PDF Summary:A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle

In A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle asserts that human consciousness is trapped in a state of dysfunction because we are controlled by our ego, which drives us to seek fulfillment by owning things and feeling superior to others. This has led to harm to both our planet and our species because of consumerism, ideological wars, pollution, and more. Tolle argues that we must undergo an evolution of consciousness if humanity and the earth are to survive. A New Earth aims to teach people how to do this: how to elevate their consciousness by becoming aware of their ego-driven thought and behavior patterns, and how to overcome those patterns.

In this guide, we’ll compare Tolle’s ideas to those of psychologists, anthropologists, and religious leaders, looking at how they either correspond to or differ from other schools of thought.

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The pain-body not only stores these emotions but also feeds off them. So, the more we experience negative emotions, the denser and more reactive the pain-body gets, and the bleaker our emotional identity and perception of the world become. Additionally, the denser the pain-body becomes, the more it craves further negativity to sustain itself, and thus the more it seeks out, recognizes, and creates negative thoughts and emotions.

Therefore, our pain-body causes dysfunction by trapping us in an endless cycle of suffering that affects us and those closest to us.

(Shortform note: Tolle argues that the pain-body makes us prone to negativity. Experts call this phenomenon the negativity bias. Like Tolle, they explain that humans tend to be more prone to negative thoughts than positive ones, and that negativity has a cyclical function—when we experience negative events, we tend to dwell on them and remember them more easily, ultimately making us respond more strongly to negative stimuli in the future. However, rather than attributing this effect to the pain-body, they say that it’s because of human evolution—early humans were more likely to survive if they paid more attention to bad or dangerous things over good and harmless things.)

The Current State of Humanity

Tolle argues that humanity currently exists in a state he calls object consciousness—when our reality and priorities are entirely centered around enhancing our self-image. We’ll call this state mindlessness.

Unfortunately, despite the ego’s hard work, identifying with elements and becoming superior to others won’t eliminate the fear of being nothing. This is because there will always be someone who has more or better elements than us. Therefore, the ego will always crave more elements to gain superiority, resulting in what Tolle calls the endless cycle of wanting—no matter what we have, we will always want more.

(Shortform note: The Tao Te Ching, one of the foundational texts of Taoism, explains that success is often defined by wealth and status. Consequently, people become obsessed with gaining “more.” Taoism teaches that this endless striving leaves people perpetually dissatisfied because the external structures they seek can’t provide them with true fulfillment. The Tao Te Ching ultimately describes this chase for success as a cycle that functions on the same premise as Tolle’s endless cycle of wanting—people look for fulfillment through external structures that can’t provide it and end up trapped in a cycle of unhappiness.)

Tolle explains that because of this cycle, humans are only able to experience the present moment in one of three dysfunctional ways:

1. As a bridge to a future moment. This is when the only value of the present moment is to reach something better in the future. This state makes us feel bored and discontent.
   1. For example, you may be enduring a business meeting by thinking about the dinner party you’re going to after.
2. As a barrier or obligation. This is when we actively dislike what we’re doing, but we have to do it to get what we want. This results in impatience, frustration, and stress.
   1. For example, you hate your current job and dread it the entire day, but you do it anyway because it’s the only way to make an income and get a better job in the future.
3. As an antagonist. This is the worst state to be in—when we see our reality as inherently evil and against us. This state most commonly results from negative thoughts provided by our pain-body, like “nothing good ever happens to me,” and results in the emotional reactions that cause us to see the present as an enemy.
   1. For example, you wake up with a dead phone, miss the bus to work, and forget your lunch at home, all while fuming and complaining that it’s “just my luck because nothing good ever happens to me.” You consequently feel anger and resentment towards life.

Doing Is Preventing Us From Being in the Present

Psychologists explain that being mindful in the present moment is the key to relieving dissatisfaction and anxiety, but that our thinking mind (what Tolle calls the voice of the ego) prevents us from being mindful. They suggest that some reasons we see the present moment as either a bridge, a barrier, or an antagonist are:

• We’re distracted by other things we can be doing. For example, we’re responding to a text, drinking alcohol to reach a state of intoxication, watching a movie to keep busy, and so on. We therefore see the present as a bridge to something else we can do in the future and also as a barrier to a more pleasurable activity.

• We’re narrating and explaining the present moment in our mind. We do this by either thinking about past experiences and comparing them to the present or thinking about how we’ll explain what’s going on right now to someone in the future. When we’re preparing to explain ourselves to someone in the future, we’re essentially viewing the present as a bridge—the future explanation is more important than what’s happening now.

