Eckhart Tolle asks a Buddhist master how many lifetimes it takes to reach enlightenment. Masters often cite a specific number like 23, but Tolle questions whether this formulaic answer actually reflects true awakening, suggesting enlightenment may not follow a predetermined timeline.
If you ask a Buddhist master, how many incarnations do I need to be fully my enlightened? Really, what means to be fully myself or to know who or what I am at the deepest level? How many incarnations? Please tell me, how many incarnations do I still need? And if the Buddhist master is not a true master, he'll probably say, well, I guess you need another 23, 23 lifetimes of further suffering, and then eventually, then you'll be ready to be enlightened. You will be, oh, oh, 23, okay, thank you, Master, I'll see.
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