Drama vs The Now - Ekhart Tolle

If you haven't heard of Eckhart Tolle, you'll love the way he easily explains about the inner peace and endless benefits of living in the present moment which you can so easily achieve with regular LifeFlow meditation.



Michael


Meditating with LifeFlow is the fastest and easiest way to live in and enjoy the Power of Now! For your Free LifeFlow demo click here

 

WOW!! In the nicest kind of way, when you watch your own drama it is soooo funny and then when you watch others you are close to, you can laugh at yourselves and learn so much. It also helps me understand others much more and feel more compassion and understanding towards them.

 

Need help finding a video here....

Help! I came across a video from YouTube somewhere on here yesterday. It was mixed in with Eckhardt Tolle videos. A bald man was speaking about the nature of reality....talking about how nothing is as it seems and we invent everything and everyone we come in contact with, etc. Something to that effect. Can you point me to that video and the man's name so I can watch it again and look up additional information? I can't seem to locate it here anymore.



Thanks!

Lauren

 

Do you know the difference?

I get confused between the pain-body and the ego. Does anyone know an easy way to remember the difference?

 

The Ego and the Pain body

Hi Aussie, I've just finished reading "The Power of Now" for the second time. My understanding is that the ego is your map of reality or your set of belief systems, how you perceive the world and everything in it, including yourself.

As Michael says, when you come across anything that does not fit in with your own map of reality, you dismiss it and don't accept it. The ego always needs to be right and big ego's will argue etc. to try and prove how right they think they are. The ego resists anything that is not compatable with it's own set of beliefs often creating agitation, negative emotions and suffering.

I think all this agitation, negative emotions and suffering accumulate throughout life and become the pain body. The pain body thrives and feeds on drama and is extremely distructive. I hope that makes some sense to you Maybe someone else will be able to describe it more simply and clearly. One thing I'm certain of is when we live consciously rather than automatically and learn to respond instead of react life can be tremendous. I wish you much joy, happiness and presence

 

Understand now and it helps me observe heaps better this note from michael is awsome

Don't let other people wear you down. If you think that's easier said than done please read on.

The way to free yourself from the unpleasant affects of other people's negative energy is to recognize and love yourself as you are, and to accept other people as they are and see them for where they can be.

As you live more consciously through regular meditation you will love finding the real peaceful and happy you.

You have total choice in every moment as to how you act in response to any situation. If someone throws their negativity at you by criticizing, condemning or taunting you, it is up to you what you do about it.

By placing your attention on them, (even to show them how dreadful, incorrect, and unpleasant they are for doing what they're doing to you) you are feeding that negative energy and engaging in a feedback loop that brings increased negativity back on yourself.

You don't have to diffuse the situation, or correct the other person's perceptions. You just have to diffuse your own emotional charge about their perceptions. Don't allow yourself to be drawn into their charge or you will be giving them way too much power over you.

Nobody knows you better than you know yourself. If someone criticizes you, just remind yourself that it's their ego, map of reality or belief system. Everyone's got one, and everyone's entitled to theirs. You don't have to believe theirs. You only have to believe yours.

Chances are, more often than not, the negativity we perceive as coming at us from another person was not even intended. We all communicate differently, but we all communicate from the same place - our own individual map of reality, our unique experience and perspective of life and the world.

Most of the time, when someone's talking to you, they're not even paying much attention to you at all. They're stuck inside their own heads (their map of reality, their unique experiences and perspectives), speaking to themselves, and you just happen to be the one present to witness it, the mirror off which they're bouncing their own reflection. In other words: it's not about you - even when they say it is.

Allow someone to have their drama. You don't have to make it yours. If you cannot tolerate being in the presence of it, remove yourself from its presence. Otherwise, just let it happen like the weather.

Cloudy or sunny, your day goes on. Attention is energy. What makes the storms around you linger, what makes them worse, is when you feed them with your attention. Let the storms brewing around you blow over you, and they will blow over.

Ignore them. Let it slide. Turn around and walk away. You don't need to think of the right response, or the positive thing to say. Say nothing. It's hard, but it works. Even if your silence only infuriates the perpetrator of the negativity, that's over there, that's them.

You can be an oasis of peace even in the presence of choppy, shark infested waters.

Thanks aussie.

