The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle

27Aug07
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What it is: The Power Of Now is a book by Eckhart Tolle that focuses on living fully in the present.

Growth Potential: The Power of Now focuses on the whole “be here now” concept in simple concrete terms. Tolle rams home the idea that life never occurs in the past and the future, only in this moment and that if you are not present to this moment, you are not truly alive. It encourages the reader to be more present to the moment regardless of the circumstances.
Pop Potential: I had a really interesting moment while actually reading the book on a crowded airliner, with babies screaming all around me. Instead of shutting down and trying to ignore the crowd and noise, I used the principles I was reading about at that moment to stay present and have a very interesting experience for the rest of the flight.
“Get Real” Potential: There are some concepts in the book that are pretty far out there. For instance, he writes about the “pain body” and how women’s menstrual cycles are past pain resurfacing. I’m not going to say that I disagree with these concepts, but I felt some of them were not based as much in real world understanding of things and are hard to accept as presented.
What I Got out of it: I found this book extremely enlightening on many levels, and now experience myself more aware and more present. I cannot recommend it enough.

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    4 Comments on “The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle”  

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    1. 1 Gretchen on Sep 10th, 2007 said:

      I seem to enjoy vicarious transformation, so I haven’t actually read The Power of Now, but I have talked to friends who have. And it makes good sense that the present is the only place to be, really, and I notice ALL THE TIME when I’m upset that I’m living in either present or future. So…good work, Eckhart! But my god, is he serious about menstruation as past pain resurfacing!? With this one little fact, Kenny has knocked Eckhart off his pedestal, and now I’m REALLY not going to read the book. Sheesh!

      • 2 marc on Sep 11th, 2007 said:

        I’ve certainly read my fair share of Personal Development books, and some that were “out there.” I’m pretty used to sifting out the stuff that I think is just plain off base. For example, Landmark has great distinctions, if you can filter through the hard sell, Way of the Superior Man even calls out it’s stereotype and asks you to suspend your indignation and see the value in the lesson.

        That said, I’m not going to read this either, I think there are other resources out there for seeing how to live in the present without the borderline misogynist views. I think there’s value in a lot of this stuff, even if there are views that I disagree with, or offend me, and I also have limited time and am looking forward to reading the 4 Hour Workweek.

        • 3 Mark Michael Lewis on Oct 16th, 2007 said:

          Excellent book. Especially if one plays with the ideas rather than evaluating their truth. Although many of the criticisms of Tolle are warranted, they are also premature - once you have meditated with his techniques for a few hundred hours, THEN you will find your own limitations with the work. Before then, it is pretty much all gifts and beauty.

          • 4 David Coulson on Nov 17th, 2007 said:

            Dear Gretchen,

            Its not that ET says that menstruation is past pain surfacing, in fact he says that it provides a natural letting-go opportunity for women.

            Indeed, this is in the same section that he cites that women have more to forgve them men in general, for they have to forgive men for their “collective belief” that their power was taken by man. The truth is of course that they gave it away just as man did too, to beliefs of a non-love (fear) nature.

            In Love and Peace,

            David x

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