Eckhart Tolle (German pronunciation: [ˈɛk.haʁt ˈtɔlə]; born Ulrich Leonard Tolle, 1948) is a German-born Canadian spiritual teacher and bestselling author. He is the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth, which were written in English. In 2011, he was listed by theWatkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world. In 2008, a New York Times writer called Tolle “the most popular spiritual author in the [United States]”.

He says he was depressed for much of his life until he underwent, at age 29, an “inner transformation”, then spent several years wandering and unemployed “in a state of deep bliss” before becoming a spiritual teacher. Later, he moved to North America where he began writing his first book, The Power of Now, which was published in 1997, and reached the New York Times Best Seller lists in 2000.  Tolle has lived in Vancouver, Canada, for over 10 years.

The Power of Now and A New Earth sold an estimated three million and five million copies respectively in North America by 2009.  In 2008, approximately 35 million people participated in a series of 10 live webinars with Tolle and television talk-show personality Oprah Winfrey. Tolle’s books and teachings have stimulated much commentary from theologians and journalists.  Tolle is not identified with any particular religion, but his work has been influenced by a wide range of spiritual teachings.

 See some of Eckhart Tolle’s Quotes (Wisdom) below:

“Instead of asking “what do I want from life?,” a more powerful question is, “what does life want from me?”

 “If there were nothing but thought in you, you wouldn’t even know you are thinking. You would be like a dreamer who doesn’t know he is dreaming. When you know you are dreaming, you are awake within the dream.”

“Nothing ever happened in the past that can prevent you from being present now; and if the past cannot prevent you from being present now, what power does it have?”

“Not all thinking and all emotion are of the ego. They turn into ego only when you identify with them and they take you over completely, that is to say, when they become “I.” “

“The secret of life is to “die before you die” — and find that there is no death.”

 

Wikipedia contributors. “Eckhart Tolle.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 Aug. 2011. Web. 22 Aug. 2011.

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