Just recently, I found the video re: Spiritual experience and teaching of Eckhart Tolle (2004). I have read his books, and saw various videos before. Yet this 7-part video was very informative especially tied to my similar experience that happened in 2000 and my journey that followed since then. FYI, here are excerpts of the interview on his experiences with my comments:
Part 1: His awakening experience - 29 yrs old (video length: 10 min.)
- It was his 29 yrs old when the major shift happened - He was in state of fear till then
- "I cannot live myself any longer" - "I" and "myself": is there two or one? (like Zen Koan)
- There was no answer in intellectual level - This triggered inner shift
- I was drawn into voltex of energy
- "Resist nothing" (I heard the inner voice) - so I gave up.. and I went into nothingness
- Next morning, everything looked as if seeing them the first time
- There was "aliveness and peace" - but did not know why
* Like Tolle, I had a similar experience and the journey that followed since the event in 2000. At the time, I was suffering in worst physical pain (on the 8th day of my 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat). In the middle of pain, I questioned to myself; "Is this so because I am trying to escape the pain?" Similar to Tolle's noticing two identities, "I" looked at "myself" having a pain. As Tolle said, "I" and "myself": is there two or one?, was the last thought, it was the last thought. Then, I also experienced the massive voltex of energy. I was a twirl of billions of blight light particles. I was like plasma myself. In the report I wrote about this experience, I also said it was like having sex with the universe. After the experience which lasted perhaps 7~8 min up to 20 min, I felt my body was lifted from the burden I carried in life, and noticed a genuine smile on my face.
As Tolle did in the following years, I also studied the meaning of this experience through various scriptures, and sayings of spiritual teachers very carefully. The whole intensive investigation is posted in my homepage ( in English till ~2003 and in Japanese from 2003) Out of many findings and confirmation I went through, here is one finding that points to my experience of me and the universe become one as if having sex. As Tolle mentioned, it was that aliveness that I connected since then. (Borrowing Tolle's term, the experience I had was to see "me" (ego) trying to resist the pain as having no reality.)
Part 2
- There was inner peace as background to all experiences, sense perceptions,
even background to my thinking, that they never left me again (This is similar to my feeling of what I call, "Mirror mind" (see the file under the same title in my Japanese Home Page - sorry, written in Japanese)! Different from Tolle, however, such state went away every now and then although I can get back to that state at moment notice.
- It took long time to understand and put it into words; started to check with
spiritual teachings, e.g., Buddhism, Christianity ,etc.
- I could see the truth hiding behind cultural.. interepretations etc. They shed light to what happened to me
(I did the same - taking about 8-10 years to totally convinced. Yet this is a journey still.)
- For example. "Peace not related to external world"
- "Zen is not about thinking"
- I had peace as I was not thinking much any more
- Useless continuous noise, or thinking, came to an end
(In my case, there are noises/delusions popping up every now and then, but I can see the end/resolution of it fairly soon, e.g., minute to hours, usually)
- I could still use thinking when I need it
(In my book Results from the Heart, I wrote; "Use the brain,listen to the heart, live with the mission.")
- Long stretch of no thought was wonderful inner peace
- Realized that inner peace was there before but was covered up (3.16)
- Then this became the spiritual teaching
- People have within themselves what they are looking for outside
(This corresponds to :"If you seek for it, you will not find it." - Yuima sutra)
(Or, as my experience proves it, I can say this way, "If you try to avoid it (e.g., in this case suffering, not enlightenment/realization), you cannot.")
- [The answer] comes only when there is inner alignment with now, or LIFE itself (6.15)
(This is the primary I mentioned before, i.e., the connection to the heart)
Here are my brief summary: On my spiritual experience:
- Past Karma may not dissapear easily (It took years to accumulate)
- Being in present will expose problems and staying there will bring insight (e.g., eliminate delusion/suffering)
- Illusionary nature of self/ego cannot be recognized by thinking. (It is to be recognized by, say, the third eye, or awakened mind's eye)
- Continuous practice of this will eradicate many problems in life
- There are infinite ways to move on with our life (thus, be liberated)
- From the beginning to the end, the nature (the law, or God if you like) will always take care of itself
How may we proceed in life? (Again, my summary):
- We need to have (psychological) "condition" for the breakthrough to take place.
- Pain/suffering (physical or mental) is a good teacher (so far as we can see through it - by observing what is really happening)
- Being in presence, we live in this dualistic world - with mirror mind (This is to transcend the paradox of me and ME)
- We can appreciate life, this existence because of the fact that we are human who can transcend the suffering.
- Be conscious of unconscious. (Yes, we can. Why? Because we came from there and we are there when awakened. Fortunate or unfortunate, this paradox is to be transcended. Intellect alone cannot do the job.)
Note: It was told that Tolle reduced mental activity by 80% after that experience. In my case, the answer is, it depends... I think when it is needed especially in writing but I am often in the state of non-thinking/trans-like. Yet, sad memories and desire pops up and I go through cleaning these taking seconds, to hours sometimes, perhaps. Bottom line, I cannot say: Useless continuous noise, or thinking, came to an end as he did. But I am not unhappy about it as "I" know the way out - by practicing silent observation of what is going on with the calm and quiet mind - I call it mirror mind.
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