Eckhart Tolle argues that beneath life's dreamlike surface lies consciousness itself. Your true self isn't your personal story or memories but a timeless presence, an "I am" beyond history. Jesus called this eternal life; Buddhism calls it Amara Bhati, the deathless realm. Recognizing yourself as pure consciousness dissolves the fear of death.
So there is a dreamlike quality to, to life, but the essence behind the dream is the consciousness, and that's the awakening. If you can awaken to that, then you lose the fear of death also. When you awaken to the fact that the essence of you is consciousness, And you sense and feel that at this moment. If you let go for a moment of all your memories, all your history— let's assume you have no history. Who are you without your history? What's left of you? What is your sense of being without your history? Is there anything left? And what is it that is left? There's something left, but it's hard to name it. There's a presence, beingness, a sense of I am, and that is your essence identity. That is the timeless identity that is beyond death. That is what Jesus called eternal life or the kingdom of heaven. That is what in Buddhism is called Amara Bhati, the deathless realm, the deathless dimension. That is the liberation from the fear of death, to realize yourself as consciousness itself.
Why alcohol feels like relief, and what it is really giving you | Eckhart Tolle
