As human beings, we evolve through life’s challenges and suffering, not through avoidance. In this teaching, Eckhart explains the essential everyday practices to awaken Presence and overcome suffering.
Does keeping a healthy diet affect your spirituality? We all must eat. The right food choice will happen for you, it is up to you to be present in making these choices.
Eckhart describes the illusory self that is identified solely with the unobserved mind, versus the potentially deeper meaning of the word “you”—as formless consciousness itself.
For anyone dealing with depression or emotional pain, Eckhart discusses the importance of keeping our attention in the present and staying alert to the mind's tendency to create further suffering.
Eckhart discusses spiritual awakening as it relates to two aspects of life: the acquisition of things, and the activities we engage in. Liberation, he explains, depends upon your inner relationship to what you have or do.
Emotions and thoughts can certainly arise while we are in a state of Presence. The key is to hold the space for them without getting lost in the mind stream.
Eckhart suggests practicing listening in conversation with others, devoting oneself to listening actively 80 percent of the time. Additionally, bringing awareness to the inner feeling of your hands can help to deepen Presence in an everyday situation.
We all have our limits. Whether physical, emotional, or perceived. Let's take a look at how you can determine what the mind creates as perceived limits and what you can do to get past them.
The conditioned mind will often create feelings out of fear, and these should not be the guiding force in your life. Eckhart urges us instead to discover the deeper feelings that arise from Presence—the source of true intuition—and to let that guide your actions.
Can you explain more about the "surface" of the present moment? How can we go deeper? The "surface" of the present moment contains the external forms we perceive with the physical senses—any of which can serve as a tool for stepping out of the thought stream.
