Practice of Presence. In this podcast, Eckhart discusses with a live audience one of his key

spiritual teachings, the practice of presence. He says presence arises when we free ourselves of

incessant thinking and roll back the ego so our essential true self can shine through.

As we become more adept at the practice, he says it's possible to stay in the present moment

through all of life's ups and downs.

You don't have to be as slow as I am to be present.

I'm not always slow, but often.

Interesting thing to find out for yourself

if you've reached a stage in your spiritual evolution

where you're able to choose to be free of thinking

without exerting willpower to suppress thought

and without stopping your breathing and without engaging in a life-threatening

activity which could easily stop your mind walking on a tight rope will certainly stop your mind, walking on a tight rope,

will certainly stop your mind for two seconds

before you fall off.

Now some of you are able to do that

when you're not being disturbed by anything or anybody.

Everything is fine.

You're sitting quietly in your room or outside,

and then you just go,

there's an intensity of awareness, but there's no willpower.

You're not willing it to happen.

...