The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
by Eckhart Tolle
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Read in July, 2004
Tolle's book is an important one, a much needed reminder that is too easy to forget. All too often people can pass entire lifetimes 'missing the moment.' One can, like the worst type of junkie, become so comfortable with-and so used to-anxiety, worry, and procrastination that to simply experience tranquility in the present becomes an impossibility. For such people, the simple and inspirational teachings that The Power of Now details can incite a revolution in one's experience of being alive. Tha...more
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recommends it for:
fools and idiots
What a pompous fraud this guy is, this Eckhart Tolle. He steals the classic works of Eastern cultures and repackages them in a poorly-written and impossibly stupid manner. He talks about rocks being alive. But he doesn't say what makes them alive, what gives them that metaphoric quality.
This is metaphysics presented in a Naked Emperor fashion, packaged for those who are ill-educated and cloistered in a materialistic Judeo-Christian (read: American, British, Israeli) mindset. Nothing orig...more
This is metaphysics presented in a Naked Emperor fashion, packaged for those who are ill-educated and cloistered in a materialistic Judeo-Christian (read: American, British, Israeli) mindset. Nothing orig...more
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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 wa...more
The first time I encountered this book wa...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Fred by:
friendrecommends it for: most everyone
This is a hard one for me. I have it in audio book and am letting it rest.
Now I have finished it and rated it now. This is a good book because it has a lot of wisdom in it and meshes very well with other great spiritual teachings that are at the top of my list. It also meshes well with my own experience and common sense - a guideline that Buddha gave.
Bottom line, religious organizations from the major lines (Catholic, Protestant, or even evangelical or any other kind) have basically ...more
Now I have finished it and rated it now. This is a good book because it has a lot of wisdom in it and meshes very well with other great spiritual teachings that are at the top of my list. It also meshes well with my own experience and common sense - a guideline that Buddha gave.
Bottom line, religious organizations from the major lines (Catholic, Protestant, or even evangelical or any other kind) have basically ...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
spiritual seekers, folks dealing with negative emotions
I finally finished this book for the second time! Its the type of book you should revisit every now and then - probably best to read sections rather than the entire thing as the book is somewhat redundant and the format can get tiresome. Redundancy can also be a good teacher! Picking up this book every now and then is a good reminder to be present, and to work on applying some of the teachings. In fact, a lot of the content of this book will be "reminders" for folks who spend a dece...more
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Read in June, 2008
If you can get past the initial assumptions like--
"If I cannot live with myself there must be two of me" nonesense --- there is much worthy of thought --- OH dear there I go thinking and according to Tolle the mind is not my friend! He suggests that the mind uses us for its own purposes rather than our using it to analyze -- in fact part of his formula is not to overthink things! I personally am glad that not everyone buys this idea! A little thought goes a long way to help us see...more
"If I cannot live with myself there must be two of me" nonesense --- there is much worthy of thought --- OH dear there I go thinking and according to Tolle the mind is not my friend! He suggests that the mind uses us for its own purposes rather than our using it to analyze -- in fact part of his formula is not to overthink things! I personally am glad that not everyone buys this idea! A little thought goes a long way to help us see...more
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Read in February, 2008
This book is a little scary. First of all, it has that "I know you're just reading this on the bus or subway so you're going to forget what I said in the previous chapters, so I'm going to repeat, er I mean, reiterate what was previously said" phenomenon that Aaron and I have been discovering lately in some new non-fiction books we've been reading. Secondly, all this repetition can come off as a freakish brainswashing experiment.
All that being said, I like old Eckart's premise that...more
All that being said, I like old Eckart's premise that...more
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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 stupi...more
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 stupi...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone interested in evolving spiritually
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 re...more
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Read in March, 2008
It's ait. Actually, I picked up the wrong book. (or, did I?) I meant to pick up Oprah's book club selection "A New Earth" also by Tolle.
I wasn't paying attention when I took this one. (or, was I?) JK
It's better than most self-help, spiritual books. It's more thorough and its question-answer format is helpful for the most common questions Tolle has been asked over the years. It's clearly and simply written so that the depth of his message is understandable, but not diminishe...more
I wasn't paying attention when I took this one. (or, was I?) JK
It's better than most self-help, spiritual books. It's more thorough and its question-answer format is helpful for the most common questions Tolle has been asked over the years. It's clearly and simply written so that the depth of his message is understandable, but not diminishe...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Jillian by:
Oprahrecommends it for: Tracy Baptista
I was skeptical of this book at first since I can't stand Dr. Phil and this guy is like Oprah's spiritual guru and sometimes as much as I love her-she's got some strange ideas about who is enlightened and who is not...but I loved this book. 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 obser...more
"The very fact that we can objectively obser...more
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Read in April, 2008
i wish i could give 1/2 stars. this book would get a 2.5.
