Make sure you are not addicted to the public persona of ET.

A real teacher does everything possible to discourage that sort of addiction, not foster it.

And, putting something in quotes and attributing it to 'anonymous troll' in boldface font
could be construed as inflammatory.

Hey all,

I have not written anything on this site in a good while--I also couldn't help but notice this newer "thread"--but if I may--
to reiterate my dismay and alarm at my old friend, Eckhart--as happenstance has it, I came across an article today posted on one of my favorite websites--it's an article that USA TODAY put out TODAY--and there's an excerpt where the reporter describes Eckhart's features-
but it's where he/she states:

..."ice blue eyes that match his Jaguar" I had to laugh.

Actually, it's brilliant! If that doesn't tell you who the guy really is...As one who was truly wizened, stated: "By their deeds you shall know them" Truly. I believe anyone with an ability to discern should pay very close attention to that one.

It's really not about what you are saying...and this man has build an empire on his talks and words.

After all, Talk is cheap..yes...but in today's media-obsessed world, it truly can $$pay. Just ask the man who actually aims to dominate what has become the Spirituality Business. Let's just call it what it really is.

Make no mistake, Tolle seems intent on being at the very top of that domain. As I said, he is no longer recognizable to me. I recalled recently, a time when he and I took a train ride together and how we laughed about things. One was his telling me about his long, painful trip on a Greyhound bus to Mount Shasta. He really thought that would be a pleasant ride... when it turned out to be harrowing. On that train ride, I had another friend with us who made him laugh so hard as she was telling him about what a pain I was to live with. Eckhart literally slid down the seat to the floor, he was laughing so hard.

On another occasion, he and I were meeting for lunch and he was so excited. He took me by the hand and brought me inside this intruiging shop that had a moveable map of the world where simultaneously all time zones were illustrated in a most beautiful way--with light and dark shades of blue moving like waves in the depiction.

He was a nice man. And fun to be with.

Well before the fame...and I hardly recognize him. And that's been for a while now.

Heartbreaking, when you know the two sides. Ya know?

as a p.s.: I just want to add that it seems that the overblown Ego in my old friend has taken precedence over all else. Yet his main message threaded throughout--especially, A NEW EARTH---is the emphasis of the dangers and misery of ego.

Who knows?

Maybe he will live to tell the tale?

In the meantime--

Ironic doesn't quite say it. And when you know things from both sides, there's just that added chill...
Yeah, Jaguar matching the baby-blues and how's about that INFINITI (which lore has it) he bought because of its name?

The dangers of ego.

He should know, right?

Often mere mortals are completely blind to their own pathology.
From a person looking at Eckhart Tolle from his public presentation, he presents himself as a pseudo-intellectual spiritual Egomaniac, who thinks he is a brilliant intellectual in that area.
In fact, he's just taken others ideas, and repackaged them in a fairly pretentious manner, but it looks like many people want to buy that.

As far as the money, since he got hooked in with Oprah for all those months, he would have made many tens of millions, with all of those products he has for sale.
Power corrupts, and the fame, money and adulation will go to anyone's head.

At the Eckhart Tolle events, he is now a Rockstar, and when he speaks, hundreds sit in rapt attention to whatever he is talking about.

But if one sits back and thinks about it, what DROVE Eckhart Tolle to promote his own career so intensely? That is, before Oprah.
He was a very ambitious man, who wanted to get his books, and many other products for sale out there, all carrying his images.
So he is no different than the other Gurus who are out for self-promotion.
There is an intense Egomaniacal careerist driving force of self-promotion, which drove Eckhart Tolle.

Then he gets picked up by Oprah, and it all gets magnified 1000x.
Give anyone access to tens of millions of dollars, fame, adulation, media worship, and its going to corrupt them.
As they say, power corrupts humans, it always has and one assumes it always will.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2010 03:37AM by The Anticult.

Eckhart Tolle really has changed his website around, his logo is now called Eckhart Teachings.
So its not about learning to be in the alleged "now", its about subscribing to ET Eckhart Teachings, and buying more and more ET products, and going to your weekly ET meetings at your local ET home gathering Group Facilitator, and watch ET DVD's, and buy more ET products.

