Eckhart Tolle calls A Course in Miracles "one of the few channeled books that are deep and quite profound" (Eckhart Tolle, "Who Are You?", official YouTube channel, 1:13). For a teacher famous for distrusting religious dogma, that's a strong endorsement. He goes further: in his own words, ACIM may carry "perhaps the original teaching of Jesus."
I've taught A Course in Miracles for over 20 years. When students ask me how Tolle fits with my work, my answer is short: he and ACIM are pointing at the same thing in different languages. This article shows exactly what Tolle says about A Course in Miracles, with verbatim quotes and timestamps, and where the two teachings overlap, diverge, and complement each other in real practice.
Key Takeaways
- Tolle calls A Course in Miracles "one of the few channeled books that are deep and quite profound" and treats it as "perhaps the original teaching of Jesus" ("Who Are You?", 1:44).
- He borrows ACIM's exact phrase "teacher of God" to describe an awakened person ("How to Become a Teacher of God", 5:41), pointing readers to ACIM's Manual for Teachers.
- Tolle frames ACIM's purpose as taking you "to a place where the words are not needed anymore", pure presence ("Mantras and A Course in Miracles", 0:14).
- Where they diverge: Tolle leans on present-moment awareness; ACIM centers on forgiveness as the daily practice (Lesson 121, Lesson 134).
- Both agree the ego is the obstacle. ACIM calls it "the mind's belief that it is completely on its own" (T-4.II); Tolle calls it "unconsciousness" you don't even know you're trapped in.
What Eckhart Tolle Actually Says About A Course in Miracles
In a 2010 talk on his official platform, Tolle was asked directly about A Course in Miracles. His answer was two words: "I love it!" (Eckhart Tolle Now, A Course in Miracles talk, August 31, 2010). On his official YouTube channel he goes deeper. In a video titled "Who Are You?", he reads quotes from ACIM and tells viewers it's "one of the few channeled books that are deep and quite profound" and calls it "perhaps the original teaching of Jesus" (video at 1:13).
That last phrase matters. Tolle isn't endorsing ACIM as a curiosity. He's placing it inside the lineage of authentic spiritual teaching, alongside the Gospels, the Tao Te Ching, the Buddhist suttas. He notes it was "channeled by a clinical psychologist at Columbia University in New York" (1:44), referring to Helen Schucman, who scribed the material between 1965 and 1972.
What strikes me when I watch these videos as a Course teacher is how carefully Tolle treats the material. He doesn't paraphrase loosely. He reads passages and lets them stand. That's the response of someone who respects the source.
Tolle Borrows ACIM's Own Words: "Teacher of God"
The clearest evidence of how seriously Tolle takes A Course in Miracles is that he borrows its terminology directly. In a video literally titled "How to Become a Teacher of God," he tells viewers: "When you embody that state of consciousness, in the terminology of A Course in Miracles, you become, as it calls, a teacher of God. That's the term frequently used in the course" (video at 5:41).
"Teacher of God" is not a Tolle phrase. It's an ACIM phrase, the title of ACIM's third book, the Manual for Teachers. Tolle is openly translating his own work back into Course language. He does the same with "salvation," noting it's the term ACIM uses, then offering his own gloss: "Salvation is undoing" (1:17).
This is what I tell students who are unsure if Tolle and ACIM are compatible: a teacher who quotes you, names your book, and uses your vocabulary is not in conflict with you. He's translating.
Where Tolle and A Course in Miracles Both Point: Stillness Beyond Words
Tolle is most direct about ACIM's deepest purpose in his video "Mantras and A Course in Miracles." He says: "The purpose of A Course in Miracles is to bring you to a place where the words are not needed anymore" (0:14). Later: "Towards the end of A Course in Miracles… it's designed to take you into presence or stillness" (2:24).
ACIM agrees explicitly. Lesson 365, the final lesson of the workbook, ends not with another teaching but with a single word: "Amen." Before that, lessons 361 through 365 all begin with the same opening, "This holy instant would I give to You" (ACIM Workbook Lesson 365, Foundation for Inner Peace). The "holy instant" is ACIM's name for the moment of present-moment awareness, what Tolle calls "the Now."
Chapter 15 of ACIM's Text is titled "The Holy Instant." Read it next to anything from The Power of Now and you'll see they're describing the same experience. The vocabulary differs. The pointing is identical.
Where the Two Teachings Diverge: Forgiveness as Daily Practice
The cleanest divergence between Tolle and A Course in Miracles is what each one asks you to do every day. Tolle's practice is presence: notice the present moment, become aware of awareness itself, watch the ego from the witness position. ACIM adds something Tolle rarely emphasizes, forgiveness as the central daily practice.
Lesson 121 of ACIM states it plainly: "Forgiveness is the key to happiness" (ACIM Workbook Lesson 121). Lesson 134 defines what ACIM actually means by the word: "Forgiveness is the only thing that stands for truth in the illusions of the world. It sees their nothingness, and looks straight through the thousand forms in which they may appear" (Lesson 134, Foundation for Inner Peace).
That's not the conventional meaning of forgiveness. ACIM is not asking you to pardon a real wrong. It's asking you to see that the wrong was based on a perception you can release. In my Pathways of Light minister training, this is the practice that takes the longest to land. It's also the one that changes the most lives.
If you're drawn to Tolle's stillness work but find yourself recycling the same resentments, ACIM's daily forgiveness practice is the missing piece. That's the honest difference.
