Animal lovers will enjoy this, Spiritual seekers will love this and spiritual seekers who are animal lovers will cherish this. A wonderful co-creation between the creator of "Mutts" comic, Patrick McDonnell and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle. This is a great coffee table book where McDonnell illustrates the teachings of Eckhart Tolle through the wisdom of "being" that our animal friends are constantly showing us. The animals truly are opening us up to love and living in the "now". Full of humor More...

Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell is a little gem of a book for any animal lover.

The iconic drawings of Patrick McDonnell (of Mutts) and the thoughts that Eckhart Tolle creates to accompany them are truly delightful.

"The vital function that pets fulfill in this world hasn't been fully recognized. They keep millions of people sane." And the dog in the illustration is looking back at the man at the other end of the leash and saying, "heal."

The message, told in many differen More...

It was Patrick McDonnell, the creator of the popular cartoon series Mutts, that first came up with the idea of approaching spiritual author Eckhart Tolle with the notion of a collaboration.

After all McDonnell’s simple, animal cartoons, often convey the essence of appreciating the world we live in while bring it down to the most basic level of the world of pets.

Echhart agreed, added some tweaks to McDowell’s original idea, and the result is ‘Guardians of Being,’ which is both a illustrated book a More...

Depending on who you are both of these names might be familiar. Tolle is a prolific spiritual writer and McDonnell is the artist for Mutts comic. They teamed up to produce this delightful little book. It’s really McDonnell’s art that makes the book. Tolle’s portion is to offer up zen sayings about life and the stillness of being etc but McDonnell’s art (using his Mutts characters) brings it to life. It’s a destressor of a book. The only drawback is it’s only worth the stiff hardback cover pric More...

We could learn a lot from our pets. Cats can spend hours perfectly relaxed in the warmth of a beam of light. Dogs are always fully present when they play. Cats and dogs live in the moment and are always fully present. They don’t doubt themselves or question their value. It is for this reason that they are the Guardians of Being.

Guardians of Being is written by Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now and A New Earth. His words are then accompanied by illustrations by Mutts creator Patrick McDo More...

I picked this one up because I'm a huge Mutts fan. It is a short, thoughtful book that encourages you to be in the moment, showing how our animals can help us remember to no think, but to be. McDonnell's art is wonderful, of course, and some of it is from previous work in his Mutts series, as our the characters used. A reminder of what is important in life, and how to take the time to enjoy life for what it is. Just like his comic art predecessor Charles Schultz, McDonnell reminds us with the he More...

Sweetest book ever! I am a fan of the author and the artist separately and was so excited to learn that they created a book together. Now I know why the Mutts comic struck a chord with me a couple years ago... McDonnell's work is influenced by his spiritual side. I found some of Tolle's books to be too abstract for me, but McDonnell's illustrations coupled with Tolle's words make the ideas much more accessible. I read through the book quickly and found myself laughing aloud often, but I plan to More...

Read for the North Houston Book Club.

I adore the art of Patrick McDonnell, and might have missed this book, due to the Eckhart Tolle connection. Not that I have anything against Tolle, or what little I know of his writing - I simply tend away from the metaphysical in my reading. I'm very glad that Holly suggested this for the February dual selection. As a long time fan of McDonnell I knew it had to be pleasing to look at, and the message is beautiful, and obvious, although judging by the world t More...

True happiness is found in simple, seemingly unremarkable things,
But to be aware of little, quiet things, you need to be quiet inside
A high degree of alertness is required.
Be still. Look. Listen. Be present.

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Most of us live in a world of mental abstraction, conceptualization, and image making - a world of thought.
We are immersed in a continuous stream of mental noise.
It seems that we can't stop thinking.

---

Just as the dog loves to chew bones, the human mind loves its problems. More...

Chris brought this book home from the library yesterday and I just sat down to thumb through it and found myself sucked in. It's a quick read, but one you'll want to go through more than once. The illustrations are delightful and really touching, fellow pet owners / animal lovers will agree. And I've always loved the words of Eckhart Tolle, despite my knee-jerk reaction to the word "God."

In short: Eckhart Tolle + Patrick McDonnell = Major Win.

I know nothing about Eckhart Tolle, but judging by this book (which may or may not be fair), his "philosophy" is just a deculturated buddhism.

