| Title | : | The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1577314808 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781577314806 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 229 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1997 |
A word-of-mouth phenomenon since its first publication, The Power of Now is one of those rare books with the power to create an experience in readers, one that can radically change their lives for the better.
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment Reviews
-
It would be easy to dismiss this book as a fruit-salad of New Age and pseudo-buddhist clichés, mashed to a fine purée of nonsense and sold as a cure for what ails you in our age of secular alienation. In fact, that is what it is and that is what I'll do.
The book opens with what readers of religious texts, the erowid archives and Huxley's The Doors of Perception will recognise as a classic mystical experience, epiphany or trip:
"One night not long after my twenty-ninth birthday, I woke up in the early hours with a feeling of absolute dread... `Am I one or two? If I cannot live with myself, there must be two of me: the `I' and the `self' that `I' cannot live with." "Maybe," I thought, "only one of them is real."... I was so stunned by this strange realization that my mind stopped. I was fully conscious, but there were no more thoughts. Then I felt drawn into what seemed like a vortex of energy. It was a slow movement at first and then accelerated. I was gripped by an intense fear, and my body started to shake. I heard the words "resist nothing," as if spoken inside my chest. I could feel myself being sucked into a void... Tears came into my eyes. I got up and walked around the room. I recognized the room, and yet I knew that I had never truly seen it before. Everything was fresh and pristine, as if it had just come into existence. I picked up things, a pencil, an empty bottle, marveling at the beauty and aliveness of it all."
After this experience, Ulrich Tolle became a vagrant mystic for a period, rechristened himself Eckhart (presumably after 13th century Christian mystic Meister Eckhart) and eventually became a spiritual teacher, author and talk-show guest with extraordinary success.
The primary thesis of the book is quite sensible, if unshattering. We exist only in the present; our past and the future are mental constructs. It is a shame that our enjoyment of the present is so often ruined by regrets about the past and worries about the future. By being more intensely focused on the present, we can be more content and more fulfilled.
As this doesn't fill 229 pages we are treated to, among other things, lengthy discourses on the "pain-body", an interesting theory of menstrual flow as a means to enlightenment and the surprising finding that as a member of the human race, I carry personal complicity and responsibility for all crimes and genocides of the twentieth century including those carried out before my birth.
The style is generally chatty, though Eckhart occasionally uses a faux-dialectic to bring up obvious objections to his line of thought, to which he responds with withering scorn. One helpful feature is the use of a pause symbol (§) to indicate points at which "you may want to stop reading for a moment, become still, and feel and experience the truth of what has just been said".
The text is interspersed with brief analyses of quotations from various religious traditions, apparently garnered from many weeks studying fridge-magnets.
§
I am glad to have read the book, if only to have gained a greater understanding of contemporary popular New Age/spiritual literature. If this book changed your life, please do not attack me but have compassion for my ligatures to mind and pain-body which impede my understanding of it.
___
This is (unfortunately) one of my most-liked reviews. I'd just like to add that I don't automatically hate all writing on these themes. I would warmly recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki), The Miracle of Mindfulness (Thich Nhat Hanh) and The Courage to Be (Tillich) among others. -
There is no nice way to say this. I hated this book with a fiery passion. It did not make me feel at peace. Rather, it made me want to chew off my arm. I bet if we asked Eckhart Tolle why I felt that way, he'd say that I wasn't really listening to his message.
My problems with the book were as follows. First off, the tone of the book was extremely condescending. Written in a question/answer format, many of the answers started out with "You're not really listening" or "You don't understand what I'm saying." Way to kick someone when they're down, dude. Secondly, I felt that he frequently took philosophy and other spiritual messages and twisted them to fit his needs.
Basically, he wants people to stop thinking so much. I get the idea that as a culture we over-analyze and whatnot, but his message was basically to stop thinking all together. Sorry Eckhart, but not all of us can wander around for years at a time, sleeping on park benches in a state of euphoria.
Also, have you seen his picture on the back of the book? He looks like just the sort of guy who is plotting to take over the world. He wants us to stop thinking for ourselves so that he can think for us!