• We’re obsessed with finding meaning. Instead of simply absorbing what’s happening, we’re focused on three questions: why is this happening, what does this say about me or my life, and what do I need to do about this. Ultimately, experts explain, this happens because we don’t trust the present moment and fear what will happen if we’re not in control. In this state, we may be seeing the present as either a bridge, a barrier, an antagonist, or even all three at once. We may be finding meaning in the present because we’re telling ourselves it’s necessary to get somewhere else in the future (a bridge or barrier), or we’re trying to prepare because we’re afraid that something bad will happen and the moment will turn against us (an antagonist).

Mindfulness

When we’re unable to be mentally present because we’re consumed with wanting, our ego can control our thinking and behavior, trapping us in a dysfunctional state of mindlessness. Tolle argues that the only way to escape this state is to evolve our consciousness to a higher level—one where we are present in each moment rather than constantly wanting.He calls this state being or presence, but we’ll refer to it as mindfulness.

(Shortform note: The Tao Te Ching also asserts that the state of wanting is contrary to how we should live, explaining that earthly desires and “success” are distractions that prevent us from living as one with the Tao, or the natural order of the universe. Living as one with the Tao ultimately means breaking free from the constraints our humanity puts on our minds, like labeling things as good and evil, right and wrong, fact and fiction, and being concerned with the past, future, and what we should and shouldn’t do. These constraints are what Tolle would label as manifestations of the ego, and the Taoist solution to break free from these constraints corresponds to Tolle’s idea of presence—mindfulness.)

The Inner Self

Tolle asserts that the key to achieving a state of perpetual mindfulness is to connect with our inner self, rather than the false self-image created by our ego. When we’re connected with our inner self, we’re always in a state of mindfulness.

Tolle explains that our inner self is pure conscious energy, the same sophisticated energy that created the functional universe we live in. It’s the force that directs planets to rotate around stars and galaxies to rotate around a center mass—an order that allows for life to exist.

This energy lives inside all things and guides their survival—plants that photosynthesize to live; animals that survive by their instincts; and humans, who are conscious of their own consciousness. He argues that this sophisticated energy specifically created humans to have this heightened consciousness so that it can experience itself through the human form—so consciousness itself could experience consciousness. Becoming one with this consciousness, or our inner self, is the purpose of human life, Tolle argues.

The Purpose of Life is “Oneness”

Tolle’s philosophy about the inner self, the universal energy, and the purpose of human life very closely aligns with the teachings of the Advaita Vedanta, a branch of Hinduism. According to the Advaita Vedanta, the purpose of life is “oneness”—to realize that our consciousness is made of the same universal energy within all things and to become one with this energy rather than continue seeing ourselves as “other.”

The Advaita Vedanta calls this universal energy “Brahman,” and is similar to what many religions would refer to as “God.” The philosophy asserts, like Tolle, that the purpose of human life is to realize that the soul of all living things, called “Atman,” is one with Brahman and all creation. However, the Hindu philosophy splits from Tolle’s argument in A New Earth by explaining that until we reach this state of oneness, we will be reincarnated in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth, called the cycle of samsara.

The Consciousness Evolution

Tolle explains that when we connect with our inner self and live in a state of mindfulness, we will live in a state of non-attachment, nonjudgment, and nonresistance, which will allow us to break free from the ego’s control.

When we no longer form attachments to material, thought, and emotional elements, we’ll no longer generate greed, consumerism, and pollution caused by the endless cycle of wanting.

When we no longer judge things as “right and wrong” or “good and bad,” we’ll no longer have unrealistic expectations that cause disappointment, anger, resentment, and other forms of suffering.

Consequently, we’ll cease resisting what simply is and cannot be changed. Tolle notes that nothing in the world is inherently good or bad, it’s only our judgments of them that make them so. We’ll no longer feel the stress, greed, envy, and negativity supplied by the ego because we no longer crave external validation. We will only feel peace.

If the bulk of humanity dedicates itself to achieving this state of mindfulness, Tolle asserts that the violence and destruction caused by the collective human ego will cease.

Presence: Cure for World Problems or Pseudoscience?

In 10% Happier, Dan Harris agrees that the solution to overcoming the ego is mindfulness—what Tolle calls presence—but claims that it’s not necessarily a cure-all for the world problems caused by human dysfunction, as Tolle promises.

A lot of the issues Harris has with Tolle’s philosophy center around the details of what mindfulness entails. While Harris and Tolle both define the term similarly and agree that mindfulness entails detaching from your emotions—what Tolle refers to as living with non-attachment—Harris disagrees with Tolle’s assertion that humans should never feel emotions like anger and should be entirely passive about events that happen in their lives.