 

Tolle, the Now and Meditation

Hi, I am new to Lifeflow and have only experienced the free meditation downloads but they have have made an immense difference to my life - even in just a week. I had tried meditation before, but not felt this calmness and peace before. Last week I spent a couple of hours trying to choose a book, I was mainly looking at books to do with the Law of Attraction, which I have been reading about and having seen 'The Secret' DVD, well I was attracted to Eckhart Tolle's 'The Power of Now' and bought that, I was attracted to Lifeflow Meditation the day before, coincidence? I don't think so!!! Would love to get the 10 downloads but am rather strapped for cash, so will just have to carry on as I am for the moment, I think it is great that Michael has given free meditations out, I think the idea of putting on the timed meditations whilst doing the ironing or whatever and tuning in when the bell goes as to the mindless chatter that goes on in one's head is an excellent idea that I will try.

I found a quote by Deepak Chopra the other day which sums it all up for me:

"Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It's a way of entering into the quiet that's already there--buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day". Deepak Chopra

Michael, putting a group email out to everyone to meditate at the same time would be mind-blowing, maybe you could do two different times, to fit in with different people's commitments? Also, I am in London, so different time zone, not being negative, just suggesting we do it in groups throughout the day, you tune in when you can, perhaps?

Thanks again, I feel so much better about EVERYTHING!

 

Hi, I completely agree that the words of wisdom in the note above are awesome. It arrived in my inbox a few days ago and was exactly what I was looking for and needed to know at that time. I can't begin to describe how incredibly self-empowering it is to know that you do not have to focus on someone else, and that you free any self-imposed ties and emotions by simply placing your attention back on yourself instead.

Such a simple thing yet so incredibly freeing!!

Thank you Michael so much.

 

can Michael or one of the moderators add this one ?

YouTube - Eckhart Tolle in the Living Luminaries movie

rocked my world !

 

Hi Aussie, I totally agree with you about the latest issue of The Good Life. There is so much wisdom and guidance there. So pleased for you that you are observing well – it really is amazing isn’t it?

Welcome to the community Purplevibe, it’s great to hear you are benefiting from Discover Meditation. Have you done the gratitude exercise yet? Many people here love it, including myself.

Hi Edwin, I’ll make sure this happens – glad it rocked your world.

Hi there Chris063 may you always be an oasis of peace even in the presence of choppy, shark infested waters.

I wish you all joy and happiness on your amazing journeys of self discovery

 

Thank you pollyanna and I wish you joy and happiness too! I have to confess that I have yet to start the meditation course which I downloaded several weeks ago, but have instead been trying to practice some of the principles from 'The Power of Now', which I keep diving into and never fail to find something very spiritually lifting each time! But I have just started reading the incredibly interesting and helpful posts on the forum and have just printed off 'The Secret' to read - thank you for your hard work producing that, and my mind is already turning back to the meditation course.

I wish I could always be an oasis of peace in choppy waters, maybe one day but life just keeps on challenging! What a journey though!

 

Edwin that is an awsome clip.
I think for the first time; I finally understand what he's been trying to get through to the readers in the book "A New Earth".
It makes be breathless to think, without my awareness, the world is nothing more than a collection of atoms swirling around. It is I which brings the meaning to it . . . Now!

Thank You,
Gus

 

Thanks ! You were struck by exactly the same insight I was in that clip !

To think that beauty doesn't exist without us, all is meaningless if not given meaning to it by us !
The entire world can be enjoyed in presence of Now only !

What also really struck me: We think ahead and we think back, but forget to realise that we only live Now ! What a waste of life to spill so much Now by thinking of what may come ! I have turned up my presence exercises, I want to live fully aware of this strange ongoing moment called Now.

Gives a whole new meaning to the saying "Killing Time"

I now understand why Eckhart said on Oprah: "I don't mind waiting for something, while waiting I can enjoy being present and feel wonderfull". Not a minute of his life wasted, at a moment where others might be bored !

 

Hi Chris, I'm really pleased you are making time for yourself. Just stick with it and step by step you will become more and more an oasis of peace. You really can Be, do and have anything you choose. I say the following only to inspire:- from extremely humble beginnings, I have come so far by consistently and persistently making time each day to create good habits like meditating, visualizing, affirming and feeling grateful for everything in my life. It just becomes a way of life and life is truly tremendous and there is so much more to learn and discover. As Michael says on Discover Meditation in the story about the woodcutter "Always remember to take the time out to sharpen your axe" Keep doing what you are doing and step by step you'll embark on an incredible journey of peace and happiness

 

Exactement!!! Isn't it a revelation when "the penny drops" We never need to wait for anyone or anything again we can simply be enjoying ourselves or as Eckhart says "I wasn't waiting I was in joy in myself"

I haven't forgotten Edwin about the other clip - I've sent a second request for this a few minutes ago.

