Glimpses of Love and Joy

or brief moments of deep peace are possible whenever a gap occurs in a stream of thought

Eckhart Tolle

When I first read ET’s quote above, I realized that while I understood what the quote meant, I could not see how the words would work in my life.

Often, in circumstances like These, I turn to my Supercoach within me to obtain the answer, and I will explain the answer as we travel through the following words.

I understand the occurrence of a gap in the stream of thought. However, applying this moment of the gap is quite another matter.

I listened to the YouTube video of ET titled, ‘Achieving Pure Awareness.’[2] It was here that clarity entered my mind. ET’s words revealed that the gap is a brief moment when I am not thinking. He refers to this state as rising above thinking. Oh, you can think, but you don’t have to think. I experience, for a brief moment, the beautiful space of pure awareness.

Asked a question by someone in his audience, ET pauses and raises his forefinger, not speaking. (He related a story of a monk who did this.) I realized I had stopped thinking for a nanosecond, waiting for his reply and watching his finger. A few seconds later, my thought trail started again after the brief and blissful moment when I had stopped thinking.

Although I understood what ET was doing, I thought it was a strange way to answer a question. The forefinger in the air (palm facing the audience, in case you thought he was being rude to the questioner) was a distraction, leaving his audience holding their breaths, waiting for him to speak. At that moment (I assume, like me,) his audience stopped thinking.

I look back on that day and remember I had stopped thinking, although I was unaware I had.

ET followed up with this example. Suppose you or I open a door and step into a room. Or maybe, stepping out of the room, we will suddenly become aware of a change in the perception in our minds, and for a fraction of a second, we stop thinking. Our mind kicks in a moment later, and we start thinking again. If we recall the experience from that moment, our mind had taken us into a new experience.

Thinking back, I was a water skier for many years. I recall how I felt at certain moments, skimming across the cool African water with the spray off my slalom showering over my body. Pure bliss! I now know that I had stopped thinking at that moment and was reveling in the pleasure of the water on my hot skin.

After viewing ET’s video, I began to experiment with his idea. I sat still, closed my eyes, and began to savor the stillness, the comfort of my orthopedic chair, and finally, the warmth in the room. After a few minutes, I came out of my brief ecstatic state and, on recall, realized I had stopped thinking.

Why don’t you try this? Find a suitable quiet spot, and sit comfortably (at this point, I close my eyes.) Be careful not to block your thoughts. Take three deep breaths and relax. I have been practicing this exercise, and I can now even accomplish the same state in a noisy environment and not necessarily in a comfortable position.

I have found that this ET technique works and has become a vital part of my lifestyle.

Until we meet again

Love and blessings

Peter-James

---

[2] achieving pure awareness eckhard Tolle – Search (bing.com)

‘I love writing, it’s my lifestyle.’

---

[2] amazon.com/Power-Now-Journal-Eckhart-Tolle/dp/160868637XRising Above Thought

Please Note:

Earlier parts of this series can be found here.

You will have noticed in this series that I reference “The Power of Now Journal – Eckhart Tolle.” The Power of Now Journal is just that: a journal whose pages are not numbered. The commentary you read on this page is a record of my personal experience arising from Eckhart’s comments on the relevant pages of the journal. With its dynamic wisdom, this beautifully printed book is available from Amazon. I feel confident that if you have read my piece, you will enjoy this delightful journal, even if you don’t usually keep or never have kept a journal.

–

---

[1] The Power of Now Journal – Eckhart Tolle

CopyritePeter-JamesPienaar2023

****************************