Eckhart Tolle, (born Germany, 1948 as Ulrich Tolle) is a contemporary spiritual teacher and writer on spirituality.

Tolle was educated at the Universities of London and Cambridge. He was born in Germany but lived with his father in Spain from about age 13 until he moved to England in his early 20s. He did not attend formal schooling after age 13, but rather took language and other courses. He attended night colleges to obtain the necessary entrance requirements for University in England.

At the age of 29, he experienced a spiritual transformation that marked the beginning of an intense inward journey and the beginning of his function as a counselor and spiritual teacher.

He now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The name change from Ulrich to Eckhart seems to be a reference to German mystic Meister Eckhart.

Quotations

* “All forms are Impermanent.”

* “Compassion is the awareness of a deep bond between yourself and all creatures.”

* “True salvation is freedom from negativity, and above all from past and future as a psychological need.”

* “Is suffering really necessary? Yes and no. If you had not suffered as you have, there would be no depth to you, no humility, no compassion.”

* “Enlightenment means choosing to dwell in the state of presence rather than in time. It means saying yes to what is.”

* “As you go about your life, don’t give 100 percent of your attention to the external world and to your mind. Keep some within. Feel the inner body even when engaged in everyday activities, especially when you are relating with nature. Feel the stillness deep inside it. Keep the portal open.”