Ultimately, Harris says that it’s unrealistic to expect people to live with total nonjudgment and nonresistance all the time. While Harris agrees that we shouldn’t let our sensations, feelings, and emotions control our mood and behavior, he says it’s still acceptable to feel emotions like anger sometimes and to have some attachments to thoughts based in reality, like judging certain things as morally wrong. For example, if someone harms a child, it’s understandable to judge that person as wrong and be angry about it. Consequently, he struggles to reconcile Tolle’s assertions about mindfulness with his claims that it can transform the human race and our state of consciousness.

Luckily, Tolle explains that a human evolution to this evolved state of consciousness is possible and has been underway for thousands of years. He argues that the first sparks of the consciousness evolution were the ancient spiritual teachers like Buddha, Jesus, and Lao Tzu.

These teachers and their respective religions all preached the same two-fold fundamental truth that is the basis of Tolle’s argument: (1) The normal state of the human mind is inherently dysfunctional, and (2) a radical transformation of human consciousness to overcome this dysfunction is possible and necessary, and it’s the purpose of human life.

Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism refer to inherent human dysfunction, respectively, as maya, original sin, and dukkha. They all view the transformation of consciousness as the solution to this innate dysfunction, and they refer to it, respectively, as enlightenment, salvation, and the end of suffering.

The teachers who founded these religions embodied the evolved state of consciousness that the rest of humanity needs to achieve, and they encouraged others to evolve through their teachings.

Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism: Dualistic Religions

Tolle explains that the spiritual leaders who sparked the consciousness evolution all preached that humans are dysfunctional and must reach an enlightened state—this two-fold truth is referred to as religious dualism.

Religious Dualism is the belief that there are essentially two contrasting components of life—humanity and something “divine,” often humanity and God. Ultimately, dualistic religions all assert that something is inherently wrong with humanity and that there is some higher level of being we’re meant to attain. Until we reach this higher level, whether it’s becoming enlightened (Hinduism), or reaching heaven (Christianity), we will finally be happy and escape our suffering. Ultimately, dualistic religions are founded on the basis of good versus evil. The purpose of human life is to battle our evil instincts to reach the ultimate “good.”

Similar to religious dualism is philosophical dualism, which asserts that human consciousness, or the spirit, is separate from our physical body. In other words, our consciousness will continue on once our body has died. Tolle’s philosophy would be considered dualistic.

On the other side is monism, which asserts that consciousness is simply the result of evolution and our highly developed brains. While dualism and monism are opposing beliefs, there are multiple branches of each philosophy that interpret the dualistic or monistic approach differently, some even overlapping certain beliefs with the opposing philosophy.

The Critical Point of the Evolution Is Now

Tolle explains that evolutions happen over time—they start with minor changes, or “sparks” like the ones described above, and they eventually reach a critical point where mass change is necessary for the survival of the species. Tolle argues that now is the critical point in the evolution of human consciousness—mass change is necessary today for the survival of humankind and the planet.

This is because our destructive ability (caused by our ego) is intensifying at an unsustainable rate due to advances in technology. Tolle explains that while wars have always happened, we’re now able to kill and destroy with alarming efficiency due to advanced weapons. Furthermore, the development of technologies has allowed us to destroy most of our forests and the habitats of innumerable plants and animals. We torture animals in factory farms and poison rivers, oceans, and the air.

If we’re unable to evolve out of the mindless ego-driven state of consciousness that causes this destruction, we’ll end up killing our species and destroying the planet.

Should We Remain Optimistic About the Future?

Scientists around the world argue that the biggest threat to our species and planet is anthropogenic climate change which is mainly caused by factory farms, consumerism, pollution, deforestation, and more—many of the issues Tolle discusses in A New Earth. And scientists agree that the critical point is now—experts say we must limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2029 to prevent irreversible damage. If we’re unable to do this, our immoral actions will make life on Earth unrecognizable—coral reefs will be extinct, destructive storms will be the norm, and coastal cities will be underwater.

However, in The Better Angels of Our Nature, Steven Pinker argues that humanity is actually on a moral incline and that we should be optimistic about the future. He asserts that our era is less violent, less cruel, and more peaceful than any other period in human history. Fewer people are dying at the hands of others and there are fewer wars. Slavery, torture, and cruel punishment are almost universally rejected. Communities are raising their voices against animal cruelty, and minorities and previously “inferior” groups are increasingly gaining rights and fair treatment.

Pinker explains that our previous rotten behavior, and increasingly moral behavior, is due to our survival instincts: We do what we think is necessary to survive. In times where resources were scarce, people went to extreme lengths to ensure their survival and were rarely held accountable for the violence that ensued. Today, better governments, greater prosperity, health, education, and trade are decreasing our tendencies toward violence and immoral behavior.

A New Earth: Achieving the Evolved State of Consciousness

Tolle explains that when humanity collectively reaches a perpetual state of mindfulness and breaks free from the ego’s control, enjoyment will become the motivating force behind people's actions rather than wanting. And if we don't particularly enjoy what’s happening, we can at least accept it without resistance and negative thoughts. Consequently, human dysfunction will end.

