“Religion and ritual can be vehicles for entering stillness. It says in Psalm 46:10, 'Be still, and know that I am God.' But they are still just vehicles. The Buddha called his teaching a raft: You don't need to carry it around with you after you've crossed the river.”

German-born spiritual teacher and author of the 1990s and 2000s, Eckhart Tolle is best known for his work on mindfulness and presence, particularly through his bestselling book *The Power of Now*. His teachings blend Eastern philosophy with Western psychology, emphasizing the end of suffering through awareness.