Time

["Martin Cosgrove" <martin@...>]

Dear Rawn and fellow group members,

I'd like to bring up the topic of time. Recently I have been learning from
the teachings of Eckhart Tolle. He claims that time is an illusion and only
exists in the physical realm; that true consciousness is eternal and so past
and future as we view then are not issues:

"The division of life into past, present, and future is mind-made and
ultimately illusory. Past and future are thought forms, mental abstractions.
The past can only be remembered Now. What you remember is an event that took
place in the Now, and you remember it Now. The future, when it comes, is the
Now. So the only thing that is real, the only thing there ever is is the Now
"

Based on this philosophy, he states that an in-built problem with most
systems of enlightenment is that they allow *time* for development; are
divided into steps; place enlightenment as something to be strived for in
the *future*. This leads to us overlooking the fact that all we need is in
the present moment. We are looking for something in the future which has
already been provided to us in the Now. He teaches accessing the present
moment through one of several 'doorways' such as noticing silence or space,
becoming aware of the inner body...

This outlook seems instinctively right to me, yet it also creates a conflict
concerning Bardon's system as you can see. Tolle in no way dismisses other
systems; he actually says that they have a lot to offer. He does say that
the need for a shift in consciousness is becoming more urgent and perhaps
that is why his teachings differ from many others which focus on allowing
time for spiritual advancement.

I was hoping for other people's views on this, especially your view Rawn if
you don't mind :)

Also, has anyone else read/listened to Tolle's teachings? Are they
compatible with Bardon's teachings in some way? Is it merely in my own head
that this conflict is beginning to arise?

I know that this does not relate strictly to the practical aspects of Bardon
s teachings, but I thought that the 'concept'(?) of time would be an
interesting topic seeing how Bardon's IIH is carefully divided into ten
progressive steps.

Thank you,

Martin

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