Eckhart Tolle

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Eckhart Tolle
Born February 16, 1948 (1948-02-16) (age 60)
Dortmund, Germany
Occupation Author, motivational speaker
Genres New Thought, Spirituality, Psychology
Official website

Eckhart Tolle,(born February 16, 1948) is a Canadian spiritual teacher, motivational speaker, and New Thought writer. He has studied literature, languages and philosophy.[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Born Ulrich Tolle in Germany, Eckhart Tolle lived with his father in Spain from about age 13 to 19, approximately between the years 1961 and 1967, after which he moved to England.[1] He had no formal education between age 13 and 22, refusing to go to school because of its "hostile environment"; but he pursued his own "particular interests".[1] Tolle graduated from the University of London and completed research at Cambridge University,[2] having studied literature, languages and philosophy.[1] At the age of 29, Tolle experienced what he considered a spiritual transformation after suffering long periods of suicidal[3] depression. [2] Since 1996, he has lived in Vancouver, Canada.[4][5]

[edit] Influences

Tolle is not aligned with any particular religion or tradition. However, in the book Dialogues with Emerging Spiritual Teachers by John W. Parker, he has acknowledged a strong connection to J Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharshi and stated that his teaching is a coming together of the teachings of both those teachers, and it is a continuation of that. In addition, he states that by listening to and speaking with the spiritual teacher Barry Long, he understood things more deeply.[6]

At about age 15 he received five books that were written by a German mystic, Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken, also known as Bô Yin Râ. Tolle responded "very deeply" to those books.[1] He said the first texts with which he came in contact after the awakening and in which he found deep understanding were the New Testament, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Te Ching and teachings of The Buddha.[1] In The Power of Now, he mentioned the writings of Meister Eckhart, Advaita Vedanta, A Course in Miracles, the Bible, mystical Islam, Sufism, and Rumi's poetry, as well as Zen Buddhism's Lin-chi (Linji in pinyin ) (Rinzai) school.

[edit] Reception

The first of his four books was The Power of Now, a #1 New York Times best-seller that has been translated into over 33 languages. [2] He has also recorded numerous audio interviews and a video. American talk-show host Oprah Winfrey considers The Power of Now to be one of her favorite books. [7] Tolle's most recent book, A New Earth, also topped the Times chart in March, 2008. [8]

In January 2008, Winfrey selected A New Earth as her Oprah's Book Club selection, accompanied by a 10-week live online seminar (or "webinar") with Tolle, which started on March 3rd, 2008.[2][9] [10]

[edit] Works

[edit] Books

[edit] Audio Books

  • What is Meditation?
  • Practicing the Power of Now
  • Companion to the Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, June 2001
  • Living the Liberated Life and Dealing With the Pain Body, October 2001
  • The Realization of Being: A Guide to Experiencing Your True Identity, October 2001
  • Know That "I Am", January 1, 2002
  • Even the Sun Will Die: An Interview With Eckhart Tolle, September 2001
  • The Eckhart Tolle Audio Collection, September 2002
  • The Essence of Now, 2002
  • Choose to Awaken Now, 2002
  • In the Presence of a Great Mystery, 2002
  • Realizing the Power of Now: An In-Depth Retreat With Eckhart Tolle, June 2003
  • Entering the Now, August 2003
  • Gateways to Now, September 1, 2003
  • Whispers, January 1, 2004
  • The Flowering of Human Consciousness, May 2004
  • Living a Life of Inner Peace, October 10, 2004
  • Practicing Presence: A Guide for the Spiritual Teacher and Health Practitioner, November 1, 2004
  • Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat: Stillness Amidst the World, October 10, 2005
  • Through the Open Door: Journey to the Vastness of Your True Being, January 30, 2006

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Dialogues With Emerging Spiritual Teachers, by John W. Parker Sagewood Press, 2000.
  2. ^ a b c d Eckhart Tolle Biography New York Times, Times Topics, March 5, 2008.
  3. ^ [http://www.wie.org/j18/tolle.asp Ripples on the Surface of Being, What is Enlightenment.
  4. ^ Spreading the Change The Vancouver Sun, February 2, 2008.
  5. ^ Eckhart Biography. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
  6. ^ Eckhart Tolle Interview. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
  7. ^ Oprah's Favourite Books
  8. ^ Best Sellers New York Times, March 2008.
  9. ^ Oprah Winfrey has made A New Earth.. New York Times, January 31, 2008.
  10. ^ Tolle's 'Earth www.usatoday.com, March 2008.

[edit] External links

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