Tolle Takedown
File under: The Siddhi of PR
We can't imagine Eckhart Tolle would care about this bad review; at the moment, he's making millions:
Tolle writes the kind of new age quasi-mysticism that you would have hoped had died out along with the acid casualties of the 60s and is therefore virtually unreadable.Tolle is a tool for trying to sell us some Kracki 2012-type crap, but it explains his unfortunate success. He's yet another big-time guru stuffing his students' heads with nonsense about nondual truth because it sells books. And with O's fat ass behind him, get ready for 2008 to become the year of Tolle, the primary result being a mass gross-misunderstanding about the nondual truth of being.
Take this quote from the opening paragraph in which he explains "The Purpose of This Book". "Is humanity ready for a transformation of consciousness, an inner flowering so radical and profound that compared to it the flowering of plants, no matter how beautiful, is only a pale reflection?"
It doesn't get any clearer as Eckhart rambles on in a similar manner for more than 300 pages, mixing portentous allusions to ideas, such as the Presence and the Pain-Body, with mind-numbingly dull parables.
Labels: The Siddhi of PR
posted by guruphiliac @ 7:42 PM
25 Comments:
Hey Jodi,
Been reading you for a few years now. Thank you for taking on Tolle. While I was still hanging with Siddha Yoga and there was slim intellectual pickings because all the intelligent writers had long since jumped ship, folks were reading and pushing Tolle.
I use to think non dual thinking was da bomb. Make all the bad go away just by thinking! Since I stopped drinking the Siddha Yoga brand of kool aid, I see this is that is absolutely idiotic. Completely unhinged from reality and leaving no room for actually doing some good in the world, actually solving the world's problems.
Look at the Big O. She builds a multi million dollar palace in Africa, with only the absolute best in china, furniture, clothes, personal chef for girls who come from shacks with no plumbing and then hires a headmistress who abuses them sexually. O goes for a press conference, cries, says she's sorry and moves on. Her charity has no real depth, doesn't create real change. Just throwing money around creates a feeding frenzy.
Thanks for hitting back at this hypocrite with $1000 high heels, given to her by Jerry Seinfeld's wife to thank her for hawking a cookbook she stole from an accomplished chef and food writer.
Makes me glad to be a nobody who does not care to know the 'Secret'.
i personally do see a transformation of consciousness going on... the oprah thing is a sign, and so are the understandings being gained in ecology, economy, science, communications...
all one thing, and flowing into a higher frequency, individually, and collctively, widening public and personal awareness
Dear, Its a surprise to read this piece on Tolle since i had been banking on this guy for awhile now. I have his books in my shelf not touched yet. But now after reading your posts on Tolle, I seem to have my second thoughts about reading him. I dont mind if I dont get enlightened, but I dont want to be misguided and remain in darkness.
But please tell me if there is/are any contemporary author or authors of books/Blogs/sites which perhaps indicate the non dual truth with least corruption?
Iam not too keen on getting hooked up with the Gurus or the organizations, but perhaps settle with some good reading material which can help me in my own contemplations.
Im aware you are with a different purpose and context, but you certainly would have bumped into a few good ones in your search for the bad ones. Can you suggest?
>>>"all one thing, and flowing into a higher frequency, individually, and collctively, widening public and personal awareness". <<<
Ah...."if only" (as Paris Hilton would say). Remember, "the dawning of the Age of Aquarius?" the "Harmonic Convergence"? When the "East" came to the "West"? Go back a little further in history...you will find "end times", messianic movements, rising up of "awareness" (much of it happening before horrific world wars and genocides), great "progress" in science, match, literacy etc.....(Greeks, Romans,Humanists, post-Medieval "enlightenment", the arising of the revolutionary idea of individual rights as the Paris Commune hacked off the heads of the aristocracy, etc. etc. etc.). It's human history...and it flows along as per usual. It's fine; it's ok...it's what it is...why attach some great "meaning" to it "flowing" in some ultimate direction or other?
Oprah as a "sign"? I don't think so....a little too "medieval" ..."signs and portents" of things to come... what like 2012? The next big "vibrational evolution of the human race"... It's a little silly, don't you think?sigh.
seen too much
flowing into a higher frequency
I'm gonna go with STM on this one, Gregory.
That is some grade-A, Pollyannaesque, Kracki-style, New Age™ of Aquariuscamming bullshit, although I do acknowledge that you may believe it sincerely.
Anonymous said...
please tell me if there is/are any contemporary author or authors of books/Blogs/sites which perhaps indicate the non dual truth with least corruption?
Everything indicats non-dual truth; what is there that's not non-dual truth? It therefore follows that what you're looking for has already appeared in this moment.
Right now, what do you see, what do you hear, what are you doing? That's non-dual truth. It's not some thing that you need to get from a book or blog or site.
Stuart
http://stuart-randomthoughts.blogspot.com/
It's not some thing that you need to get from a book or blog or site.
