wonderful
This is a wonderful book and a classic of spiritual wisdom.
The teachings are non dogmatic, practical and wonderful.
I recommend it to everyone.
fantastic book
This is absolutly one of the best books I have read. It is a must read for all of us.
The Power of Now
The Guide to EnlightenmentThe Power of Now:spiritual If you have not heard of Ekhart Tolle's The Power of Now by now, you must have been living in a cave. The Power of Now which was promoted by Oprah has "it" all. Living in the present is where our "power" is to experience our lives in the ultimate fullness we were intended and designed to do and isn't that what we all want to be capable of achieving. The Power of Now reveals how to accomplish this goal presenting all the pitfalls that delude us into past or future thoughtforms. how to revise and change those thoughtforms. What many may think of as "power" is not power over others however the power of ourselves to experience our lives owning our own power which is the way of not only living our lives being self empowered and experiencing the divinity and peace that lies within all of us.
Note to self: don't buy any more books promoted on Oprah
I do believe people can benefit from focusing on the present moment more, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Duh. Did it need to be repeated ad nauseum for however many pages though?
Also, what's up with this dude just "declaring" that he's all enlightened and s***? Says who?? Him?? Well gee, how convenient! And he just HAPPENS to want your money, too - what a coincidence! Don't you think if someone really was in such a state of peace and joy and love all the time, he would be doing this for free? OK, if focusing on the present moment works for him and he wants to write a book about it, cool - I respect that. But he makes a lot of declarations without telling us how he supposedly knows these things. He seems to be banking on the fact that people are just going to believe everything he says w/ out thinking critically about it. Unfortunately he seems to be right.
He says "humanity is evolving", and this can be achieved only thru focusing on the present moment. I'm not saying this is false, it COULD be true, but how does HE know that? Did God tell him? Is he psychic? Does he "just know"? Well I could claim to "just know" something too, and write a book about it, would everyone just believe me too? Who the hell is this guy, anyway? He doesn't appear to have any qualifications. All I can gather is that he had a "spiritual awakening" in which he sat on a park bench for 2 years in a state of utter bliss and peace. Ummm, did it ever occur to anyone he could be mentally ill? I'm just saying that maybe we shouldn't accept everything this man says just because he says it.
Also, I have yet to hear an explanation for how he was able to sit on that bench for 2 yr and still survive - did he live in a cardboard box? It sounds like he wasn't working. Was he independently wealthy? Oh, that's another thing, if he was that enlightened, why would he just sit there contributing nothing to society for that long? I would think he would be either out helping people, like Mother Teresa or Gandhi or somebody, or teaching people, like Jesus or the Buddha. How is sitting on a park bench helping anything? I'm not saying this dude is a fake, I'm just saying it sounds kinda suspicious.
I think if a REAL spiritual leader ever comes along again, we will know it, b/c they will want NOTHING from us. Not 1 single penny. Why would they? Not saying this dude is ill-intentioned; maybe he means well. But until someone comes along w/ a message about spirituality who does NOT want my money, I take everything these people say w/ a grain of salt.
OK, other issues: 1) He claims that if we are in the "now", we will not harm our environment. Well how do you figure? If we're only thinking about right now, then why would anyone recycle, conserve natural resources, etc.? It seems to me that the only reason people do these things is because they're concerned about the FUTURE of this planet, and the planet we will leave for our children. 2) I have a problem w/ his section on menstruation. I am a woman. As a man, I don't think Tolle really has any right to speak on this subject. Again, how does HE know all this? He just speaks on it as if he's the voice of authority we should all just believe w/ out questioning anything. Yeah okie dokie! Tell me where you're getting your information from first, then I will decide whether or not I believe you. 3) He warns us not to get "caught up" in our emotions. I've done and tried this many times, it only makes things a hell of a lot worse - the emotions are still there - if you don't allow yourself to feel them you're asking for problems. Speaking for myself, whenever I've tried to not feel what I'm feeling such as by focusing on "the present" and deluding myself into thinking I really have no problems, I either am literally unable to keep it up, or if I can, then the feelings just pop up later, often in the form of nightmares. So please don't tell me how to feel, Mr. Tolle, that doesn't sit well w/ me.
Last but not least, if you're a fan of Oprah, remember that a) she promoted The Secret. BTW, if you want a really good laugh, pick up The Secret (don't buy it tho, just flip thru it in a bookstore or something). b) she's responsible for Dr. Phil and c) in her magazines she advertises things like skirts for $3,000, or a coat for your DOG for $1,900! Meanwhile people are starving in the streets. And you're gonna trust the people this woman gets her spiritual advice from?
Great place to start
I really enjoyed the book. I am reading the book for the second time at the moment and I am also highlighting the important parts of the book because I know I will read it again. The book is put into very simple terms and the book will be easy to follow and understand.
(971 reviews)
