I just returned from the US, where I did a retreat with Eckhart Tolle, author of The power of Now and a New Earth.
As my path has usually taken me to study with teachers and lamas in Asia for more than ten years (with the exception of Arnaud Desjardins, French spiritual teacher of Advaita Vedanta and Alan Wallace, teacher of Tibetan Buddhism), up to now I have not been connected to many Western teachers.
Eckhart Tolle is one of them. In my opinion, and by the talks he gives, he is completely detached from ego. That is, fully enlightened in a way that his presence can be beneficial in itself, beyond his words. All I can say is that he has been a great inspiration for me these past days near him.
And having listened to his teachings in a magnificent enclave in the forests of upstate New York, I might add that his message is simple and powerful at the same time: being anchored in the now continually and not to identify with ego in order to enter the realm of pure consciousness.
We need more people like him. Individuals who have passed the stage of obsession with work, achievements and money. People who can show that we can be in this world without being absorbed by it. People who can be amongst us, living a normal life, yet able to be one with the Presence, with Absolute Consciousness, with Being.
Living on the surface can never be fulfilling. More money, a relationship, more fame, more titles, more fans, more power in a company, more status… Nothing external can even erase the feeling that we are missing something. Because permanent satisfaction cannot be found there. We can of course enjoy passing moments of pleasure or even happiness, but they will always be fleeting.
To be able to feel lasting fulfillment we must delve below the ego, under the layers of thoughts, beliefs and all mental content that we are constantly immersed in. No need to wait for a better time in the future to do it, since it is always within our reach at present. When we silence the mental noise that consumes and distracts us, and are still inside, we can melt with Consciousness, where everything is perfect, where we feel whole, where we perceive unity rather than separation, where there is nothing to do, just being.