May you both bring much love, joy and beauty to your every Now

P.S. You may find a film called "What the bleep do we know" extremely interesting. I really enjoyed it

 

It is indeed an interesting film. I've seen it.


Gus

 

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement pollyanna. I have been an avid reader of self-help books, positive thinking books, and more spiritual books for a long time now, and subscribe completely to the theory that it is relatively easy to feel spiritual while meditating, being in a holy or special place, or while actually reading a good book. The hard part is bringing all this into everyday life! And there is never time to feel complacent, there is always something unexpected round the corner challenging what I thought I'd finally got to grips with. But I am so much more optimistic and happier than I ever have been before that I know it is the right path, and I couldn't turn back now if I wanted to - which I won't, ever!

You are such an inspiration and I wish you ever greater love and joy in your own life.

 

I agree that it is hard to bring to everyday life.

However, having meditated for almost a year now, I notice that my meditation sessions leave me with this great inner peace, that sometimes last for 24 hours until the next meditation deepens it even more.

All I have to do when I feel stress coming up in the daytime is something I actually learned from a children's educative cartoon, Dora the Explorer.
She told her friends who were panicking around her the following:

Stop, Breathe, Think !

This is awesome advice !
You can learn to notice for instance panick coming up when you have been meditating for a longer time, as you slowly start to learn to let go of whatever comes up during your meditation.
In every day life, you can start to notice panick coming up too, and when you simply Stop, Breathe, Think, your panick will shrink, your body will feel more calm, and you will know how to let go of that feeling.
Your panick is not attached to your problem, you are attaching it to it.
There is simply the problem, and you. Panick has nothing to do with it.
If you know this, you will learn ( in time ) to release your panick, and then you can focus calmly on your problem without distractions like worries, worst case scenario's popping through your head, feelings of anger or fear.

Problems will solve much easyer this way.

Of course I picked Panick here, but it applies to all feelings.

I have had my share of worries the past year, check out this link http://www.project-meditation.org/c...og-will-visualisation-work-me-4.html#post3796
for more info on that.
If only I knew a year ago what I know now !

This was the hardest thing to grasp before I started experiencing it myself :

I can promise you wholeheartedly that if you continue to meditate every day,
and slowly lengthen your meditation sessions to an hour a day in about a year time, you will feel the Calm within, constantly, and unexpected events like you talk about will simply not disturb that. You will be able to cope with these events with the same calmness as if you were meditating.

In an interview Paul Wilson, nicknamed 'the Guru of Calm' once said that he feels like an alien sometimes, as he seems to be on an entirely different timescale from everybody else ( especially funny because after his children had their friends over to play at their house, afterwords they told their parents: "Mr. Wilson thinks he is an alien !" ).

When he drives his car, even when he needs to be at a certain point at a certain time, and has to adjust his driving style to that, he stays completely calm. When he has to wait for a red light, he will look around, and find people next to him almost biting chunks out of their steeringwheels from annoyment, and he just enjoys sitting in his comfortable chair while waiting for the light to turn green. Why waste energy on something that you can't change ( red light ) ? He will arrive just as soon at his destination as the guy next to him, and that person will have lost half a year of his life from stress. What a waste !

I am slowly getting there, and I have to say, it really does feel like you are on a different timescale. Sometimes I leave my house in the morning 10 minutes too late, and it is a bike ride of about 20 minutes to my business.
Because I have the key, I have to open it in time. I may have to switch gears on my bike to make it, but without stress and constantly having to look on my watch, I always arrive there in time ! It is an especially strange feeling to feel completely calm and still have a pounding heart from the physical exercise but it really is like that !

Chris, the only way to reach this Utopia-like state is by meditating every day

Hope I inspired you

 

Thankyou so much Chris for your kind words and wishes. I am so pleased for you and look forward to hearing about your many future successes

 

Hi Edwin, thank you for the wise words! Yes attaching emotions to problems/situations is something I struggle to overcome in certain situations, sometimes the feeling is completely overwhelming and prevents me from thinking straight or speaking.

I haven't started Michael's course yet, but do intend to. I have dabbled with meditation before, but have never continued long enough to feel the deep peacefulness stay with me for any great length during the day. The need is growing stronger though and I have a strange feeling that I am being 'guided'? in this direction for a reason!

Thank you!