"The Power Of Now"
By Eckhart Tolle

"The power of now" by Eckhart Tolle is a very interesting book which explains what it means to live in the present moment through the normal issues that affect our daily lives.

It offers many important lessons and practical advice - it really is a treasures chest.

This book is easy to understand, and it is structured in the form of questions from different people with the answers that Tolle gives.

This book is followed by "Practicing the power of now".

One of the main points of the book is that the transformation of our consciousness is available now, as we abandon thought to become simply present: "So the single most vital step on your journey toward enlightenment is this: learn to disidentify from your mind."

The delusion of time

The reason why we fight with the now is because we're identified with mind, and we live exclusively "through memory and anticipation" - this is, we live in thought.

This is a useful way that Tolle gives us to find out whether or not we are living in the now:

Tools to live in the now

"The power of now" offers a number of tools to come back to the present moment, pointing at the fact that we can really use anything to return to the present:

• Through our bodies: "Direct your attention into the body. Is there any tension? Once you detect that there is a low level of unease, the background static, see in what way you are avoiding, resisting, or denying life - by denying the Now."

• Through silence: we become present when we listen to the silence. Tolle says, "Even if there is noise, there is always some silence underneath and in between the sounds. Listening to the silence immediately creates stillness inside you."

• Through space: "By becoming aware of the empty space around you, you simultaneously become aware of the space of no-mind, of pure consciousness: the Unmanifested."

Moreover, this book gives us practical tools to use negativity to become present: "Whenever you notice that some form of negativity has arisen within you, look on it not as a failure, but as a helpful signal that is telling you: "Wake up. Get out of your mind. Be present."

But how about if our present really is unbearable? Tolle says this: "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."

On relationships and more

"The power of now" has also many interesting insights regarding relationships; it adds a new perspective and practical advice so as to start having better relationships today:

"The power of now" also touches other topics:

• Fear: "It comes in many forms: unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension, dread, phobia, and so on. This kind of psychological fear is always of something that might happen, not of something that is happening now."

• Stress: "Stress is caused by being 'here' but wanting to be 'there', or being in the present and wanting to be in the future."

• Conflict: "Conflict [...] ceases when there is no longer any clash between the demands and expectations of your mind and what is."

The key

As Tolle states, all of the conflicts, negativity and unease that we experience is a result of resisting what is.

He asks: "Are you resisting your here and now? Some people would always rather be somewhere else. Their 'here' is never good enough."

The key to change the resistance that creates negative states is to surrender to the present moment: "To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad."

All in all, "The power of now" is a must-read book: it truly awakens us to the present moment, and it brings us closer to enlightment smoothly.

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