Good!

A New Earth
By Eckhart Tolle

In his insightful look into humanity's ego-based thinking, Eckhart Tolle provides practical
teachings for waking up to a new, enlightened mind-set. If you're seeking a more loving
self and a more loving planet, A New Earth has the tools to begin your transformation.

Is humanity ready for a transformation of consciousness, an inner flowering so radical and

profound that compared to it the flowering of plants, no matter how beautiful, is only a pale
reflection? Can human beings lose the density of their conditioned mind structures and
become like crystals or precious stones, so to speak, transparent to the light of
consciousness? Can they defy the gravitational pull of materialism and materiality and rise
above identification with form that keeps the ego in place and condemns them to
imprisonment within their own personality?

The possibility of such a transformation has been the central message of the great wisdom
teachings of humankind. The messengers—Buddha, Jesus, and others, not all of them
known—were humanity's early flowers. They were precursors, rare and precious beings. A
widespread flowering was not yet possible at that time, and their message became largely
misunderstood and often greatly distorted. It certainly did not transform human behavior,
except in a small minority of people.

Is humanity more ready now than at the time of those early teachers? Why should this be
so? What can you do, if anything, to bring about or accelerate this inner shift? What is it
that characterizes the old egoic state of consciousness, and by what signs is the new
emerging consciousness recognized? These and other essential questions will be
addressed in this book. More important, this book itself is a transformational device that
has come out of the arising new consciousness. The ideas and concepts presented here
may be important, but they are secondary. They are no more than signposts pointing
toward awakening. As you read, a shift takes place within you.

This book’s main purpose is not to add new information or beliefs to your mind or to try to
convince you of anything, but to bring about a shift in consciousness, that is to say, to
awaken. In that sense, this book is not "interesting." Interesting means you can keep your
distance, play around with ideas and concepts in your mind, agree or disagree. This book is
about you. It will change your state of consciousness or it will be meaningless. It can only
awaken those who are ready. Not everyone is ready yet, but many are, and with each
person who awakens, the momentum in the collective consciousness grows, and it
becomes easier for others. If you don’t know what awakening means, read on. Only by
awakening can you know the true meaning of that word. A glimpse is enough to initiate the
awakening process, which is irreversible. For some, that glimpse will come while reading
this book. For many others who may not even have realized it, the process has already
begun. This book will help them recognize it. For some, it may have begun through loss or
suffering; for others, through coming into contact with a spiritual teacher or teaching,
through reading The Power of Now or some other spiritually alive and therefore
transformational book—or any combination of the above. If the awakening process has
begun in you, the reading of this book will accelerate and intensify it.

An essential part of the awakening is the recognition of the unawakened you, the ego as it
thinks, speaks, and acts, as well as the recognition of the collectively conditioned mental
processes that perpetuate the unawakened state. That is why this book shows the main
aspects of the ego and how they operate in the individual as well as in the collective. This
is important for two related reasons: The first is that unless you know the basic mechanics
behind the workings of the ego, you won’t recognize it, and it will trick you into identifying
with it again and again. This means it takes you over, an imposter pretending to be you.
The second reason is that the act of recognition itself is one of the ways in which
awakening happens. When you recognize the unconsciousness in you, that which makes
the recognition possible is the arising consciousness, is awakening. You cannot fight
against the ego and win, just as you cannot fight against darkness. The light of
consciousness is all that is necessary. You are that light.

Exercises for Your Awakening

Developed by Eckhart Tolle with Elizabeth Lesser

"We must be the change we want to see in the world." —Gandhi

The best way of assimilating the teachings of A New Earth is through reading and re-
reading the book. As Eckhart says on page 6, "As you read, a shift takes place within you."

Some people appreciate tools and practices to help them develop still and alert attention.
The following practices can help you "be the change" that Eckhart describes in A New
Earth.

Please remember that all practices are, as the Zen teaching says, "the finger pointing at
the moon," and not the moon itself. Be easy on yourself (and with the people around you!)
as you learn new practices and make changes in your life.

