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The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (1577312082)
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| Ekhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. And while this message may not seem stunningly original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, supportive voice, and enthusiasm make this an excellent manual for anyone who's ever wondered what exactly "living in the now" means. Foremost, Tolle is a world-class teacher, able to explain complicated concepts in concrete language. More importantly, within a chapter of reading this book, readers are already holding the world in a different container--more conscious of how thoughts and emotions get in the way of their ability to live in genuine peace and happiness. Tolle packs a lot of information and inspirational ideas into The Power of Now. (Topics include the source of Chi, enlightened relationships, creative use of the mind, impermanence, and the cycle of life.) Thankfully, he's added markers that symbolize "break time." This is when readers should close the book and mull over what they just read. As a result, The Power of Now reads like the highly acclaimed A Course in Miracles--a spiritual guidebook that has the potential to inspire just as many study groups and change just as many lives for the better. --Gail Hudson Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
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Author: Guest
When any one grab hold of this book in a bookshop, read a little and has the intention to buy or perhaps has bought this book after reading the editoral and customer's reviews, obviously is seeking for answers life has to offer, or has thirst for knowledge about the 'truth', or perhaps at least has the intention to seek spiritual development. If you are, I think you should read it with an open mind. If you are, you are ones that probably feel that you still have not obtained any answers from your beliefs or religion. Tolle is an enlighten being that is putting his thoughts into words, so that as ajnani (an unenlighten being) can have an insight into his being. What does it take to understand or gain enlightenment or cosmic consciousness, or the state to be in it? The Buddha gain enlightenment at the moment when he saw the star above while he was under the tree. The state of being in it, is beyond the description of words or ajnani intellectual are able to comprehend.
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Author: Guest
While my overall experience of this book is very positive, I also found it to be a little bit like the writings of Karl Marx: its insights are brilliant but its recommendations are dogmatic and potentially harmful. Let me explain.
As its title suggests, the core message in "The Power of Now" is that we derive our greatest strength and sense of peace from the present moment. For me, and I believe for Tolle, the present moment is simply awareness. In terms of our relationship to the external environment, this means allowing ourselves to see what is around us instead of labeling and dismissing these things. For example, this can mean stopping to see a tree without expectation or judgment and with the full awareness of our internal urge to limit what we are seeing as just a tree. In terms of our relationship to our own thoughts and feelings the present is also about observation, about allowing whatever comes up internally to be. When resistance, judgments, or stories come up, observe them. When you observe these things instead of renouncing them or letting them control you, this is a form of accepting them as they are and therefore of accepting yourself as you are. As a result you are an integrated (and therefore grounded, powerful) human being instead of a fragmented one. Negative forces such as self-loathing, fear, grief, and anger continue to come up (they always will) but since they are named and observed they diminish in intensity. So within this context, I agree with Tolle about the power and importance of the present moment. Where I disagree with Tolle and where I feel his book has the potential to cause harm is in his rejection of the past and his rejection of what he calls the pain body.
I disagree with him about the past because it often contains unreleased trauma that directly impacts our life in the present moment. We may find for example that we have severe judgments about ourselves and other people, or that we have volatile mood swings and we may not know why. By accessing and then releasing past trauma we have a better shot at living the present moment as it is, instead of how it is distorted by our defenses, moods, and judgments, almost all of which are the result of early childhood conditioning. If you accept Tolle's approach, the past goes unexamined because it doesn't count. But you are the past and the more you know that past-I mean truly know who you are instead of your stories about who you are-the greater your possibility of having an authentic experience in the present moment.
I also disagree with Tolle's rejection of the mental and emotional anguish that he feels are contained in what he terms "the pain body". We almost always manifest emotional anguish in order to teach ourselves something about who we are and what we need. Once we learn the lesson, the emotional anguish tends to diminish. Sure, it's still there but it no longer has its hold over us. But if we follow Tolle's advise about rejecting feelings such a loneliness, fear, rage, jealousy, helplessness, or grief for the sake of being in the present moment, then we also reject what these things have to teach us. From my own experience, reading, and counseling, I've come to see these dark emotions as friends and teachers. Accepting them is a frightening and counter-intuitive process but it does provide us with the way in to discovering who we really are. Rejecting them subverts that process and sets us up for more confusion and agony.
Incidentally, Tolle is correct in linking emotional trauma to the physical body. We do store our emotions physically which means that we can trigger them by accessing the parts of the body where they are stored. It also means that we can improve our physical health by releasing trauma.
By all means read this book and take time to absorb and reabsorb its marvelous insights. But please don't just accept Tolle's insights as gospel-TEST THEM. Test his insights against your own feelings and experience and information you acquire from other sources. If you find yourself worshipping the guru then you know that something has gone wrong somewhere. I have to admit I do detect a subtle but powerful strain of egotism, in Tolle's writing and fear that weak and gullible readers may come to worship him. Remember that as Tolle himself points out, he is just a pointer to truths that are already inside us.
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Author: Guest
Beyond the first few lines it's a load of waffled gobbledygook. If you want something excellent about meditation buy: Angel Tech by Antero Alli, Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson, and Undoing Yourself... by Christopher S. Hyatt.
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Author: Guest
This was the first book I read from Eckhart Tolle, and it's a darn good one! There's a lot covered that I learned about which led to many new realizations about ego, and how to overcome it. Being in the 'now' is a powerful place. I know i'll re-read this book again, and highly recommend it!
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Author: Guest
For people who are having difficulty with their lives, or who are searching for spiritual progression, this book is a simple and profound journey. I have been reading books of a spiritual nature and practising meditation techniques for over a decade and this book is a synthesis of most of the information I have found that is presented in a straightforward and immediately usable format. Tolle uses quotes from the great masters of all traditions to illustrate many of the points he is making. I recommend it heartily to everyone and feel that the methods described would also be extremely helpful to impart to children and the aged who find themselves frightened of what lies ahead. If used by everyone, this book could transform humanity.
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