Sorry, back to reality. Basically, I didn't feel like this book offered any real direction or advice to those who seek it. -
Mr. Tolle spent two years sitting on park benches and simply "living in the moment" prior to writing this book. I doubt whether I will ever take the time in my life to do such a thing, however the suggestion he offers that we all spend a ridiculous amount of time either worrying about the future, or dwelling on the past has impacted me in a huge way. Until I read this book, I never noticed how in sane my mind can make me if I choose to let it. Tolle implores the reader to take the reigns of his own mind, focus on the beauty and love around him, just like we all did when we were children and the world was full of wonder. We are still in that same world, but our vision has been clouded by meetings, appointments, paperwork, debt, clocks ticking, deadlines approaching, past frustrations and dissapointments, the list goes on and on and on if you let it. Tolle suggest that we have the power to focus on this very moment, as it is the only one we really have. The past is past and the future is not here, and may not ever come. A very enlightening book. I highly recomdend it to anyone who would like to improve the quality of this moment of their life.
-
First of all, I must say I'm very much into all kinds of self-help books as well as new age stuff. I'm a believer! I read avidly all about OBE, reincarnations, karma, mindfulness, meditation practices and I try to make use of what I read in my everyday life. So, of course, I was looking forward to this book, especially as it was recommended to me by people whose opinion I value.
And my oh my, wasn't it total deception. I made it until about half of the book when I realized I really could take no more of this rubbish. Mr Tolle preaches his "wisdom" (which is not actually his at all) with a condescending, "I-know-it-all" attitude. He is the only one enlightened (of course). We are all only to listen to his truths and follow on a "as is" basis. No thinking of your own is allowed. Actually, thinking is bad for you, so should be used sparingly anyway. If you disagree with any of his points, he just haughtily replies that "you don't understand", "this cannot be accessed with your mind" etc etc. He regularly reminds you that you are the one belonging to the horrible human species that kill millions of others. I agree with that - but I wonder why he thinks of himself as someone who is above those ugly humans? What, is he so much of a "Being" now that his ancestor's sins don't concern him? The next step will be to call him God and bring him your money because it's too materialistic for you anyway :) And actually it's not a joke - when you see how many people aggressively defend his "great teachings" and attack anyone who does not agree about the "incredible spiritual value" of this book... well, does that remind you of something?
The basic ideas of this book - being in the now, not dwelling too much on your past and future, not giving too much power to your thoughts - are of course all highly relevant. But there are plenty of other books delivering the same message in much better style. Tolle is repeating the same things over and over again, mixing them up with bits and pieces of various religions and teachings. All that he had to say could be said in a couple of pages. But then again, writing a whole book is much better because you get to sell it to a lot of people. And although time may be an illusion, money for sure isn't ;)
Do yourself a favour and read something else if you want to learn the power of now. A collection of simple meditations made me feel much more present and at peace than this boring mumbo-jumbo. -
There is a point in our lives when we say enough is enough. This is what this book is about. In one of his greatest works Eckhart Tolle teaches us the real meaning of spirituality. He teaches us the importance of the present moment. Through the recognition of the ego he makes us aware of how it destroys our lives. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for the real meaning of their lives and to anyone who is sick and tired of the usual thing.
The first time I encountered this book was when Oprah was introducing her book club selection, a new earth. I heard her mention this and while I was searching in the online catalog of our school library here in the Philippines I found it available for borrowing. So I immediately read it in the course of five days. After reading it the first time I understood its message intellectually. This was the reason why I didn't apply it in my life. But a few days ago I started having panic attacks and I was on the verge of suicide. I was so frustrated because I made a wrong decision in shifting my courses here in my school. I was so depressed because I didn't really know what I wanted with my life. It seems that the world is so full of shit. When this became worse I consulted our school counselor. However it seems that it is not enough. So without any real reason at all I started watching Oprah's videos about A New Earth and I remembered this book. I borrowed it again yesterday and just awhile ago I finished reading it. Then I began to understand it not on the level of the mind but at the level of the spirit. And without incident I became enlightened. I am still starting to feel its benefits at this moment. I started accepting what is rather than identifying myself with the ego. I can't say that I'm happy after reading this book like some "self-help" books would like you to be. But I can say that I am at peace because I aware of the workings of the ego and not identified with it.
