Sunday, November 21, 2010

An Enlightening Read: A new earth by Eckhart Tolle


I am so thankful to my beloved friend RC for suggesting I read this book in one of her long conversations with me. She did not know what a life line this book would turn out to be for me. Sometimes a little speck of dust could put an entire engine out of synch and that is what happened to me a few weeks back. It was an emotional crisis I did not see coming and I was completely devastated. I could not share this situation with anyone and had to put on a happy face to everyone around me. It was only the words in this book which helped me to be sane and to get a new perspective of myself and my mind. By no means is it easy reading and one needs to read it twice or thrice to grasp what is being said but I would recommend it to anyone to get a whole new grasp of humanity and humanness. From this book I heard the quote by Krishnamurthi to everlasting peace which was the simple words “I don’t mind what happens”. Believe it or not the words in this book have helped even to be in control of my eating habits what is in it has had such a transforming effect on me. If you would like a pdf copy of this publication its available with me just drop me a mail. I thought of leaving you with a sequence from the book which I found fascinating.
"The Zen Master Hakuin lived in a town in Japan. He was held in high
regard and many people came to him for spiritual teaching. Then it happened that the teenage daughter of his next door neighbor became pregnant. When being questioned by her angry and scolding parents as to the identity of the father, she finally told them that he was Hakuin, the Zen Master. In great anger the parents rushed over to Hakuin and told him with much shouting and accusing that their daughter had confessed that he was the father. All he replied was, “Is that so?”
News of the scandal spread throughout the town and beyond. The
Master lost his reputation. This did not trouble him. Nobody came to see him anymore. He remained unmoved. When the child was born, the parents brought the baby to Hakuin. “You are the father, so you look after him.” The Master took loving care of the child. A year later, the mother remorsefully confessed to her parents that the real father of the child was the young man who worked at the butcher shop. In great distress they went to see Hakuin to apologize and ask for forgiveness. “We are really sorry. We have come to take the baby back. Our daughter confessed that you are not the father.” “Is that so?” is all he would may as he handed the baby over to them.
The Master responds to falsehood and truth, bad news and good news, in exactly the same way: “Is that so?” He allows the form of the moment, good or bad, to be as it is and so does not become a participant in human drama. To him there is only this moment, and this moment is as it is. Events are not personalized. He is nobody's victim. He is so completely at one with what happens that what happens has no power over him anymore. Only if you resist what happens are you at the mercy of what happens, and the world will determine your happiness and unhappiness."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eckhart Tolle basically copied Buddhist teachings and claims it as his own.

cj said...

Anon I agree with you and you are right but guess he made it more digestible for todays consumption.