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Synopsis
“The Power of Now” is the first book by the German-born writer and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle. Although it had already been published in 1997, it only reached the #1 New York Times bestseller list five years later after Oprah shared which profound effects it had on her.
Since then Tolle has become globally renowned for his spiritual teachings and published multiple other books. Among them the bestseller “A New Earth.”
Until he was twenty-nine years old, Eckhart Tolle was plagued with anxiety and suicidal depression. One morning, as he hit rock bottom, Tolle underwent a sudden inner transformation. For months after that, he lived in a state of deep inner peace. People started to pick up on his blissful being and asked for his advice. “The Power of Now” is one of Tolle´s answers to that.
His primary teaching inside the book is simple: You can only find true bliss and inner peace if you live in the present moment!
Review
I had a very ambivalent reading experience. Although that was partly my own fault. I hadn´t informed myself about the book, and I had never read any other book by Eckhart Tolle. That´s why after only a few pages I had been quite surprised to find out how deeply spiritual this book is.
Now, I do not have anything against spiritual books, I actually find them rather intriguing. But it was indeed something to get used to.
After that, the first half of the book was more or less difficult to read. To me, it almost felt like Tolle was telling me over and over again only in different words that I needed to be present.
In addition to that, I struggled with accepting the extent to which Tolle wants you to separate from your mind.
But that reaction is to be expected, says Eckhart Tolle, since you keep thinking with your mind and your mind obviously doesn´t want you to break free from it.
But I believe that´s precisely what happened to me after half of the book. Suddenly, reading it became more comfortable. I began to comprehend the different messages and started to implement them into my daily life.
If I am anxious or frustrated about something I now concentrate on the present moment. Because in the present moment there are no real problems.
So, would I recommend you to read “A Power of Now”?
Definitely!
Even after reading half of the book, I noticed myself growing significantly. I am definitely going to reread the book at a different stage of my life.
If we could all just adopt the state of being in the present, our world would turn into a paradise. Literally.
So read the book and be part of the spiritually enlightened people that will change this world!
Read also: Reading List For Personal Growth
“To end the misery that has afflicted the human condition for thousands of years, you have to start with yourself and take responsibility for your inner state at any given moment. That means now.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Lessons
1. The present moment is all there is!
Our life consists of a series of present moments. The past and future are just constructions of our mind.
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
2. True inner peace and bliss can only be found in the present moment
If you think about the future, you often are anxious about things that are outside of your control. If you think of the past, you get depressed about things you can´t ever relive.
The present moment has no real problems. Are you angry and anxious to get late to work because you are standing in traffic? You are thinking ahead. Right then and there, in the present moment, you are sitting in your car. That´s it. There is nothing wrong about this exact moment.
Are you depressed, that you lost all of your childhood pictures with precious memories? That´s certainly a frustrating experience, but right now, at this moment, it doesn´t matter. There is nothing you can do about it right now. Accept the situation for what it is and focus on the present moment.
“All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of
nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
3. In every situation, there are only three main options for you to choose
“If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. If you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of those three options, and you must choose now. Then accept the consequences.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
4. Most people are rarely really present
Nowadays, we see it everywhere, but I believe the best example are tourists. Have you ever noticed how tourists, take hundreds, thousands of pictures while they travel, so that they can show them around and relive the moment once they are back home?
But in reality, they never really lived the moment in the first place. They merely witnessed parts of it through their camera screen.
Just be in the moment, completely. Turn of your mind put away any distractions and focus on your senses. What are you seeing? What are you hearing? How does it smell?
“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.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
5. Thinking does not equal consciousness
“Thinking and consciousness are not synonymous. Thinking is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
6. Situations do not cause unhappiness
It is no secret, that different people can perceive the same situation absolutely different.
Just take it as it is. Do not label it and be grateful to be experiencing that moment. That way, unhappiness won´t stand a chance!
“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
7. Happiness comes from within
Just think about all those celebrities who have fast cars, big houses, dream vacations, fancy clothes but are depressive or even commit suicide.
Outside pleasure is great, but it can´t create inside joy.
“Pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
8. You can go through life without ever living it
This is one of my greatest fears in life. To not enjoy the present moment enough and always live in the future.
Because one day, that future won´t come anymore.
Read also: 15 Ways To Live A Life You Won´t Regret
“It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
9. How to be more present
- Through self-observation. Observe your thoughts. The moment you realize that you are not present, you become present.
- Surrender to the present moment. Resignation
is not surrender ! Surrender means accepting the present moment for what it is without labeling it. Then you can recognize that you want to get out of it and take the necessary action.
10. The mind is the “enemy”
Now, this is a problematic concept, and I resisted it quite a bit. No wonder! We live in a society that praises thinking. The whole educational system raises us to constantly use our mind.
But if you are thinking, you are not in the present moment. Whenever we are thinking we lose the feeling of inner peace and are more prone to unhappiness.
Read also: 11 Effective Ways to Deal with Overwhelm
“Why does the mind habitually deny or resist the Now? Because it cannot function and remain in control without time, which is past and future, so it perceives the timeless Now as threatening. Time and mind are in fact inseparable.” – Eckhart Tolle
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
