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Eckhart Tolle on Enlightened Relationships
Every now and then I reach for my copy of The Power of Now and go to chapter eight. I have a bookmark there and everything (it’s a receipt for cold and flu tablets).
Chapter eight is on enlightened relationships and it’s the most reassuring but possibly difficult part of the book because what Tolle writes is exactly what you want to hear but then you come to the realization that at some point or another, you forgot the central tenet of the chapter (and a major tenet of the book).
If you aren’t familiar with the book, Eckhart Tolle wrote The Power of Now in a question and answer style. Someone asks a question or makes a comment and then he gives a response. The chapter begins with someone stating their belief that enlightenment cannot happen unless one is in a romantic relationship. They question how anyone can feel fulfilled without one.
Perhaps it’s a bit overblown to think that one could become enlightened if only they had a partner. Tons of people around the world are in romantic relationships and are not enlightened. In fact, some are downright insane. Abuse is so common in relationships that it seems strange to think that relationship = enlightenment.
Nevertheless, Tolle responds by saying that if one is looking for salvation in a relationship, then they’re pretty screwed. If you are…