How many products is he selling? There is no end to it.

www.eckharttolle.com/store/

Categories
Books & Audiobooks
Talk Series
Intensive Series
Retreat Series
Teacher Series
Kim Eng
Music
Cards & Calendars
CD's
DVD's

The USA Today article on Tolle, is a PR shill-job, to market his Tolle TV.
Note how they slip in how Tolle stays at a "friends house" and how he is putting his money back into Tolle TV and the "overhead" for lecture halls?
Tolle has made millions, probably tens of millions since Oprah, he can afford his own houses, and probably owns his own private islands at this point.

And about Tolle using the money for "overhead" for lectures, that is actually BS, its an actual lie being told by his PR person.
The amount of money Tolle charges for his lectures is pure profit, there is no real overheard, its not like a rock-band with lights and equipment and a bunch of employees.
And one assumes that Tolle just charges local promoters a set-fee, and they have to pay all the costs, including flights, like all the other speakers.
He just shows up, and the money is paid in advance.

So the Tolle PR people are trying to deflect away from the MILLIONS being made and socked away somewhere.
It doesn't cost jack-squat for Tolle to make some home-made videos and have people upload them, and call it Tolle TV.

And why is Tolle doing that?
Because he appears to want to stay away from people, and just have them listen to him, and buy his stuff, and subscribe to Tolle TV.
One way communication, from Tolle to his followers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2010 04:20AM by The Anticult.

Well..I am in this particular mood on this beautiful day today and I must answer you:


You are exquisitely smart. So sharp you are, my friend. Truth be known: E. T. wanted that Book Club badly.
Don't think for a second that he was just this passive dude sitting in his backyard lotus flower-pond and Oprah just happened
to call him one day.

Tolle & Co. pursued this one heavily, relentlessly.

A NEW EARTH was originally put out in 2005 with zero fanfare. Penguin released it--with no blurbs from
anybody. Newspapers or any magazines of note, as a rule, never review spiritual books. This bothered Tolle.
(you might want to use your faith on this one..I tell you, it is true, but you choose.)

Didn't do so badly, but it was not a big seller, but a modest one for about 2.5 years until Oprah's promo.

And he got the whole enchilada. We're talking: full feature article in O magazine, the 8 week webcast and the Book Club.

You know the rest.

Now he wants to be on Letterman! You think I'm kidding? He's dropping hints that he wouldn't mind an appearance on
Bill Maher. (see the USA TODAY article) As I said, ET's in the Spirituality Business and he's boss.

Another morsel before I go: His literary agent is the guy who does the DUMMIES books!! (and really, there is not much else on that agent's list. That's what's so bizarre).

However...
Is it any wonder why there has yet to be a SPIRITUALITY FOR DUMMIES?

Shucks! What am I saying?? That would be a publishing redundancy, wouldn't it? And a possible lawsuit could ensue as A NEW EARTH has fulfilled that particular slot already, hasn't it?

Yup. The DUMMIES guy. You can't make this stuff up.

Think of the vanity and Egomania and irony, of Eckhart Tolle setting up Tolle TV, and charging people a monthly fee of $15 to watch Tolle blather on endlessly.
About what?
And of course, he is going to be doing a softsell upsell of his other products in those webcasts.


One gets the sense that Tolle wants much more than just being on mainstream TV.
And if he goes on Letterman, one can takes bets that Letterman will main Tolle look ridiculous.

Eckhart Tolle seems to now perceive himself as being some type of world-leader in the "spiritual" area, who thinks he should be getting the Nobel prize. Next he'll start spouting off on how to create "peace in the middle east".

Its frankly amazing that so many can be bamboozled by such a superficial copying of other material, like Tolle has done.
As far as Oprah promoting Tolle, that is probably also linked with the publishers of his books, and not just a personal interest. There are serious backroom deals that went down to get Oprah to promote various books, as that made millions for the publishers, like Simon-Shuster.

When Oprah promoted Tolle, didn't they also at the same time promote some type of Post-it hi-lighter pen?
Its just business, sales, and marketing.
They sell junky ideas the same way they sell junky products with a huge mark-up and lots of profits.

bump