So if you've had enough of the madness of this world I definitely recommend this book. But don't just understand it, apply it. -
The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle
The book is intended to be a guide for day-to-day living and stresses the importance of living in the present moment and avoiding thoughts of the past or future.
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «آدمی دیگر»؛ «تجربه حضور در لحظه ی حال»؛ «تمرین برای رسیدن به جادوی اکنون»؛ «تمرین نیروی حال»؛ «زندگی ایده آل و آرامش درون»؛ «زیستن در حال»؛ «شور حال»، «قدرت اکنون»، «قدرت حال»؛ «قدرت حضور در حال»؛ «کلیدهایی برای زندگی سالم و بهتر»، «لذت حضور یا اقتدار اکنون»؛ «نیروی حال»؛ «نیروی حال رهنمونی برای روشن بینی معنوی»؛ «شکوه زندگی در لحظه ی حال»؛ نویسنده: اکهارت تول؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز پنجم ماه ژوئن سال2002میلادی
عنوان: تمرین نیروی حال؛ نویسنده: اکهارت تول؛ مترجم: فرناز فرود؛ تهران، کلک آزادگان، سال1381؛ در109ص؛ شابک9649306331؛ چاپ چهارم سال1384؛ چاپ پنجم سال1386؛ شابک9789649306339؛ چاپ ششم سال1389؛ چاپ دیگر سال1393 در111ص؛ موضوع زندگی معنوی از نویسندگان آلمانی تبار کانادا - سده20م
با عنوان: لذت حضور، یا، اقتدار اکنون؛ اکهارت تلی (تول)؛ مترجم دلآرا قهرمان، فرحنازحیدری؛ تهران، سخن، سال1386؛ در367ص؛ شابک9643721671؛
با عنوان: شور حال؛ مترجم: سوسن پیرنیا؛ تهران، بافکر، سال1388؛ در250ص؛ شابک9789649098128؛
با عنوان: زندگی ایده آل و آرامش درون؛ مترجم: پروین خیاط غیاثی؛ تهران، نوآور، سال1389؛ در248ص؛ شابک9789642804498؛
با عنوان: زیستن در حال؛ مترجم: مهدی الوانی؛ تهران، نشر نی، سال1389؛ در271ص؛ شابک9789641851790؛
با عنوان: قدرت حال؛ مترجم: غزال رمضانی؛ تهران، وانیا، سال1393؛ در280ص؛ شابک9786006564296؛
با عنوان: تمرین نیروی حال؛ مترجم: فاطمه مشایخی؛ تهران، سیوا، سال1394؛ در130ص؛ شابک9786006974118؛
با عنوان: قدرت اکنون؛ مترجم: مهدی خاتمی؛ تهران، آرنا، سال1394؛ در249ص؛ شابک9786003561373؛
با عنوان: آدمی دیگر؛ مترجم: سیامک عاقلی؛ تهران، نامک، سال1395؛ در220ص؛ شابک9786006721583؛
با عنوان: تجربهی حضور در لحظهی حال آموزشهای ضروری�� مراقبه و تمرینهایی برای زندگی آزاد و رها؛ نوینده: اکهارت تله؛ مترجم: ئاسو همایوننژاد؛تهران، فراروی، سال1387؛ در124ص؛ شابک9786005947120؛
و ...؛
یک شب، در سال1977میلادی، در سن بیست و نه سالگی، پس از سالها رنج ناشی از افسردگی شدید (تمایل به خودکشی)، یک دگرگونی ژرف را تجربه میکند، آن شب، در حالیکه با رنج غیرقابل تحمل افسردگی، از خواب برمیخیزد، به یک شهود دگرگون کننده دست مییابد؛ او این تجربه را، اینگونه روایت میکند: «من نمیتوانستم خودم را تحمل کنم؛ ناگهان پرسشی به ذهنم آمد، که جوابی برایش نداشتم؛ این من کیست، که نمیتواند خودم (سلف) را تحمل کند؟ ناگهان، با یک فضای خالی، روبرو شدم؛ در آن لحظه، نمیدانستم، که خودِ ساخته شده توسط ذهنم؛ با تمام سنگینی، و مشکلات و زندگی کردن، یا در گذشته ی ناخوشایند، و یا آینده ی ترسناک؛ فروریخته، و ناپدید شده است؛ فردا صبح، که از خواب برخاستم، همه چیز، در صلح و آرامش بود؛ چون دیگر از خود (سلف) خبری نبود؛ تنها بودن، و حضور را، تجربه میکردم؛ تنها مشاهده گر بودم»؛
این احساس ادامه پیدا کرد، و او، حسی نیرومند از آرامش را، در تمام موقعیتهای زندگی، تجربه کرد؛ «تولی» تحصیلات دکترای خود را، نیمه کاره رها کرد، و به مدت تقریباً دو سال، بیشتر وقت خود را، در پارک «راسل»، در مرکز «لندن»، در حالتی از سرخوشی ژرف، به تماشای جهان نشست؛ «اکهارت تله (تولی) (زاده روز شانزدهم ماه فوریه سال1948میلادی در آلمان)، نویسنده و معلم معنویِ، و شهروند «کانادا» هستند؛ ایشان پس از انتشار دو کتاب پر فروش «نیروی حال»، و «زمین جدید»، به شهرت رسیدند؛ در سال2011میلادی، از سوی «واتکینز ریویو» به عنوان تأثیر گذارترین شخصیت معنوی جهان، معرفی شدند؛ در سال2008میلادی، ستون نویس «نیویورک تایمز»، ایشان را، محبوبترین نویسنده ی کتابهای معنوی، نامید؛ «تولی» ادعا میکند، که بیشتر سالهای زندگی خویش را، تا پیش از بیست و نه سالگی، که دستخوش یک دگرگونی درونی شد، در افسردگی، بگذرانده است؛ پس از آن تجربه، او چند سال را، بدون کار، و سرگردان، اما در حالت سرخوشی درونی، گذراند، و پس از آن، یک معلم معنوی شد؛ بعدتر، او به «آمریکای شمالی» مهاجرت کرد، و کتاب «نیروی حال» را، در سال1997میلادی منتشر کرد؛ او ده سال در «ونکوور کانادا» زندگی کرد؛ تا سال2009میلادی، تنها در «آمریکای شمالی»، سه میلیون نسخه، از کتاب «نیروی حال» و پنج میلیون نسخه از کتاب «زمینی نو (زمین جدید)» به فروش رفته است
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 29/10/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 15/09/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
Also on my bookshelf is a review of Tolle's THE NEW EARTH. I read it because of the recommendation from Oprah. In that review I said he used 300 pages to say what he could have said in a 10 page essay. I read this book because someone I know said it was great. I think it's just another bunch of psycho-babble bullshit this rich con-man threw together. Really people....if you have issues, go get help without throwing your money away on this kind of crap. No, I did not buy it....the book is a loaner that I will eagerly return.
The message in both books, in my opinion is exactly the same...live for today. This guy is good at taking a cliche, wording it 43 different ways and calling it a book.
Back in the mid-1960's....a group called 'The Grass Roots' said Live for Today in about three minutes. Great song...download it....Michael -
Eckhart Tolle is a German-born spiritual teacher and author. In this book, he tells us about enlightenment by spiritual awakening. He tells us the importance of focusing on the current moment without overthinking about the past and the future.“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.”
-
It's the way this book made me feel like I was in a University lecture
-
Upon 2nd reading of this book, I realized that any form of negativity I may have in the moment actually reflects a resistance to the present moment - a refusal to accept the here and now (which is the only reality).
Previous to this, I had thought that negativity simply is - and therefore should simply be noticed and accepted as part of the current reality, and not struggled against.
True, negativity shouldn't be railed at nor struggled against - but should instead be simply noticed. And noticing negativity includes awareness that it involves my resistance to the here and now, and my choosing instead to be wrapped up in my thoughts - and that there is a liberating alternative that is actually what is true and real. -
This is an amazing book. Try not making any of your religious beliefs the reason for not reading this book. Being a Buddhist myself, I can see how Buddhists might not give this book any chance due to the word 'Enlightenment' in its title. Give this book a try and it'll sure to be at least an eye-opener for you in ways one cannot imagine.
Though irrelevant for someone who has read the book already, others may be surprised to find how logically the author has presented these teachings while using many real life scenarios to help readers grasp the concepts fully. Few hours you spend on this book will give you a lesson that is life long. -
i loved this book so much i'll probably read it again, I agree with the author on so many things .... like the fact that the word “God” is misused and By misuse, I mean that people who have never even glimpsed the realm of the sacred, the infinite vastness behind that word, use it with great conviction, as if they knew what they are talking about. Or they argue against it, as if they knew what it is that they are denying. This misuse gives rise to absurd beliefs, assertions, and egoic delusions, such as
“My or our God is the only true God, and your God is false,” or Nietzsche’s famous statement “God is dead.”
and Lots of confusing moments like this ...........“I cannot live with myself any longer.” This was the thought that kept repeating itself in my mind. Then suddenly I became aware of what a peculiar thought it was. “Am I one or two? If I cannot live with myself, there must be two of me: the ‘I’ and the ‘self’ that ‘I’ cannot live with myself, there must be two of me: the ‘I’ and the ‘self’ that ‘I’ cannot live with.” “Maybe,” I thought, “only one of them is real.
-
The Power of Now really exists, no matter how much it always seems to elude us. But it hurts to find out how ephemeral it really is.
And the World of Grunge mocks us mercilessly for seeking it.
Mozart once magically turned a spirit named Papagena into a flesh-and-blood damsel, but only now and again - (gone again in a flash!) just as Eckhart Tolle’s fabulous vision soon eluded him….
Such are the rough breaks for Papagena and her would-be paramour Papageno, you see, in the opera The Magic Flute:
And Papagena will remain ever elusive, up until the time her mythical kingdom’s semi-divine Crown Prince Tamino takes his radiant bride-to-be Tamina straight through the healing purgatorial fire, and purges Sarastro’s magical realm of its latent Evil.
And its nefarious Queen of the Night.
Into such storybook terms classical Freemasonry would put this book - along with that soi-disant Mason Amadeus.
(All this happens, by the way, in a heavenly production - which is available anytime, anywhere, on YouTube. Check it out!)
But what IS that purgatorial fire to us, here in the Twenty-First Century?
That fire, which leads us within sight of a now-permanent Kingdom of Now, is the pain of Christian asceticism. Not at all common, of course, in our world - save for in a few ‘oddball’ hermits.
Oddball, because the Corporation Man has exiled them from our safe, middle class world.
But why not try seeing it all Slant, as Eugene Peterson does so well in The Message?
Slant is SEEING, as if for the first time, what our world is up to - quite clearly. It’s no accident that organized religion is called suspicious and dangerous by a homogenized world of conformity.
But, of course you may say that I’m ranting.
Yes? So, friends, having said all that, then, I shall take my leave from this paltry, seemingly passé review…
But grin slyly as you will, you won’t take away that Magic Flute -
From this faraway land in the Fullness of Time - and with it, its Enlightenment.
But, wait… will YOU be there too?
That’s entirely up to you, my friend…
But the only alternative will BURN you, so make your choice wisely!
Glimpsing the Power of Now up close is one thing.
But living it for the rest of your life requires your utmost focus and stamina:
And it's the Best Thing We can Do for Ourselves. -
صاحبني هذا الكتاب اسبوعا كاملا .. على رغم انشغالي الهائل .. كان تفكيري منصب حول ماهية الآن ..
ربما التجربة التي مررت بها كانت قاسيه لتجعلني افكر بحلول "الآن" .. وهذا الكتاب كان بمثابة هدية من الله ان وهبني اياه بهذا الوقت
طريقك للخلاص من الافكار والأنا التي تتماثل مع العقل لتتعسنا لترجعنا للماضي لتثبت اننا لانعيش إلا من بقاياه او بالمستقبل وكان السعادة ستأتي من خلال كذا وكذا .. او من خلال الماديات او ماسيأتي في المستقبل ..
الكتاب بال 200 صفحة يحومون حول الفكرة التي مفادها كيف تعيش اللحظة وتنسجم معاها بحيث لاماضي ولامستقبل
شكرا استاذي اكهارت .. شكرا ممتنه بأنك انقذتني من نفسي السلبيه ..
لولا الله ثم كتابك الملهم لما اصبحت بنفس قوية تستطيع ان تمحو الماضي ..
ملاحظة فقط :
الترجمة للاسف ليست جيده .. عانيت جدا حتى افهم مابين السطور .. الكتاب لاشك انه عميق لكن الترجمة ظلمته .. -
I passed this book dozens of times in my yoga studio back in 2003. It was so popular and its praises so well sung by my yoga teacher, Steve Ross, that I thought it must be a bunch of new age mumbo jumbo. I didn't want to read it because I thought that it would entail jumping on some Los Angeles hippy bandwagon.
I opened myself up to Eckhart Tolle after watching him on Oprah's Spirit Channel and I'm so glad that I did. This book is really great. It contains such simple philosophy that is so hard to practice in our Western society. I hate to say something banal like "it changed my life," but I am really hoping that it did. I will definitely be referring back to it often. -
Loy Machedo’s Book Review – The Power of Now by Echkart Tolle.
Before I start thrashing the book, let me give you a few interesting facts.
• The book was published in the late 1990.
• Initially around 3000 copies were printed.
• Oprah Winfrey the great influencer recommended this book in her magazine (did she even understand the book?)
• After this debacle, the sales shot up to 3 Million Copies translated into 33 languages. (Its no surprise why every author wants Oprah to recommend their book).
So lets start my review. Yes folks, My gazillion dollar book review that may be only 300 people per day may read. The big emphasis is on the word ‘may’.
Overview:
The author tries to give an explanation into topics like:
Life in the Now.
Ego & Non Ego Enlightenment
The Manifested & Not Manifested
Transformation & Just being.
(not exactly in that order but that a small nutshell)
So that’s about it.
Now starts my Book Review.
People like Deepak Chopra, Echkart Tolle, Joe Vitale should either be spanked until their bottoms become permanently so sore, that they should never be able to sit on their rear end or they should be hung upside down covered in a pile of stinking poo until they promise never to waste peoples time with their ‘woo-woo’ nonsense.
All Echkart Tolle has tried to do is splatter some spiritual words, some hard to define concepts, mixed it up with some logical confusion, lots of mumbo-jumbo, defined and twisted words, peppered it with mysticism, cooked it up with some crack pot experience, sliced it with some anecdotes and repeated the same concept is so many different ways – you will assume you are enlightened in the end, simply because your brains are either fried or numb with nonsense.
I mean in a world filled with people who are illogical and confused about the god myth, to the different kinds of gods and different versions of gods, you bring some cocaine induced neutral sounding deep nonsense and the next thing you know – everyone is holding hands, closing their eyes and feeling the warmth of the spirit flow through them – which is nothing but BS!!!
I hated the book right from the time I read the first few lines. If you thought Wayne Dyer was nuts and Deepak Chopra was off his Cuckoo, then Echkart is on steroids of Self Delusion.
What a bloody waste of money, time and space these people are with their nonsense. I think people should wake up, get real and stop following these woo-woo teachers with their nonsensical philosophies.
Personally, he may appeal to a bunch of lost idiots on our planet (and I am sure there are many of them), but I’m sorry, I am not part of that mumbo-jumbo-om-chanting-peace-flowing-spiritual-seeking-delusional-club.
