Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; {{#invoke:IPA|main}}; born Ulrich Leonard Tölle, 16 February 1948) is a German-born spiritual teacher<ref name="NY"/><ref name=Macleans/> and self-help author. His books include The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (1997), A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (2005) and the picture book Guardians of Being (2009).

While working toward his doctorate at the University of Cambridge in 1977, Tolle abandoned his studies after a claimed spiritual awakening and later began working as a spiritual teacher. He came to prominence as a self-help author beginning in the 2000s, aided through promotion by Oprah Winfrey. His teachings draw from traditions such as Zen Buddhism, Christian mysticism, Sufism, and Hinduism, although he remains unaffiliated with any religion.<ref name="NY"/>

Early life

Ulrich Leonard Tölle was born in Lünen, a small town north of Dortmund in the Ruhr region of Germany in 1948.<ref name="McKinley 2008">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Indy 2011"/><ref name=Lunen>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1961 he moved to Spain to live with his father, where he "refused all forms of formal education between the ages of 13 and 22, preferring instead to pursue his own creative and philosophical interests".<ref name="Indy 2011">Template:Cite news</ref> At 15, he was "heavily influenced"<ref name="Indy 2011" /> by a gift of the five spiritual books by the German mystic Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken.<ref name="Indy 2011" />

Career

When he was 19, Tolle moved to England and taught German and Spanish for three years at a London language school.<ref name="TeleMag">Template:Cite news</ref> After attending the University of London, he enrolled in a postgraduate program at the University of Cambridge in 1977.<ref name="Ind">Template:Cite news</ref>

Spiritual experience

One night in 1977, at age 29, after having suffered long periods of depression, Tolle says he experienced an "inner transformation".<ref name="NY"/> That night he awakened from his sleep, suffering from feelings of depression that were "almost unbearable," but then experienced a life-changing epiphany.<ref name="int">Template:Cite book</ref> Recounting the experience, he says:

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He stopped studying for his doctorate, and for a period of about two years after this spent much of his time sitting "in a state of deep bliss" on park benches in Russell Square, Central London, "watching the world go by". He stayed with friends, in a Buddhist monastery, or otherwise slept rough on Hampstead Heath. His family thought him "irresponsible, even insane".<ref name="TeleMag"/> He changed his first name to Eckhart; according to some reports this was in homage to the German philosopher and mystic Meister Eckhart.<ref name="Indy 2011" /><ref name=USAtoday>Cathy Lynn Grossman (2010-15-04). 'Life's Purpose' author Eckhart Tolle is serene, critics less so. USA Today. Retrieved 24 May 2010.</ref> In a 2012 interview he said he saw the name Eckhart on a book in a dream, and knew he had written the book; soon thereafter, he ran into a psychic friend who called him Eckhart out of nowhere, so he changed his name.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career as spiritual teacher

Former Cambridge students and acquaintances began to ask Tolle about his beliefs. He started working as a counselor and spiritual teacher.<ref name="NY"/> Students continued to come to him over the next five years. He moved to Glastonbury, a center of alternative living.<ref name="TeleMag"/> In 1995, he moved to Vancouver.<ref name="Summit"/>

The Power of Now, Tolle's first book, was published in 1997 by Namaste Publishing.<ref name=Macleans/> The book was republished on a large scale by New World Library in 1999.<ref name="NY"/>

In 2000, Oprah Winfrey recommended The Power of Now in her magazine O.<ref name=USAtoday/> In August 2000, it reached The New York Times Best Seller Advice, Miscellaneous and Hardcover list,<ref name=PowerBestseller>Best Sellers. The New York Times (12 August 2000). Hardcover advice. Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> reaching number one two years later.<ref>Best Sellers. The New York Times (12 January 2003). Hardcover advice. Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> By 2008, the book had been translated from English into 33 languages.<ref name="NY"/><ref name=Macleans/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In July 2011, it had appeared on the list of the 10 best selling Paperback Advice & Miscellaneous books for 102 weeks.<ref name="Best Sellers">Template:Cite news</ref>

His second book, Stillness Speaks, appeared in 2003.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That year, he said he had no intention of creating "a heavy commercial structure" or of setting up an ashram or centre. He believed one "could develop organically"<ref name="TeleMag"/> and said "one needs to be careful that the organization doesn't become self-serving".<ref name=Macleans/> Nevertheless, his website sells his books and "a dizzying range"<ref name="Indy 2011"/> of materials offering spiritual guidance,<ref name="Indy 2011"/> and a separate website streams video of monthly group meditations.<ref name=Macleans/>

In 2005, Tolle published A New Earth.<ref name="McKinley 2008"/> In January 2008, Winfrey selected it for her book club, and high sales followed.<ref name="NY"/> In the four weeks after the announcement, 3.5 million copies were shipped.<ref name=FoxSales>Oprah Winfrey Book Pick 'A New Earth' Shatters Records. Associated Press via Fox News (28 February 2008). Retrieved 24 May 2010.</ref> It was ranked number one on The New York Times Best Seller list 46 times by the end of 2008.<ref name="NYT New Earth 2008">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2008, Tolle partnered with Winfrey to produce a series of webinars,<ref name=FoxSales/> each focusing on a chapter from his book A New Earth, with discussions, silent meditations, and questions from viewers via Skype.<ref name="Indy 2011"/> The third webinar attracted more than 11 million viewers.<ref name="Indy 2011"/> By October 2009, the webinars had been accessed 35 million times.<ref name=Macleans/>

