Summary

The article critically examines two significant issues with Eckhart Tolle's teachings: his enlightenment was not achieved through the methods he promotes, and he makes unverifiable claims.

Abstract

The article "2 Problems with Eckhart Tolle That No-one Ever Seems to Talk About" presents a critical analysis of the spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle's teachings and claims. It points out that Tolle's path to enlightenment was through an intense mental breakdown, which is not replicable through the practices he advocates in his book "The Power of Now." The article also challenges Tolle's assertion that all problems are illusions of the mind and that living in the present moment eliminates problems, arguing that this perspective can be detrimental in practical life situations where problems are real and require attention. Furthermore, the article questions Tolle's claim about an "involuntary portal" to spiritual realization at the moment of death, noting that such a statement is speculative and cannot be empirically verified. The author encourages readers to be discerning and not accept all of Tolle's teachings as fact, while also acknowledging that some of his advice can be helpful.

Opinions

The author acknowledges that Eckhart Tolle has provided some valid and helpful teachings, particularly the emphasis on living in the present moment.
The author criticizes Tolle for not being transparent about the fact that his enlightenment was a result of extreme psychological distress, which is not a method he teaches.
It is argued that Tolle's claim that all problems are illusions of the mind and that focusing on the present eliminates problems is an oversimplification and does not align with real-life challenges.
The article suggests that Tolle's assertion regarding a portal to spiritual realization at the moment of death is unfounded and speculative.
The author recommends a critical approach to Tolle's teachings, advising readers to take his advice with a grain of salt and not as absolute truth.
A response from Kara-Leah is included, offering a perspective that aligns with Tolle's view on problems, suggesting that enlightened individuals may not perceive situations as problems but rather as events unfolding, which reflects a shift in the relationship to what is happening.

2 Problems with Eckhart Tolle That No-one Ever Seems to Talk About

Problem #1: He didn’t become enlightened using the methods he teaches. Problem #2: He makes extreme, unproven claims.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay. Filtered using Canva.

There is a big problem with Eckhart Tolle, and it’s staring us all right in the face. But before you Tolle fans rip me a new one, let me just backtrack a bit.

Eckhart Tolle has said some helpful things. The essence of his teachings is valid. If you are focused more on the present moment rather than thinking about the past or future, you will get more out of life. You will actually be there as life is happening to you.

But we should be careful not to accept everything he says as 100% truth, because there are some problems.

Problem #1: He didn’t become enlightened using the methods he teaches

The biggest problem with Tolle is hiding right in plain sight. In the introduction of his book The Power of Now he describes his enlightenment process. Basically, he had an extreme mental breakdown which blew apart his mind.

I highly recommend Todd Murphy’s 2011 presentation Enlightenment, The Self, and the Brain. How the brain changes with final liberation. At 1 hour 26 minutes he talks about Eckhart Tolle:

This explains how the intense psychological distress Tolle experienced caused sudden changes in his brain. The unbearable suffering forced him into an enlightened state.

Yet Tolle never says, “if you want to be enlightened like me, become so distressed you literally can’t live with yourself anymore.” Instead, he does a form of bait-and-switch. He says: here, try doing these things instead.

Would Tolle have become enlightened if he’d not experienced that intense psychological distress but somebody gave him a book like The Power of Now?

Problem #2: He makes extreme, unproven claims

On page 53 of The Power of Now, he says “all problems are illusions of the mind” and “it is impossible to have a problem when your attention is fully in the Now”. This is obviously bullshit.

Sure, if you’re focused on the present moment, you won’t be ruminating on your problems. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have any problems. If you don’t have any money and you’re homeless, that problem doesn’t go away merely because you stop thinking about it.

I know Tolle spent some time homeless, and he didn’t feel like he had a problem. But it’s possible to have problems and not realize it. Being in a state of ignorant bliss is no use if your life falls apart around you. If I close my eyes while driving, the other cars are still there.

And what if you’re out walking and an angry dog chases you and bites hold of your leg? You can focus on your breathing all you want, but the problem still exists.

On page 118 he makes this extraordinary claim:

“Apart from dreamless sleep, which I mentioned already, there is another involuntary portal. It opens up briefly at the moment of physical death. Even if you have missed the other opportunities for spiritual realization during your lifetime, one last portal will open up for you immediately after the body has died.”

How can he possibly know this to be true? It cannot be proved or disproved. He is merely speculating. Those who like the sound of it will accept it as fact. Those who think it’s nonsense will just ignore it and move on.

If you find Eckart Tolle’s advice helpful, that’s great. All I’m saying is, don’t take everything he says as true. Just because a calm, softly spoken person gets a book published, doesn’t mean everything they say is 100% fact. Sure, some of the things he says are valid, but that doesn’t mean he has a full understanding of everything.

UPDATE: Response from Kara-Leah:

Sometimes, if I think someone has responded with a valid point, I like to add it as a quote.

Love your first point. It’s bang on.

However I’d like to offer another perspective to your second point about “problems”.

What Tolle is pointing to is something that shifts when awakening (whether abiding or not) happens. And I’m speaking from direct experience here. From this perspective, there is “what is happening”, that is no longer seen as ‘good or bad’, or indeed, ‘as a problem’. It’s simply ‘what is happening’. It still needs to be responded to, or addressed, but the nature of the relationship to the “problem” has shifted. It just ISN’T a problem.

If I leave my car parked on the street, and come out in the morning and it’s been stolen, that’s not a ‘problem’. It’s just what happened in the great dance of life. Nothing is wrong, it’s just life unfolding. And yes, I would then respond by calling the police, calling the insurance company, securing alternative transport etc… but none of this would be a problem, or stressful even. It’s just what is needed.

For someone who is still identified with conditioned mind, this would look like a problem.

For someone who is identified with awareness, or essence nature, it’s just what’s happening.

One way to approach this is to get real curious about what life might feel like if there were no problems… and just happenings. Some of those happenings may be painful, some may be undesirable, some may suck completely… but still… it’s ALL just what is happening.

Rather than argue against it — fight for having problems, yeah! — be curious.

What would life be like if there were no problems?

What would that feel like?

What does that bring up?

What thoughts arise?

How does it feel in the body?

What do you notice, as you contemplate that?

That’s where the juice lies… that’s where the doorway is…