Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now

15min

Download offline

Add to library

Buy the book

Our mind is a powerful instrument, so much so, that it can take control and cause us to live a life without awareness or meaning. It is possible, however, to learn to observe our thoughts and enter into a deeper relationship with our true self, by practicing the technique of connecting with our “inner body”, as taught in this life-altering book, The Power of Now. Much more than a manual, this book, by Eckkart Tolle, is a guide to the rediscovery of the “deeper I”, and on how this can transform our entire existence.

Try Premium for Free

0:00

Analysis and key concepts

01.

We are all capable of making the deep transformation that releases us from being a slave to our minds and allows us to enter into a state of enlightenment and awareness

02.

The mind can become our worst enemy when it enters into compulsive thinking. Being unable to stop constant thinking is a condition that we are unaware of, and from which almost all of us suffer. This is why we tend to think of it as normal

03.

As we grow up, we each form a mental image of ourselves, but we risk constructing our whole identity based on external conditioning, a ghost of our true selves, who we will call the “ego”

04.

It is possible to get to know your mind by paying attention to your body: emotions are in fact the mind’s most authentic reflex and we feel them on a physical level

05.

“The narrow gate that leads to life” is a poetic definition of what we call NOW. There are techniques and practical exercises that allow us to live in a state of awareness

06.

“Being in our body” allows us an awareness that can heal: many illnesses can take hold when we are not fully present in our body

07.

Waiting is a state of mind that shows us the degree to which we are projected towards the future, rejecting the present: what we have vs what we lack

08.

Quotes

09.

Take-home message

01. We are all capable of making the deep transformation that releases us from being a slave to our minds and allows us to enter into a state of enlightenment and awareness

There are steps that we need to take to reach and maintain a state of enlightenment and awareness, and it is accessible because it is linked to a spiritual truth that is already within us, that we simply need to remember to reawaken. The first thing we need to understand is that experiencing an intense state of presence and awareness allows us to experience a union with our Being. When, at a conscious or unconscious level, we begin to perceive ourselves as meaningless fragments, in an alien universe, unconnected to the Source and to each other, we feel anxious and become afraid, and end up in a state of conflict, with the world and with ourselves.

Being is everywhere, regardless of the life forms that live and die. When the mind is calm, when we are present and completely focussed on the Now, we can feel the state of Being, even if we don’t fully understand it. This concept is fundamental, and cannot simply be understated: we cannot use rationality to understand and explain Being, but we can feel it.

02. The mind can become our worst enemy when it enters into compulsive thinking. Being unable to stop constant thinking is a condition that we are unaware of, and from which almost all of us suffer. This is why we tend to think of it as normal

03. As we grow up, we each form a mental image of ourselves, but we risk constructing our whole identity based on external conditioning, a ghost of our true selves, who we will call the “ego”

04. It is possible to get to know your mind by paying attention to your body: emotions are in fact the mind’s most authentic reflex and we feel them on a physical level

05. “The narrow gate that leads to life” is a poetic definition of what we call NOW. There are techniques and practical exercises that allow us to live in a state of awareness

06. “Being in our body” allows us an awareness that can heal: many illnesses can take hold when we are not fully present in our body

07. Waiting is a state of mind that shows us the degree to which we are projected towards the future, rejecting the present: what we have vs what we lack

08. Quotes

09. Take-home message

Unlock this and thousands more with 4books Premium!

You'll have 7 days free, and if you're not satisfied after 30 days, you can get your money back.

Try Premium for Free

Many useful tips to:

Free yourself from the slavery of compulsive thinking.
Experience the Power of Now, which is to live every single moment of your life to its fullest.
Learn techniques and exercises to help live your life with awareness.

The author

Eckhart Tolle, a German writer and speaker, is author of the best-selling books The Power of Now and A New Earth. His teachings are not part of any doctrine or religion, yet The New York Times called him “the most famous author on spirituality in America”. His main principle is that the human ego has a destructive nature, and we need to learn to distance ourselves from it and “let it be”, to be able to live a peaceful and balanced life.

Edition

Publishing house:

My Life

Year:

2004

Pages:

236

ISBN:

978-1577314806