The Power of Inner Stillness, with Eckhart Tolle

As you might have noticed, it always takes a while before. Before I start to speak. I often say it's good to start with a moment of stillness. And it is. But the main reason is that I don't know what to say. And that could be a very uncomfortable place or situation to be in. Some people have nightmares like that. You're on stage, curtain opens, and suddenly you're facing the audience and you've forgotten your lines. But I don't have any lines, so. So here's the secret. It's becoming comfortable with the state of not knowing, otherwise it would be awful. Oh my God, what can I say now? Would be terrible. And of course that is kind of trust, which I suggested the other day as a better word for faith, trust. And that's incredibly important to become comfortable with not knowing. But what you do when you become comfortable with not knowing, you enter the state of non conceptual knowing. But you have to be comfortable with not knowing anything on a conceptual level. Thinking in other words. So another way of putting it is to say that when I come on here and then I sit, I don't think because that's the state of not knowing. And in the gaps between sentences or words, I also don't think rather than there's no next sentence or word being prepared, it just comes. And that's for you. I'm saying that because that also is a state of consciousness that you can enter. And you're doing it to some extent when you don't label things, when you step back from thought, become comfortable with just being present. And all these questions of things like self esteem, which apparently is a problem for many people, either they have low self esteem or they have exaggerated self esteem, or it fluctuates. And there are books written about how you can improve your self esteem and probably workshops, I don't know what they teach you. Maybe it's good, maybe not. But the simple thing is that in that state of no thought but a large presence, all these questions about self esteem resolve themselves into nothingness. Because you're no longer looking for some perceived value in a conceptual sense of self, the personality. And you can sense the power that is within you that has nothing to do with a person. And that's where your self esteem comes from. And it's not comparative in the normal state of consciousness. Self esteem is always comparative. How do I rate myself relative to this person and that person and that. And on what level? External appearance, strength, knowledge, beauty, possessions, status. And of course there's always. You're always inferior to some in one or two or three areas. And you may be superior to some in another one or two areas. But that. The power of stillness, that's another way of putting it. The power of inner stillness. That is the true seed of self esteem. And you can't really call it self esteem anymore, but you realize the infinite value that you not possess but are, because that is the essence that underlies the entire universe. It is the light of the world. And you don't compare yourself to others anymore. You feel neither inferior nor superior. The ego is always either inferior or superior. So you might be surprised if I tell you even I'm a small guy, even if I'm standing next to a big muscular guy towering above me with a big ego. I'm not thinking of anybody in particular at the moment. But it has happened in the past. I don't feel inferior. It's just. Nor do I feel superior. I'm spirit. You might have a big body and muscles, but I'm the spiritual guy. That, of course, is the ego talking. And this is a very interesting strategy of the ego. The spiritual ego can come in and without you knowing it, you still have a conceptual sense of self, but it's turned spiritual. That's a trap some spiritual teachers fall into too, and you know it. When they make certain pronouncements. We touched on this before, and that is they explain that they are superior to any other teacher. For example, either any other teacher alive now, or I've seen one or two spiritual teachers or read about them who actually claim that they are superior to any spiritual teacher that ever lived or ever will live. Well, that should cover it here or any other galaxy. So the most important practice on your journey, spiritual journey into the present moment, the journey without distance, is to become comfortable with not knowing, which means to become comfortable with not thinking. You don't need to demand that. There should be long periods when you're not thinking, just moments when you're simply looking, listening, perceiving or being. And you don't know anything in that moment, not conceptually, but you access the source of all knowledge, of all knowing. And that is a way for the ego to gradually become weaker, just gradually subside. No longer runs your life, which is what is the ego, the unobserved mind. It may still come in here and there. It probably will. That's fine. So part of this is of course to give more attention to the present moment. Because the more you think, the more future you generate and the more attention you give to the present moment, the less thinking. Because to be really present. You don't think about it. You just are with it. Give it attention. I recommend the little things of life to be more attentive to all the little things that make up every hour of every day. Every minute, every hour. And give them more attention. Sa.