I am as real as they get.
Period.
Overall Rating
Minus 10 out of 10.
What a bloody waste of time!
And if anyone wants to purchase the books from me – PLEASE contact me ASAP!!!
Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com -
I was excited to read this book. I am drawn to the power of thought, the law of attraction mixed with letting go of the past and living in the moment. I thought this book would further teach about how living in the now is so important, as present moment really is all we have. However the way this book was constructed was poor. The Q & A weren't very helpful as the questions posted weren't even any questions I would have asked and oftentimes his answers were rude... say things like "you don't understand what I am saying"... I was like "Hello, I didn't even say that so why am I reading a chapter on something "the book says" I don't understand. By the end it was as if he is saying we should be mindless, thoughtless drones who pay more attention to the leaves of the tree instead of the fact the tree is falling on us about to crush us. He did have several good points, such as not spending so much time worrying and thinking about the things that have already and have not happened yet.
We do need to be more mindful of ourselves in the Now... really pay attention to our actions and the kinds of thoughts we have. Once we recognize a harmful pattern we can have the awareness to change those aspects of ourselves. Living in the present is so important, but the way it was written in this book was just not for me, it was simply as if I was being told what to do and any other way is wrong... not a good tone in my opinion. -
I've read a few books with similar messages about living in the present, being mindful, and grateful--it's a very zen-like message--but this book was different. Tolle explains that we are not our thoughts.
"The very fact that we can objectively observe our thinking, he reasoned, suggests that the constant and often negative dialogue in our heads is separate from who we are."
That's a quote I took from the interview between Tolle and Oprah from the May article in O magazine since I think it sums up the powerful message of this book the best. I liked his explanation of being still, and the question and answer form of the book, where he explains how it helps people refocus on what matters. -
I like Echkart Tolle. I recommend this book if you are into new age spirituality or not. Even if you aren't into spirituality at all, check it out. I mean, jeez, spiritual enlightenment for less than $20, how could you go wrong?
I sometimes struggle with doubts about him, but I do this with all spiritual teachers. Another reviewer described him as a "pompous fraud" who "steals the classic works of Eastern cultures and repackages them in a poorly-written and impossibly stupid manner." My consciousness isn't evolved enough to know absolutely for sure one way or the other.
There are some very useful concepts in this book for me, presented in a very useful way. None of them are new, and E. Tolle says as much. The more I learn about the great wisdom teachings the more they seem to me to be the same, harmonious with each other. So, he is just adding his voice to the harmony.
The way Tolle presents the teachings make intuitive sense to me and helps me make use of them. Your mind wants you to think it is in charge, don't be fooled. Be aware of your emotions, they provide interesting guidance and input. There is no reality but the present moment, everything else is either a memory about the past or a fantasy about the future.
I would hang out with Eckhart Tolle, and reading his books might be as close as I'll ever get. I think hanging out with the little sprite is cool. -
I am up at stupid o'clock because my redneck neighbors upstairs are fighting once again. I'm sure whatever it is about, it has nothing to do with "Now". It's got to be about something such as, who took who's cigarettes, beer, and baby mama yesterday and what they plan to do to each other tomorrow in revenge. But what they are really doing is ruining my "now"......you flippin' ASSHATS! *shakes her fist at the ceiling fan*
Anyway......I digress.
Eckhart Tolle had an epiphany, or, a complete mental break depending on which side of the spiritual fence you sit on. As a young man, Eckhart was all about the mind/intelligence. During the time he was a student one of his professors, who's mind he admired greatly up and committed suicide - undoubtedly due to the pressure he and others put on him. This puzzled Eckhart. How could such an intelligent person choose to end their life?
This he put aside, as we all do, and went back inside his head and his anxieties. Then one night he woke up with an overwhelming sense of dread and anxiety. But instead of taking the same route as his professor took, he heard someone or something say "accept everything", and that's what he did. Just then he felt like he was sucked into a void, just nothing at all. When he woke up in the morning everything seemed brand new and fantastic......and he new all the stuff he put in this book.
