Soh Wei Yu

Admin

I haven't read the website but I trust that Nafis will be able to make a reasonably good judgement (although based on the limited info available online).

But in general, just learn what you can but don't get restricted to it if you find it does not present the ultimate view. But it does not mean you should abandon any teachers or teachings that did not present the ultimate view, because if it helps, it helps. Like... I always recommend people, friends, families to start with The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, the New York Times Bestseller that sold many millions of copies worldwide and he was catapulted to further fame through Oprah Winfrey etc.

Why do I recommend TPON by Eckhart?

1) It is simple to read, can be very inspirational in the way he expresses, life transformative. AtR Guide may not be suitable for everyone, may be too lengthy/scary/indepth/etc or just not as inspiring, may be suitable for a more niche group of people. That said, of course, I do highly recommend AtR Guide (either the abridged one or the longer one -- whichever you can read) to anyone who is willing to go through them, I believe it will be of much benefit.

2) Its insights is restricted to I AM only and not the further insights like nondual or anatta or emptiness, but it is enough for many to work on for a while.

3) It has enough emphasis on meditative practices and shamatha training (mixed with Presence/I AM), because Eckhart Tolle has enough experience with deep meditative samadhi unlike many Neo-Advaitins which neglected this aspect. His experience is quite thorough, up to I AM and the depth and intensity of it, and even nondual as an experience but not as an insight. As John Tan say, developing these mental factors (like the seven factors of enlightenment - tranquility, samadhi, bliss, clarity, so on and so forth) are important, and those who don't emphasize this can be dangerous or misleading especially if they lead people towards altered states of consciousness without proper grounding (like in deep calmness, some shamatha training, etc. And John Tan has said that some shamatha is also important). Eckhart Tolle is considered quite safe and leads people in the right direction as a beginner (maybe not in terms of going towards the ultimate view and realization of emptiness, but towards the initial realization of Pure Presence and also training and developing meditative experience).

John Tan agrees with me on all these points. That being said, people should be instilled with right view at the start even if it is intellectual IMO, although it is not good to be too intellectual. You can have an intellectual view like I did about the different phases of insights, about anatta and emptiness and dependent origination even before I had the I AM realization. You don't need to go too indepth into them or be overly intellectual (which can form another kind of hindrance and distraction from pure innocent experiential/contemplative inquiry) but at least know the right view so that you will not be misled or think you have reached finality after you arrive at I AM, etc, and you know where to go next. But at the same time you can practice self enquiry, etc, to realize the I AM first. (I understood anatta intellectually since 2006/2007 but practiced self enquiry from 2008 to 2010 and realized I AM in February 2010, then Anatta in Oct 2010 and Emptiness in following years) Intellectual right view of anatta and emptiness shortened the time for me to progress from I AM to anatta into a span of maybe 8 months, where most people I know get stucked at I AM for several years or decades and most likely lifetimes (i.e. never go beyond I AM phase in this life) without the right pointers. The intellectual/conceptual obsession with knowledge did hinder or slow down the time it took me to realize I AM somewhat, although I still did it in 2 years of self enquiry, and maybe 6-7 years after first starting to learn about dharma at the age of 13. Anyway there should be a balance between right view (even if it is conceptual at first) and experiential and meditative inquiry and practices.

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Soh Wei Yu

Admin

John Tan on Eckhart: http://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2021/10/the-power-of-now-by-eckhart-tolle.html

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: the Audiobook on Youtube

AWAKENINGTOREALITY.COM

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: the Audiobook on Youtube

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: the Audiobook on Youtube

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