Customer Reviews

The Art of Presence

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This series is actually 7 hours of recorded sessions of a workshop with Eckhart Tolle. All you have to do is listen to the CD to begin the transformative process. I found the sound quality to be just fine, and the audience's reactions and laughter really add to the atmosphere. I had no problems whatsover with hearing the lecture. Tolle's lectures are slow, deliberate, and often quite funny. Long periods of silence occur between his sentences so that you get automatically drawn into his mind frame. You can't listen to these CD's and not slow down. Tolle makes living in the present seem so practical and rewarding. This is a valuable tool for anyone who enjoys meditation, or is seeking to live life in a more mindful manner. Tolle is a master at making "Eastern" philosophy accessible to westerners. The techniques and lectures on these CD's are fantastic. Buying this series is like getting a $700 workshop for less than $50, which is a real bargain, and you can practice in the comfort of your own home. Guaranteed to transform your mind! I loved it!

It would really help if some reviewers would be more specific about the "miserable" sound quality they're referring to. I've listened to the entire set of 6 discs without any major annoyances. I make allowances for the live recordings done on different days.

The only thing I can imagine some people complaining about is that he sometimes sounds closer to the mic on some of the discs more than on others, not every segment is recorded at the same sound level, and some listeners may have to slightly re-adjust the volume level for each of the CDs. How difficult is that? He's focusing on the teachings and there's a certain spontaneity that comes from not allowing such minor imperfections to get in the way. Overall, there's no tape hiss... the audience is not overly-miked... and every word can be distinctly heard, with the background sound itself being quite clear and quiet when the volume is adjusted appropriately.

I do hope others are not put off from hearing this wonderful and lively presentation -- one of his best in a great run of audio CDs. I say this having listened to over 30 hours of his talks, and this is one of my favorites because he's completely relaxed, profound, and yet has a wonderful sense of humor as well, with a great deal of spontaneous laughter as you get further into his entire presentation. (Especially on disc 3.) I felt that I was right there, and so much was captured despite any minor technical inconveniences. This retreat presentation is another winner.

Eckhart grounds me, centers me and calms me down. His insights are profound. His methods are touching moving and inspiring. I've got nothing but praise for Tolle's work.

The sound recording on this series is inconsistent and not good. Unfortunate that they take the time to record this retreat and do it so miserably.

And, I would buy anything that Eckhart Tolle has to offer ... and I have.

Dr Jeff

The Art of Presence is another extraordinary CD release by one of the clearest and most pragmatic spiritual teachers of our times. He guides you how to deepen the realization of your essential nature and points that the answer is in your attention. You can progressively strengthen the quality of this relaxed alertness and eventually sustain it, which allows a shift beyond the mind-made self and all of its compulsive thinking.

During his 7 hours of instruction, you learn how to ground yourself in the inner body and how to connect with the perceiver of your experiences to realize the wisdom of spiritual surrender. Accessing this higher intelligence then empowers right action. This is a retreat from the chaos of the life story into the fullness of life here and now.

Included in this collection he addresses overcoming the addiction to emotions, transforming your relationship with the present moment, how to truly meet another person, why form is never ultimately fulfilling, resting as inner stillness, time freedom, nature as teacher, the quickest way to transcend fear, the practice of allowing and freeing the pain body.

Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

I am a big fan of Eckhart Tolle and this cd product wasn't a let down.

He takes you through a guided tour of being present, not just within ,but within the area around you. It's not as thorough as say one of his books, but personally I enjoy just throwing in a cd every now and again instead of reading. I'd recommend his book over this anyday. But if you're looking for a nice relaxing interesting lesson, I'd suggest this one. If you're a little weary just buy a used copy and then it's definitely worth the price of admission.

Dear Open Minded Reader "Man of Integrity,"

While true, he does say the same thing over and over, there is a reason for this. It is easier said than done, and Eckhart keeps explaining it over and over from different points of view until we can move from it being just another idea, to a full-fledged experience. It's the difference between reading 5,000 different brownie recipes, and finally actually tasting some great brownies.

You are indeed a man of integrity by admitting that you have not listened to these CDs before reviewing them (all too common amongst reviewers), but imagine what kind of an experience you might have had had you actually listened to them and put his ideas into practice?

As far as his making money at doing this, you have to weigh that against what kind of time and effort he puts into it. He is constantly traveling much of the year and giving talks to different audiences all over the world. That sounds a lot more strenuous than what you do for a living, doesn't it? Most people would rather die than have to get up and give a talk in public, not to mention what all that travel takes out of you. It's far from being an easy job.