All of the following practices are suited for you alone, or they can be read aloud to a friend
or in a group.

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 1:

Free Yourself from Your Mind
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 21–22)

The best way of assimilating the teachings of A New Earth is through reading,
contemplating and slowly digesting the concepts in the book. You can also take any routine
activity that normally is only a means to an end and give it your fullest attention.
 Choose one or two activities you do routinely and bring your attention to them. Here are
three examples.

← Every time you walk up and down the stairs in your house or place of work, pay
close attention to every step, every movement…even your breathing. Be totally present.
← When you wash your hands, pay attention to all the sensory perceptions associated
with the activity: the sound and feel of the water, the movement of your hands, the scent
of the soap and so on.
← When you get into your car, after you close the door, pause for a few seconds and
observe the flow of your breath. Become aware of a silent but powerful sense of
presence.

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 2:

Listen for the Voice in Your Head
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 18–20)

A few times a day, listen quietly for the voice in your head, the stream of continuous self-
talk. Then ponder the following questions. Just be with the questions. Don't necessarily try
to answer them.

← Am I the thoughts that are going through my head?

← Or, am I the one who is aware that these thoughts are going through my head?

Pay attention to the gap between your thoughts—when one thought subsides and before
another arises. In this way, you draw consciousness away from mind activity and create a
gap of no-mind in which you are highly alert and aware but not thinking. When these gaps
occur, you disidentify from your mind and feel a certain stillness and peace inside you. This
is the essence of meditation and the single most vital step on your journey toward
enlightenment.

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 3:

Exercises to Help You Grow in Presence
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 51–53)

Are you so busy getting to the future that the present is reduced to a means of getting
there? There are simple things you can do to bring your attention to the here and now.
You can measure your success in this practice by the degree of peace that you feel
within.

Try This

Be patient. It is not easy at first to be there as the witnessing Presence, especially

when the ego is in survival mode, but once you have had a taste of it, you will grow in
Presence power, and the ego will lose its grip on you. The ultimate purpose of human
existence, which is to say, your purpose, is to bring that power into the world.

Become aware of your breathing. Feel the air flowing in and out of your body. Feel
your inner energy field. All that you ever have to deal with, cope with, in real life—as
opposed to imaginary mind projections—is this moment. Ask yourself what "problem"
 you have right now, not next year, tomorrow, or five minutes from now. What is wrong
with this moment?

Give up waiting as a state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into
waiting…snap out of it. Come into the present moment. Just be, and enjoy being. If you
are present, there is never any need for you to wait for anything. So, next time
somebody says, "Sorry to have kept you waiting." You can reply: "That's all right, I
wasn't waiting. I was just standing here enjoying myself."

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 4: Using

and Relinquishing Negativity
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 108–112)

Recurring negative emotions do sometimes contain a message. Any changes that you
make, whether they have to do with your work, your relationships or your surroundings,
are ultimately only cosmetic unless they arise out of a change in your level of
consciousness. When you reach a certain degree of presence, you won't need negativity
anymore to tell you what is needed in your life situation. But as long as negativity is there,
use it. Use it as a kind of signal that reminds you to be more present.

Try This

← Whenever you feel negativity arising within you, whether caused by an external
factor, a thought or even nothing in particular that you are aware of, look on it as a voice
saying, "Attention. Here and now. Wake up. Get out of your mind. Be present."

← Feel yourself becoming transparent, without the solidity of a material body. Now
allow whatever you are reacting negatively to—the noise of the car alarm, the dog
barking, the traffic jam—to pass right through you. It is no longer hitting a solid "wall"
inside you.

