These articles compare similarities in the works of bestselling spiritual author Eckhart Tolle and earlier Fourth Way teacher and neurologist Maurice Nicoll.
Self-observation is integral to inner-transformation, Maurice Nicoll and Eckhart Tolle affirm. We must impartially observe the unconscious stream of thoughts, emotions and reactions occurring in us, they say, and cease identifying with our inner states. This is a close look at the similar ways they explain this practice.
Bestselling author Eckhart Tolle is ranked among the world’s most spiritually influential living people. Self-observation is central to his self-help message. Yet the way he conveys this present-moment practice owes much, I argue, to the earlier work of Maurice Nicoll, a Jungian psychiatrist turned Fourth Way teacher. This is an introduction to a series of articles examining their many similarities on the subject.
How original is Eckhart Tolle’s “pain-body” concept? This “semi-autonomous energy form” lives within us, he says, carrying our past emotional pain and generating more to feed on. Yet many of its characteristics find precedence, I argue, in works by lesser-known authors: Maurice Nicoll and Barry Long. This deep dive reveals Tolle’s signature concept is less unique than many may think.
Copyright © 2021- Jack Dawes