How to Attain a State of Mindfulness

Tolle offers five suggestions for how to live with non-attachment, nonjudgment, and nonresistance and ultimately achieve a state of mindfulness.

1. Recognize and ignore the compulsions of the ego that strengthen it: The ego compels us to strengthen our identity and reach for superiority. So, resist the urge to do things like express your opinion when it’s not asked for or needed; demand recognition; make unnecessary requests; have strong expectations of people; or try to make an impression through your beliefs, knowledge, or looks. These are the compulsions of your ego.
2. Detach from the thoughts and emotions of your pain-body: When we get upset over things like disrespect, lack of attention, or other people’s behavior, we cause ourselves unnecessary misery and strengthen our pain-body, making ourselves more prone to these reactions in the future. When you recognize these thoughts and emotions cropping up, detach yourself from them and acknowledge that they’re not you, but rather the pain-body trying to bring you down. With repetition, it will become easier to separate yourself from these negativities.
3. When someone damages your ego (they accuse, blame, disrespect you, and so on) don’t fight it with a reaction or response—let it happen. Your ego reacts to these offenses as a restoration tactic. But when you don't react—when you stop defending your “self”—you’ll stop identifying with your ego and strengthen your connection to your inner self.
4. Focus on your breathing and take a break from thinking. When you focus all your attention on breathing and feeling your body, you become grounded in mindfulness and the present moment. This is a form of meditation. This will make you aware of the gap between your thinking mind, which is the voice of your ego, and your inner self, which will allow you to feel the conscious energy that flows through every part of your body. You are not your body or your mind, you are the conscious energy within it.
5. Do every single thing in a state of either acceptance, enjoyment, or enthusiasm. You can’t always be joyful or enthusiastic about things you have to do, like cleaning or working, but you can accept them by simply living in the present moment. If you just accept what’s happening right now without seeing it as a bridge, a barrier, or an antagonist, there’s no room for negative thoughts and emotions, only mindfulness and peace.

The Dalai Lama Adds to Tolle’s Advice

In The Art of Happiness, the Dalai Lama’s assertion on how to achieve peace and enjoyment in life closely aligns with Tolle’s: Stop resisting the things that happen to us in life. The Dalai Lama says we must accept that suffering is inherent to life. When we resist the unfavorable things that happen to us, we cause ourselves more suffering—for example, if you missed your train, it might be an inconvenience, but when you get angry about it, you’re simply adding unnecessary suffering to an already unfavorable situation. Ultimately, the Dalai Lama is making the same assertion as Tolle: To achieve peace and enjoyment in life, we need to live with mindfulness—non-attachment, nonjudgment, and nonresistance to the outside world.

To achieve this state of acceptance, the Dalai Lama and his co-author Howard C. Cutler make a number of recommendations, many of which closely align with Tolle’s suggestions:

• Don’t take things personally. When we take offense to situations, we’re ultimately operating under the belief that everything is about us. Tolle’s philosophy would label these negative thoughts as compulsions of both your ego and your pain-body. To help resist these thoughts, the authors suggest that you objectively question why the situation happened—for example, maybe your friend was late because of traffic, not because she doesn’t care about you. This practice can help you weaken the pain-body by dismantling the belief that everything is about you.

• Don’t indulge in guilt. Everyone makes mistakes. Obviously, we should never intentionally cause anyone suffering, but if we do so by accident, we must remember that suffering is inherent and we are only human—we can’t be perfect. Simply learn from the situation and move on. While this suggestion adds to Tolle’s list, it’s closely connected to his beliefs about how our thought elements dictate good and bad. When we follow the Dalai Lama’s suggestion to learn from the mistake without feeling guilty, we’re also detaching from these underlying thought beliefs that make us feel like we’re a “bad” person—guilt is ultimately a reaction and affirmation of these thought elements.

• Contemplate your body. Because we possess a physical body that can experience sensations like pain, suffering is inherent and natural. Consequently, there’s no need to resist it. This adds to Tolle’s recommendations to focus on your body: Tolle’s advice seeks to help you use your body to find mindfulness, and the Dalai Lama’s advice seeks to do the same, but through suffering.

• Stop resisting change. Nothing is permanent—experiences, plans, and even life itself. When we attach ourselves to these things, we will end up suffering when they inevitably end or change. This encapsulates Tolle’s suggestion to live with non-attachment and enables us to do everything in a state of acceptance, enjoyment, and enthusiasm. If we aren’t attached to external things, we can do them with acceptance, enjoyment, and enthusiasm because we won’t be concerned with them changing or ending.