Tolle's wealth
I've read many posts on here that challenge Eckhart's status as a teacher because he charges a lot of money for his seminars, etc.
The problem is not Eckhart.
The problem is with everyone else.
The fact is that you don't need any book or class. You don't need a teacher and certainly no expensive retreats.
Any lame old grounding technique will do the trick. That's all there is, and that is all there will ever be. The most spiritual experience I have ever had came way before I was into spirituality. It came after relaxing in a sole bath (basically a warm tub with a lot of salt) for two hours... just floating and breathing.
But that is not what people want to hear. They want a teacher. They want to follow. And in doing so, they completely miss the point.
Terence McKenna was driven nearly mad by this. It did not matter how many times TM would beg his listeners not to see him as a guru. They thought he was Christ incarnate and hung on every word of his as if it was gospel.
Tolle says the same thing in his first book. He plainly states that you don't need a teacher, that you don't need to learn anything. You are ready as is. Always have been. But people ignore that.
Now put yourself in Tolle's shoes. Millions of people read his book and ignore his core message. They're asking for retreats. They're asking for monthly subscriptions. They're trying to pay for salvation.
And so, his managers provide for that need by setting it all up that way. Why wouldn't they...