Conscious Problem Solving | Eckhart Tolle Teachings

Problem solving is sometimes necessary in life because problems drop up all the time. Although I prefer not to call them problems, but that's a word that is mostly applied to situations that need some kind of response or action. Challenges is another word. It's important to practice accessing non conceptual intelligence before you apply and even while you apply your analytical mind, so that you approach the problem both with the non conceptual intelligence and with the analytical mind that looks at a situation, can divide up, for example, a complex situation into for example, possible steps that I can take to solve the situation. 1, 2, 3, 4. Course of action. You think about it. You focus, thought, analyze, look at the possibilities, but fluctuate between this is quite an art between thinking about it, applying focused thought, which is different from compulsive overthinking such as happens when you are worried and so on. To apply focused thought, but to really skillfully and effectively apply focused thought, you, you need to have access to the non conceptual intelligence in you that is beyond thought. So there's a continuous stepping back out of thinking into where you take in the totality of a situation without breaking it down. Where you look at the situation without any verbalization or conceptualization, just being very alert and very still. And you look at it, look not necessarily visually hold it in your awareness as a totality and then just become still, even let go for a moment of the entire situation, just become still, alert and still. And then an answer may come out of that, or as you continue to, there could be one answer that solves the whole thing. Or you may continue to apply thought after that, and then perhaps again step back into still alert stillness. And then apply thought if thought is called for. And there's so much intelligence in you that is not accessed potential intelligence. It's all this huge realm of non conceptual intelligence that arises out of the unconditioned consciousness. And most people move only within the conditioned. And they try to solve all their life's problems with the very same instrument that in many cases has created the problems. Because many of your problems, without you knowing it, are actually created by unconscious use of the mind, or rather the mind being doing what it does. You are not using it, it's using you. You are mistaking the mind, mind for who you are. So that's a huge set of problems in your life comes from that dimension. And if you are able to bring awareness into that dimension so that your mind creates as few problems as possible, or perhaps even no problems at all anymore, then the mind can be left for solving problems. And what Are those problems. Those are not the problems that are generated by the mind Mind of the problems that come to you seemingly from the external world in the form of situations you encounter in the form of things going wrong, so to speak. Challenging people. Very common source of problems. But again, very important to differentiate between, is this really a problem or am I contributing to it being a problem? Am I contributing all of it? If I did not argue with the isness of this moment, would there be a problem? No. So there would still be a challenge perhaps, to deal with. Yes. Not a problem. It's sometimes not easy to tell the difference between is this something that's actually mind created, or is it out there now? If you arrive home and your house has collapsed in an earthquake, that is clearly, perhaps on the very deep level. It's created by your mind too. But we're not going there right now. It would be the dream of your particular incarnation would have created that. But we don't need to go there. On the level that we're dealing with it now is to say your house that has collapsed in an earthquake. You did not create it. Although many New Age people will tell you, why did you create that? What? Yeah, if you experienced it, you must have created it. I never say that. Although there are many. There are different levels of truth, so one does not invalidate the other. I usually don't go there because I would lose. Not that I mind, but I don't want to lose you because it's important for you, your awakening. I'm happy to lose you when you don't need me anymore, which hopefully will be very soon. But the mind. My mind suddenly stopped. Very weird thing. The very weird. But when it suddenly stops, that's a good thing if you're okay with it. It's not a good thing if you think, well, that shouldn't have. So the mind, let's see, start again. The different levels of truth. At a deeper or higher level, of course, it's true to say, whatever, there's a correspondence between inner and outer, and whatever it is that you experience is part of your particular consciousness and so on. But I rarely say you created this if it's a bad experience, because your mind would suddenly say, no, that's not true, and then you wouldn't be hearing the rest I'm saying. Which may be much more important than to say, you created this. I'm more interested in you waking up into awareness than believing in a particular perspective. Whatever perspective you need will arise from within you, whatever perspective you want to approach reality through will arise from within you. I don't want you to adopt a particular perspective and in order not to generate resistance in you. I never really say what that you created it, if it's something bad. But I do say accept this moment and whatever arises in this moment as if you had created it. Now that's more acceptable it.