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Nonduality Highlights: Issue #4235, Saturday, April 30, 2011
Guardians of Being: An interview with spiritual teacher Eckhart
Tolle.
By Connie Wilson
Modern Dog Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Connie Wilson recently
sat down with Eckhart Tolle, number one New York Times
bestselling author of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual
Enlightenment. Widely recognized as one of the most influential
spiritual books of our time, The Power of Now has been translated
into over 30 languages and has helped countless people around the
globe awaken to the spiritual dimension in their lives, find
inner peace, increased joy, and more harmonious relationships.
It was seven years ago that I first encountered the teachings of
Eckhart Tolle. I was at a crossroads in my life, unemployed and
searching for the next path I should take. I decided to enroll in
an entrepreneurial course and it was there, sitting in that
classroom, that I first heard a passage from The Power of Now.
I'll never forget the words, as I knew without a doubt that
something very significant had happened to me. I went out and
bought The Power of Now, followed by several of Tolle's other
books. I keep them close at hand and frequently refer to them. I
never put one down without having gained deeper insight into
myself, my relationships, and the world around me.
When I recently learned that, like me, Tolle has a dog that
figures prominently in his life, I felt compelled to contact him
to see if he would grant me an interview for Modern Dog. It's
through this dog connection that I got the opportunity to meet
this remarkable human being and his Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel, Maya, in their peaceful home on the edge of Pacific
Spirit Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. I hope you find as
much inspiration in his thoughts and teachings as I have.
CW: Just looking at Maya right now...she's sitting and playing
with her toy. I guess that's a perfect example of being "in
the Now"-in the present moment. Can you give us any other
examples that are dog-related?
ET: To simply watch a dog without any kind of mental commentary,
just tune in...there's a link. Something else that's very
important for many people is they realize, consciously or
unconsciously, that their dog is not judging them. For some
people, it's the only relationship that they have where there's
no fear and where they realize they are being accepted and not
judged. For many people it's the only relationship they have with
another being. That's a pity, because really they should have
deep relationships with humans also, but that's difficult because
every human being has a mind and every human being judges and so
people become afraid, they withdraw, they put up barriers. I
believe that dogs are keeping millions of people sane who would
otherwise become deeply neurotic in our alienated world. So, the
dog keeps you in touch with being-beyond mind-Being, the
innermost core. You can look into the eyes of the dog and see
that innermost core. There are teachings that say every being is
a spark of the divine of God. You can see it sometimes more
clearly [in dogs] than in a human being because the human being
has the veil of mind, negative emotions, and ego, and plays a
role. I believe that dogs fill a vital function in the collective
consciousness of humanity. I would call them "the Guardians
of Being." They show us what we have lost and, once we
realize that, they can help us in our shift into a deeper state
of consciousness. Of course, we don't want to be confined to only
deep relationships with dogs, but they can teach us how to relate
deeply to another being and then we can learn to relate deeply to
humans also. That has to be the next step.
CW: I think that's very well said. In your book, you say we
operate in a "fear-based society" and I think that has
a lot to do with whether or not you want to show somebody how you
honestly feel about them-you really love them but maybe they're
not going to give you that love back, so you're afraid to
demonstrate love and you close yourself off.
ET: Yes, it's wonderful to see, when I walk with Maya, people
come and immediately their hearts open...they may not even look
at me, they look at Maya; they pat her. They wouldn't dare do
that to me though it would be quite nice. (laughs)
CW: You've had Maya for three years. How has she affected your
life and your teachings?
ET: Before Maya came, I didn't go out in the forest here, which
is right next to the building. Now I go for a walk in the forest
every day, and I know it's good for my body, it's good for the
soul.
CW: That's quite a gift in itself. Is Maya your first dog ever?
ET: Yes.
CW: To what do you attribute the increasing popularity of dogs?
