Eckhart Tolle did admit to taking LSD, and he said it was SIMILAR to how he allegedly experiences the world, but not as good. (again no proof, just claims without proof).
Some people are highly imaginative, and can easily go into deep hypnotic Trance states, and you can imagine anything you want.
Its called Imagination and Visualization. Not that profound.
You do it every night...its called dreaming.

Also, Eckhart Tolle displays his amazing ignorance of natural science, when he says BIRDS are a good example of being in the Now.
Does he know anything about birds?
They are vicious, aggressive, angry, fighting...stealing, cheating, killing...
They steal eachother nests, kill baby birds, eat other birds.
Baby birds kill eachother by pecking to death in the nest. Then sometimes the mother EATS her own dead chick.

Birds are some of the most ruthless Beings ever produced by Evolution.
Birds plan for the future by building nests as well.

Its funny how the New Agers take their IDEA of a bird and try to make it into something it is not.

Ironically, its the HUMAN MIND which is the most interesting thing, and this is what Eckhart Tolle is trying to eliminate.

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The Anticult
Eckhart Tolle did admit to taking LSD, and he said it was SIMILAR to how he allegedly experiences the world, but not as good. (again no proof, just claims without proof).

Ironically, its the HUMAN MIND which is the most interesting thing, and this is what Eckhart Tolle is trying to eliminate.

Mr. Tolle did not state that LSD was similar to how he experiences the world. He stated that it was a VIOLENT experience (his words) that he DOES NOT recommend it (his words) to anyone.

Mr. Tolle is not trying to eliminate the human mind at all. He is trying to illustrate problems associated with "identifying" ourselves with the structure and content of the ego. This has nothing to do with minimizing the importance of the mind. Quite to the contrary, when one is not identified with the ego the mind is free to operate at full capacity. I've experienced it and it is similar to operating a perfectly tuned, high-performance automobile. In my experience, it is exactly how the mind was designed to work.

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The Anticult
Also, Eckhart Tolle displays his amazing ignorance of natural science, when he says BIRDS are a good example of being in the Now.
Does he know anything about birds?

It's interesting Tolle would want to compare being in 'the now' with birds, and thereby compare his own 'nature' to birds. There is only one bird I can think of that remotely compares to the nature or character of Tolle, the Shrike. The shrike impales its prey on thorns and rips them apart muscle by muscle, while Tolle impales his prey on the psychological thorns of extremely vulnerable states of hypnosis and what is arguably, unprecedented DECEPTION.

as desribed in wiki:

"A shrike is a passerine bird of the family Laniidae which is known for its habit of catching insects, small birds or mammals and impaling their bodies on thorns. This helps them to tear the flesh into smaller, more conveniently-sized fragments, and serves as a "larder" so that the shrike can return to the uneaten portions at a later time. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like that of a bird of prey, reflecting its predatory nature."


I was extremely disgusted to find in a University bookstore, Tolle's books, including 'A New Earth'. I complained to the bookstore staff, and informed them that even just a minimal amount of research will prove the guy's a fraud and his books should NOT be sold in a University book store. I was informed that a lot of people have made similar statements. The good thing is, the same Tolle books have been collecting the same dust on the same shelf for a while now.

Eckhart Tolle does display an astonishing ignorance in various areas of human knowledge.
The most glaring is in his view of Nature itself.
His comments about the first "flowers" show he has NO CLUE of what he is talking about...he just makes up whatever he wants. He is completely ignorant in those areas. Clueless.
(Here is a good TV program about Flowers from PBS, NOVA, First Flower)
[www.pbs.org]

He also said that it is "believed" that Life evolved first in the sea. That is not a "belief", its a fact, based on literally oceans and mountains of EVIDENCE.
Right after this, Tolle makes various statements about his personal views about Jesus and "truth".
So in a few pages, he has flipped reality upside down.
He says what is FACT is a "belief" and has turned personal beliefs about which there is no actual evidence, into "truth".

