German spiritual teacher and author Eckhart Tolle is well-known for his enlightenment and spiritual awakening teachings. His book, The Power of Now, details his own life-altering experience of deep inner transformation.
His New York Times bestseller, Practicing the Power of Now, is a follow-up that attempts to help readers awaken from mind-enslavement and reach a level of consciousness. Through exercises and meditations, it teaches how to calm thinking, observe the world in the here and now, and discover a way to live a life that is light, easy, and graceful.
With the change of consciousness being the next stage in human evolution, Eckhart’s teachings have assisted numerous individuals in finding inner peace and contentment.
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About the Author
Germany is where Eckhart Tolle was born. His life was drastically altered at the age of 29, when he had a deep spiritual metamorphosis that all but destroyed his previous identity. In addition to being the author of Stillness Speaks, Practising the Power of Now, and The Power of Now, he is currently a spiritual teacher and counsellor. He’s a Vancouver resident.
Review
For readers who have not read Eckhart Tolle’s previous book, The Power of Now, this manual-style book immediately goes into his ideas of “living in the moment,” which may be startling. With its abundance of exercises and meditations to help readers escape their brains and live more happily in their bodies, this book is a great companion guide for those who are already initiated.
At times, it might be difficult to understand Tolle’s statement that “To regain awareness of Being and to abide in that state of ‘feeling-realisation’ is enlightenment.” Have patience. Every idea will be disclosed (or at least given a more thorough explanation).
In the end, Tolle guides readers into a new way of thinking—or, more accurately, not thinking—that eliminates the consuming behaviours of fear, anxiety, and waiting. To begin, one must put a stop to the “delusion of time.
Are you constantly trying to get somewhere else than where you are?” he wonders. Is the majority of what you do only a means to an end? If that’s the case, Tolle has a book full of suggestions.
Even though this may seem straightforward, Tolle’s writings have spiritual value and depth, particularly for stressed-out Westerners whose lives are weakened by hectic schedules and busyness. -Gail Hudson
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Second Review
This book was superior to “The Power of Now,” in my opinion. Although a lot of the information in this book is repeated in the other, I thought this book was clearer and simpler to read than the original. ‘The Power of Now’ had a lot of confusing information that this book does not appear to have covered.
I liked and comprehended this book, which seemed to include just the most important teachings from the original. It lacked the more intricate and maybe subjective elements that seemed to be present in the latter portion of the original.
It is clear that ‘Practicing the Power of Now’ presumes that the reader has read the first and/or is already familiar with the fundamental ideas of his teachings; therefore, if you haven’t read either, start with ‘The Power of Now’.
I firmly think that the author of this book has attained enlightenment and authored it while in that state. I read several of his statements again and again in complete awe because they are so insightful. He highlights such basic facts that many of us ignore throughout our lives.
Even when I’m not reading this, I’m still considering how I can use it in my daily life. His words sounded so real. Since I know in my heart that what he says is genuine, I truly can’t find anything wrong with it.
Simply put, I had never heard it put into words before. The answers of life are in this man. All I have to do now is try to make believing become experience. Although I’m relatively new to these Buddhist-like ideas, Mr. Tolle has truly helped me to appreciate their potency. That’s the power of now.
Furthermore, I can guarantee that nothing he says directly contradicts Christianity, even if you’re a Christian like myself and find this kind of teaching to be a little dubious. He is hesitant to use some terminology, like God, due to their overuse; therefore, he avoids using them so as not to offend some readers.
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However, I have no issue with it at all. As a Christian, I can easily determine what he is talking about despite his ambiguity when describing the Source of eternal love, peace, and joy with which we are all connected.
His teachings all have an overarching message of love, peace, and surrender, which is highly compatible with Christian values. If anything, this book improved my knowledge of concentrated prayer and bolstered my faith.
Edit 4/27/19: Tolle occasionally attempts to utilise words from Jesus to bolster his teachings, despite his non-Christian beliefs. I have no idea why he acts in this way. He must be attempting to engage the Christian readers, based on my best guess.
Unfortunately, his cause suffers since he typically seems to misread Jesus. It is obvious that he does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God or as God in human form. Even though he is typically completely at odds with the message Jesus was conveying in the particular instance, I believe he just views Jesus as an enlightened person and attempts to highlight the parallels between his and Jesus’ statements.
Unfortunately, this has led the majority of my Christian acquaintances to instantly reject the remainder of his teachings as blasphemous or nonsensical. However, if you can ignore this contradiction, this book will still be immensely fulfilling. It’s a philosophical book, not a religious one, and I still think it’s the finest of its sort.
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Summary
According to The Power of Now (1997), living completely in the moment and distancing yourself from your thoughts are two ways to stop suffering and find inner peace. The book also teaches you how to separate yourself from your “ego,” which is a portion of your mind that tries to dominate your thoughts and actions.
It makes the case that by doing this, you may learn to live in the now, lessen the amount of pain you endure, strengthen your bonds with others, and generally have a better life.