A New Earth

Book Review

A New Earth is a spiritual book. Because it is spiritual, we need to first know about the author, Eckhart Tolle.

‘Which school does Eckhart come from? Is he an advatin? Or is he a dualist? What is his lineage? Who was his Guru?’

Sorry, but Eckhart is self taught.

‘Ok, no problem. We have a lot of self taught masters in our culture. They inspired new religions. Where is his ashram? How many people has he healed? What kind of meditation does he teach?’

If these are your concerns, Eckhart is not the man for you. For Eckhart talks to the seeker who is done with all traditional aspects of spirituality. He talks to the aspirant who is willing to give up al his notions about God and seek the truth within himself.

In a simple analogy, the sun shines when the cloud disappears. Truth will shine when the ego dissolves. But what is the ego? Is there a torch bright enough to see it?

This book is the torch that Eckhart holds for you, and it shines inside your heart.

It begins with an appeal for your attention. Eckhart very clearly presents the present state of affairs and talks about the need for individual transformation. The reference to the title of the book is a promise made by Jesus, a promise that is renewed by Eckhart: A New Heaven and A New Earth.

The current state of humanity is lost in egoist manifestations. I crave for peace and well being but I pay for violent entertainment. I am always right, they are wrong. The weather is lousy; can’t God do a better job?

The core of the ego is revealed in all my thoughts, all my actions.

‘Whatever form it takes, the unconscious drive behind ego is to strengthen the image of who I think I am, the phantom self that came into existence when thought – a great blessing as well as a great curse, – began to take over and obscured the simple yet profound joy of connected ness with being, the Source, God.’

In our quest to cover our backs, we forget the inner body. Although he does not give instructions on meditation, the entire focus of the teaching is inwards. It is not possible to just read and read this book. The sincere reader will have to take a pause, maybe once every paragraph. And if the teaching sinks in, meditation happens. Thoughts fade out.

A new term that the author has coined in this book is the pain body. The pain body is the intangible knot of our negative emotions with our minds. What is a negative emotion? An emotion that is toxic to the body and interferes with its balance and harmonious functioning. Fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, all disrupt the energy flow in the body , affect the heart, the immune system, digestion, etc.

The remnants of pain left behind by every strong negative emotion that is not fully faced, accepted, and then let go of join together to form an energy field that lives in the very cells of your body. It consists not just of childhood pain, but also painful emotions that were added to it later in life, much of it created by the voice of the ego. It is the emotional pain that is your unavoidable companion when a false sense of self is the basis of your life.

The energy field of old but very-much-alive emotions that live in almost every human being is the pain body. The book explains how the pain body feeds on our thoughts, on drama, how it continuously renews itself. Breaking free of the pain body is possible, if it is used as a means to become aware.

The pain body is a concept that might be the master key for those who are battling with chronic health problems.

Reading this book is not a smooth sailing experience. If you can manage to go through it sincerely, taking a pause whenever required, it will gut wrench the ego out of you.