← Become like a deep lake. The outer situation of your life, whatever happens there,
is like the surface of the lake—sometimes calm, sometimes windy and rough. Deep down,
however, the lake is always undisturbed. You are the whole lake, not just the surface.
Practice being in touch with your own depth, which remains absolutely still.
←

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 5:

Dissolving the Pain-Body
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 76–84)

The pain-body doesn't want you to observe it directly. The moment you observe the pain-
body, feel its energy field within you and take your attention into it, the identification is
broken. A higher dimension of consciousness comes in. It is called Presence. You are now
the witness or the watcher of the pain-body.

Here are three ways to observe and dissolve the pain-body:

← Watch out for any sign of unhappiness in yourself in whatever form—it may be the
awakening pain-body. This can take the form of irritation, impatience, a somber mood, a
desire to hurt, anger, rage, depression, a need to have some drama in your relationship
and so on. Catch the pain-body the moment it awakens from its dormant stage.

← Observe the resistance within yourself. Observe the attachment to your pain. Be
very alert. Observe the peculiar pleasure you derive from being unhappy. Observe the
compulsion to talk or think about it. The resistance will cease if you make it conscious.

← Focus attention on the negative feeling inside you. Know that it is the pain-body.
Accept that it is there. Don't think about it—don't let the feeling turn into thinking. Don't
judge yourself out of it. Stay present, and continue to be the observer of what is
happening inside you.
←

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 6:

Breaking Free of the Pain-Body
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 111–117)

Don't try to become free. Don't look for peace. Don't look for any other state than the one
you are in now; otherwise, you will set up inner conflict and unconscious resistance.
Instead, try these three exercises the next time you feel the arising pain-body:

← The moment you completely accept your nonpeace, your nonpeace becomes
transmuted into peace. Anything you accept fully will get you there, will take you into
peace. This is the miracle of surrender.

← When you accept what is, every moment is the best moment. That is
enlightenment.

← You don't need to deceive yourself and say that there is nothing wrong with a
particular unpleasant or undesirable life situation. It may be time for you to get out of it.
If so, you can recognize fully that you want to get out of it. Then, narrow your attention
down to the present moment without mentally labeling it in any way. No judgment, no
resistance, no emotional negativity. Just the "isness" of this moment. Then you take
action and do all that you can to get out of the situation.
←

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 7:

Eliminating Time
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 33–40)

The elimination of time from your consciousness is the elimination of ego. It is the only true
spiritual practice. Here are three exercises to help you eliminate time.

← Step out of the time dimension as much as possible in everyday life. Become
friendly toward the present moment. Make it your practice to withdraw attention from
past and future whenever they are not needed.
← Be present as the watcher of your mind—of your thoughts and emotions as well as
your reactions in various situations. Be at least as interested in your reactions as in the
situation or person that causes you to react.

← Use your senses fully. Be where you are. Look around. Just look, don't interpret. Be
aware of the silent presence of each thing. Be aware of the space that allows everything
to be. Listen to the sounds; don't judge them. Listen to the silence beneath the sounds.
Touch something—anything—and feel and acknowledge its Being. Allow the "isness" of all
things. Move deeply into the Now.
←

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 8:

The Breath
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 243–249)

Because breath has no form as such, it has since ancient times been equated with spirit—
the formless one Life. It is an excellent meditation object precisely because it is not an
object, has no shape or form. Whenever you are conscious of the breath, you are
absolutely present. Use these breath exercises to become aware of inner space.

← Be aware of your breathing. Notice the sensation of the breath. Feel the air moving
in and out of your body. Notice how the chest and abdomen expand and contract slightly
with the in- and out-breath. One conscious breath is enough to make some space where
before there was the uninterrupted succession of one thought after another.

← Breathing isn't really something that you do but something that you witness as it
happens. Breathing happens by itself. The intelligence within the body is doing it. All you
have to do is watch it happening. There is no strain or effort involved. Let Kim Eng guide
you through a relaxed awareness audio meditation on the breath.