That connects with the absurd notion that birds are "in the now".
Maybe they are.
They see a pizza slice on the sidewalk, and they all fly down and fight eachother to get a bite of it.
Or they land on day-old rotting vomit and eat that too. mmmm.
So according to Eckhart Tolle, to be in the NOW, when you see something you WANT, you grab it, and peck out the eyes of anyone in your way?
That is called America!

And "natural" birds in the wild are WORSE, in terms of human morality.
But they are birds, not humans. They are doing what they are meant to do in Nature.
Birds are wonderul and terrific, but they are not a good model for human behavior, unless you are a PREDATOR and a SCAVENGER.

So its just ridiculous that guys like Tolle try to use metaphors from Natural Science, while being totally ignorant of Natural Science.

I find his blatant philosophical errors to be about 100x worse though.
His circular thinking and errors in thinking are beyond the pale of reality or decency.
Its a shame people buy into it.
There were some decent books years ago about this stuff. Remember, "Zen in the Art of Archery"?
Short little book, a person reads it, and that's it.
[www.amazon.com]

If Tolle was NOT a fraud, he would write 1 little book, 100 pages, and leave it at that. Relax, detach, calm down, breath deeply, simplify, etc.

Eckhart Tolle is a FRAUD as he MUDDIES the issues, and writes all these books, and dozens of DVD's to CONFUSE PEOPLE and take their money.
Do a rough total, there is easily over $2,000 of CD's, DVD's, books on his website. What a bloody rip-off.
The guy has 22 CD packages, some of them with 8 hours of eckhart Tolle blabbing.
[eckharttolle.com]
Can you imagine? This guy is talking about being Egoless, and he is selling HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF HIMSELF BLABBLING IN CIRCLES for THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
Thanks a lot Oprah, for dumping another Guru-fraud onto your innocent flock.

I think tonight was their final night. Lets see who Oprah pulls out of the rabbit hat next.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2008 10:52AM by The Anticult.

IMO, Oprah is as much a pawn and a victim, to the recent scambagging new age gurus she has promoted on her show, as are millions of her viewers. I have watched in shock and disbelief at how freely and aggressively she promotes these scumbags, and I still can't help but think that she herself is deceived, and deceived for the same reason millions of others are, for being in a state of spiritual or emotional discontentment, and always searching for a deeper or higher meaning to life. Basically, I believe she is a victim for the same reasons others are whether they be victims of the likes of Rhonda Byrne, Tolle, or Werner Erhard. She, unfortunately, has the means and the influence to convince and convert much more of the world, than the average cult victim does. Maybe I'm the fool, but I truly believe that Oprah would not be so willing to promote what she has been promoting on her show, if she were not a deeply discontented person herself. For someone to so aggressively latch onto and promote the subject matter that she has, she must be motivated by more than just a desire to get richer or more famous.

If the world did not respond like it does to her promotion of 'the secret' or 'a new earth', I doubt she'd waste her time with either one, and she'd be on the hunt for a different 'secret' to life and its 'true' meaning. She just happens to own a very public stage from which she chooses to explore the side of life that is private or sacred to most people.

She might be one of the most influential and wealthy women on this continent, but no one will convince me that her inner state coincides, in quality, to her overall material state. Again IMO, she is spiritually impoverished. Fill that void, and people like Tolle, Byrne, or Cruise won't seem so intriguing, powerful, or mystical anymore. In fact, she'd probably gag at the very thought of exposing her trusting audience to the destructive nature of the above 3 characters. It disgusts me to no end that she has so carelessly and selfishly used her influence to spread the crap she has been, but at the same time, I don't think she really sees the true picture. My assumption is that she rationalizes like a typical cult victim, she thinks she is helping to make the world a better place..spreading peace, enlightenment, and goodwill etc.., all the while, like most cult victims, she is actually causing potentially irreparable harm to the world she thinks she's changing for the better. She is a pawn to some very manipulative individuals, only her power as a pawn has the potential to do exactly what it has been, selling an enormous amount of toxic, deceptive, and hollow garbage to the masses. Oprah is to Rhonda Byrne/Eckhart Tolle what Tom Cruise is to Scientology.