That he still fills all the seats tells me people are still very much interested in what he has to say. And are you blaming him for this, or his audiences? It can't be the publishers who are at fault. They've always been very honest and up front about not publishing books they can't sell, and always have been---long before Eckhart came on the scene. He didn't invent commercial publishing. So, I'm not sure what your point is there. Like blaming TV for producing popular shows you don't like?

If listening to him drives you crazy, then simply change the channel. Pick another teacher to listen to. As far as the ideas not being his - name me one teacher whose ideas are original.

Finally, try being totally present for one whole minute. That means one whole minute without one thought of the past or the future. Bet you can't do it!

A few days after Thanksgiving, I found myself in the car having a David Foster Wallace moment. If you're not familiar with DFW's famous graduation speech to Kenyon College in `05, you can read a greatly abbreviated excerpt below**. Suffice it to say, my mind was projecting in so many different directions (all of them dark and scary), it was in serious danger of exploding like a supernova leaving my head cocked over and my arms hanging limp and useless at my sides, sort of like the robot on Lost in Space every time he blew a fuse.

D's gentle admontion of "Grasshopper, time to push reset button on monkey mind" wasn't exactly received with open arms (though I knew he was right). And when we're not capable of pushing the button on our own, it's time to call in the professionals, which is exactly what I did.

Thank God for Eckhardt Tolle!

Tolle's soothing, super slowed down manner of speech and "stay present" mantra (Tolle recommends you stick a post-it on the mirror with the words "What is my relationship to the present?"), pulled me back from the precipice of a colossal post-holiday meltdown.

It's not like I don't have all of Tolle's books (and had them way before Oprah jumped on the bandwagon) and haven't read, re-read and listened to several of them on audio, it's just that I get so caught up in my role as center of the universe ("Ever heard of Copernicus?" D. once asked in all seriousness), I need reminding that there is a better way of hurtling through life that doesn't actually involve much hurtling. It's about learning to pay attention without the incessant thinking, mulling, cogitating, ruminating, projecting, fortune telling, dreaming, wishing, regretting, past and future narratives we so habitually create, then become completely addicted to and dependent upon to define us.

If you're new to Tolle, start with The Power of Now. If you need a refresher course, you'll enjoy this.

**(an excerpt from DFW's speech)"...at the end of the day you're tired and somewhat stressed and all you want is to go home .....then you remember there's no food at home. ......after work you have to get in your car and drive to the supermarket. ...the traffic is apt to be: very bad. ...the supermarket is very crowded, ....And the store is hideously lit and infused with soul-killing muzak or corporate pop ....you have to wander all over the huge, over-lit store's confusing aisles to find the stuff you want... and there aren't enough check-out lanes open .....So the checkout line is incredibly long, which is stupid and infuriating. But you can't take your frustration out on the frantic lady working the register, who is overworked at a job whose daily tedium and meaninglessness surpasses the imagination......you finally get to the checkout line's front, and you pay for your food, and you get told to "Have a nice day" in a voice that is the absolute voice of death. Then you have to take your creepy, flimsy, plastic bags of groceries in your cart with the one crazy wheel that pulls maddeningly to the left, all the way out through the crowded, bumpy, littery parking lot, and then you have to drive all the way home through slow, heavy, SUV-intensive, rush-hour traffic, et cetera et cetera."

that someone here would feel entitled to a (one star) review of something that they had admittedly never listened to. It amazes me even further that this same individual uses this review section as a platform for their viewpoint, which has...by the way....again NOTHING TO DO WITH TOLLE"S CD OR IT'S CONTENTS (that's what reviews are REALLY for).Duh!

A wise man once said it is better to look stupid rather than open one's mouth and remove all doubt. To that I say AMEN.

Review:

If you are ready to awaken from the dream (or nightmare as it were) this talk is for you. Tolle is his usual charming, humorous self... appealing to those of us ready to get off the merry-go-round called the ego. If "the fruit is ripe enough"(you)...to quote him...miracles await you. Enjoy! I sure did :)

The problem with the sound recording is that it fades in and out. Therefore, in some spots, Eckhart sounds like he is mumbling. I had to turn my player up to the highest decibel level to be able to hear what he had to say, especially at the beginning. The sound gets stronger towards the end of the program. Nevertheless, it is well worth listening to him, even if you have to go over certain tracks a few times.

I am glad I was able to tune into this retreat, but was puzzled that the publisher thought the product was good enough to release without amplifying the sound to produce a more even result. I wonder if they put the CDs through a quality control process.

I enjoy listening to Eckhart but this recording is very poor. I listen while I drive on the highway and had to turn the sound up in my van to Max volume and still could not make out most of what was being said. I will be returning this because of the low recording quality. I did not make it past the first disc and do not know what the other discs are like.