← Take two or three conscious breaths. Now see if you can detect a subtle sense of
aliveness that pervades your entire inner body. Can you feel your body from within, so to
speak? Sense briefly specific parts of your body. Feel your hands, then your arms, feet
and legs. Can you feel your abdomen, chest, neck and head? What about your lips? Is
there life in them? Then become aware again of the inner body as a whole.
←

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 9:

Connecting to Inner Purpose
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 43)

To help you stay connected to your inner purpose, you can use these simple practices.

Ask yourself: "Is there joy, ease and lightness in what I am doing?" If there isn't, then
time is covering up the present moment, and life is perceived as a burden or a struggle.

If there is no joy, ease or lightness in what you are doing, it does not necessarily mean
you need to change what you are doing. It may be sufficient to change the how. "How" is
always more important than "what." See if you can give much more attention to the doing
than to the result you want to achieve through it.
← Give your fullest attention to whatever the moment presents. This implies that you
also completely accept what is because you cannot give your full attention to something
and resist it at the same time.

Awakening Exercise for Chapter 10:

Awakened Doing
Adapted from Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises
from The Power of Now (p. 132–133)

The new earth arises as more and more people discover that their main purpose is to bring
the light of consciousness into this world and so use whatever they do as a vehicle for
consciousness. Here are three ways of practicing "awakened doing."

Knowing that what is cannot be undone—because it already is—you say yes to

what is or accept what isn't. Then, you do what you have to do, whatever the situation
requires.

← Stay alert, stay present—present with your whole Being, with every cell of your
body. As you do so, you are bringing a light into the darkness. This is the flame of your
consciousness.

← Abide in this state of acceptance for longer and longer periods each day. In this
state, you create no more negativity, no more suffering, no more unhappiness. You then
live in a state of nonresistance, a state of grace and lightness, free of struggle. When
your doing arises from this state, your Being is a gift to the world.

Developing Still and Alert Attention

Adapted from: The Seeker's Guide by Elizabeth Lesser

Set aside a certain amount of time when you can be alone and undisturbed. Five to 10
minutes is a good amount of time for those who are just beginning meditation practice;
eventually you may settle on 20 or 30 minutes. Sit on a chair or cross-legged on the floor,
and feel a sense of balance and alertness in your posture. Rest your hands on your thighs
or knees, and close your eyes. Now, bring your attention to your breath. Take a deep
inhalation and release it with a sigh. Relax your shoulders, your jaw, and your belly.
Release anything you are holding on to and give yourself permission to take these few
minutes for yourself.

Staying alert yet relaxed, bring your attention to your breathing. Observe your natural
inhalations and exhalations. Witness each in-breath as it enters your body and fills it with
energy. Witness each out-breath as it leaves your body and dissipates into space. Then
start again, bringing your alertness to each breath.

In less than one minute your mind will probably be flooded with thoughts. You may become
aware of pain in your body. Perhaps you will feel restless, anxious, or bored. You will begin
to tell yourself stories about your thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

Congratulations! You are meditating. The purpose of meditation is to become aware of your
thoughts without judging or fighting them. Your goal is not to get rid of your thoughts, but
rather to witness each thought as it comes and goes, like clouds passing in the sky. In this
way, you begin to identify less with your thoughts—the "voice in your head"—and more
with the still and alert Presence that is your essence.

Instruction on the Breath

 From: Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn

1. Assume a comfortable posture lying on your back or sitting. If you are

sitting, keep the spine straight and let your shoulders drop.

2. Close your eyes if it feels comfortable.

3. Bring your attention to your belly, feeling it rise or expand gently on the
in-breath and fall or recede on the out-breath.

4. Keep the focus on your breathing, "being with" each in-breath for its full
duration and with each out-breath for its full duration, as if you were riding
the waves of your own breathing.

5. Every time you notice that your mind has wandered off the breath,
notice what it was that took you away and then gently bring your attention
back to your belly and the feeling of the breath coming in and out.

6. If your mind wanders away from the breath a thousand times, then your
"job" is simply to bring it back to the breath every time, no matter what it
becomes preoccupied with.