it was informative and closed a few gaps for me. ultimately, i think it could have been written in a much better fashion. the q&a format jumps around and the generic tone of the questions makes me feel as if i should be reading a book "for dummies". i highly encourage others who are interested in seeking answers to the same nagging questions which prompted me to read this book start first by reading Charles Haanel's Th...more
it was informative and closed a few gaps for me. ultimately, i think it could have been written in a much better fashion. the q&a format jumps around and the generic tone of the questions makes me feel as if i should be reading a book "for dummies". i highly encourage others who are interested in seeking answers to the same nagging questions which prompted me to read this book start first by reading Charles Haanel's Th...more
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Read in October, 2004
I love this book, but it is an acquired taste. It's definitely not for everyone. It is very "new agey" and cerebral. I actually have never read it in book form, but have listened to it as an Audible.com book several times, which brings an additional "acquired taste" factor because it's read by the author who has an odd, hard-to-pin-down accent. Sometimes you feel like Sigmund Freud is talking to you. It can be hard to stay focused on it, but you reap great rewards when you ...more
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How much of your day is actually spent completely focused in the here and now? When you are working, how often do you find your mind wandering? How much of your time is spent thinking about what you are going to do next weekend or wishing you’d handled a particular situation differently?
The majority of us spend most of our life fixated on the past or worrying about the future. The present is just something that we gloss over until we realize that we missed out on something. Then, we yearn...more
The majority of us spend most of our life fixated on the past or worrying about the future. The present is just something that we gloss over until we realize that we missed out on something. Then, we yearn...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
Someone at the bottom of the hole with no way out
If you are looking for a self-help book, then go a head and read this one - it may actually help you. Otherwise, don't give it to someone else unless they are already actively seeking self-help/enlightenment advice.
Honestly, I couldn't get past the first chapter of this book. An acquaintance gave it to me; apparently he was worried that I wasn't a happy camper. It's closer to the truth to say that he has a bad tendency to try to change people when they don't fit he pre-determined picture of ho...more
Honestly, I couldn't get past the first chapter of this book. An acquaintance gave it to me; apparently he was worried that I wasn't a happy camper. It's closer to the truth to say that he has a bad tendency to try to change people when they don't fit he pre-determined picture of ho...more
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Read in August, 2005
recommends it for:
Any 1 who's looking for some real stuff in their life.
This book has the power to transform ur thougths into a universal life force. It explains how ego creates the mental/intellectual prison ...MAYA and how we remain trapped in it by living in our past or future but never in this very moment which is NOW...the only moment that exists. It's not that Ekhart tole is the first one to point all this stuff in his book....hell it's even in Astavakra Gita...book which was written more then 12000 years back , but what separates this book frm rest is that it...more
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Read in January, 2006
Since about the age of twelve, I've been somewhat burdened by the fact that I don't/can't believe in a "God" as put forth by most religions, an omnipotent being who created and controls it all. But that left me with a heavy solitary feeling which always lead to the question "why bother?" The spirituality that Eckhart Tolle describes in this book spoke to me instantly and is a means of re-inspiration every time I read it. I now do my best to turn off the noise of my mind (w...more
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Half of this book is just OK to me. It is a bit "self-helpy" in the sense that it presents the idea that NOW, SUDDENLY, IN AN INSTANT you can solve your problems and figure out life. Also, I am not so sure about the author's views on art, animals, and several other things he comments on. He also comes across as very convinced of his own enlightenment.
That said....
The other half of this book is some of the most astoundly insightful stuff I have ever read. It is pretty amazin...more
That said....
The other half of this book is some of the most astoundly insightful stuff I have ever read. It is pretty amazin...more
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Read in January, 2003
I don't know how many times I've read this book, but it should be mandatory in schools and corporate offices. I experienced a personal awaking (for lack of a better cliche) in my late teens, after a prolonged period of nightmarish depression and anxiety, which was almost identical to the one Tolle describes in his introduction. At the heart of this "awakening" was the deep realization that the present moment is all there is, that it is the eternal and unchanging in everything, and that...more
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Read in March, 2008
So, to all my friends who think I'm too "grounded" and "no-nonsense" to read a book about "living in the now," I apologize. I am not the person you thought I was. I like crunchy granola self-realization books, I don't just practice yoga for a hot tushie, and sometimes I chant. There, it's all in the open. I think this book is a really great summary of a lot of the things I've read on spirituality and mindfulness from Christianity to Buddhism, and the things the ...more
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avg rating (all editions): 4.13 (1707 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.13 (1543 ratings) number of reviews: 457popular shelves
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