Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle's Address
I listened to a lovely address today that Eckhart Tolle offered the anxious world during this pandemic. (see link below). He used the parable from Matthew and I thought it fitting to cite what he cited because it really got me thinking. It inspired me to look at these words in Matthew a little more carefully. Of course, I suggest you tap into the link below and listen to the master speak...I am just his unknown and most amateurish self-appointed apprentice lol and in my yet to be evolved state my interpretation may differ more than slightly.
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. And the rain fell, , and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house in the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. Matthew:7:24-27
Go Deep
I look at this parable in terms of how we can respond to this pandemic but I also look at in terms of how we can respond to all of Life's adversity. ...how we can choose to be. The key message, I believe, is to "Go deep.". We need to go beyond the superficial when we build our identities. We need to dig into the rock of truth and find the foundation of who we really are there.
Building this idea of self on sand
If we base/build our sense of self only on the outer surface, on the physical world only, on what can be determined by our five senses, our thinking and image making it is like building a house on the sand. There is nothing substantial to it, no roots , no true foundation and that "little me" we create will be blown away at the first drop of rain or the first breeze of Life's unpredictability. If we see ourselves as that "flimsy" and vulnerable to adversity, no wonder why we are terrified, feeling so limited and fragile in this idea of "me" we built.
A True Foundation
If we seek more...that Kingdom of Heaven that is within...as our foundation and dig deeply into it...building there...we will discover that not even the greatest storm Life blows in our direction can knock us down. Who we really are cannot be harmed! We are connected, rooted into the Source...God..."essence identity". We will experience true Faith that will see us through anything.
The Storms of Life Can Awaken Us
Tolle tells us how these adversities we face, like the pandemic, can wake us up...especially when the walls blow down and we no longer have a comfort zone to hide in. Challenging times can get us to abandon the flimsy houses we have already built in the superficial desserts of materialism and physicality, and erroneously call home ...so we can rebuild in the deep foundations of rock. It often takes adversity, struggle, challenge, loss and the storms of Life to awaken us.
I see Christ telling us in the above passage...to build this foundation from the beginning, rather than later. Get rooted in Truth first...then deal with Life. Prioritize the spiritual over the physical, God over the ego, Love over fear. Don't waste your time building in the sand ...come to truth first. It will certainly save us a lot of unnecessary suffering if we can do that.
Hearing and Doing
Yet, He probably knew as he spoke those words how humans can be. He knew that many of us would "hear these words" and still not do them. Many of us will not follow this direction, this wise guidance and will turn our backs on what cannot be seen, heard or felt for what can. Mind will tell us that only what the eye can see is real and that blasting through rock towards what we can not see is a foolish thing to do.
We need to hear Christ's kind and wise counsel beneath the chaotic chatter of our minds. We need to learn to "hear these words" and do them. If we truly want peace we will not find it on the sands of this existence no matter how wonderful and comfortable our houses seem to be. We will always be dependent on good weather and favorable outside forces to keep us safe and comfortable....We will put all our energy into attempting to manipulate those things we cannot control to prevent them from knocking us down. And that is not peace. That is crazy making.
We will only find true peace when we build ourselves in a deep foundation of faith, knowing we are so much more than a flimsy house that can be blown down.
Dig deep into the rock! Go Deep!
All is well.
Bible Gateway https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A24-27&version=ESV
Eckhart Tolle (March 21, 2020) Staying Conscious in the Face of Adversity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKpmXhGVMxI
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