I am really fond of Patrick McDonnell's MUTTS though, and my only disappointment was that some of the illustrations were repurposed from old strips and not unique to this book.

My favorite bit was this line:

"I have lived with many Zen Masters, all of them cats."

Such a sweet book! It explains what a positive difference pets make in the lives of their owners. Owners already know, but for people who think that pets require too much of our time and attention, this book explains that the time you give your pets comes back to you in healthy, life-expanding years. I always loved Patrick McDonnell's MUTTS cartoon strip and his illustrations really complete the text.

This was a fast read. I think it took me 10 minutes. A little repetitive, but with a couple great thoughts. I liked the comic where the guy says "Gee, I wonder what time it is." The dog starts barking "Now, Now, Now!" "Dogs always know what time it is." the man states.

Very cute and heartwarming.

Loved it. Beautiful text by Eckhart Tolle and illustrations by Patrick McDonnell. Reminds me of what's important in life--living in the present, love, and the beauty of nature and the world around me. If you're an animal lover and/or have a pet or even if you don't, it's a fun, touching read.

What a wonderful book for children! A bit too advanced for my 4 year old but Carter really loved it! We both remembered signing this song in church after we read it.
I have arrived, I am home,
In the here and in the now.
I am solid, I am free,
In the ultimate I dwell.
-Thich Nhat Hanh

While I LOVE the message of this book, I was a little frustrated that it didn't apply to a broader audience like most of the other books Patrick McDonnell illustrates. Still, I really enjoyed the book and still re-read it. I'm all for the connection between animal care and human respect.

this amazing picture book of Eckart Tolle's engaging and deeply resonating words, combined with lovely and simple cartoons by Patrick McDonnell, is an uplifting and quietly beautiful book of peace and serenity. gives me an even greater appreciation for animals and myself.

My nine year old son read this to me. He has no idea who Tolle is, but loves Mutts so he had to read it. Halfway into the book he said, "This sounds like the type of book you would write mom..." At least my son knows me well.

Great book, especially for those who are daunted by Tolle's other books. Very easy read, but full of spirit and truth.

This book is for anyone who loves, or who has ever loved, an animal. It has so much depth (and, yes, the illustrations are comics). As a wise sage (my sister!) said of this book, 'It highlights all the most meaningful things in this world...' It makes a wonderful gift!

An unexpectedly adorable collaboration between spiritual guru Eckhart Tolle and "Mutts" comic creator Patrick McDonnell, where Tolle's words & McDonnell's illustrations and comics pair in a delightful reminder to revel in the ordinary beauty of life all around us.

This is a wonderful book that marries the creator of Mutts by Patrick McDonnell to Eckhart Tolle. Eckhart's teaching is expressed through one of nature's gifts, dogs. It conveys through cartoon Eckhart's message of oneness and "The Power of Now".

A lovely, deep book. Written by spiritual thinker Eckhart Tolle and illustrated with some great cartoon-type visuals, it really flowed. It is how animals help us maintain our sanity and hopefully teach us some ways to just "be." Enjoy it!

Ordinarily I find Eckhart Tolle a bit over the top, but combined with Patrick McDonnell's sweet illustrations, this book won me over. It's a wonderful book for anyone who believes in the peace and joy that pets can bring into our lives.

I love Eckhart Tolle - even though he is almost too "deep" for me and I love my dogs!What a great combination for me. This book simplifies some of the concepts and shows pictures. I sound like a 1st grader but this book is a gem.

"I have lived with many Zen masters, all of them cats." This is a wonderful book that through simple words and charming cartoons shows us that our animal companions have much to teach us about being present and enjoying being.

This is a great introduction to Tolle's teachings. I read it to my class and its positive message of mindfulness had an impact. The illustrations add just the right accent to the text. Highly recommended.

"Just watching an animal closely can take you out of your mind and bring you into the present moment, which is where the animal lives all the time...an animal has no opinion about itself. It is."

This book touched me deeply. The combination of Tolle's wise words with the humor and simplicity of mcDonnell's art is breathtaking. I was moved to tears on more than one occasion

Simply sweet and meaningful. My reminder that winks at me from my nightstand when I need it. I pick it up and oh yes... I can't help but smile once more