Chapter 5 discussions

We met yesterday at Michelle’s house to discuss Chapter 5. We were a small group, only 6 of us, but the feeling of being connected in consciousness was just as wonderful as before. Chapter 5 of A New Earth is large and complex and I feel it deserves more discussion, especially when others in the group are also there. I think we’ve arrived at the central message of this book, about the fundamental dysfunction within ourselves, which Eckhart calls the pain-body.


A simple definition of the pain-body is the energy from our negative emotions that has become lodged within us. It took some effort for me to understand what this means. Being always in the head as I usually am, it seemed to me that if I can just NOT think negatively then everything would be fine. But there is the connection between thoughts and emotions, so all those earlier negative thoughts have had a destructive impact on the emotions. Eckhart says all that negative energy lingers in us as the pain-body which can make our life difficult and is causing unhappiness and misery. The science of psychology and the practice of psychiatry both deal with such matters also, and I’ve always felt that Eckhart’s books are the true self-help books. Now we’ve come to a point where our spiritual and physical sides coincide and affect each other.


Heavy stuff! That’s why I say let’s take our time with this. This is when we really get to become our own therapists; to gain insight into our own personalities and whatever there is that may need fixing.


Yesterday we had a new member in our group, Brian, and he made some great points. He reminded us that such group gatherings help to raise individual consciousness. They also re-establish the connectedness which exists in all of us but which we tend to forget or ignore. This prompted Tom to ask a very interesting question: how can we be properly aware that we are all one at a spiritual level, and at the same time be conscious of our individual identity? This led to some spirited discussion but it was clear that these are precisely the sort of questions that we struggle with and try to find answers to. It’s not clear to me what each of us said about this point, so please share your thoughts if you remember.


Michelle shared the story of her sister getting some bad news during a Disneyworld vacation, and how it can ruin positive feelings for everyone. It seems like life throws these curve balls at precisely the wrong time. But one has to try harder to understand the hidden message in such events, and grow as a result. This is easier said then done, and it’s hard to justify why it is okay to ruin the good times children are having. Sam also had a similar story from her childhood, and it was clear that memories of such events lead to the accumulation of one’s pain-body.

Meenakshi commented that she wished she had the understanding she now has about the ego and built-in beliefs, and how she might have approached things differently. We also talked about many other things like career paths and different religions and growing up in rules imposed by society. Our experiences and perceptions of these things contribute to our pain-bodies, because we were most likely un-aware or un-present when they were happening to us. If we can truly understand this point about being present at all times, and find ways to practice and strengthen our ability to stay present, then we might stop inflicting pain to ourselves, and to others.


I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts about all this, and I’m looking forward to our next gathering.