Eckhart Tolle’s Findhorn Retreat Seminar Part 1 of 6: Have and Have Not
December 3, 2009 by dr. lam
As many of you know, Tolle’s book, The Power of Now, has shaken me to the core and provided a new paradigm for my life. I recommend it to many of my patients who are seeking happiness but find that goal elusive. His short audiobook on a seminar he conducted in Scotland, entitled Findhorn Retreat, is also wondrously enlightening to those with an open heart and a receptive ear.
Tolle talks about how in life we are miserable because we are in need of having something only to find that when we attain it our happiness is equally as fleeting. It reminds me of Oscar Wilde’s famous quote: ”In this world there are two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” How true. Tolle reveals how badly he wanted to excel in academics only to find when he attained those touted marks he was only happy for a cursory 2 weeks.
The reason that we are always sad is that we are putting a condition on our happiness external to ourselves (which we have talked about before) leading only to certain misery. ”I will only be happy if…” ”I know when I find the right person in my life then I shall be happy.” ”If my career were more fulfilling then I would be happy.” Really?
We are not a product of our circumstances but a product of our attitude in life. We choose happiness by allowing ourselves to be there. When we are not there, it is owing to our choice not to be there. We will explore this theme further in the following blogs in this series. Be happy now.
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3 Responses to “Eckhart Tolle’s Findhorn Retreat Seminar Part 1 of 6: Have and Have Not”
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Love this new series!! I was thinking about this topic this week! I think that we choose our happiness by how we view things mainly. Not only do we often make excuses to our happiness or place conditions on it, but we also sometimes choose to view our scenarios in a light that determines our outlook. There is always more than one way to view a situation. If we choose to be a “victim” which we all can choose to a degree, we are setting ourselves up for depression. Also, I think that sometimes more happiness comes from the journey of reaching a goal and not so much the goal. I love your line, “We are not a product of our circumstances but a product of our attitude in life.” I aught to frame that, Dr. Lam…lol I look forward to this series!!!!
thanks heather or should i say santa? nice gravatar!
lol Hey, Dr. Lam, you would look really spiffy in a Santa Claus hat!