Eckhart Tolle Silent Group
craig sheehan
Brisbane Eckhart Tolle Silent Group Meeting
When we perceive without interpreting or mental labeling, which means without adding thought t our perceptions, we can still sense the deeper connectedness underneath our perception of seemingly separate things.
In this newsletter:
v Next meeting
v Meeting Theme
v St Mary’s Matters
v Guidelines for discussion groups
v Eckhart on TV
v Tolle Retreat and Seminar 2009
v Last Chance for tickets to Seminar
v Extract from Oneness with all Life
v Information for new members
v Website
v Other Tolle Groups in Brisbane area
v Unsubscribe
A Gentle Reminder - Our next meeting for the year: Thursday 19th Feb, 2009 at 6:45pm
Venue
We meet at St Mary’s Catholic Church in South Brisbane.
This
Week's Meeting's Theme:
This week we will begin our new routine. We will have study/discussion groups
reading through either the Power of Now or the New Earth (or both). If there is
space available in the church house, there will also be a DVD: Part 4 of the
Art of Presence series, Dissolving the Pain-body.
St Mary’s Matters
You have probably all been following the developments at St Mary’s church. The church community have asked us to continue to meet as normal. There may be some passive resistance going on in the church, but they have indicated that they will fit in with us, and probably participate in our group. (Their intention was to participate in every group that meets in the church this week).
Guidelines for Discussion Groups
Eckhart recommends following the Silent Group format. The group may begin with ten to twenty minutes of silence (silent meditation), 1 to 1 1/2 hours of an Eckhart Tolle audio or visual recording, ending with ten to twenty minutes of silence (silent meditation). It's best not to engage in discussion, as it tends to stimulate the mind and ego.
However, since we will be having a discussion group, the following guidelines are offered:
v When the desire to speak comes up, observe it and let the desire pass. Then, pause and speak from presence. You may find that after the desire to speak has passed, there is nothing to say.
v If you are embarrassed about speaking, that is also the ego. Observe that, and then let it pass.
v If you are going to speak, ensure that you speak loudly enough for the whole group to hear.
v Speak to the group, not just to one person.
v Only one person to speak at a time (no side conversations).
v If there begins to be much activity of mind, then pause as a group, and go back to reading Tolle’s words.
v You will find the process of reading the books as a group very rewarding. To make it so for everybody, presence must be the dominant state.
Eckhart on TV
As part of Eckhart’s tour, he will be doing some media appearances. There is a segment on Today Tonight (or A Current Affair – sorry cannot remember which one) next Wednesday (4th March), and then will appear on Kerrie Anne Kennerley’s show the next day (5th March). (That should be interesting.)
Tolle Retreat and Seminar 2009
Tickets will be available for collection tonight. If you are unable to collect them in person before the events, let me know and I will post them to you.
Last Chance for Discounted Tickets to Tolle Seminar 2009
Tickets for the seminar are still available, but the retreat is now sold out (as is the seminar in NZ) . Hay House are doing another deal for other Tolle groups – so there is a last chance to get seminar tickets at $120 each. Please let me know ASAP. (there is an expectation that tickets may sell quickly once he appears on TV).
From Oneness With All Life
(Extracts this year will be taken from Oneness With All Life. As Eckhart describes in the introduction to the book, “ For this companion volume to A New Earth, I selected passages from the original book that felt particularly suitable for inspirational or meditative reading’.)
See if you can catch, that is to say, notice, the voice in the head, perhaps in the very moment it complains about something, and recognize it for what it is: the voice of the ego, no more than a conditioned mind-pattern, a thought. Whenever you notice that voice, you will also realize that you are not the voice, but the one who is aware of it.
In fact, you are the awareness that is aware of the voice. In the background, there is the awareness. In the foreground, there is the voice, the thinker.
In this way you are becoming free of the ego, free of the unobserved mind.
Information for New Members
Meetings:
We meet each Thursday at St
Mary’s Church, Merivale St, South Brisbane.
Although the meetings are held in a Catholic Church, we are not affiliated with
any religion. The church is open from 6:15 pm to allow silent meditation for
those who would like that, or a cup of coffee for others that arrive
early. We ask everyone to be present from 6:45 with the meeting starting
at 7 pm. The meeting finishes at 9pm, with an open invitation to go from the
church to a local coffee shop to continue the discussion.
How
to get there:
The meeting is in
the church itself, not at the
adjacent Parish Hall. To get there, take the driveway at 20 Merivale Street and park in the
car park. The car park is well flood lit. Knock if the church door is closed
and we have started.
Note: Parking can be difficult as there are other meetings nearby, and the car
park can be full. Make sure you allow plenty of time to find an alternative.
What
we do:
We commence and end with silence and each week either read a section of one of
Tolle’s books or watch a part of one of Tolle’s videos. The
'meditations' are usually up to 15 minutes at beginning and end. Afterwards, we
retire for a coffee at The Three Monkeys coffee shop on Mollison St, West End to continue any
discussions.
Our library:
There is a large a/v library for
lending. There is a one off fee of $5 to borrow from the library. (This covers
the cost of replacement discs, cases, etc).
The cost:
There is no formal cost, but we
request a gold coin donation each week per person. Any donations are
appreciated and go to the church for electricity and costs.
For More Information, contact:
Craig
Sheehan:
email craiga...@hotmail.com
ph:0411 177 031
For more information, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/brisbane-eckhart-tolle-silent-group
Other Tolle Groups in Brisbane
Marie Condon will be hosting a weekly meeting at Bellbowrie commencing on Thurs the 17th Feb at 7pm. If you live in the west, or know people who live out that way that have found it difficult to come into South Brisbane on a regular basis, please give them Marie’s details. Marie can be contacted on 32026628 or via e-mail at mar...@pacific.net.
Susan Thiesfield hosts a group in the Wynnum / Manly area. If you live in the east, or know people who do, please let them know about Susan’s group. Susan can be contacted at s.thie...@gmail.com
Roslyn Bates hosts a group at Bridgeman Downs. Meetings are held in her home 10am to 12 noon every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month commencing March 9th. If you know people living on the northside of Brisbane, please let them know about Roslyn’s group. For further details contact Roslyn on 0403 995 000 or at rbat...@bigpond.com
Elaine Berndt hosts a group at Tamborine. Meetings are held on the first and third Wed of each month at 10am. The address is 137 Murray Grey Drive, Tamborine, ph: 5543 6493. Elaine can also be contacted at elaine...@hotmail.com.
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