Confused about the "pain-body": Friend referenced Eckhart Tolle after pulling away from me, and now I'm lost.
Hey everyone. I recently started reading The Power of Now at a friend's suggestion. Long story short, we got close and tried to start something romantic, but since he just got out of a long-term relationship, he pumped the brakes and said he only wanted to be friends because he's "wary of emotional attachments."
A little while later, I brought up my feelings again. He reacted pretty abruptly, telling me he definitely didn't want a relationship. Afterward, he texted an apology for being so curt and blamed his reaction on his "pain-body," referencing Eckhart Tolle's teachings.
I’m really confused about what he was trying to say here. What actually is a "pain-body" in this context, and how does it apply to someone pulling away from a relationship due to past baggage? Is this a legit concept from the book or kind of a cop-out?
I honestly hate that I'm spending time researching this after getting turned down, and I don't want to go down a massive rabbit hole. But the main reason I'm trying to figure it out is because the next time we saw each other, I gave him some distance—figuring that's what he wanted—and he actually seemed upset by it.
I feel like I missed something he was trying to communicate with the whole pain-body thing, and I just want to understand so I can be a good friend. If anyone familiar with Tolle's work has any insights, I'd really appreciate it.