ET: It's the alienation of modern society and the human need to
relate deeply to another being, which they are unable to do with
humans. I hope this is changing, but in the meantime, dogs offer
the opportunity to relate to and to have an open heart towards
another being. To be able to show love to another being which is
always [reciprocated]. That's why I think dogs have a function
that is absolutely vital, to keep humanity sane in this
transitional period between two states of consciousness.
"For some people, it's the only relationship where there's
no fear and where they realize they are being accepted and not
judged."
CW: You could speak firsthand of the thousands and thousands of
people in whose lives you've made a difference. It must feel
absolutely incredible.
ET: Yes, it's wonderful.
CW: Did you have an idea that you would have this opportunity to
do this and become so well recognized as a result?
ET: No. When I was writing The Power of Now, I realized that [the
book was] important [but] I thought it would reach only
relatively few people. It would transform people, but I didn't
realize that so many people would be open to it. I thought only
people that were deeply spiritual might recognize the truths. It
helped those people but, for many people, The Power of Now was
the first spiritual book they had read and it was deeply
meaningful and transformed them. That was a surprise and it
surprised us how quickly it grew because it was published on a
very small scale at first in 1998; 3,000 copies were printed and
that first year it just sold through word of mouth. Then it grew
and grew and magazines wrote about it and ultimately it reached
Oprah.
CW: You start The Power of Now with a caption, "You are here
to enable the divine purpose of the Universe to unfold. That is
how important you are." Do you think that dogs are here for
that purpose as well or are they here to act as muses to help
assist us on that journey?
ET: Right now, part of the dog's divine purpose is to assist
humans. That's why they have chosen to be with humans. They have
been with humans for thousands of years and now there is a link
between dogs and humans, much closer than it has ever been. So
part of their divine purpose is to help us. But it always goes
both ways. Because by living with humans, dogs also grow in
consciousness... it is reciprocal. They are helping us; we are
also helping the collective, one could say, the "dog
consciousness." The two species are part of the evolution of
consciousness itself. They are different expressions of the
evolution of consciousness, which is the purpose of the universe.
CW: As you've become more recognized and, well, famous, there are
lots of demands on your time. Do you find it's hard to adhere to
your principles, such as Being in the Now?
ET: If I were not careful and alert it would be quite easy for
things to take over my life and I would get lost in innumerable
things I have to do-respond to people, answer thousands of
emails. But I don't. There are many things that I don't do. I
even have to say no to many interview requests. Occasionally, I
have an inner voice saying "yes." When your request
came, for some reason it came from within and I said
"yes." I always trust this inner response. I don't have
an outer thing that says "Oh, I must do this or I should do
that." There are many things that I simply don't do. And a
few things, when the answer comes from within, when the positive
response comes, then I do it.
Lessons to be Learned From Your Dog
Eckhart Tolle on Being in the Now
There are various portals that you can use to enter the Now. One
portal is to become aware of the energy field of your body as you
sit there. To feel that you are actually alive in your hands and
your arms and your legs, throughout your body. There is an
aliveness that most people cannot feel because they are only in
their heads, thinking. All their attention is absorbed by
thinking and they are not present where they are. So you can use
this portal, the aliveness of your inner body. You can use sense
perceptions... watch nature-trees or animals or your dog. Just be
alert as you watch a dog, playing, resting; play with a dog...
you can learn being present from an animal. Your dog can teach
you to be present because the dog is ready to enjoy, celebrate
life any moment... the Now. The dog is in the Now so it can teach
you or remind you. When you become burdened with problems, look
at your dog and see how the dog is always ready to celebrate
life.
Another opening is to ask yourself whether you are friendly with
the present moment or whether you are making the present moment
into an obstacle or enemy. If you are against it or want to run
away from it, you create stress, you create anxiety, you create
past guilt or resentment... all these things that people carry
around, they are in the past, and then you have the burden of the
future which you can't control, so to come to the present moment
is actually a transformation of consciousness. That's why The
Power of Now has had such an impact because it has told people
that they didn't realize they could be present and they could
simplify and deepen their lives tremendously and make it more
joyful.