'Practicing The Power Of Now' By Eckhart Tolle
'Practicing the power of now' explores what it means to live in the present moment.
It may sound almost like an obvious thing - 'You mean that I'm not living in the present now?'
Not quite, at least not most of us... See, we carry an ongoing chatter inside our heads. And most of us live through that chatter, instead of in touch with what's actually going on.
As Tolle explains, we keep thinking all the time, we identify with the thoughts that come in, and through that identification we create a false sense of self.
'Practicing the power of now' shows how we can come to live in the now in a state of simply 'being', by "watching the thinker" in ourselves and therefore disidentifying from it.
In this sense, as Tolle puts it, "problems are illusions of the mind":
"'Problem' means that you are dwelling on a situation mentally without there being a true intention or possibility of taking action now and that you are unconsciously making it part of your sense of self."
I loved this book because as I was reading it I could find myself becoming more present and aware, and very observant of the thinker in myself. This book brought me great peace.
Other bits and pieces
I found 'Practicing the power of now' a very useful book, very helpful in the process of awakening (or 'enlightenment', as you might also call it). Here are some other bits and pieces from the book which I found interesting:
- On pain: emotional pain creates physical pain. Nonacceptance of the present moment makes us judge it and feel bad about it, which in turn causes physical pain and disease.
- On relationships: relationships can be enhanced by accepting what is and living fully in the present moment, without judging and labeling.
- On dealing with worries: there is no need to fear future situations, because those situations are not happening in the present, which is the only time that exists. As Tolle puts it, "All that you ever have to cope with is this moment".
- More: the roots of fear; where stress comes from; the ego; negativity; what 'waiting' really is...
This is one of those books that you want to read slowly and mark different parts, and come back to it again to fully comprehend its message.
If you're interested in becoming more awake to your own life, which will translate as a more interesting life that (I can promise) you will also like more, then 'Practicing the power of now' is for you.
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"All you need to do is accept this moment fully."
Eckhart Tolle
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