Our Main Cause Of Stress According To Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle says that our main cause of stress is our inability to live in the now.

According to Tolle, the ego, sees the present moment only useful as a means to an end.

"It gets you to some future moment that is considered more important, even though the future never comes except as the present moment and is therefore never more than a thought in your head."

In other words you are never fully here, in the moment, because you are always busy trying to get elsewhere.

He says that the ego treats the present moment as if it were an obstacle to be overcome which leads to the main cause of stress.

This pattern of thinking by ego, leads to impatience, frustration, and stress in our culture. He says that for many people this type of thinking is everyday reality - their normal state.

You may feel that all your problems need to be solved before you can be happy, fulfilled, or really start living. The problem with this way of thinking according to Tolle is that for every problem that is solved, another one props up. As long as the present moment is seen as an obstacle, there can be no end to problems.

He goes on to explain that at worst the present moment is treated as if is were an enemy. When you hate what you are doing, complain about your surroundings, curse what is happening or has happened, or when your internal dialogue consists of should and shouldn’t, of blaming and accusing, then you are arguing with what is, arguing with that which is already the case.

You’re making 'Life' into an enemy says Tolle, "War is what you want and war is what you get."

External reality which always reflects back to you your inner state, is then experienced as hostile.

Acceptance:

He says that if you can neither enjoy nor bring acceptance to what you do – stop doing it.

Otherwise you are not taking responsibility for the only thing you can really take responsibility for, which also happens to be the one thing that really matters: your state of consciousness.

And if you are not taking responsibility for your state of consciousness, you are not taking responsibility for life.

Enjoyment:

Joy does not come from what you do, it flows into what you do and thus into this world from deep inside you. The misconception that joy comes from what you do is normal, and it is also dangerous, because it creates the belief that joy is something that can be derived from something else, such as an activity or thing.

When you look to the world to bring you joy, and happiness, you will live in constant frustration that the world is not giving you what you think you need.

You will overcome the main cause of stress when you start enjoying any activity in which you are fully present, and he means an activity that is not just a means to an end. Tolle says that it isn’t the action you perform that you really enjoy, but the deep sense of aliveness that flows into it.

That aliveness is one with who you are. He means that when you enjoy doing something, you are really experiencing the joy of Being in its dynamic aspect. That’s why anything you enjoy doing connects you with the power behind all creation.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

In order to overcome the main cause of stress, you have to:

1. Do any activity where you are Being in the moment which brings empowerment and creative expansion into your life.

   Make a list of all the routine activities that you perform frequently. Include activities that you may consider uninteresting, boring, tedious, irritating or stressful.

   But don’t include anything that you detest or hate doing. That’s a case for acceptance or stopping what you are doing. The list may include traveling to and from work, buying groceries, doing your laundry, or anything that you find tedious or stressful in daily work.

2. When you are engaged in those activities, let them be a vehicle for alertness. Be absolutely present in what you do and sense the alert, still aliveness within you in the background of the activity.

3. You will soon find that what you do in such a state of heightened awareness, instead of being stressful, tedious or irritating, is actually becoming enjoyable. What you are enjoying is not really the outward action but the inner dimension of consciousness that flows into the action.

In overcoming the main cause of stress, you find the joy of Being in what you are doing. If you feel that your life lacks significance or is too stressful or tedious, you are letting your ego take over and you haven’t brought being conscious into your life yet. Being conscious in everything you do has to become your main goal.

The new earth arises as more and more people discover that their main purpose in life is to bring the light of consciousness into this world and so use whatever they do as a vehicle for consciousness. The joy of being is the joy of being conscious.

When awakened consciousness takes over from ego and begins to run your life, you will have defeated the main cause of stress and you may find that an activity that you have been engaged in for a long time naturally begins to expand into something much bigger.

Some people who, through creative action, enrich the lives of many others simply do what they enjoy without wanting to achieve or become anything through that activity. They may be musicians or artists etc.

Sometimes for a few years their sphere of influence remains small; and then it can happen that suddenly or gradually a wave of creative empowerment flows into what they do, and their activity expands beyond anything they could have imagined and touches countless others.

Enjoyment of what you are doing, combined with a goal or vision that you work towards, becomes enthusiasm.

You need to make sure that your vision or goal is not an inflated image of yourself and therefore a concealed form of ego, such as wanting to become a movie star, a famous writer, or a wealthy entrepreneur.

Also make sure that your goal is not focused on having this or that, such as a mansion by the sea, or your own company, or ten million dollars in the bank.

He says that an enlarged image of yourself or a vision of yourself having this or that are all static goals and therefore don’t empower you. Instead, make sure that your goals are dynamic, and point towards an activity that you are engaged in where you are connected to other human beings as well as to the whole.

He wants you to see yourself inspiring countless people with your work and enriching their lives. Feel how that activity enriches or deepens not only your life but that of countless others.

Feel your being and opening through which energy flows from the unmanifested Source of all life through you for the benefit of all.

This implies that your goal or vision is then already a reality within you, on the level of mind and of feeling. Enthusiasm is the power that transfers the mental blueprint into the physical dimension.

This mental blueprint is the creative use of mind, and that is why there is not wanting involved. You cannot manifest what you want; you can only manifest what you already have.

Jesus gave the key to the creative use of mind and to the conscious manifestation of form when he said,

"Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

This information is taken from "The New Earth – Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose" by Eckhart Tolle.

For more information on stress, go to tips for reducing stress.

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