February Book - A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

A New Earth

by Eckhart Tolle
Discussion led by MK




Some background links to get you started:

• Listen to Oprah and Eckhart chapter by chapter over a series of 10 episodes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/oprah-and-eckhart-tolle-a-new-earth/id1458654443
• Just one podcast episode covering a lot of ground: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/oprahs-supersoul-conversations/id1264843400?i=1000443295402
• The author's website: https://eckharttolle.com/
• A 'deep look' at the book at Sloww website: https://www.sloww.co/eckhart-tolle-a-new-earth-101/
• The publisher's page for the book: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/a-new-earth-9780141039411
• 'The New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, book of a lifetime: Discover how to live in the moment'  by Santa Montefiore - review in The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-new-earth-by-eckhart-tolle-book-of-a-lifetime-discover-how-to-live-in-the-moment-9640247.html
• 'The Wisdom of the Ages, for Now Anyway' by Jesse McKinley - review in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/fashion/23tolle.html

What we discussed about the book:

• Why MK chose it, and how life-changing it was for her
• How different roads can lead to awakening
• Why is/isn't this book life-changing for each individual - how do current circumstances impact on that?
• The style of writing - dense, at times convoluted...how easy was it to read?
• What are the signposts to ego behaviour in ourselves and others? e.g. having to be right, worrying about what others think
• How much we liked the duck skirmish, the monk carrying the maiden, and the wrongly accused father-of-illegitimate-baby tales. How well did they illustrate Tolle's points?
• Why needing an appropriate apology is ego-driven
• Do collectives (e.g. schools, sporting clubs, workplaces, political parties etc) always create a negative collective mentality? Does this run counter to the belief that a sense of belonging is important to happiness?
• How much the voices in our heads control our lives
• Did we agree that babies come into the world carrying a pain-body?
• How do you show empathy for a person carrying a large pain-body without feeding it?
• How can you listen to others problems without becoming involved, offering opinions or trying to problem-solve? Is it more valuable to both parties to just listen impartially?
• If yes to above, where is the space in the new earth for debate and argument? If ideas are not tested and challenged, how do they ever progress?
• What did we think about the story of the pain-body following Tolle to the Indian restaurant?
• Was there a lack of women and the feminine spirit in this book?
• The value of the phrases 'Is that so?' and 'This will pass'
• The concept of  'making friends with the day' - particularly in Melbourne's current changeable weather!

And we were sidetracked into:

• The 'Oprah Bookclub Effect' - how does it affect sales of the chosen books, and other books?
• The St Kevin's situation.  And how important it is to put the safety and well-being of students at the centre of any decision making in any educational environment.

Ratings

Range: 7 to 10

Average: 8.5