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Enlightened Relationships: The Ultimate Training Ground for Practicing Presence
If you really want to know how spiritually awake you are, spend time around other people. For each of our relationships from the brief interaction with the barista to our bonds with lifelong partners or family members reflect back to us our predominant state of consciousness. With "Enlightened Relationships, "Eckhart Tolle offers a two-session program on bringing the transformational power of presence into this often challenging yet deeply rewarding area of our lives. Session one explores the arising of a new consciousness on the planet, and how more and more of us are beginning to experience a shift from an egoic, thought-based identity to the realization of what Eckhart calls our essential Being nature. Session two offers a practical look at how this emerging awareness impacts our relationships, as well as the steps we can take to welcome the vertical dimension of space and stillness as the source of true connection and harmonious relationships. It s easy to fool yourself as to your state of consciousness if you avoid other people, remarks Eckhart Tolle. For presence to become deeply rooted, it must be tested in the fire of relationships. "Enlightened Relationships" brings you Eckhart s practical guidance in opening to the full potential of our interpersonal engagements."
Audio CD
First published June 1, 2016
About the author
Eckhart Tolle
258 books9,853 followersEckhart Tolle is a teacher, author, and entrepreneur. He is a German-born resident of Canada best known as the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Tolle does not identify with any specific religion, but he has been influenced by multiple spiritual works.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 21, 2019
This is a short lecture that’s not really at all about relationships. I love Eckhart Tolle, but he’s a sort of one trick pony. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll spend my whole life trying to learn to live in the present (see ugh I already failed trying to plan out the future), but I think asking Tolle to speak on a particular topic is like asking the wind to stay still and focused.
May 14, 2019
Ceci me rappelle "L'enfer c'est les autres" de Sartres.
"Quoi que je dise sur moi, toujours le jugement d'autrui entre dedans. Quoi que je sente de moi, le jugement d'autrui entre dedans. Ce qui veut dire que, si mes rapports sont mauvais, je me mets dans la totale dépendance d'autrui et alors, en effet, je suis en enfer. Et il existe une quantité de gens dans le monde qui sont en enfer parce qu'ils dépendent trop du jugement d'autrui. Mais cela ne veut nullement dire qu'on ne puisse avoir d'autres rapports avec les autres ; ça marque simplement l'importance capitale de tous les autres pour chacun de nous."
"Quoi que je dise sur moi, toujours le jugement d'autrui entre dedans. Quoi que je sente de moi, le jugement d'autrui entre dedans. Ce qui veut dire que, si mes rapports sont mauvais, je me mets dans la totale dépendance d'autrui et alors, en effet, je suis en enfer. Et il existe une quantité de gens dans le monde qui sont en enfer parce qu'ils dépendent trop du jugement d'autrui. Mais cela ne veut nullement dire qu'on ne puisse avoir d'autres rapports avec les autres ; ça marque simplement l'importance capitale de tous les autres pour chacun de nous."
October 8, 2019
“Hang on to your inner body- I recommend that highly. By that I mean have some attention in the inner energy field of the body as you listen to your parent while they talk, ask you questions, and also be rooted in here feel the aliveness throughout the energy field, and while you listen to your whoever it is, and they talk, and then you give an answer, out of, let it come out of that moment that brief stillness, alertness... can you be free of thought in the moment of giving them a hug.
Observe that that’s not who they are- the irritated comments they make about you, the accusations perhaps they are keeping the past alive... you did...
“Yes you’re right”
“Is that what I did”
There’s no need to say “I never did that/ i never said that!”
Mind against mind. Mental position against mental position.
All you need to say is “I did? Is that how you remember it”
Or even better say nothing at all!
“Oh.. well.. ok”
If you do not fight another persons mental position, it weakens. So you are doing something wonderful for them, you are not strengthening their mental positions- mental position means I’m identifying with a certain thought form and I derive my sense if I from the thought form- and if nobody resists it, it thrives on resistance, it thrives on opposition, without opposition, the egoic mind form becomes weakened. If nobody contradicts what’s going to happen, then it’ll make another attempt.. and again simply oh well, ok, and it gets weaker and weaker.
It’s quite upsetting for that person but you’re doing something wonderful there’s an opportunity now for the mental position to dissolve, and sometimes this happens when you are able to be there as spacious presence, and this is close to miracle, but the important thing is you are not doing it in order to change them. If you’re doing this you’re not there. There is a second motive a hidden motive and it’s your mind coming in you’re not really present.
Watch superiority! That is unconscious. You will notice it happening because you will get irritated at how unadvanced spiritually your relatives etc are. “
Observe that that’s not who they are- the irritated comments they make about you, the accusations perhaps they are keeping the past alive... you did...
“Yes you’re right”
“Is that what I did”
There’s no need to say “I never did that/ i never said that!”
Mind against mind. Mental position against mental position.
All you need to say is “I did? Is that how you remember it”
Or even better say nothing at all!
“Oh.. well.. ok”
If you do not fight another persons mental position, it weakens. So you are doing something wonderful for them, you are not strengthening their mental positions- mental position means I’m identifying with a certain thought form and I derive my sense if I from the thought form- and if nobody resists it, it thrives on resistance, it thrives on opposition, without opposition, the egoic mind form becomes weakened. If nobody contradicts what’s going to happen, then it’ll make another attempt.. and again simply oh well, ok, and it gets weaker and weaker.
It’s quite upsetting for that person but you’re doing something wonderful there’s an opportunity now for the mental position to dissolve, and sometimes this happens when you are able to be there as spacious presence, and this is close to miracle, but the important thing is you are not doing it in order to change them. If you’re doing this you’re not there. There is a second motive a hidden motive and it’s your mind coming in you’re not really present.
Watch superiority! That is unconscious. You will notice it happening because you will get irritated at how unadvanced spiritually your relatives etc are. “
November 27, 2019
Echart Tolle has an intriguing presence. This is really a one hour talk, but the main message is allow yourself to have space in the present moment and move away from dwelling in the non-existant (because it exists nowhere but in the mind) past and future. This seems to be the basic message in much of his work, but is surprisingly difficult to implement. I appreciated the application to relationships and enjoy his dry and witty humor.
March 17, 2021
I did not imagine Eckhart Tolle's voice to sound like that but I like that this book was delivered with his particular snickers, the perfect amount of pauses, and a meaningful topic to reflect on. Ultimately being present, and treating people as people in the now, not as concepts, was the key takeaway for me on this book.
April 7, 2018
Good but I wish it was longer. A few tidbits of great info.
June 4, 2019
Relationships is what bring us closer, as love is what connects all living organisms closer.
February 14, 2020
Audiobook: I love his giggle and dry sense of humor. Worth listening to... great bits of wisdom and inspiration. I’ve listened to it several times.
December 29, 2022
Self help- meta meditation?
January 25, 2023
Eckhart Tolle 🤯 Am I right?!!?
May 22, 2023
I usually like books like this but I did not enjoy this book at all. While there were a few insightful passages, I feel like most of the book was composed of highly abstract empty sentences using big words to sound profound. The author talks a lot but isn't really saying much of anything. Maybe some people will resonate with this book but to me, it lacked substance. I felt like the author talked in circles without really providing much insight into the subject.
November 24, 2019
This is the first time I read - listen, actually - to Eckhart Tolle, and I feel I chose the wrong place to start. This book does have interesting moments, but I don't think I found an "ultimate training" here. I don't regret reading it, though.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews