It’s no surprise that The Power of Now has been translated into more than 30 languages and has sold over 16 million copies worldwide. The book leads readers on an energizing spiritual journey to uncover their genuine and deepest selves and arrive at the pinnacle of spirituality and personal growth, the revelation of truth and light, and goes far beyond simplistic ideas and cliches.
Tolle presents enlightenment and its inherent adversary, the mind, in the first chapter. He makes readers aware of their part in causing suffering and demonstrates how to live completely in the moment and have a pain-free identity.
The author demonstrates how to connect with the indestructible essence of our being, “the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death,” during the exciting voyage.
This book, which includes a new introduction by the author, demonstrates that enlightenment can only be attained once one has regained knowledge of Being, been freed from Mind, and is deeply present in the Now.
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About Author
World-renowned spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle conveys simple wisdom that transcends any particular religion, doctrine, or guru. His #1 New York Times bestselling book, The Power of Now, is a modern classic in the field of personal growth and spirituality. His other books include A New Earth and Stillness Speaks. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Review
This is a wonderful book or guide for realizing one’s full potential and understanding and appreciating the essence of mankind.
It truly shows us how to use the powerful tool that has been given to us, “The Mind,” without getting caught in it.
If you carefully listen to what is said in the book, you will see that it is a profound but fundamental understanding of our strong selves. The best part is that putting his lessons into practice is so easy and takes very little effort.
The book revealed to me
1. The mind is a tool, and its techniques will keep you in a “possessed” state instead of “you.”
2. The nature of the ego: The first step toward “realization” is to gradually start to separate yourself from egoic conduct as you start to understand the nature of the ego and realize how the mind-made ego has taken control of you.
3. Beyond only meditating or doing other spiritual exercises, how can we integrate spiritual practice into all of our interpersonal interactions and everyday activities?
(Remember that spirituality is about transforming and reaching your full potential, not just doing meditation or any other activity; these are the ways that “realization” happens.)
4. The book’s high point is Master Eckhart’s open encouragement for readers to examine all available spiritual teachings and select the one that best fits their needs. That degree of openness is not something I have observed in many of the spiritual teaching approaches used today.
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Summary
Life is a series of present moments, and regret and anxiety are common negative feelings. This is because our minds work 24/7, primarily preoccupied with the past and future. Living in any other moment than the present is useless, as everything happens there.
Tolle argues that pain is a result of resisting the things we can’t change. We think a lot about the future and the past but can only live in the present, having no means to change many of the things we’re unhappy about. We fill the gap between these by developing resistance to them, which manifests as pain, whether psychological or physical.
To free ourselves from pain, Tolle recommends two strategies: constantly observing your mind and not judging your thoughts. The first strategy is based on the quantum zeno effect, which states that you can freeze any system in its current state by constantly observing it.
Asking yourself this question over and over will usually delay your actual next thought, allowing you enough time to realize how much time you spend in autopilot mode. This way, you can start interrupting your mind and thus separating from it.
The second method is meant to help you listen to your body and learn to accept the constant, nagging thoughts in your head. The next time you wake up late for work, just listen to that voice that says, “You should’ve done better!” but don’t act on it.
Please acknowledge and recognize its presence, but kindly refrain from following its advice. These two tools will help you separate your body from your always-on, thought-driven mind, after which you’ll be in less pain because you resist the things you can’t change a lot less.