PEARLS FROM THE RETREAT

ECKHART TOLLE did a weekend retreat at FINDHORN in Scotland. A gorgeous sacred place! And it was captured on DVD.

I got the DVD from the library this week - and as I had to spend yesterday home because of getting ill I put it on the player.

I haven't heard Eckhart Tolle speak before and it surprised me especially in the beginning how slow he speaks - but after getting use to of his rhythm, I got to the listening.

I think the idea at the very top of my mind right now after sleeping on the 2h lecture is this:
There is always only NOW. You can never reach back to the past, and no matter how much you try, and plan, the future you will never have it. Cause you can only exist in the Now.
He asked very wisely "What is wrong right now?" If you think about it, you'll realise all problems we think about (and we think about our problems A LOT I tell you) are in the future - I got to go see the doctor tomorrow, I have to sign to declare bankrupcy with my lawyer next week, mom's gonna visit this evening I have to clean.What is wrong right now? - Well... Nothing I suppose, I'm here alive, sitting, feeling the energy of the moment pass in me.

Our head want us to think, our ego-self wants us to think, to be right, to challenge, to complain (boy does it love to complain! Be aware of complaining, it only makes you feel superior to the target for a moment before you feel worse than some one else does (he gives an example where you are talking to a professor who wows you with "knowledge" and fancy words you your ego feels 'damn I'm so stupid, he's much more smarter than me - but I am more beautiful' It's a vicious cycle)).
Our soul, our essence of being, the part of us that is connected to all life on earth wants us to Be Present. Be open to nature, love, the earth without the thinking that is ego's job.

I'll clear that a little - there is nothing wrong with thinking as long as we recognise that they are just scattering thoughts, just words, labels, stamps we but on things.

Tree is a tree.
Why?

Because it is off wood (another stamp), it has branches (another stamp) that have leaves (another stamp) that are green cause they have chlorophyll (fancy stamp ;) ). The thing about thoughts is we "think" we have to have them all the time, hence they move like rabbits down the field being chased by a hungry fox. Like such after thoughts of seeing tree - And you know I have seen these and everyone calls them trees, and this one is like aunt Maggie's old oak tree in the back yard, hmm, aunt Maggie was bit weird of a character, oh and her third husband Billy man I hate him always with the 'you'll never be good to do anything' speeches.
So now you have seen the tree and remember how much Uncle Billy brought you down.
That is the ego-self thinking.

Click to enlarge

Then we have your essence, which sits by the tree, marvels it, its beauty without specification - doesn't want anything of the life in front of it. Being present in the company of something so connected to life and earth that is free of ego is simply Stillness. There is no judgement - there is no battle of the egos (who's smarter, prettier, cleaner, more right, less wrong, obvious, dim and such and such...). Just you, the singing of the birds, the wind tugging at your hair, the life flow between you and the living tree in front of you. That is stillness, that is where happiness is.

Be Present.

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VIDEO:

To decide for yourself and hear for yourself visit this Blog link to see the Part 1, the 2 hour lecture at Findhorn:

Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat - Stillness Amidst The World