Eckhart Tolle on Art, Music, and the Experience of Presence

I've known all the things that you've talked about in many of your books. And, well, there's two books, but the books I've read, I've experienced this presence through music. And it's a very profound sense of grace that I feel when I know I'm being played. In a sense, I'm an instrument. And in a way, what we call instruments are voices. I've been very taken with this description and imagery I've had from what you've discussed about being near the void. Because that's what it feels like. Something comes up. I know there's something in there. We've been talking about dogs a lot. It's like I smell it inside and it can become obsessive because it's such a beautiful presence. But, I mean, I think of Stravinsky. You know, he said the Rite of Spring. He said, I did not write the Rite of Spring. I transcribed it. Some artists get these things, and the clarity is there. What I experience is mostly an inference or something that needs to be embodied and brought forth. And that which actually my experience is more of knowing what it isn't. I just play it as it moves through me. I can sense that grace, especially when I know. When I don't feel my hands, I don't feel anything. I just feel this presence, music. That's just as surprising as to me, is anyone else. And I'm really fortunate because I never took lessons and never got trained or anything. So my mind doesn't really get that involved. Don't ask me to play Happy Birthday, though. I don't know how to do that. So I guess my question was about this connection to the creative. And in a sense, the artifacts that come. And I use the word inform when I was thinking, does art and music inform the ego of presence? That was really what was. And so how does one be part of that manifestation but not get too. Let's see. Involved to keep the distance so one doesn't come too obsessed with that process. So the balance of the two, that's what I'm looking for.

Thank you. Well, of course, on the one hand, you have the creative process, music or art, and then you have the finished product. And then you have the piece of music is being played and somebody listens to it. Or the work of art is there and somebody contemplates it. When you ask, can art or music inform the ego of presence? Well, first of all, the ego doesn't know anything about presence, so it can't do that. And there needs to be some Opening in the ego. In order to be receptive to the power that is latent in music or art that was created from that deep place. There's a lot of music and art that's not necessarily created from that deep place. Place. But the ego is trying to be clever. And so it tries to come up with something clever, and then that's fine. But let's talk about some piece of music or work of art that has come out of connectedness with the stillness or the presence. So some of that. Then to some extent, the work of art or the piece of music still carries that energy field. So it can put the listener in touch. Or the person who contemplates the work of art can put that person in touch with the deeper dimension within. As long as there's even a little bit of opening is required. If there's only the density of the ego, then the transformational possibilities of art or music are not realized. So a little bit of opening is required in the viewer or the listener. And then it can be quite a wonderful thing to listen to music or to contemplate a work of art and be transported, if only for a moment, into that alert stillness out of which it originally came. That's a beautiful thing. Another aspect of your question is, I believe, losing oneself, perhaps going too deep, almost losing yourself in the ground out of which creativity comes. In the creative process, there's always a balance that is needed so that you don't lose yourself in being. It could happen to an artist. It can happen to some people who awaken spiritually and they suddenly plunge so deeply into being that they lose all interest in doing so. That happened to some spiritual masters who spent several years in being without doing anything. For example, Ramana Maharshi in India, who had to be fed for several years because he wouldn't even pick up food. He was so deeply immersed in being, he just sat there. And people recognized something extraordinary about him, which they wouldn't have done in the West. In the west, he would have been a medical problem. They recognized something extraordinary, and they put food in his mouth. But there was a loss of balance, certainly between. In this. He could no longer function in this world. This, of course, to such an extreme. This does not happen to you. You're still here. And then gradually, after a few years, he gradually was beginning to function again in this world. And then gradually was able to regain a balance between dealing with things out here and connectedness with being. In a slightly minor way. It happened to me when I lost interest completely in doing and Drifted around for two years. It wasn't a problem to me. It was only a problem to people who were watching me or who knew me. So there was a loss of balance for a while. But then gradually the balance re established itself. I didn't have a teacher as such, so it had to be a natural process. So not to go so deep that you, as long as there's the you have, you go within and then take give form to that which was resting in the formless, be used by it so that through you it can come into this world of form. Don't stay down there and lose yourself in it. Not necessary. So bringing what do you compose music? Yes. Yes. Well, that's a wonderful way of getting in touch with the stillness within any creative process. Anybody who is. I don't. Unfortunately, the world has not given me that gift of being able to either play music or have some kind of art to bring into this world for a reason. Because the world also needs direct spiritual teaching. And so I love listening to certain kinds of music for the viewer. It's important not to become dependent, however, on anything external to enter the state of presence. So whereas music can be a help, there too needs to be a balance. If the only place you can become still is when you listen to certain kinds of music, then that's not quite it. Because you are becoming dependent on something external to get in touch with that. So use it as a help. And this is the same as a spiritual teacher or spiritual teaching. It can be a great help to listen to a tape or to see a video or whatever. Great help. But if you become totally dependent on that or on a group also a group can be a great help. To sit with a group of people in energy field of presence can be a great help, but not becoming dependent on the group either. Not becoming dependent on one teacher, any external teacher, and every good teacher will tell you when the time comes, enough is enough. The true teacher is within you. And what you see in me, that which you find so precious in me must be in you, otherwise you wouldn't see it. So the good teacher will always direct you back into yourself. Will not foster any kind of dependency. So knowing what is a help, using it, any of the things that can be helpful, but not becoming dependent, eventually it is necessary for you to go there without any help. Still being able to appreciate even teachers and teachings. I love listening to other spiritual teachers if they come from a deep place. I have great joy when I wow, this is so wonderful. Or reading a spiritual book that comes from the deepest place. There's still great joy in that. It's nothing to do with needing. It's enjoying a slightly different expression of the same deep truth. Just wonderful. And then also, you can see it wherever it is, no matter in what form it's hiding, you can see the truth shining through wherever it is hiding. It might be hiding in some ancient religion hiding very deeply. And there you see it shining through some. There may be a lot of mythology around it, there may be a lot of cultural beliefs around it. And yet deep down there, you can still see, oh, this is about. This is the truth shining through all the mythology around it, and so on. So once it's in there, you see it everywhere, but primarily, it is who you are. So I wish you well and be thankful that you have this wonderful gift.