. Bracing is never worth the cost.” — Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Way of Knowing

If you want to learn more about the wisdom tradition, I recommend this book without reservation. Here are the Amazon links (and no, they are not affiliate links!): Hardcover, Kindle.

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