Eckhart Tolle argues that the pressure of suffering is what allows the latent seed of awakening to sprout, drawing on the Buddha's identification with wakefulness and the gospel passages where Jesus repeats the instruction to stay awake. He frames suffering not as punishment but as catalyst.
Transcript
The pressure of suffering brings the seed causes the seed the to sprout and that is the beginning of the awakening process. So awakening, everybody knows what it means to be awake in a conventional sense. But in the term to awaken has been used in a spiritual sense for thousands of years, most strongly associated probably with Buddhism where the word Buddha itself means the one who is awake. Buddha is not a name. It is a term that perhaps the Buddha used himself when people asked him who are you and he said I am awake. The Buddha the root of the word Buddha is from Sanskrit is to be awake. Uh to be awake is also very in Hinduism in India. uh not always immediately associated with Christianity, but that's because a lot of the teaching of Jesus is not really understood very well in most churches. There are quite a few parables in the gospels where Jesus talks about the importance of staying awake. to just quote one little give you just one little quote of Jesus. He said, "And what I say to you, I say to all stay awake." So perhaps in the churches not many people understand the deeper meaning of that or maybe some do. I don't want to offend anybody. So all of you, most of you are going through the awakening process which is the arising of a one could say deeper or higher state of consciousness could be described as the next step in the evolution of human consciousness on this planet. And already all the ancient teachers have pointed to that possibility that it's been the essence of all spiritual teachings, the awakening of consciousness. In ancient India, spiritual philosophy, you have the term tura, which it translates as the fourth, first, second, third, fourth. They divide human consciousness into four stages. There is the dream the dreamless state when you are asleep at night. That's number one. Second state of conscious is the dream state. The third state of consciousness is the normal wakefulness state. And the fourth state dura is the state of presence or awareness. And this state is only is just arising in a growing number of people on the planet. Still a minority of course but a growing number of humans are going through through through this awakening process. Uh that is what has drawn you here. Otherwise, why would you come? The speaker is not that interesting. You've you've come here because something in you drew you here. It is not conceptual. It is not nothing to do with uh interesting ideas. The speaker doesn't really have any interesting ideas. It goes deeper than that. So you've come here because the awakening is already happening. What is the awakening? Is the arising of a deeper or higher state of consciousness that is that transcends thinking. It does not mean as you awaken that you are no longer able to think, but you're no longer at the mercy of of your thinking, your mind. And that's an important term. Most humans were or those humans who are not awakening yet. Those humans in whom the awakening is only a potential that is there in every human being. Every the potential for awakening is in every human being like a seed that is in every human being. In many humans, the seed does not yet sprout in this lifetime or not yet in this at this moment. If it's not sprouting yet, it usually means you need more time. You need more time. And that means you need more suffering. And eventually suffering fulfills its function of awakening you. The the pressure of suffering brings the seed causes the seed the to sprout and that is the beginning of the awakening process. As suffering is very important, an essential part of spiritual awakening until you reach a point where the awakening begins, the awakening process begins and and then you experience the transition where suffering has fulfilled its purpose and you no longer need further suffering to deepen the awakening process. What you may need, however, is more challenges to deepen. But the challenges of life, the difficulties, the problems that you encounter as you begin to awaken, the tendency is for the challenges of life no longer causing you unhappiness in whatever form. They make you more conscious rather than less conscious. That is an important transition. You experience life completely differently when the challenges of life no longer make you unconscious and unhap an unhappy person. So that is the function of suffering is to awaken as all the spiritual traditions have said it. The Buddha has summarized his teaching in one sentence which is I teach suffering and the end of suffering which means I show you how suffering arises through your unconsciousness and by realizing that I show you how to transcend suffering. The central image of Christianity. What is the central image of Christianity? A suffering human being. A human being experiencing extreme form of suffering on the cross. It's an archetypal image. Whether you are Christian or not, doesn't matter. You can understand that there is an archetypal image that contains a teaching. No matter what your belief structure around that is, you can see there is an archetypal image there. There's the suffering and then there's transcendence the resurrection or ascension. And as this happens, the torture instrument which is the cross becomes a symbol of the divine transformed. Quite amazing if you look at that. So there is embedded in this is a deep teaching which you can recognize whether or not you consider yourself a Christian or not. There's an archetypal image there an archetypal teaching and of course in modern psychology psychologists like Carl Jung recognized often talked about the importance of suffering. Kung said there's no coming to consciousness without pain. There's no Oh dear. Isn't the speaker so very negative and everybody has their share of suffering. You have had yours or to some extent you still have some. You've had your share of suffering. I had mine. If it hadn't been for the suffering that I've gone through, I would not be here speaking to you. I would not. What What would I be doing? I don't know. Perhaps been binge watching Netflix or something like that. No need to awaken. Life is okay. Let's have another drink. The pressure of suffering is this. Let's use another term uh to encounter hindrances or obstacles on your path. things that stand in the way. That things that seem to prevent your flourishing, your flowering, seems things that seem to prevent you from from enjoying life, being fully yourself. uh those things which are usually regarded as bad, the obstacles, that which is in the way, the the things that seem to stop you from becoming conscious, difficulties in your life, your life situation, people you're with, physical state, or whatever is part of your problematic life situation. ation and I don't know any life situation that is not problematic in one way or another things that you say if why why is this happening to me and the but the miracle is the very things that seem to prevent the awakening this is this is a secret of love I'm saying secret because not many people know it for some Uh the very thing that seems to prevent a human from becoming conscious or awakening are the those things are the driving force behind the awakening.