Eckhart Tolle on the Significance of Being Present in the Now

Just making sure that everybody is present. Almost everybody is. One can sense it in the energy field. Wonderful to be back here after quite a few years in time. But it's still the now. It seems strange, can't get away from it. Although many humans try very, very hard to get away from it. It's part of the inherited mental, collective mental patterns is the compulsion to get away from the now. And that's at the root of a lot of dysfunction in human consciousness. So here we are, the main purpose of being here. Well, both here in this space at this time, but also the main purpose of being here on this planet, incarnated as a so called human being. The main purpose is to inhabit the now. Well, everybody inhabits the now. But to inhabit the now, to be in the now consciously. And we could call that the awakening of consciousness. Learning to be present, which seems to be a process that happens in time, although presence itself is a timeless state of consciousness. So a slight paradox perhaps. The ability to live here and be present develops over time, which means you're present for a while, then you lose it, then you're present again and you lose it. And then you're present for a little bit longer. This is the awakening of consciousness, we could call it. And you are all here because something in you is awakening to this dimension of consciousness. It is no surprise that this term awakening has been used in many spiritual traditions for thousands of years. Awakening and to be awake, that's the most important thing that could happen to a human being here. In fact, it's the only thing of absolute importance in the incarnation here. The only thing of absolute importance is whether you represent or embody the awakening of consciousness. That is the evolution of consciousness on this planet through you. And on a larger scale, it is the evolution of consciousness throughout the universe. It is an awakening universe. And you are an essential part of the awakening universe. In fact, you are inseparable from the awakening universe. You look like a person, but you are the universe in the process of awakening, disguised temporarily as a little person with its problems and so much going on in my life, I have no time for presents. Maybe when things are going better, I'll be present, but not now. Got too much on my plate, as the expression goes. English expression. I have a lot on my plate, they say, which means a lot of problems. Of course, there's no end to the problems. So there's only one thing of absolute importance and that is whether you embody the awakening of consciousness. All the rest is secondary. I call may be relatively important. All the things that make up your life, what people call my life, this very problematic thing that you call my life. That is all maybe important. Yes, there are things that are important. Your health is important. Your relationships are, of course, situation important. Your home situation, your professional work situation important. All those things, whether you have money or not enough money. All these things are important, relatively important, but not absolutely important. So you have the two levels. I don't deny the relative importance of all these things that make up your so called life. But what humans neglect and do not realize that there is a more. There is a transcendent dimension to your life. And to encounter that, to consciously awaken to the transcendent dimension of your life, that is the only thing that is of absolute importance.