Eckhart Tolle & Sri Aurobindo: Two Perspectives on

Enlightenment

A.S. Dalal

At the turn of the millennium,

former Cambridge physicist Eckhart
Tolle caught the attention of
spiritual seekers all over the world
with his first book, The Power of
Now.

His teaching, interspersed with elements from

Buddhism, Advaita (nondual) Vedanta, and
Christianity, is relatively neutral and powerfully direct.
It does, however, lean strongly toward the Buddhist
perspective in its view of reality, and the nature and
process of enlightenment. This presents a sharp
contrast to the dominant Hindu perspective as found in
the Bhagavad Gita.

Described by Ken Wilber as "India’s greatest modern philosopher-sage" and as "the

greatest of all Vedantic philosophers," Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950) is considered one of
the foremost philosophers of the 20th-century, and was, as well, a political activist,
mystic, spiritual leader, poet, and yogi. His unique contribution to the development of the
human potential was realized through his integration of Eastern and Western cultures.

As well as comparing aspects of Eckhart’s teaching and Sri Aurobindo’s yoga, Dr. A. S.
Dalal relates these teachings to the story of his own spiritual quest. A Moslem by birth,
Dr. Dalal was born in Tanzania, moved to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram for seven years,
then worked in the U.S. as a psychologist for over two decades before returning to the
ashram where he now lives. He has compiled ten books based on the work of Sri
Aurobindo and the Mother, and has written two books integrating Sri Aurobindo’s
psychological thought with modern psychology. Various books of his, published in India
and abroad, have been translated into French, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish,
Portuguese, Lithuanian, Korean, and several Indian languages.

ISBN: 81-89658-31-X; PAGES: 184; SIZE: 5.5 X 8.5 in.; Price: Editions India Rs. 300;
Arunachala Press (international edition) $.14.95 (U.S), €. 12.95
(U.K)Philosophy/Religion/Consciousness Studies

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