Perceiving Without Naming

A lot of us feel more alive when we are traveling to places we are not familiar with or to countries and cultures we do not know because during those times our ordinary thinking is diminished and our perception is heightened by all the new experiences that are flooding our being. In other words, you become more present.

Have you ever been on a trip or voyage to an exciting new place and a friend or family member is still talking about issues and problems from back home? That’s the voice in the head being predominate even though there are all kinds of opportunities to see and experience new things. Their body may be traveling through time and space, but they are still in the same place in their head as they were back home.

This unfortunately, is the every day reality of most humans. Once something is perceived, it gets named, labeled, judged, categorized as “good” or “bad” and then lumped in along with everything else in the “known” world. In fact, if you wake up to this process you will find that you are perpetually unconsciously naming everything. And this endless naming empowers and establishes the ego as your predominate point of view.

If that naming ceases, even for a moment, then the limitless inner space of the Present Moment opens up and the ego is no longer your central point of reference.

Try this simple exercise:

Select an object that does not remind you of anything from the past (either positive or negative). While remaining relaxed and alert give your complete attention to every detail of this item. If any stray thoughts come up, let them go. We are trying to pay attention to perceiving and ignore the thinking. See if you can take in the experience without the voice in your head judging, assessing, valuing, or devaluing.

Now listen to any sounds and do the same non-judging practice again not making a distinction between positive or negative. As you make progress looking and listening in this way you may notice first subtly and then more substantially a sense of calm. This stillness may be perceived first in the background but then it will progress into the foreground until your entire field of consciousness is suffused with the peace of the Present Moment.

Eckhart Tolle's Life and Teachings

Eckhart Tolle is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Power of Now (translated into 33 languages) and the highly acclaimed follow-up A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, which are widely regarded as two of the most influential spiritual books of our time.

The Spiritual Teacher and author was born in Germany and educated at the Universities of London and Cambridge. At the age of twenty-nine a profound inner transformation radically changed the course of his life. The next few years were devoted to understanding, integrating and deepening that transformation, which marked the beginning of an intense inward journey. Later, Eckhart began to work in London with individuals and small groups as a counselor and spiritual teacher. Since 1995 Eckhart has lived in Vancouver, Canada.

Eckhart's profound yet simple teachings have already helped countless people throughout the world find inner peace and greater fulfillment in their lives. At the core of the teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that Eckhart sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet.

Eckhart is a sought-after public speaker and teaches and travels extensively throughout the world. Many of his talks, intensives and retreats are published on CD and DVD. Most of the teachings are given in English, but occasionally Eckhart also gives talks in German and Spanish. In addition to The Power of Now and A New Earth, Eckhart has written a book designed for meditative reading entitled Stillness Speaks. A book consisting of selections from The Power of Now is also available, entitled Practicing the Power of Now .

Teachings of Eckhart Tolle

Tolle's non-fiction bestseller The Power of Now emphasizes the importance of being aware of the present moment as a way of not being caught up in thoughts of the past and future. Eckhart's later book A New Earth further explores the structure of the human ego and how this acts to distract people from their present experience of the world. It is the feeding of the human ego that is thought to be the source of inner and outer conflict. Only in examining one's ego may people begin to see beyond it and obtain a sense of spiritual enlightening or a new outlook on reality.

In Eckhart's view, the present is the gateway to a heightened sense of peace. Eckhart states that "being in the now" brings about an awareness that is beyond the mind, an awareness which helps in transcending the ego. The ego means here the false identification with forms and labels: body, mind, thoughts, memories, social roles, life-story, opinions, emotions, material possessions, name, nationality, religion, likes and dislikes, desires, fears, etc. If one is present, one recognizes oneself as the space of consciousness in which the thought or impulse arises. One doesn't lose the self in thought, nor does one become the impulse. Being present is being the space, rather than what happens. Eckhart says that the mind is to be used as a tool, but not let the mind use the person.

The "Pain-Body" is the emotional component of ego; it is created by the cumulation of suppressed emotions, the suffering of non-acceptance of what is. The size of "the Pain-Body" differs from person to person; it originates in the person's past conditioning, usually the early childhood.

Eckhart says that our true "identity" is the underlying sense of I Am, which is consciousness itself. Awareness of Being is self-realization and true happiness. Eckhart states that we people are very important, because we are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold.

Eckhart believes that all wanting implies that the future is more desirable than the present. As long as you want something, you are seeking to reach some point in the future that promises fulfillment. Thereby you are making the present moment as well as the other persons into a means to an end. You don't need future or future lives to find yourself, and you need to add nothing to you to find yourself.

Eckhart teaches that the New Testament contains deep spiritual truth as well as distortions, which are due to a misunderstanding of Jesus' teaching. Eckhart teaches that when you are present, you access your inner knowing and you will sense what is true and what was added on or distorted.

In Eckhart's view, love comes into existence when you know who you are in your essence and then recognize the "other" as yourself. It is the end of the delusion of separation, which is created by excessive reliance on thinking. This shift in consciousness for most people is not a single event but a process, a gradual dis-identification from thoughts and emotions through the arising of awareness.

Eckhart's Core Teachings

1. You are not your thoughts. You are the awareness behind the thoughts. Thoughts are often negative and painful, yearning for or fearing something in the future, complaining about something in the present or fearing a matter from the past. However, the thoughts are not you; they are a construct of the ego. Awareness of your thoughts without being caught up in them is the first step to freedom.

2. Only the present moment exists. That is where life is (indeed it is the only place life can truly be found). Becoming aware of the "now" has the added benefit that it will draw your attention away from your (negative) thoughts. Use mindfulness techniques to fully appreciate your surroundings and everything you are experiencing. Look and listen intently. Give full attention to the smallest details.

3. Accept the present moment. It is resistance to the present moment that creates most of the difficulties in your life. However, acceptance does not mean that you cannot take action to rectify the situation you are in. What is important is to drop resistance so that you let the moment be, and that any action arises from deeper awareness rather than from resistance. The vast majority of pain in a person's life comes from resistance to what is.

4. Observe the Pain-Body. Years of conditioned thought patterns, individually and collectively, have resulted in habitual emotional reactions with an apparent personality of their own. During "Pain-Body attacks", we become completely identified with this "pain identity" and respond from its agenda -- which is to create more pain for ourselves and others. Observing the Pain-Body is awareness itself arising, as it allows humans to separate from this unconscious identification with pain.