Thanks for the link.
My 11 y-o daughter came by while I was watching and said: "Wow, this guy is not nearly as fidgety as Sarkozy!" (our restless and noisy French President, in case you don't know).
how can you be sure it is not an ego of yours reacting to what you perceive to be a common solution for humanity to all manner of psychological dysfunctioning egos?
On the contrary, I'm quite sure it is!
Imho it definitely takes a thinking "ego" to type anything even mildly meaningful on a message board, or to deliver (even slowly!) an articulate talk with proper English syntax and grammar, and a consistent flow of ideas!
A better question might be: how far has this "ego" integrated a consciousness of its limits (through "meditation" or otherwise)?
But, imho again, such integration can only happen through the ordinary processes of mental cognition, i.e. linguistic symbolism and imaginary representation: Whatever the underlying silent (= speechless) experience, "stillness," "realm," "dimension," etc., are ultimately words on Tolle's lips and images in his mind... that would not happen without a reactive "ego".
What alternative would you suggest to wholesome recovery from cultism? Or in fact identity crisis - previous roles you occupied which are denied you?
It's not my intent to offer an alternative, as I believe the experience which I have called (a bit provocatively) "mental suicide" cannot be avoided by certain people at some stage of their lives (whether it should be recommended to everybody is a very different question I think). My concern is rather how the surviving "ego" outlives and integrates the experience, if it doesn't end in actual suicide or permanent insanity. To that end you need words and concepts -- a mythology or a philosophy.
The risk is that, if you don't accept that those words and concepts are relative -- just as your words and concepts were before the "experience," even though they may be changed -- iow, if you want to have only the "true absolute self" speaking and acting in your stead (cf. "I no longer live, Christ lives in me"), not only you are fooling yourself and others, but your subsequent doctrine will be, in effect, absolute, i.e. unfalsifiable, dogmatic and totalitarian.
I stick to the drama paradigm: you can't escape playing a role, but you can become conscious that you are playing a role. At best that might make you less dogmatic, not more, as you learn to laugh at the play while playing...