7. Practice this exercise for 15 minutes at a convenient time every day,

whether you feel like it or not, for one week and see how it feels to
incorporate a disciplined meditation practice into your life. Be aware of how
it feels to spend some time each day just being with your breath without
having to do anything.

Instructions on Counting the Breath

From: The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

Your breath should be light, even, and flowing, like a thin stream of water running through
the sand. Your breath should be very quiet, so quiet that a person sitting next to you
cannot hear it. Your breathing should flow gracefully, like a river, like a water snake
crossing the water, and not like a chain of rugged mountains or the gallop of a horse. To
master our breath is to be in control of our bodies and minds. Each time we find ourselves
dispersed and find it difficult to gain control of ourselves by different means, the method of
watching the breath should always be used.

The instant you sit down to meditate, begin watching your breath. At first breathe
normally, gradually letting your breathing slow down until it is quiet, even, and the lengths
of the breaths fairly long. From the moment you sit down to the moment your breathing
has become deep and silent, be conscious of everything that is happening in yourself…

Making your breath calm and even is called the method of following one's breath. If it
seems hard at first, you can substitute the method of counting your breath.

← As you breathe in, count 1 in your mind, and as you breathe out, count 1.
← Breath in, count 2. Breath out, count 2.
← Continue through 10, then return to 1 again.

Instructions on Labeling the Thoughts

From: Shambhala by Chögyam Trungpa
As you sit with a good posture, you pay attention to your breath. When you breathe, you
are utterly there, properly there. You go out with the out-breath, your breath dissolves, and
then the in-breath happens naturally. Then you go out again. So there is a constant going
out with the out-breath. As you breathe out, you dissolve, you diffuse. Then your in-breath
occurs naturally; you don't have to follow it in. You simply come back to your posture, and
you are ready for another out-breath. Go out and dissolve: tshoo; then come back to your
posture; then tshoo, and come back to your posture.

Then there will be an inevitable bing!—thought. At that point, you say, "thinking." You don't
say it out loud; you say it mentally: "thinking." Labeling your thoughts gives you
tremendous leverage to come back to your breath. When one thought takes you away
completely from what you are actually doing—when you do not even realize that you are
on the cushion, but in your mind you are in San Francisco or New York City—you say
"thinking," and you bring yourself back to the breath.

It doesn't really matter what thoughts you have. In the sitting practice of meditation,
whether you have monstrous thoughts or benevolent thoughts, all of them are regarded
purely as thinking. They are neither virtuous nor sinful…No thought deserves a gold medal
or a reprimand. Just label your thoughts "thinking," then go back to your breath.
"Thinking," back to the breath; "thinking," back to the breath…

Instructions on Working with Pain

From: A Path with Heart by Jack Kornfield

Sit comfortably and quietly. Let your body rest easily. Breathe gently. Let go of your
thoughts, past and future, memories and plans. Just be present. Begin to let your own
precious body reveal the places that most need healing.

Allow the physical pains, tension, disease, or wounds to show themselves. Bring a careful
and kind attention to these painful places. Slowly and carefully feel their physical energy.
Notice what is deep inside them, the pulsations, throbbing, tension, needles, fear,
contraction, aching, that make up what we call pain. Allow these all to be felt fully, to be
held in a receptive and kind attention. Then, be aware of the surrounding area of your
body. If there is contraction and holding, notice this gently. Breathe softly and let it open.

In the same way, be aware of any aversion or resistance in your mind. Notice the thoughts
and fears that accompany the pain you are exploring:
"It will never go away."
"I can't stand it."
"I don't deserve this."
"It is too hard, too much trouble, too deep," etc.

Let these thoughts rest in your kind attention for a time. Then gently return to your
physical body. Let your awareness be deeper and more allowing now. Again, feel the layers
of the place of pain, and allow each layer that opens to move, to intensify, or dissolve in its
own time. Bring your attention to the pain as if you were gently comforting a child, holding
it all in a loving and soothing attention. Breathe softly into it, accepting all that is present
with a healing kindness.

