During a recent Skype chat with my niece, who is doing a course in Middle Eastern Study at SOAS - London (http://soas.ac.uk) the chat veered on my earlier blog where I had quoted Eckhart Tolle.
I always admire and have high respect for our highly motivated and educated youngsters, who have been studying at various Colleges and Universities around the world, who are well read, have opportunity to come in contact and assimilate with different cultures,and thought processes.
So when my niece strongly recommended that I should buy the book, I did her bidding and when the bookseller refused to give the normal 10% discount, stating that the Book is in constant demand, I became sure that it is worth possessing.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
THE POWER OF NOW - Eckhart Tolle over 2 million copies sold carrying rave reviews from important personalities and thinkers and now available in thirty languages. Gujrati edition titled ' Shakti vartaman ni'
For all those who feel that there are 'nobody' in this vast set up of the Universe, Eckhart conveys a very potent and powerful message in the very beginning of the Book. His quote : YOU ARE HERE TO ENABLE THE DIVINE PURPOSE OF THE UNIVERSE TO UNFOLD. THAT IS HOW IMPORTANT YOU ARE. I felt myself a few inches taller as I read it, I am no push over but an important cog in the great churning. Hope you also on reading this must be feeling the same. After reading this quote of his, who will not feel important, and he backs up his contention with hard facts.
The hard fact : that a single human cell measuring 1/1000 of an inch across contain instructions within its DNA that would fill 1000 books of 600 pages each. Simply mind blowing !! I am made up of a trillion of cells.
Let me share some spiritual truths, which I have had the good fortune to learn in 'sabaks' but in his book Ekhard has forcefully and with telling effect put 'upfront' in the most simplest to understand way. Eckhart is said to have experienced spiritual realization, one night after his twenty-ninth birthday. I know many youngsters may already have read the Book.
What is my point in writing about the Book - it is precisely that to convey that OUR DEEN if followed in true spirit is more enriching and sublime. Here I am taking help of Eckhart, I am deeply indebted to him, for by the end of my post, the readers will be fully understand what i want to convey.
In the introduction Eckhart states to the followers of ancient religions, that there is no need to go elsewhere for the truth, his mission is to show you how to go more deeply into what you already have.
Some random thoughts gleaned from the Book.
' The word enlightenment conjures up the idea of some super human accomplishment, and the ego likes to keep it that way, but it is simply your natural state of felt oneness with Being.'
We mumineen are blessed to have a MOULA whose very presence, energizes and enlightens many to feel the oneness with Being. Each year during 'asr' on Ashura, this feeling of oneness becomes profound and intense. I am sure many of my readers may have experienced this sublime feeling.
According to Eckhart, compulsive thinking, this incessant mental noise prevents you from finding the realm of inner stillness, that is inseparable from the Being. This is because the voice (your thoughts) belong to your conditioned mind , which is the result of all your past history as well as the collective cultural mind set you inherited.
He suggests that you start 'watching the thinker' so that the higher level of consciousness becomes activated. A very novel concept propounded by him is that when you learn to control your thoughts - the incessant chatter, when it subsides, you experience a discontinuity in the mental stream - a gap of 'no mind'
At first, the gaps will be short, a few seconds perhaps, but gradually they will become longer. When these gaps occur, you feel a certain stillness and peace inside you. This then is the beginning of your natural state of felt oneness with the Being, which is usually obscured by the mind. With practice, the sense of stillness and peace will deepen. In fact, there is no end to its depth. You will also feel a subtle emanation of joy arising from deep within: the joy of Being.
As you go deeply into this realm of 'no mind' you realize the state of pure consciousness. In that state, you feel your own presence with such intensity and such joy of thinking, all emotions, your physical body, as well as the whole external world becomes really insignificant, in comparison to it.
Now this over two million copies Best Selling Author advices some practical steps in everyday life to achieve this 'no mind' gap. Here are a few of the simple routine steps :
## Every time you walk up and down the stairs in your house or place of work, pay close attention to every step, every movement, even your breathing. Be totally present.
## Or when you wash your hands, pay attention to all the sense perceptions associated with the activity: the sound and feel of water, the movement of your hand, the scent of the soap and so on.
## Or when you get into the car, after you close the door, pause for a few seconds and observe the flow of your breath.
Now to all my readers I put forward a very simple and basic question.
Offering Namaz on 'waqt' with discontinuity in the mental stream, by being totally present, shutting out the incessant chatter of the thoughts, is a much better practice to become enlightened, to achieve the natural state of oneness with the Being ?
Is it not my friends ? It surely is, but we have not given it the thought - 'ghar ki murgi dal barabar !'
Thank you Eckhard Tolle for telling us that there is no need to go elsewhere for the truth. OUR DEEN makes us not only enlightened but also nurtures us for emancipation.
But first things first - switch off the mobiles. It amuses me to see many holding their hand sets immediately after 'salam', some go further, casting a fast glance between 'ruku' and 'sujood' at the blip on their hand set during 'sunnat / vasek namaz' !!
I fervently hope that those who have cared to read my blog will surely find truth in it. To my young friends living in college campuses and professionals, who surely may have read THE POWER OF NOW it will be a revelation.
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