Week 5 -- A New Earth

“The Truth is inseparable from who you are.” – Eckhart Tolle

Affirmation:

"God Is."

Study Questions – A New Earth  (Review chapters 9 & 10, pp 257-309) 

Chapter 9

“Your inner purpose is to awaken. It is as simple as that. You share that purpose with every other person on the planet – because it is the purpose of humanity” (p. 258) At this stage of the study of Tolle’s work, what does that mean to you? Speculate as to why we were “designed” that way.

“Only the first awakening, the first glimpse of consciousness without thought, happens by grace, without any doing on your part.” (p. 260) If you have had this experience, describe the circumstances in which it happened. If you have not yet had this experience, are you willing to accept Tolle’s assertion that there’s nothing you can do to precipitate the experience? If not, why not?

“The separation of thinking and awareness, which lies at the core of your primary purpose, happens through the negation of time.” (p. 265) What does Tolle mean by “the negation of time”? He goes on to state in the next paragraph, “When you look upon what you do or where you are as the main purpose in your life, you negate time.” Do these statements seem inconsistent to you? If so, how would you rewrite the second statement to be more clear and consistent with the first?

“When doing becomes infused with the timeless quality of Being, that is success.” (p. 271-272) Describe an experience that you have had in which this statement is illustrated.

Chapter 10

Elaborate upon Tolle’s assertion that the ego, when identifying with the return movement, develops a hardened shell. (p 287)

“Awakened doing is the alignment of your outer purpose – what you do – with your inner purpose – awakening and staying awake.” (p. 294). “The modalities of awakened doing are acceptance, enjoyment and enthusiasm.” (p. 295) Describe when you have engaged in one or more of these modalities. What distinguished these experiences? I.e., how was that experience different than other “focused doing” (i.e. being so focused in what you’re doing that you lose a sense of time)?

“The fourteenth-century Persian poet and Sufi master Hafiz expresses this truth beautifully: ‘I am a hole in the flute that the Christ’s breath moves through. Listen to this music.” (p. 301) Describe an experience that you have had in which you felt like a hole in the flute of Christ.