The Power of Now
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''The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment'' is a book by
Eckhart Tolle Eckhart Tolle ( ; ; born Ulrich Leonard Tölle, February 16, 1948) is a German-born spiritual teacher and self-help author of ''The Power of Now'' and '' A New Earth''. After being recommended by Oprah Winfrey, his first book, ''The Power of No ...
. It presents itself as a discussion about how people interact with themselves and others. The concept of self reflection and presence in the moment are presented along with simple exercises for the achievement of its principles. Published in the late 1990s,Tolle, ''The Power of Now'', 2005, p. xi. the book was recommended by Oprah Winfrey"From Power to Purpose"
''USA Today'', March 2, 2008.
and has been translated into 33 languages.
''The New York Times'', Times Topics, March 5, 2008.
As of 2009, it was estimated that three million copies had been sold in North America.


Philosophical outlook

The book draws from a variety of spiritual traditions, and one reviewer described it as "Buddhism mixed with mysticism and a few references to
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, a sort of
New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...
re-working of
Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
." It uses these traditions to describe a "belief system based on living in the present moment". Its core message is that people's emotional problems are rooted in their identification with their minds. The author writes that an individual should be aware of their present moment instead of losing themselves in worry and anxiety about the past or future. According to the book, only the present moment is real and only the present moment matters, and both an individual's past and future are created by their thoughts. The author maintains that people's insistence that they have control of their life is an illusion "that only brings pain". The book also describes methods of relaxation and meditation to help readers anchor themselves in the present. These suggestions include slowing down by avoiding multi-tasking, spending time in nature, and letting go of worries about the future. Some of the concepts contained in ''The Power of Now'', such as the human ego and its negative effects on happiness, are further elaborated in the author's later books, especially '' A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose'' (2005).


Selected chapters

The chapters of the book are: Various chapters emphasize a philosophy of destroying the destructive dominance of the mind and ego in an effort to overcome the pain body. According to the author, his philosophy is directed towards people and their search for personal happiness and also has the potential to give insight into historical disasters like the justification of what he sees as the evil of capitalism.


Introduction

In the book's introduction the author relates his past experiences of continuous anxiety with periods of suicidal depression. Later, when he was 29 years old, he had a personal epiphany and writes: "I heard the words 'resist nothing' as if spoken inside my chest." He relates that he felt as if he were falling into a void and afterwards "there was no more fear."


Chapter Two: "Consciousness: The Way Out of Pain"

In Chapter Two, Tolle tells the reader that they must recognize their personal ego "without the ego creating an antagonistic response to its own denial or destruction" and explains the purposelessness of the "mental pain and anguish" that people hold on to. According to the book: "The pain-body consists of trapped life-energy that has split off from your total energy field and has temporarily become autonomous through the unnatural process of mind identification." In this chapter the author writes: "pain can only feed on pain. Pain cannot feed on joy. It finds it quite indigestible". The author goes on to write that "many people live with a tormentor in their head that continuously attacks and punishes them and drains them of vital energy. It is the cause of untold misery and unhappiness."


Chapter Three: "Moving Deeply Into the Now"

In Chapter Three, the author writes: "In the normal, mind-identified or unenlightened state of consciousness, the power and creative potential that lie concealed in the Now are completely obscured by psychological time. You cannot find yourself by going into the past. You can find yourself by coming into the present. Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be."


Chapter Four: "Mind Strategies for Avoiding the Now"

In Chapter Four, Tolle says that "tomorrow's bills are not the problem" and can be a "core delusion" that changes a "mere situation, event or emotion" into a reason for suffering and unhappiness. The book also calls "waiting" a "state of mind" that we should snap ourselves out of.


Reception

The book was originally published in 1997 by Namaste Publishing in Vancouver. It was republished in 1999 by
New World Library New World Library is a San Francisco Bay Area-based American publisher of books for adults and children. The press focuses on publishing books concerning the mind, the body and the spirit. The company was established in 1977 by authors Marc Al ...
, and this edition reached and remained on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for years afterwards. The book has been translated into 33 languages, including Arabic. In 2000, the book was listed as recommended reading in Oprah Winfrey's ''O'' magazine and, according to Winfrey, the actress
Meg Ryan Meg Ryan (born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra; November 19, 1961) is an American actress. She began her acting career in 1981 when she made her acting debut in the drama film ''Rich and Famous''. She later joined the cast of the CBS soap oper ...
also recommended it. A Christian author, Andrew Ryder, wrote a dissertation saying that "Tolle moves the traditional hristianteaching forward by illustrating how our obsession with the past and the future ... reventsus from giving our full attention to the present moment." William Bloom, a spokesperson for the holistic, mind-body-spirit movement in the UK, wrote that "Tolle's approach is very body aware. He's done it in a nice accessible way for people." Some reviewers were more critical of the book. According to a review in the ''
Telegraph Herald The ''Telegraph Herald'', locally referred to as the ''TH'', is a daily newspaper published in Dubuque, Iowa, for the population of Dubuque and surrounding areas in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Mi ...
'', the book is not very well-written but contains some good teachings. Andrea Sachs wrote in ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine that the book is "awash in spiritual mumbo jumbo" and "unhelpful for those looking for practical advice". An article in ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' said that "there is not very much new about ''The Power of Now''" and described it as "a sort of New Age re-working of
Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
."


In popular culture

When
Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad ...
was incarcerated at the Century Regional Detention Facility in California in June 2007 she brought with her a copy of ''The Power of Now''. Singer Annie Lennox chose ''The Power of Now'' as one of her "desert island books", as did the professional skater
Tony Hawk Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documen ...
. Singer Katy Perry stated that she was inspired to write "This Moment", a song from her 2013 album ''
Prism Prism usually refers to: * Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light * Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron Prism may also refer to: Science and mathematics * Prism (geology), a type of sedimentary ...
'', after she heard the audiobook of ''The Power of Now''.
Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...
references this book throughout his 2022 album, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers.


See also

* ''
Autobiography of a Yogi ''Autobiography of a Yogi'' is an autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda (5 January 1893 – 7 March 1952) first published in 1946. Paramahansa Yogananda was born as Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, India, into a Bengali Hindu family. ...
'' * Mindfulness *
Satipatthana ''Satipatthana'' ( pi, Satipaṭṭhāna, italic=yes; sa, smṛtyupasthāna, italic=yes) is a central practice in the Buddha's teachings, meaning "the establishment of mindfulness" or "presence of mindfulness", or alternatively "foundations of ...
* '' Be Here Now''


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Power Of Now New Age books 1997 non-fiction books Books about spirituality Self-help books