Come at me bro.
Seriously, I am interested in what other people think. Everyone has to find their own path through this life, and maybe in time I will be able to share some of what I am going through, although at this point I find it a little self-conscious to talk about and am still working through stuff. Suffice it to say that I found another video by Tolle that talked about quieting the constant thoughts in your mind, and that really struck a nerve for me, as that was a symptom, and partly a cause, of what I was going through. I read his second book, Stillness Speaks and, even though a lot of what he says seems to be common sense I have rarely seen it put in the same context he does. That one spoke to me (see what else I did there?). I have started The Power of Now, but I have read a lot of other things, scripture included, in between Stillness and now. The thing that impressed me about Tolle was that he didn't completely discount religion, which I still hold onto, the way some other "mystics" did. In fact he references Jesus now and then to emphasize a point, and it feels like Tolle is expounding on what Jesus already taught us more than anything else.
I'm ok if this turns into a religious discussion, as for me it has been somewhat of a spiritual journey. I know not everyone likes that, but I think without exposing ourselves to dissenting viewpoints we can't even really learn anything or grow at all.
I haven't read The Power of Now and I'm not a good writer/argument maker, so please bear with me.
I watched the YouTube clip you posted and it sounded a lot to me like Buddhism... in particular Zen Buddhism? I am from a Buddhist background.. my family was Buddhist and I grew up going from Theravada Buddhism and branching out into Mahayana Buddhism and eventually the abstract Zen Buddhism... so I have had my fair share of "Mindfulness" training... Zen meditation, Shikantaza, "Just Sitting", you name it, I've done it... I was even ordained as a monk for a while living in a temple amongst the mountains in the North of Thailand. Buddhism in general boils down to "The cessation of Suffering" by way of "Being and living in the present moment" and experiencing things as they are at each moment without worrying about the future, the past, etc. "Enlightenment" is essentially a deep understanding that we and the Universe are one... and that each moment is all that we have and all that we should be focussed on. Mindfulness practice is in fact being used in the psychology I believe in treating and helping patients with terminal illness, mental illness, etc..
While I felt "At Peace" when I was ordained as a monk, I've always felt an empty void inside of me that was never fulfilled. "Why are we here?" for example, is a question we don't ask as a Buddhist because it's simply "A question not worth asking". So while we're told to sit in meditation.. while we're told to experience things as they are "at this moment", the question at the back of my mind still exists... "Who created the Universe?".. "Who created us?"... "Why do human exist?" .. etc, etc, etc.
I'm not going to go into reasons why I have since become a Christian because it's a personal journey and it would be different for everyone. Suffice to say that I have found "Love" to be the only thing that is "Good" in this world. In Buddhism, "Love" is taught as one of the emotions that is an obstacle to Enlightenment. Why? Because it's one of the "attachment" that we need to get rid of, in order to reach Full Enlightenment. As an example, the Buddha himself had to leave his family and went into the forest and meditate for 6 years before being enlightened. After some consideration/pondering, I was left asking myself this question "Is Peace or cessation of suffering = Truth?" or "Is Love = Truth?".
Ultimately I do believe that "True Love" exists and it exists in the creator who has created us... I'm talking about True Genuine Love.. (not Lust, Sex, Desire, etc). If True Genuine Love exists in this world (and I believe it does, naturally at least to a certain extent, between a mother and a child), it must follow that it should also exist in the mind of the Creator who have created us.. This leads me to the scripture that said that God is Love.. By Grace He saved us - not by Works. His Ultimate Love for us was Christ's sacrifice at the Cross on that day for all our sins...
Interestingly, I watched a Charles Stanley sermon this morning that more or less explained some of this.. By having Christ in our hearts and trusting him, we find Truth, True Peace and God's True Genuine Love. Ultimately, this is exactly the kind of Love that God wanted us to share with everyone around us, family, friends, etc, the way he had loved us.
Peace be with you...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAqECaQoVPw
Every forum could use a poster like yourself. I hope that you have been persevering through your trials, tribulations, and experiences to the best, and most learned of ways possible