This book is full of good stuff such as....
Nothing ever happened in the past, and nothing will happen in the future. Everything that happens only happens right now......so dwelling on it or worrying about it just messes with your head, so try not to do it.
If you find yourself in an intolerable situation, you have three options. Remove yourself from it. If you can't do that, change it. If you can't do either, accept the situation completely (at least for now). Because bitching about it does no good.
There is more good stuff, so read the book if you want to know.
There are also lots of silly new agey terms like "Pain body", which is unfortunate since your too busy chuckling to take the serious stuff serious, but I really liked this book and got a lot of good information from it. -
Eckhart Tolle tells us about spiritual awakening in this book. In a nutshell, its saying that being deeply focused on the present will allow us to feel contented in many aspects of our life.
Eckhart explains that some passage may seem repetitive at times : he is right. It’s an interesting subject but I found it vague to understand and practice. It did not resonate with me at all. I am still glad I tried this book as its usually not the type I read. -
Another one of those awesome, life-changing books!
-
Pues 5 estrellitas para este maravilloso libro!
-
Ughh this is such a disappointment for me. But hear me out, 1. This book was written in 1997. 2. It was his first book. and 3. It's outdated, in terms of content and his wisdom.
I felt like (obviously) he has grown into a more spiritually depth person since writing this book, which is quite clear in his other books, A New Earth & Stillness Speaks (a few of my favorite books, literally ever).
I felt like he was just starting his path to enlightenment when he wrote this book. It was a bit repetitive and written in a very dogmatic way. He would state something as if it were a fact and he KNEW the way instead of giving his ideas as theories as personal experiences. It was kind of annoying tbh, I felt like I was reading a religious text that people studied as laws and tried to follow their life by instead of taking advice and putting it into action into their day to day lives.
That said, it was is first book, it was written in 1997, so please don't judge his teachings on this book. I still will forever say he is a genius and has changed my life forever. If you haven't read an Eckhart Tolle book, read A New Earth or Stillness Speaks. -
If I could give this book less than one star, I would. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever disliked a book as much as I did this one. There were some good points made. They could have all been contained in about four paragraphs. As written, the book was repetitive, boring, and repeatedly insulting to the reader.
First of all, I'm wary of anyone who declares him or herself to be "enlightened". The author's early description of finding enlightenment sounds far more like mental illness. Second, he has created a theory with which no one can argue. If one argues with any of it from a point of logic, the author can just take the high-handed response of "yes, you feel that way because you're not enlightened as I am". Finally, I found the portion of the book about a woman's menstrual cycle to be ridiculous. It sounded as if it had been written by a 12 year old boy who had little understanding and was disgusted by the female body's natural process.
I will try to walk away with the few nuggets of wisdom that this book had to offer, but I don't think it was worth having to wade through several tons of...manure...to obtain them. -
This book came highly recommended on a blog I read, and it was recommended alongside another book in the same vein that I read and loved - so I thought, "Why not?"
And here's why not:
Although the book has a handful of insights and important concepts overall (which you could probably pick up from ANY book about meditation - you know, things about going through life consciously rather than unconsciously, aware of emotions and separate from judgement, accepting of the present rather than dwelling in the past or future) this book is written in the most circuitous, repetitive and bland way possible, using made up buzz words that barely make sense ("pain body", "psychological time", "unmanifested") and the author frequently comes across as short-tempered, pompous and condescending, ie "I already told you that!"
As the book instructs you to make the use of time you spend waiting (in line, in traffic, etc) to become fully present and aware of yourself, your body and your surroundings as a type of mini-meditation, it also instructs you to be an annoying ass:
P.87: "Next time somebody says, 'Sorry to have kept you waiting,' you can reply, 'That's all right, I wasn't waiting. I was just standing here enjoying myself - in joy in myself."
This book is also peppered with Bible quotes throughout for some reason, and an extensive intro about how much Oprah loves this guy so you should, too.