In September 2009, Tolle appeared with the Dalai Lama at the Vancouver Peace Summit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The same year, he published Guardians of Being, a picture book illustrated by Patrick McDonnell.<ref name=Macleans>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In January 2025, Winfrey selected A New Earth for her book club for a second time, making it the only book to have been chosen twice in the club’s history.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Reception

Popularity

In 2008, The New York Times said that Tolle was "the most popular spiritual author" in the United States.<ref name="McKinley 2008"/> By 2009, total sales of The Power of Now and A New Earth in North America were estimated at 3 million and 5 million copies respectively.<ref name=Macleans/>

In 2011, the Watkins Review (now: Watkins' Mind Body Spirit) ranked him first in the inaugural list of "The 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People." Since then, he has been included in the top five every year, which only the Dalai Lama has also achieved.<ref name="Watkins">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

By the press and others

The books have received a wide range of praise and criticism from reviewers. In 2000, Carter Phipps wrote that "Tolle's clear writing and the obvious depth of his experience and insight set it apart".<ref>Phipps, Carter (2000). Time is the Enemy Template:Webarchive. Enlightenment Next magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> In 2003, Andrea Sachs called The Power of Now "awash in spiritual mumbo-jumbo."<ref name=Time>Sachs, Andrea (21 April 2003). Channeling Ram Dass. Time magazine. Retrieved 24 May 2010.</ref>

Some have praised his reworking and synthesis of traditions. New Age writer William Bloom wrote, "Tolle is offering a very contemporary synthesis of Eastern spiritual teaching, which is normally so clothed in arcane language that it is incomprehensible", thereby providing "a valuable perspective on Western culture".<ref name="Indy 2011"/> Publisher Judith Kendra says, "The ideas [Tolle is] talking about have been in existence for thousands of years in both Eastern texts and with the great Western mystics, but he's able to make them understandable".<ref name="Indy 2011"/>

Some critics have characterized his books as unoriginal or derivative. James Robinson in The Observer in 2008 called his writings "a mix of pseudo-science, New Age philosophy, and teaching borrowed from established religions".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A 2009 New York Times article said Tolle is "hardly the first writer to tap into the American longing for meaning and success".<ref name="McKinley 2008"/> Sara Nelson, the editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly, said Tolle's writings had been successful due to surging public interest in self-help books.<ref name="McKinley 2008"/>

By Christian theologians

In 2008, an article in The Independent noted that "Tolle's theories are certainly seen by many as profoundly non-Christian, even though Tolle often quotes from the Bible" but that "Tolle does have fans in academic, even Christian, circles".<ref name="Indy 2011"/> It cited Andrew Ryder, a theologian at All Hallows College in Dublin, who wrote, "While he may not use the language of traditional Christian spirituality, Tolle is very much concerned that, as we make our way through the ordinary events of the day, we keep in touch with the deepest source of our being."<ref name="Indy 2011"/> Stafford Betty, scholar of religion at California State University, Bakersfield, finds common ground between Tolle's worldview and that of Christian mystics. He notes that "one of the key elements in Tolle's teaching is that deep within the mind is absolute stillness in which one can experience 'the joy of Being'".<ref name="NatCath">Template:Cite journal</ref> Roman Catholic priest and theologian Richard Rohr credits Tolle for helping to reintroduce ancient Christian mysticism to modern Christians: "Tolle is, in fact, rather brilliantly bringing to our awareness the older tradition...both the ground and the process for breaking through to the theological contemplation of God, and acquired contemplation of Jesus, the Gospels, and all spiritual things."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Conversely, James Beverley, professor of Christian Thought and Ethics at the evangelical Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, says that Tolle's worldview "is at odds with central Christian convictions" and that "Tolle denies the core of Christianity by claiming there is no ultimate distinction between humans and God and Jesus".<ref name="Macleans"/> John Stackhouse, former professor of theology and culture at evangelical Regent College in Vancouver, says that Tolle "gives a certain segment of the population exactly what they want: a sort of supreme religion that purports to draw from all sorts of lesser, that is, established religions".<ref name="Macleans"/> Stackhouse has described him as one of several spiritual teachers who "purport to have investigated the world's religions (quite a claim) and found them wanting, who routinely subject those religions to withering criticism, and who then champion their own views as superior to all these alternatives".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In popular culture

The children's picture book Milton's Secret was adapted into a film in 2016 under its original title, featuring, among others, Donald Sutherland and Michelle Rodriguez in leading roles.

Tolle and his teachings take a central role in Kendrick Lamar's 2022 album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Throughout the album, Tolle is positioned as Lamar's spiritual teacher, and Tolle narrates some tracks.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

In 1995, after visiting the West Coast of North America several times, Tolle settled in Vancouver, British Columbia. There he met his partner, Kim Eng.<ref name="NY">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Summit">Template:Cite news</ref>

Selected publications

Books

• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. Namaste, 1997. Template:ISBN.
• Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises from The Power of Now. New World Library, 2001. Template:ISBN.
• Stillness Speaks: Whispers of Now. New World Library, 2003. Template:ISBN.
• A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Dutton, 2005. Template:ISBN.
• Oneness With All Life: Inspirational Selections from A New Earth. Penguin, 2008. Template:ISBN.

Graphic novels

• Guardians of Being. New World Library, 2009. Template:ISBN.

Children's books

• Milton's Secret: An Adventure of Discovery through Then, When, and The Power of Now. Charlottesville, Virginia: Hampton Roads, 2008. Template:ISBN.

External links

• Template:Official website