The Power of Now

The Power of Now
By Eckhart Tolle

While the subject may appear to be controversial on many aspects, Eckhart Tolle walks the line and draws everything together, bringing the prospect of spiritual enlightenment in to the realm of possibility. Tolle challenges one of the most argued words being God, by defining the word in enough different ways that any reader can find acceptance. In this book God is not “the guy upstairs” nor is God the guy that will judge you. God exists within that inner voice that seems to have been separated from you by your ego. And keep in mind we all have an inner voice. Tolle helps you understand where that voice comes from. Now I struggle with ego as the “bad guy”, where as Tolle qualifies ego as your false self. I had to work through that conflict through out the book. There are other potential conflicts that you may find yourself having to work through. So the two characters in this book are your “god self” and your false self named ego for efficiency. Tolle describes time as continuums in both a horizontal and vertical directions. The past and future are on one continuum separated by NOW, which expands vertically. So what one does with his time is the subject of this book.

From an enlightenment perspective Eckhart spends a bit of time illustrating how the ego is apt to construe the world by collecting past experiences and projecting them into the now and future. He helps the reader visualize that ego is constructing thoughts from the outer directed world and allowing them to impose not only on the present but also the future. Letting go of the false self, ego, allows a person to experience Now un-obstructed from the constructs of the mind and fully experiencing the moment. This is where time goes vertical. He suggests that in doing so one is connected to the knowledge of the universe, the all knowing, often times called God. He describes the mechanics of the process and the rewards found in the experience.

I can appreciate that the preceding paragraph is not sufficient for the average bear to grasp or buy in to the concept. Hence the book must be read, which is a very easy read, and can even be found on Oprah’s Book Club list. So let me share a couple of the dog-eared pages to shed at least enough light to compel you to pick up the book.

· Now let your spiritual practice be this: As you go about your life, don’t give 100 percent of your attention to the external world and to your mind. Keep some within. I have spoke about this already. Feel the inner body even when engaged in everyday activities, especially when engaged in relationships or when you are relating to nature. Feel the stillness deep inside it. Keep the portal open. It is quite possible to be conscious of the Unmanifested throughout your life. You feel it as a deep sense of peace somewhere in the background, a stillness that never leaves you, no matter what happens here. You become the bridge between the Unmanifested and the manifested. This is the state of connectedness with the Source that we call enlightenment
· Hence, the ultimate purpose of the world lies not within the world but in transcendence of the world. Just as you would not be conscious of space if there were no objects in space, the world is needed for the Unmanifested to be realized. You may have heard the Buddhist saying, “if there is no illusion, there would be no enlightenment.” It is through the world and ultimately through you that the Unmanifested knows itself. You are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold. That is how important you are.

I had dog-eared other pages, which speak to relationships, love, and death. All are worth reading. Keep in mind that the two bullets above were separated by many pages of illustrative concept to help with comprehension. Tolle uses the major religions, science and just good sound logic to bring his message to the reader. He challenges the reader, but offends no-one. He allows all walks of life to talk about spirituality and not get tangled up in religion. It is a refreshing bridge for humanity, and at the same time a bridge for ones inner self.