Continue this meditation until you feel reconnected with whatever part of your body calls
you, until you feel at peace.

Instructions on Letting Thoughts and

Feelings Be
From: The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
When a feeling or thought arises, your intention should not be to chase it away, hate it,
worry about it, or be frightened by it. So what exactly should you be doing concerning such
thoughts and feelings? Simply acknowledge their presence.

For example, when a feeling of sadness arises, immediately recognize it: "A feeling of
sadness has just arisen in me." If the feeling of sadness continues, continue to recognize:
"A feeling of sadness is still in me." If there is a thought like, "It's late but the neighbors are
surely making a lot of noise," recognize that the thought has arisen. If the thought
continues to exist, continue to recognize it. If a different feeling or thought arises,
recognize it in the same manner.

The essential thing is not to let any feeling or thought arise without recognizing it in
mindfulness, like a palace guard who is aware of every face that passes through the front
corridor. If there are no feelings or thoughts present, then recognize that there are no
feelings or thoughts present. Practicing like this is to become mindful of your feelings and
thoughts. You will soon arrive at taking hold of your mind.

Instructions on Gratitude
by David Steindl-Rast, OSB

Whatever is given is a gift—even the most difficult experiences and traumatic events can
be seen as Wake-Up calls, and therefore gifts. And the appropriate response to any gift is
gratitude. In the depth of our heart, we can turn fear into courageous trust, agitation and
confusion into stillness, isolation into a sense of belonging, alienation into love, and
irrational reaction into Common Sense. The creative imagination of gratefulness will
suggest to each one of us how to go about this task. Here are five small gestures that can
help you show gratitude and stay awake.

1. All gratitude expresses trust. Suspicion will not even recognize a gift as gift: who
can prove that it isn't a lure, a bribe, a trap? Gratefulness has the courage to trust
and so overcomes fear. The air has been electrified by fearfulness these days, a
fearfulness fostered and manipulated by politicians and the media. There lies our
greatest danger: fear perpetuates violence. Mobilize the courage of your heart, as
the truly awake ones are doing. Say one word today that gives a fearful
person courage.

2. Because gratitude expresses courage, it spreads calm. Calm of this kind is quite
compatible with deep emotions. Join the truly compassionate ones who are calm
and strong. From the stillness of your heart's core reach out. Calmly hold
someone's hand today and spread calm.
3. When you are grateful, your heart is open—open towards others, open for surprise.
During big wake-up calls in your life, or in our collective lives, we often see
remarkable examples of openness: strangers helping strangers often in heroic
ways. Others turn away, isolate themselves, dare even less than at other times to
look at each other. Violence begins with isolation. Break this pattern. Make contact
with people whom you normally ignore—eye-contact at least—with the agent at the
toll booth, the parking lot attendant, someone on the elevator. Look a stranger in
the eyes today and realize that there are no strangers.
4. You can feel either grateful or alienated, but never both at the same time.
Gratefulness drives out alienation; there is not room for both in the same heart.
When you are grateful you know that you belong to a network of give-and-take and
you say "yes" to that belonging. This "yes" is the essence of love. You need no
words to express it; a smile will do to put your "yes" into action. Don't let it matter
to you whether or not the other one smiles back. Give someone an unexpected
smile today and so contribute your share to peace on earth.
5. What your gratefulness does for yourself is as important as what it does for others.
Gratefulness boosts your sense of belonging; your sense of belonging in turn
boosts your Common Sense. Your "yes" to belonging attunes you to the common
concerns shared by all human beings. We have only one enemy, our common
enemy: violence. Common Sense tells us: we can stop violence only by stopping to
act violently; war is no way to peace. Listen to the news today and put at
least one item to the test of Common Sense.
Brother David Steindl-Rast is a Benedictine monk who has spent the last 35 years building
bridges between religious traditions. He is the author of Gratefulness, The Heart of Prayer
and other books.

MP3 audios:

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