Eckhart Tolle & Sri Aurobindo: Two Perspectives on Enlightenment

A.S. Dalal

At the turn of the millennium, former Cambridge physicist Eckhart Tolle caught the attention of spiritual seekers all over the world with his first book, The Power of Now.

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His teaching, interspersed with elements from Buddhism, Advaita (nondual) Vedanta, and Christianity, is relatively neutral and powerfully direct. It does, however, lean strongly toward the Buddhist perspective in its view of reality, and the nature and process of enlightenment. This presents a sharp contrast to the dominant Hindu perspective as found in the Bhagavad Gita.

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Described by Ken Wilber as "India’s greatest modern philosopher-sage" and as "the greatest of all Vedantic philosophers," Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950) is considered one of the foremost philosophers of the 20th-century, and was, as well, a political activist, mystic, spiritual leader, poet, and yogi. His unique contribution to the development of the human potential was realized through his integration of Eastern and Western cultures.

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As well as comparing aspects of Eckhart’s teaching and Sri Aurobindo’s yoga, Dr. A. S. Dalal relates these teachings to the story of his own spiritual quest. A Moslem by birth, Dr. Dalal was born in Tanzania, moved to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram for seven years, then worked in the U.S. as a psychologist for over two decades before returning to the ashram where he now lives. He has compiled ten books based on the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and has written two books integrating Sri Aurobindo’s psychological thought with modern psychology. Various books of his, published in India and abroad, have been translated into French, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Korean, and several Indian languages.

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ISBN: 81-89658-31-X; PAGES: 184; SIZE: 5.5 X 8.5 in.; Price: Editions India Rs. 300; Arunachala Press (international edition) $.14.95 (U.S), €. 12.95 (U.K)Philosophy/Religion/Consciousness Studies

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