Essential Teachings Special: Beyond the Conceptual Self

Eckhart says the beginning of liberation is when you realize you are not the thinker. He says many people derive their identity from what the mind tells them. For those who have not yet awakened that is where they find their sense of self. We free ourselves when we begin to realize there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought and that the things which truly matter like joy, love and inner peace arise beyond the mind.

Eckhart discusses discovering the joy of being. He says in any given moment we have the chance to remain open to life, align with what is and experience a natural sense of peace and aliveness. Eckhart helps us release past conditioning to experience ourselves and our lives with a fresh perspective and sense of delight.

Eckhart takes listeners through a live meditation inspired by a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The wick of individual life runs deep into the oil of pure being." Eckhart says we have great depth within. He encourages listeners to reach beyond the limitations of their personality to find what he calls the Deep I. He describes it as that aspect of ourselves which transcends the ego and is connected to the ultimate source of universal consciousness.

Eckhart takes listeners through two live meditations about the stillness within. He says finding the transcendent dimension is the only thing that will satisfy us. He believes it’s not something we can achieve, it’s something we discover in the here and now. Eckhart explains why becoming aware of ourselves in stillness is the essence of all identity.

 Eckhart answers questions on several topics, including one about addiction. He says people are addicted to many substances. But the greatest addiction of all is thinking. It’s like a drug…and people can’t stop.  They resist letting go because it shields them from the painful parts of their lives. Eckhart says the solution is presence. Becoming aware slows down an overactive mind. Our confusion dissipates…and thinking loses its ability to wreak havoc in our lives. 

Eckhart addresses topics like surrendering the ego, what to do with anger and how to confront our fears. Eckhart says fear arises when we become drawn into negative thinking and project it into the future. He goes on to say that most of the time, fear has no basis in reality because when the future finally arrives, it’s actually the present moment again. And in the present there is usually nothing to fear.

Eckhart leads a meditation and then answers questions from a live audience. He says the most important thing to achieve in our lifetime is stillness because without it we feel frustrated, angry and discontent. He says stillness is the answer that brings the sense of aliveness we feel when we’re free of thought.

Eckhart talks with a live audience about the new consciousness he sees emerging around the world. He says one of life’s great mysteries is that the universe is conscious. While scientists struggle to define it and we can’t see it under a microscope, consciousness exists. Eckhart says we are living proof of that and we have a role to play. He quotes an ancient aphorism: “You are the light of the world.” He says what that means is we are the light of consciousness manifesting in the world.

Eckhart talks with a live audience about letting go of our false sense of self. He says when we base our identity on externals: our looks, what we do and where we live - that’s the ego. In that state, we’re either inferior or superior; never equal. True relationships become impossible. But when we’re grounded in essential being, the need to compare disappears and we discover we are infinitely precious.

 Eckhart talks with a live audience about freeing oneself from the mind to find presence. He says, we must become aware of the harmful thoughts that hold us hostage. Life’s crises need not drag us into unconsciousness. We can stay alert, and let the rough times take us to a deeper state of awareness. Eckhart says while the path to presence is narrow, it ultimately leads to life.