The 3 Aspects of Enlightened Living
#1:Non-resistance — #2: Non-attachment — #3: Non-judgement
In his book A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle elaborates among others, the three aspects for free and enlightened living. Bellow my takeaways and examples on how they are experienced in everyday life. I am still on the journey myself. It is indeed a lifetime journey that implies practice and implementation of daily habits in order to make it a lifestyle if one desires to.
In order to get closer to the 3 aspects, one has to be familiar and aware of the impermanence of all matters: nothing lasts forever, “this too shall pass”. Once that is internalized, one can get on the journey of living an aware, conscious and free life.
#1: Non-resistance
Eckhart Tolle defines nonresistance as being one with what happens. It is about welcoming events in life (good or bad) without labeling them or letting them have too much power above themselves. This is not about being in denial, no. The emotions still have their role to play, you still acknowledge the feelings provoked by a given life event. You welcome them remembering deeply that “this too will pass”.
#2: Non-attachment
When you become aware of the impermanence of all things, your attachment to them decreases and therefore you become less identified to them to some extend. Being detached from all things does not mean you don’t enjoy the good the world has to offer, no. It means that you enjoy them deeply and intensely because you are aware that they will come to pass. On the other side, while experiencing the unpleasant, this mindset decreases the weight that the experience may have by remembering that the unpleasant will also come to pass.
When you are detached, you gain a higher perspective from which to view the events in your life instead of being trapped inside them. You look at your life from a different dimension, as if you were external and observing it from a detached perspective: that’s enlightenment, awareness, consciousness.
#3: Non-judgement
All humans judge, consciously or unconsciously. We also need a certain level of judgment to approach situations and life in general. For leaders and in certain corporate sectors, having a strong judgemental ability is a valued skill. So yes, judgment is a part of our everyday life. Here what I understood is to be mindful of that reality and not let our judgments rule our whole being. It is also about being aware that our judgment is biased by our human eyes, past experiences, and assumptions (great article here about assumptions by Dr Mehmet Yildiz).
When it comes to judging people for example; the bible says: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” — Mathew 7:1. But still, most of us judge (me included), often not aware that the more we judge (and usually we judge based on the things we feared most in our own selves), the more we will also be judged (or feel judged). So the judgemental approach is enslaving because it backfires.
Adopting a non-judgemental attitude opens the door to inner freedom and peace. If we take the example of gossiping: friends gossip about another person or a situation: instead of rushing into approval and gossiping as well, one could say “is that so?” “maybe” or choose to stay silent, not entering into the human drama. That’s what I call reclaiming one’s personal freedom: the freedom not to react, the freedom to be okay being still, the freedom and power not to fulfill the human need to label or have an opinion about every single thing.
Once you see and accept the transience of all things and the inevitability of change, you can enjoy the pleasures of the world while they last without fear of loss or anxiety about the future. — Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
Until next time dear reader: take good care, stay well and safe.
One love 💜
Source of inspiration: Eckhart Tolle — A New Earth + The Holy Bible
