Eckhart (spirituality)

[by the power of RA]

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could spare them from all suffering? No, it wouldn't. They would not evolve as human beings and would remain shallow, identified with the external form of things. Suffering drives you deeper. The paradox is that suffering is caused by identification with form and erodes identification with form. A lot of it is caused by the ego, although eventually suffering destroys the ego--but not until you suffer consciously. Humanity is destined to go beyond suffering, but not in the way the ego thinks. One of the ego's many erroneous assumptions, one of its many deluded thoughts is "I should not have to suffer." Sometimes the thought gets transferred to someone close to you: "My child should not have to suffer." That thought itself lies at the root of suffering. Suffering has a noble purpose: the evolution of consciousness and the burning up of the ego. The man on the cross is an archetypal image. He is every man and every woman. As long as you resist suffering, it is a slow process because the resistance creates more ego to burn up. When you accept suffering, however, there is an acceleration of that process which is brought about by the fact that you suffer consciously. You can accept suffering for yourself, or you can accept it for someone else, such as your child or parent. In the midst of conscious suffering there is already the transmutation. The fire of suffering becomes the light of consciousness." - Eckhart Tolle

 

[TheAssman]

Interesting idea, but wrong. The starving masses in the third world suffer more than anyone else. I don't think they are more enlightened than us. Suffering is a limitation. Societies grow and peoples develop because they reject it. They find ways NOT to suffer. Great ideas, invention, art etc does not come from sub-Saharan Africa, it comes from the developed world. Accept suffering and you'll forever be stuck at the lowest level of Maslow's hierarchy of human need.

 

[by the power of RA]

"Truly, it is in darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest to all of us." - Eckhart Tolle

 

[AFG34]

Originally Posted by TheAssman

Interesting idea, but wrong. The starving masses in the third world suffer more than anyone else. I don't think they are more enlightened than us. Suffering is a limitation. Societies grow and peoples develop because they reject it. They find ways NOT to suffer. Great ideas, invention, art etc does not come from sub-Saharan Africa, it comes from the developed world. Accept suffering and you'll forever be stuck at the lowest level of Maslow's hierarchy of human need.

op is basically saying to not ***** about suffering but to acknowledge it and do something about it.

you are right in that a lot of inventions arise when people don't want to suffer so they do something about it.

suffering is an essential part of human life.

also, suffering is relative.

 

[uhurit]

Eckart Tolle rules, but he is too fixated on "ego" being the enemy that needs to be fought. Advaita Vedanta is the next logical step to end all "seeking" and put ego in proper perspective

 

[long_knives]

Stop listening to this lunatic and just buy a new car already.