What Does It Feel Like to Awaken Spiritually? | Eckhart Tolle

Summary

The speaker explores the concept of spiritual awakening, highlighting how the constant stream of thoughts in the mind can obscure a deeper consciousness, referred to as spaciousness or presence. Through moments of pure awareness—such as experiencing nature's beauty or looking into a baby's eyes—people can briefly access this higher consciousness. These flashes of awareness offer peace and liberation from the mental clutter, even if momentarily. The speaker emphasizes that true spiritual awakening involves recognizing the gap between thought and presence, leading to a heightened sense of aliveness and connectedness.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Realizing the continuous stream of commentary in our minds is the beginning of spiritual awakening.
• 🗣 Recognizing the voice in the head is different from thinking; it's an awareness or presence.
• 🌟 Awareness or presence is the higher consciousness, marking the rise of new consciousness.
• 🙏 The concept of 'emptiness' in Buddhism, often translated from 'sunyata', can be better understood as 'spaciousness'.
• 📖 The zen teaching of 'emptying your cup' means clearing mental clutter to achieve enlightenment.
• 🌌 Spaciousness is a dimension of consciousness present in every human, often hidden by mental clutter.
• 🌄 Moments of perceiving natural beauty or connecting deeply with another being can provide glimpses of this spaciousness.
• 👶 Interacting with a baby can liberate one from continuous thinking, allowing for a moment of pure consciousness.
• 🌿 Little flashes of this deeper consciousness help maintain mental sanity and a sense of life's worth.
• 🧘 People burdened by noisy minds struggle to perceive these moments of spaciousness, remaining veiled from deeper consciousness.

Q & A

What is the beginning of spiritual awakening according to the speaker?

The beginning of spiritual awakening is realizing that there is a continuous commentary in the mind, recognizing that thoughts are separate from awareness.

How does the speaker describe the recognition of thought?

The speaker explains that the recognition of thought is not a thought itself but comes through awareness or presence, which is a higher consciousness.

What does the Zen master's phrase 'empty your cup' mean in this context?

It means that to grasp deeper truths, one must empty the mind of mental clutter, allowing space for awareness and presence.

Why does the speaker find the word 'emptiness' a poor translation?

The speaker believes 'emptiness' gives a misleading impression of something missing, whereas a better translation for the Buddhist term 'sunyata' is 'spaciousness,' which refers to an open dimension of consciousness.

How does the speaker differentiate between thinking and being thought?

The speaker argues that most people don't voluntarily think; instead, they are 'being thought' by their mental processes, and their identity is created by these thoughts.

What is the significance of moments when one perceives beauty, like a sunset or a baby's eyes?

In those moments, a person becomes free from the constant stream of thinking, experiencing a sense of spaciousness, peace, and connection with being.

Why do some people find it difficult to experience this spaciousness?

Some people's minds are so noisy and cluttered with thoughts that they can't perceive beauty or moments of stillness, creating a 'veil' that blocks awareness.

How do moments of spaciousness manifest in everyday life?

They can arise spontaneously in moments of awe, such as looking at nature or a baby's eyes, where a person momentarily stops thinking and feels a deeper aliveness.

What role does awareness play in spiritual awakening?

Awareness allows one to recognize thoughts without identifying with them, opening the door to higher consciousness and a more peaceful state of being.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of spaciousness in consciousness?

Spaciousness is the spiritual dimension of consciousness, and realizing it is crucial because it transcends worldly success or failure and brings deeper meaning to life.