And Tolle's making it such is doing nothing but filling his bank account with money and folks' heads with superficial ideas which only serve to prevent their own further understanding.
"Is humanity ready for a transformation of consciousness, an inner flowering so radical and profound that compared to it the flowering of plants, no matter how beautiful, is only a pale reflection?"
I don't see a problem with that quote. It's a valid question, when looking at consciousness on the level of individual identity vs unchanging totality. I don't mind Tolle when he sticks to esoteric, flowery language. Each person will have those words resonate with them or not. Good esoteric language can still the mind or induce questions which point deeper. Good esoteric language gives you no recipe on how to move away into action, which is necessary at a certain stage.
I only have a problem with Tolle with everything he did after 'The Power of Now', when he gets into less esoteric things such as how to specifically get there, practices, exercises or when he talks about himself. Then his words devolve almost to the level of The Secret.
Staurt said
-Right now, what do you see, what do you hear, what are you doing? That's non-dual truth. It's not some thing that you need to get from a book or blog or site.
:: But stuart is it not necessary to read your lines to understand that there is nothing to read ?
If not why is it buddy,
you run a blog and promptly give the link everytime you leave a comment here?
Stuart ! By leaving your blog link here, do you tell us that dont read Tolle and the rest but read stuart's alone ?
Hope you get me or get mad at me. Ofcourse you will say many words to prove what I said is not required and you continue to belt out wisdom even when the anonymush did not ask you !
Now let me get ready to face your non-dual wisdom (very similar to Tolle stuff of being in the NOW) as you have rattled in the following..
" Everything indicats non-dual truth; what is there that's not non-dual truth? It therefore follows that what you're looking for has already appeared in this moment."
anonymous wrote: "It's human history...and it flows along as per usual. It's fine; it's ok...it's what it is...why attach some great "meaning" to it "flowing" in some ultimate direction or other?
Oprah as a "sign"? I don't think so....a little too "medieval" ..."signs and portents" of things to come... what like 2012? The next big "vibrational evolution of the human race"... It's a little silly, don't you think?sigh. seen too much"
Things are improving. 200 years ago we would have been down mineshafts, or dead by now. Now we sit in comfort communicating with people around the world.
I do think humankind's future is bright, but I don't believe in some magical event in 2012.
The past was bad because the survival stage inevitably has conflict. But we have become the dominant species and things can evolve.
Don't judge the future by the past.
More here: http://www.worldwidehappiness.org
>>>"The past was bad because the survival stage inevitably has conflict. But we have become the dominant species and things can evolve."<<<
Man, when I see a statement like this..."we have become the dominant species", it makes me want to build a meditation hut in the forest and retire from the whole play. The concept of "domination"..."dominion" or however you want to phrase it, is flawed and fascistic in nature...check out the history of Christianity with regards to nature and "dominion" over it, bro. And how about all those charming Buddhist metaphors... how to train the mind like a recalcitrant elephant...make the chain a little shorter every day until the elephant "obeys". Uh, see a problem with the basic impulse here and how that intention might affect one's relationship to "nature" and to "the mind" as part of it? Any time one part of the whole uses another part for its own "evolution", regardless of the consequences, what we windup with is what we have now...unbridled Darwininian "Survival of the so-called Fittest"... and as the attitude "trickles down" (and is rationalized by egoic greed), we have the rape of the rain forests, plasticizing of the oceans, chemicalization of the ecosystem, destruction of species and all the rest..... Until "humankind" understands it is simply one part of the whole, I don't see the future as "bright" at all. But hey, I'm nearly out the door so no problem. Sad thing, to come to this beautiful planet and still feel we have to beat it to the ground as the "victorious species".
seen too much.
Hi Martin,
After I wrote my comments, I went to your website...and read "Let's Create World Wide Happiness"...well, who could object to "ending all wars and conflicts" or "ending world hunger" or any of the rest of the things you list. You don't seem to be a cult-promoting guru, which is a good thing...maybe your book will make things clearer when it comes out...like how you are planning to facilitate this complete reversal in human nature ???? I mean, the fact that people all over the world can "talk to each other" on the internet...is that what's different? Have you ever done any hands-on progessive political work or worked with groups like Oxfam or Greenpeace? (seen what the reality is when egos clash over ideals?). Do you really feel that humanity as a whole is beyond the "survival" stage? Not to be a "gloomy Gus", but don't you think most human beings ,actually, are still functioning in "survival" mode? those not trying to simply get enough food in their mouths and water to drink or to get their land back from those they feel stole it or to get their religion promoted as the "official one", appear to be functioning through and desperately clinging to"survival" of the egoic identity? Having a computer can simply be a way of digging in or convincing yourself you are "doing something" by posting emails to your friends.
It feels small not to congratulate someone for taking on world peace, world hunger, the unhappiness of the human race and the destruction of the planet...so: congratulations and good luck with your book.
seen too much
semblance said...
But stuart is it not necessary to read your lines to understand that there is nothing to read?
