Purpose of existence. In this podcast, Eckhart answers questions from a live audience on a wide range of topics like,

how much of our lives are within our control? Can we really plan for the future? How do we deal with the pain body and also stay conscious?

Eckhart says, if we align with the present moment and pay attention to our state of consciousness, the future will look after itself.

It's only by embracing the here and now that we have an opportunity to live our lives with clarity and purpose.

And we must learn to accept each moment as if we had chosen it because you did.

Hello, Eckhart.

My question has two parts. I like to know how much of our life is in our control.

And do we really need to plan for the future or just trust what is and have faith that everything happened as it's supposed to happen?

Okay. Thank you. It's often that one answer covers several questions.

It may even be the universal answer that covers all questions.

It would be nice.

In control, well, if you try to control the future of your life, that will be quite frustrating to control what's going to happen.

But you can control, not so much control, but you can take responsibility for the present moment, your state of consciousness at this moment.

You can pay attention to what your state of consciousness is at this moment.

And you may sometimes find that your state of consciousness at this moment is one of not complete identification with thinking or an emotional movement,

but certain identification with thought or form or a dysfunctional state of negativity, dwelling in negativity.

But when you realize that, it's not totally dysfunctional. If you're really dysfunctional, it means you're totally identified, you don't know it.

In extreme form, the people who are really mad have no idea that they are mad.

If you know that you are mad, you are not completely mad.

If you know that you are identified with a negative state, it has a risen.

Let's say you dwelling in fearful thinking about what might happen to you or probably will happen to you or what you're going to lose or thinking about the past.

And you realize that this is what's happening, then of course there's already some presence there.

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