Where Both Agree: The Ego Is the Obstacle
Tolle and ACIM agree on the diagnosis even when they differ on the remedy. ACIM says: "The ego is the mind's belief that it is completely on its own" (Text, Chapter 4, Section II) and "the ego's voice is an hallucination" (Text, Chapter 8, Section I.2).
Tolle, in the same "Teacher of God" video, describes the ego as being "trapped in a conceptual present… that is ego, that is unconsciousness, and people don't even know it, that they are trapped in it" (2:37). Different vocabulary. Same identification: the ego is a false self made of thought that pretends to be you.
For a longer look at how ACIM explains the ego specifically, see how ACIM addresses depression and the ego mind.
Tolle and ACIM Side by Side: 6 Concepts Compared
What Does the Present Moment Mean for Tolle vs A Course in Miracles?
Tolle's "the Now" and ACIM's "holy instant" are the same experience under different names. Tolle puts it this way: "If you can enter stillness when you're not being disturbed, but as soon as you interact with people you lose presence, awareness, or stillness, then A Course in Miracles may still be useful, because it has certain lessons that can be used as pointers" ("Mantras and A Course in Miracles", 2:52).
That's a useful read on ACIM's role. It's a structured curriculum for the moments when pure presence isn't enough on its own. Lesson 227 of the Workbook captures the same idea: "Every moment is my holy instant of release."
For students who already have a strong meditation practice, ACIM adds a 365-lesson workbook that builds the holy instant into daily relational life. That's the part most contemplative practices skip.
How to Practice Tolle and A Course in Miracles Together
Based on 20 years of teaching ACIM and watching students integrate Tolle alongside it, here's what works:
- Use Tolle's books as introduction. The Power of Now and A New Earth are the most accessible doorways into present-moment awareness. They prepare the ground.
- Use ACIM's Workbook for daily structure. One lesson per day, in order, for 365 days. ACIM's repetition does something Tolle's books cannot, it rewires habitual thought.
- Bring forgiveness into the stillness. When a person or situation pulls you out of presence, ACIM's forgiveness practice (Lesson 134) is the specific tool. Tolle's "witness it" is the foundation; ACIM's "see past it" is the next step.
- Read ACIM's Manual for Teachers after Tolle. Once you've worked with Tolle's "teacher of God" concept, the Manual reads as the operating instructions.
I've watched students stuck in their heads find their way out through Tolle, and I've watched Tolle readers find the practical handle they needed in ACIM. Neither one is "right." They complete each other.
Did Eckhart Tolle Officially Endorse A Course in Miracles?
Yes, directly and on multiple occasions. The 2010 talk on his official platform gives the simplest answer: when asked, Tolle replied "I love it!" (Eckhart Tolle Now, August 31, 2010). His YouTube channel hosts at least three full videos in which he reads Course passages and discusses them: "How to Become a Teacher of God", "Who Are You?", and "Mantras and A Course in Miracles."
A related question I get often: does Tolle follow ACIM as his primary path? Different question with a different answer, I cover that in a separate post.
Below is one of Tolle's full ACIM commentaries:
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Eckhart Tolle write A Course in Miracles?
No. A Course in Miracles was scribed by Helen Schucman, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University, between 1965 and 1972, with her colleague Bill Thetford typing the manuscript. ACIM was first published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace. Tolle has called it "channeled by a clinical psychologist at Columbia University in New York" ("Who Are You?", 1:44). For the full story of how ACIM came to be, see who wrote A Course in Miracles.
Is Eckhart Tolle's teaching the same as A Course in Miracles?
They overlap heavily but are not identical. Both teach that the ego is the obstacle to awakening and that presence is the doorway. ACIM adds a structured 365-lesson workbook centered on forgiveness as the daily practice. Tolle's teaching is more contemplative; ACIM is more curricular. Tolle himself uses Course terminology ("teacher of God," "salvation") in his videos, treating the two as compatible.
What does A Course in Miracles call the present moment?
ACIM's term is the holy instant. Chapter 15 of the Text is titled "The Holy Instant," and Lessons 361 through 365 of the Workbook all open with "This holy instant would I give to You." Tolle's "the Now" and ACIM's "holy instant" refer to the same experience: the moment when ego-based time collapses and present awareness is direct.
Where do Tolle and A Course in Miracles disagree about the ego?
They mostly agree. ACIM defines the ego as "the mind's belief that it is completely on its own" (Text, Chapter 4); Tolle defines it as the mind's identification with thought. Both call it the obstacle. The difference is the remedy: Tolle says watch the ego from the witness position; ACIM says forgive what the ego perceives. Tolle's path is contemplative; ACIM's path is relational.
Should I read Eckhart Tolle or study A Course in Miracles first?
If you're new to inner work, start with Tolle's The Power of Now, it's the easier on-ramp. Once present-moment awareness clicks for you, move into ACIM's Workbook for daily structure. In my experience teaching both, this order takes the least friction. Students who jump straight into ACIM often struggle with its Christian vocabulary; the Tolle introduction softens that landing.
I'm Maria Felipe, an ordained Pathways of Light minister and ACIM teacher with 20+ years of practice. I serve a bilingual community (English and Spanish) through coaching, teaching, and writing. If you're ready to bring ACIM's daily forgiveness practice into your stillness work, my Happy Miracle Membership is the structured place to begin.
