‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle is a self-help book. The title is apt, ‘The Power Of Now’, because the book emphasizes living in the present moment.
“Hugely successful and internationally best-selling author Eckharte Tolle guides us through a challenging but extraordinarily rewarding journey to find the Power Of Now.”
“In the Now, we discover that we are already complete and perfect.” The past, and the future are part of your subconscious. The author advises the reader to let go of the baggage of the past and to stop worrying about the future because what has passed cannot be undone and what is in the future is not in our hands. Therefore, the present is the reality, and we need to make the most of it.
There are 3 myths.
Humanity has reached the pinnacle of its development. It signifies the more advanced stage of maturity and spirituality that engenders love, compassion, and kindness rather than a focus on the scientific developments which bring about a dis-contentment.
We are completely separate from each other, nature and its kosmos. Nature and mankind are not separate entities. They are interconnected.
The physical world is all there is. The last myth rejects the presence of the spiritual world altogether. This is a wrong perception. The spiritual and physical worlds go hand in hand.
The author then moves on to the inner dialogue or monologue that is going in your head. He tells us how to silence these inner voices. The clutter of these voices in your mind is creating confusion. It can only be addressed through mastering control of your mind. Keep repeating to yourself ‘I am not a slave of my mind’.
The ‘Being’ is referred to as God. Why is God a closed entity now? The answer is because of your false ego and the false ego causes a shadow of fear and suffering.
Sometimes there is a conflict between the mind and emotion. The mind will say no whilst the emotion or intuition will say yes. This is a tricky situation. But listen to your intuition. Your emotions and intuition are interconnected. There are negative and positive emotions.
Positive emotions such as love and joy are meant to be enjoyed just like the meaning of Buddha ‘the awakened’. The negative emotion of fear arises because of something that has happened in the past and not something that is about to happen. Why is there fear?
The physical fear would be, for instance, burning your hand but the psychological part would be stress, anxiety, worry, etc.
The following quote from the book advises the reader to measure the pros and cons of a situation and then act. Do not act on impulse. Make a calculated decision. Do not ruin your relationship with your boss, colleague, friend, or family but think of a nice, polite manner to put your choice forward.
“Accept and then act. Whatever, the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it. Not against it. Make it your friend, ally and not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.”
Guess the riddle!
Your life situation exists in time
Your life is now
Your life situation is mind-stuff
Your life is real
Which time realm is your life in?
When you immediately need something you are focused on the ”Now.”
The Manifest and Un-Manifest are two types of ‘Beings’. The Manifest is that which is present and can be seen, the Un-Manifest Being refers to the Al-Mighty, the Omniscient, and Omnipotent. This paradox of the present, yet the hidden paradox, is hard to resolve.
A great book, the essence of which is the reality of the balance between the mind and the soul. The ego and the sub-conscious are discussed in detail. The ego is the self, the subconscious is what you dream.
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