Eckhard Tolle: The New Earth, chapter II

"Words... ...can cast an almost hypnotic spell upon you. You... ...believ[e] that when you have attached a word to something, you know what it is. The fact is: You don’t know what it is... ...because it has unfathomable depth"

So do the words, Eckhard. That's one of the rules of magic. Even Kabbalah, the "more enlightened form of Judaism" is built upon the magic and power of words, letters, numbers. The words include the depth, the oneness, the fact that a stone is a bird is a tree is a star.

I really don't think Vincent looked and looked and looked at the chair and sensed the Beingness of it, to then paint it. I also doubt that Vincent van Gogh's chair would sell for a couple of dollars. I also think that a painting by someone else of the same chair, with the exact same expression of "beingness" would not cost millions of dollars.
But that's just me. What do I know, I'm just a mediocre artist. How would I know how a great artist like van Gogh thought? You, Eckhard, most certainly must understand that better, because... Because what?
Do you paint? No...
So actually you are expressing yourself as the childless woman who gives parents advice on how to bring up their children. You think an artist must see the beingness of things, otherwise they wouldn't be able to create art.

"All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness."
- Eckhard Tolle, "Power of Now"

You have an interesting way of express your subjective opinions as if they were objective facts... "Whether they know it or not" - So effectively killing all opposition. I cannot say I don't create from a place of no-mind, because you say that I do, I just don't know it. You are saying you know me better than I do. I say you're a sanctimonious toad.

"you need to disentangle your sense of I, of Beingness..."

Sense of I is sense of beingness - I is being, my essence. I. Ego. *sigh*
Considering that you are so against words and "labeling", you used darn many to express nothing.

"...reality, the miracle of life that continuously unfolds within and around you."

Excuse me...? This "miracle of life" is maya, the illusion, Buddha's suffering.

"Of course we have to use words and thoughts"

Why? Just sit and allow the existence to "silently communicate itself to you, reflecting your own essence back to you", in "the awareness that is prior to thought, the space in which the thought – or the emotion or sense perception – happens".

It would have been better if you had allowed the trees that were cut to be made into paper your books were printed on, it would have been better if you had not enslaved the energy in uranium, coal, water, wind, or what ever sort of electricity you used to power your computer or printing press. And what is this ink used to print your words?

"Language consists of five basic sounds produced by the vocal cords. They are the vowels a, e, i, o, u."

Which language? There are over 30 sounds produced by the vocal cords in human languages, and the letters a, e, i, o and u are used to denote several of the sounds, even in English. "A cat falls" is a quick example of this.

"Do you believe some combination of such basic sounds could ever explain who you are, or the ultimate purpose of the universe, or even what a tree or stone is in its depth?"

Yes. That's the magic of words, Eckhard.

Albert Einstein is said to have said:
"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us "universe", a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This illusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

I haven't been able to verify this. Did he? When, why, in which context? And even if he did, so what? He too is the child of his environment and his opinions are just that. Opinions.

"If you can recognize illusion as illusion, it dissolves."

Ah. So you haven't yet recognized the illusion as illusion, even though you have created books and sites and tons of merchandise on the denial of the reality of this world, life and existence... you're still here, aren't you? Eckhard is still around, hasn't dissolved anywhere. You're still not me.

"When “my” toy breaks or is taken away, intense suffering arises... ...because of the thought of “mine”. The toy became part of the child’s developing sense of self, of “I.”

No. The "intense suffering" is due to the realization of the ultimate definity of things. The child realizes that he/she is part of the Universe, and also that everything else is part of him/her. He/she doesn't classify people higher than animals higher than plants higher than inanimate objects. To him/her it's all the same, just as real as he/she is.

"And so in many cases you are not buying a product but an “identity enhancer.”"

Mmm... like a book that promises to awaken you and save the world from the unawakened people.

"Of course, in this physical dimension that our surface selves inhabit, things are a necessary and inescapable part of our lives. We need housing, clothes, furniture, tools, transportation."

Housing, perhaps, and some tools, but most of the earthly possessions are not a need but a want. There's this guy in Stockholm, who has nothing on but a pair of shorts and shoes. Winter, summer, rain, storm, blizzard, night, day, he walks through life wearing nothing but that. Furniture? Totally unnecessary. Remember Diogenes.

The Greek philosopher Diogenes adiscarded all his possessions except a cloak, purse and wooden bowl, and made his home in a barrel. When he saw a boy drinking from his hands, he threw out the bowl as well.
It is told that Alexander the Great once met Diogenes, then a very old man. The powerful young conqueror, having heard much about the old philosopher, asked if there was anything he could do for him. Diogenes replied, “Stand out of my sunshine.”

"We need to honor the world of things, not despise it. Each thing has Beingness, is a temporary form that has its origin within the formless one Life, the source of all things, all bodies, all forms."

Ah. So perhaps the child is not crying for the ego, but mourning a death of a thing's Beingness?

This world and everything in it, how ever beautiful, delightful, lovely, is just an illusion, if you listen to the Buddhist and Christian teachings. If you think this world is more than an illusion, partly beautiful, partly horrifying, then you shouldn't be yapping about the misery teachings of Buddhism and Christianity. Neither honors the world of things, Eckhard.

"In most ancient cultures, people believed that everything, even so called inanimate objects, had an indwelling spirit, and in this respect they were closer to the truth than we are today."

Ha. But still you claim that Christianity is one of the most improved versions of spirituality, in all its hatred of "earthly things".

*sigh* Eckhard, Eckhard... you are so confused you don't even understand what you are saying yourself.

Your ego is part of you. Accept it, acknowledge it, embrace it as part of you, and part of this world, and part of this universe. Don't get too attached to it, but don't try to get rid of it either. Everything in this world has a purpose, even your ego.

"The unchecked striving for more, for endless growth, is a dysfunction and a disease."

And what is an effort to evolve, grow spiritually, tranform into a higher spiritual being more than striving for endless growth?

‘If someone takes your shirt, let him have your coat as well.’”
"“It doesn’t mean you should never lock your door."

I think it's exactly what it means.
Come on, now, Eckhard! Nothing is yours. Not your possessions, not your home, not the clothes on your back, not your life or your body. So what is it to you what happens to them? Nothing that can happen to any of the things - your body and life included - will not diminish you in any way.
Why should you try to avoid things you try to avoid by locking the door?
Perhaps the thief needs your possessions more than you do - who don't need anything, really. Perhaps the rapist needs your body more than you do. Perhaps the murderer needs your life. Besides, it's all an illusion.
Also, if you are me am a star is a bird, the one who enters to "your" home is you. If something is stolen, if your child is kidnapped, if you are raped, or murdered, it's you who did it. It's you who dreamed it into the illusion you think you are living. It really didn't happen at all.
Besides, most people never experience anything like this, even when they live in houses with no doors to lock. You should learn to trust the humanity more. But I suppose... I suppose you don't really, really, REALLY believe in all the words you spout.

"Is it wrong then to be proud of one’s possessions or to feel resentful toward people to have more than you? Not at all."

Not at all. It's just evil.

I'm so tired with this egobabble. Blah blah blah...

The question remains: why isn't The New Earth published in copyleft and anonymously?