What she really should do is take a long vacation, and leave her damn 'self help' books at home. Otherwise, she will continue on as she is, unwittingly destroying a lot of precious lives with the bullshit she's being fed by her gurus. I may be totally wrong, and her intentions may be 100% money driven, or just malicious to the core for other selfish reasons. Whatever the truth is, her work has turned almost a full 360 degrees from what it used to be, and it is very disturbing. She actually seemed like a genuine humanitarian once.

Actually, I read the text about LSD before and posted it, where Tolle said he took LSD, and how it was similar, yet also different.
So what?
LSD trips are always different, some good, some bad. Its a dangerous drug.

But what Eckhart Tolle is describing is a basic Trance state, known by various names including hypnosis. Most people can experience these Trance states quite easily, and even have Hallucinations where you see pink elephants dancing around. Its not a big deal if you know its just Imagination.
Hey, I can see an orange monkey with 9 arms dancing on the moon right now...I must be Enlightened?
No, its just called having an Imagination.

But with Tolle, he is saying he SEES THE WORLD AS IT TRULY IS. (which is FALSE, its Constructivism within his own brain, like everyone else).
Anyone can perceive the world as "glowing" if you try hard enough. Its just basic imagination, any 5 year kid knows that.
Humans are Constructivists.

And people are free to spread confusion about Eckhart Tolle if they want to.
The bottom line is Tolle puts out HUNDREDS OF HOURS of recordings of him yacking and yacking. Why?
To make money.
He is NOT enlightened. He might be detached from everything but money and his own Fame, but the dude is NOT enlightened.
But he is good at play-acting though.

He is just simply a New Age Guru out to get rich, and live an easy life, and be famous and have people listen when he speaks, and to form local "silent sects" where people get together and Worship the Words of Eckhart Tolle.

Gimme a break.

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csp

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The Anticult
Eckhart Tolle did admit to taking LSD, and he said it was SIMILAR to how he allegedly experiences the world, but not as good. (again no proof, just claims without proof).

Ironically, its the HUMAN MIND which is the most interesting thing, and this is what Eckhart Tolle is trying to eliminate.

Mr. Tolle did not state that LSD was similar to how he experiences the world. He stated that it was a VIOLENT experience (his words) that he DOES NOT recommend it (his words) to anyone.

Mr. Tolle is not trying to eliminate the human mind at all. He is trying to illustrate problems associated with "identifying" ourselves with the structure and content of the ego. This has nothing to do with minimizing the importance of the mind. Quite to the contrary, when one is not identified with the ego the mind is free to operate at full capacity. I've experienced it and it is similar to operating a perfectly tuned, high-performance automobile. In my experience, it is exactly how the mind was designed to work.

Actually, I read the text about LSD before and posted it, where Tolle said he took LSD, and how it was similar, yet also different.
So what?
LSD trips are always different, some good, some bad. Its a dangerous drug.

But what Eckhart Tolle is describing is a basic Trance state, known by various names including hypnosis. Most people can experience these Trance states quite easily, and even have Hallucinations where you see pink elephants dancing around. Its not a big deal if you know its just Imagination.
Hey, I can see an orange monkey with 9 arms dancing on the moon right now...I must be Enlightened?
No, its just called having an Imagination.

But with Tolle, he is saying he SEES THE WORLD AS IT TRULY IS. (which is FALSE, its Constructivism within his own brain, like everyone else).
Anyone can perceive the world as "glowing" if you try hard enough. Its just basic imagination, any 5 year kid knows that.
Humans are Constructivists.