What do you mean by "there is nothing to read"?? There's zillions of things to read, with more appearing every day! "There's nothing to read" doesn't make any sense to me.
If not why is it buddy, you run a blog and promptly give the link everytime you leave a comment here?
I write a blog, and link to it here, because it's fun and interesting, and also because it's an attempt to better understand myself and help others.
By leaving your blog link here, do you tell us that dont read Tolle and the rest but read stuart's alone?
You're imagining things. Of course you're invited to read my blog if you want; it's up to you. And I certainly never wrote anything like "don't read Tolle." How did you come up with that idea??
Now let me get ready to face your non-dual wisdom
Why exactly are you making ideas about "non-dual wisdom"? For what? For who? I don't understand the point.
Stuart
http://stuart-randomthoughts.blogspot.com/
i'm sorry about any snotty things i said , in the past regarding this whole Ekhart Tolle thing. I can't believe the google links on this site that use his name as bait, he really has sold the farm.
"A New You! A New Earth!" love it! (the new link on the site). Green eyeshadow to match the green grass! pink lips to match the pink flowers! Bleached out hair to match the fluffy white clouds! Blue contacts to match the vast blue sky! OMG! It's Springtime on the Earth planet! It's all so organic and sensitive! A "make-over" for you and the Earth..at the same time! Wicked! AND a 1 page condensed version of Eckhardt Tolle's new book! Sit in the Silence and skim it quick. The s**t of "American consumerism" has most definitely hit the fan big time..All I can do is laugh in amazement!
Coming soon: The New Earth Diet Cookbook (with non-fattening Tolle house cookie recipe on page 10).
seen about everything now
I like what Oprah and Eckhart are doing (with the web classes).
Anonymous, go ahead and read the books you have on the shelf. These guys are just being _______(something). Which is okay.
And, funny in a way.
There's a lot to criticize about many aspects of the neo-Advaita movement.
But, Tolle did not arise from the spiritual seeking circuit. His story seems different.
I found this blog, btw, via Conrad Goehausen's blog. Great to see all this blogging going on.
Semblance,
It's useless to try to argue with Stuart. He'll always prevail because that's his motto. He may not even realize that his mind always twists to ignore the arguments that knock down his own.
Stuart, when you realize this and let it go, your keen mind will truly shine. Until then, it's always a "pain in the ..." to try to argue with you. I know it, I tried it a few times, only to realize that your argumentation wasn't honest. It's flawed at the base - your ego. Let it go, man!
Love, François
his mind always twists to ignore the arguments that knock down his own.
Or, you are failing to recognize your own arguments are little more than flogging your own preconceived notions.
"Or, you are failing to recognize your own arguments are little more than flogging your own preconceived notions."
OK, but that's very easy to say...
Im my case, I speak from experience in trying to argue with Stu a couple of times, and from reading his interventions with people on the Net since about 1997. And on one side I'm real tired to read when he's preaching to other people, which is often IMHO... and I'm sorry, a lot of times I think he's not intellectually honest, period. All IMHO, of course. I find it difficult to argue with that kind. They place themselves on some kind of pedestal, looking down at the masses, and providing their 'wisdom'. Anyone can do that, provide 'answers' to the masses in some knowingly fashion, 'talk from above' with some intellectual/doctrinal base, and 'always have all the answers'... I'm not impressed by that kind of behavior anymore.
But Stuart: I still praise your sharpness nevertheless. I just wish you could participate as you always do, but without this truly unnecessary need to be the master of anything, or anyone...
Love, François
I just wish [Stuart Resnick] could participate as [he] always do[es], but without this truly unnecessary need to be the master of anything
Have known and observed Stuart for the last couple of years, I can say I've seen nothing of what you are describing. I'd say it's on you, Francois, that you're projecting Stuart's desire to be master, when all he's really doing is telling it how he sees it.
Note to Francois: this forum doesn't exist for you to express your opinions about Stuart. You've already made your feelings known above.
Hello Jody,
You are right, I have made my "feelings about Stuart" clear, and they won't change at all until he drops off his need to "teach from above" and appear "higher and wiser" than all the other posters (and always have "all the answers"... I don't buy stances like that anymore, sorry.)
But this is your list, so it's your privilege to have the last word on things and people.
François
Hey Jody,
As you know my last post was meant for you personnally, but I think it's pretty cool of you to let it go through anyway... It truly makes me feel welcome to your list.
BTW I thought Stuart's last posts on other subjects were very much on the mark. I wish him well, and I wish you well too - and a deep thank you for the great work you're doing. "This" is true service to humanity.
Love, François
One of Stuart's critics said, "It's useless to try to argue with Stuart. He'll always prevail because that's his motto. He may not even realize that his mind always twists to ignore the arguments that knock down his own."
I heartily agree.
But maybe I'm just an old crank whose brain has been fried from too much "nonduality".
May I also say, Tolle sucks.
Alrighty, rant over.
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