Eckhart Tolle argues that many people have lost access to the "spiritual" or transcendent dimension because traditional religions have often degenerated into ego-driven ideologies and cultural rituals. Nevertheless, he says a "tiny opening" or kernel of transcendence still exists within religious forms (examples: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism), and individuals can either go deeper into their religion to access that core truth or leave outward forms and still awaken through practices like acceptance and surrender. The talk contrasts superficial belief with experiential identification (e.g., with the figure on the cross) as a route to spiritual opening.
Chapters
Millions of humans have no access, it seems, to the spiritual dimension. Totally reduced to being consumers and believing in certain ideologies, being completely conditioned by the surrounding culture.
Except people like you.
Because traditionally, access to the spiritual dimension, to the transcendent dimension, to the being.
Traditionally access was.
Given by the traditional religions.
Now in many cases.
Religions were.
Religions degenerated to a tool of the human ego. They were misused more and more by the human ego for power and control. That's true.
They degenerated into ideologies that you could identify with. And then anybody who didn't share, exactly share your belief system in every detail would immediately become your enemy and you could kill them. Completely insane.
And yet, even though that happened, and that is the case.
There was still a tiny opening left within all the religions.
And some religions became more egoically restricted than others.
Christianity very strongly.
In Islam also, there's a tendency for coming into the service of the strengthening the human ego instead of liberating from the human ego. But there's always.
Some opening. Is there still? Even though all this has happened, the great religions, all them, there is still a small opening into the transcendent dimension, the tiny bit of light still coming through for humans. Let's say you go to church every Sunday and it's just a cultural thing, or you have to do it because it's a. You don't, you don't want to belong and it doesn't. And then these.
And yet maybe they read the words of Jesus and in a very boring way, usually.
Look at the flowers of the field, how they spin, not neither do they weave. And yet Solomon and all its glory is not.
One of these being the present moment.
And yet there could be something can still filter through a little bit of light coming through the old structures.
And then in Christianity you look at the cross, or in Catholic you look at the man on the cross and perhaps you're going through intense suffering in that moment.
And it could happen that you.
Look at the suffering of the arcotile, I saw Jesus, the archetypal human, you look at the suffering entity.
And you feel you begin to identify with that figure on the cross. Not believe in. Seems a bit superficial, but if you identify with, you become it.
And that could take you to deep acceptance. And the deep acceptance can bring about the opening into the spiritual dimension. Surrender.
Letting go of all resistance. And then it could become an opening.
Into the divine, the cross.
Because the cross points to the fact of suffering.
But it's also a symbol for the divine dual nature, suffering and resurrection, awakening through suffering. It's all there.
Not explained verbally, because people wouldn't have understood if you explained, if that had been explained to them verbally. They're all concepts. But just to see that.
I mean, the central teaching in Buddhism is Dukkha. And Buddha summarized his teaching as I teach suffering and the end of suffering. And the central image of Christianity is a man who is suffering.
And who then dies and.
Is born again.
But now there are millions of humans for whom the old religions, especially in. In the Western world, in parts of the east.
Those religions become totally meaningless. So they've thrown out, you know, the expression the baby and the bath water. So they see, they reject things that seem a bit childish in these old religions, all those elements, even the concept of God is a bit childish in the traditional sense. A man with a beard, a guy with a beard who controls things but allows people to suffer. This is a very childish view of God. And because of that, they don't believe in that anymore. But they cannot see the deeper meaning that is still hiding behind all that. So they throw out the baby with the bath water.
I don't know where expression. Somebody must have started it somewhere. I don't know how. Nobody would ever throw out the baby with the bathwater.
I suppose what it implies is the bathwater is dirty and it needs to go, but the baby is precious, but you don't throw them out together.
So now millions of humans have no access, it seems, to the spiritual dimension. Totally reduced to being consumers and believing in certain ideologies, being completely conditioned by the surrounding culture.
Except people like you, who are able to go deeper. It's still a relative minority.
What the percentage is, I don't know, depends country to country and so on.
People who are actually awakening.
So if you, anybody who is practitioner of any traditional religion here, no matter what it is.
Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, whatever it may be.
It'S very easy if you don't need to abandon it. You just go deep enough to see the truth that's still hiding at the core of it. Or if you become so disenchanted with your religion because of your upbringing or whatever, then you could leave it behind. And then.
You go more deeply if it becomes a hindrance rather than a help, and you would put it aside because religion is no more than a vehicle.