And people are free to spread confusion about Eckhart Tolle if they want to.
The bottom line is Tolle puts out HUNDREDS OF HOURS of recordings of him yacking and yacking. Why?
To make money.
He is NOT enlightened. He might be detached from everything but money and his own Fame, but the dude is NOT enlightened.
But he is good at play-acting though.

He is just simply a New Age Guru out to get rich, and live an easy life, and be famous and have people listen when he speaks, and to form local "silent sects" where people get together and Worship the Words of Eckhart Tolle.

Gimme a break.

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The Anticult
He is NOT enlightened. He might be detached from everything but money and his own Fame, but the dude is NOT enlightened. But he is good at play-acting though.

OK. Can you define for us the criteria for genuine enlightenment or give us an example of someone who is enlightened so that we can discern between those that are and are not? Thanks.

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csp

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The Anticult
He is NOT enlightened. He might be detached from everything but money and his own Fame, but the dude is NOT enlightened. But he is good at play-acting though.

OK. Can you define for us the criteria for genuine enlightenment or give us an example of someone who is enlightened so that we can discern between those that are and are not? Thanks.

How does one profess to know that a non-objective state known as "enlightenment" is "enlightened". Am I enlightened for rejecting a book that claims to be a "guide to spiritual enlightenment"? It's the "POWER" that catches people's attention. It's probably what I was unconsciously reaching for in purchasing it in the first place.

I've read a couple of online reviews of The Power of Now in which the reviewer states that Tolle doesn't "embrace advaita" or non-dual states, as Tolle acknowledges the inherent split of body/mind ego/spirit etc. Yet, to me, he has backed himself into an uncompromising state of non-dualism through the repetitive reinforcement of "it's now...it's always now", and that life is always delivering the experience most essential for the evolution of your consciousness despite saying that consciousness is "timeless and therefore does not evolve."

corboy mentioned Jon Kabat Zinn in a previous post and I have listened to his "Mindfulness Meditation" CD package, as well as having read "Wherever You Go, There You Are." At lease Zinn has experience applying these principles in the Stress Reduction Clinic in Massachusetts.

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csp
How is one to prove their enlightenment? For me ... I watch and listen. If a person is authentically "awakened" their voice carries a specific vibration of silence. It's not the words, but what is behind it. I've watched most of the current or recent spiritual teachers either in person or on video and both Krishnamurti and Tolle (as two examples) carry and convey this stillness. It is very rare.

You cannot identify an enlightened teacher by the tone of their voice. I know Advaita Vedantin monks who ARE enlightened and they HIDE. They have all sorts of voices, delightful funny voices. I was a voice major - you can learn to pretend to fake out the masses.

I only had to skim thru his book and listen to short time on his CD's to know this man is a complete fake. I have been in the throws of kundalini before (and the medical records to prove it with concussions - it's a very real and dangerous force) and it only rose to my third eye, so NO I am not enlightened...let me say that, but I can identify a fake in no time and I know in reading his story that it might not be fabricated, but I do think he is delusional and that what he thinks happened didn't really happen. You don't 'think up' enlightenment and go to a movie later and wonder why you feel so peaceful watching horror. I mean come on folks!! He did say that in an interview btw..

Also, enlightened individuals would never tell another to not have a practice of some kind if enlightenment was the goal. Every enlightened vedantin monk I know teaches a method. Eckhart doesn't. He can't teach what he doesn't know!!!! And his voice has no shakti whatsoever. There is no 'energy' in the voice, but I have graduated from a hynotherapy school 19 years ago and his voice is perfect for putting people to sleep because there is no 'experience' behind his words and no energy of light behind the drone.

If he wants to teach watered down vedanta, he needs to give credit where it's due and state his 'teachings' come from that philosophy so people are not misguided. His watered down version is not going to get anyone anywhere close to enlightenment because all his 'experiences' he talks about happen in the very beginning stages of meditation where one easily thinks they've become enlightened when they haven't.

Oprah was very stupid to have him on her show.