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The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
| Our Price |
$ 11.70
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| Retail Value |
$ 15.00 |
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$ 3.30 (22%) |
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| Item Number |
471159 |
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Item Description...
Overview
The author shares the secret of his own self-realization and the philosophy for living in the present he has developed.
Publishers Description
It's no wonder that The Power of Now has sold over 2 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 30 foreign languages. Much more than simple principles and platitudes, the book takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the ultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light. In the first chapter, Tolle introduces readers to enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. He awakens readers to their role as a creator of pain and shows them how to have a pain-free identity by living fully in the present. The journey is thrilling, and along the way, the author shows how to connect to the indestructible essence of our Being, "the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death." Featuring a new preface by the author, this paperback shows that only after regaining awareness of Being, liberated from Mind and intensely in the Now, is there Enlightenment. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 235
Dimensions: Length: 0.5" Width: 6" Height: 8.5"
Weight: 0.75 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Sep 29, 2004
ISBN 1577314808
EAN 9781577314806
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Availability 387 units.
Availability accurate as of May 30, 2012 03:42.
Usually ships within one to two business days from Momence, IL.
Orders shipping to an address other than a confirmed Credit Card / Paypal Billing address may incur and additional processing delay.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | The first 1/3rd is good. Dec 28, 2008 |
The first third of this book, the one that sets up the theme to which the title refers, is good. It basically states that the majority of our pain comes from our focus on the past (guilt, regret, blame, anger etc.) or the future (stress, anxiety, worry). The only thing we can impact, and the only thing that is truly real, is the now. Tolle encourages us to focus on the present moment, and he gives us ways that we can settle our thinking mind in favor of just being in the Now.
As Tolle expands on his concept, he weaves in concepts from Eastern thought and modern meditation/philosophy, such as the Watcher (the thinker who observes our thinking mind), and the unified consciousness. But then the book devolves into New Age mumbo-jumbo as he tries to encompass everything from improving marital relationships to improving our immune systems to ending world hunger. He makes grand statements as if they're fact, without supporting them in any way, and then goes on for a page building on those statements. For example: "Even a stone has a rudimentary consciousness; otherwise, it would not be, and its atoms and molecules would disperse." Oh really? It's a psychological bond, not a physical one that holds atoms together? When I read sentences like that, it's hard not to become cynical. But let's put cynicism aside, and let's avoid the temptation to argue science vs religion, because that's not my criticism of the above statement. I'm sure there are belief systems that would support that atoms are held together by consciousness, but I'm not going to take Tolle's word for it. He needs to lay some groundwork.
He makes an attempt to incorporate different belief systems, Western and Eastern, but he does this by force-fitting bits of scripture that support his point rather than dealing with the themes of these belief systems. Trying to be holistic is good, but, again, I much prefer someone like Ken Wilber, who lays a foundation and thoughtfully creates a map of the systems.
There are also a couple of stylistic elements that I found annoying: First, the entire book is written in a question-and-answer format. I've seen this convention before, and in itself it's annoying enough, but in a few instances the "answerer" didn't even answer the question asked, or admonished the "questioner" for asking the question. Pointless. Second, Tolle has the arrogance to insert a special symbol into the text when he wants the reader to stop and, not just consider what he's said, but to "become still, and feel and experience the truth of what has just been said." Give me a break. (By my estimation, he greatly over-uses the symbol.)
But my biggest beef is that the last two-thirds of the book reads like the underpinnings of The Celestine Prophesy. Tolle takes what is a great premise at the beginning, then bogs it down with unnecessary chapters of New Age jibber-jabber. One example: "When you are fully present and people around you manifest unconscious behaviors, you won't feel the need to react to it, so you don't give it any reality. Your peace is so vast and deep that anything that is not peace disappears into it as if it had never existed. This breaks the karmic cycle of action and reaction. Animals, trees, flowers will feel your peace and respond to it."
It's unfortunate that Tolle finishes the book with this kind of stuff, because the first part has some great, concrete and original thinking.
| | |  | the power of now Dec 26, 2008 |
I heard about this guy several years ago but never took the time to pick up one of his books until this Christmas. Incredible....I'm certain this man doesn't have a creative bone in his body nor does he have an original idea to discuss. Everything, and I mean everything, has been stolen from Zen Buddhism at a minimum and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he lifted ideas from other eastern religions and philosophies as well. That alone wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that he doesn't appear to give credit where it is due. A simple blurb in the introduction, or his bio' on the back page, explaining how he was "strongly influenced by eastern religion/philosophy" would suffice. The fact that he didn't take the time to do this is disrespectful, deceptive, and plagiarism.
What he's done is comparable to writing a book entitled "10 Great Rules to Live By" and then going on to explain how one shouldn't kill, steal, or commit adultery (you get the idea) without once mentioning the bible. The obvious difference is that most westerners have heard of the 10 commandments but have little knowledge of Zen Buddhism. Maybe Tolle could use this concept for his next book and peddle it to easterners.
At the end of the day if his regurgitation of Zen Buddhism, dumbed down and then spoon fed into the mouths of spiritually hungry westerners (who are too lazy to connect the dots themselves [which is 50% of the journey]) works, than who am I to bash it? Bottom line is this guy shouldn't be touting these ideas as his own. I wonder if he believes in karma? | | |  | Life Changing! Dec 24, 2008 |
Tolle is a master with words. This book is both poignant, philosophical and approachable. It shows the sacredness of life and of our own nature. It teaches us in both peotic and simple language how to fully connect to our experiences and make life more authentic, exciting and free. This book is the beginning and the way to the liberation. It changed my life.
[...] | | |  | Very powerful, but don't take it TOO seriously Dec 22, 2008 |
I'll admit, this book was very powerful. It changed me profoundly, and I have to say it changed me for the better. But, don't take it too seriously. If you fall too deeply into being "present," ignoring all of your thoughts as egoic and suppressing your emotions, you may find yourself without any real direction in life. This quickly leads to unhappiness, the opposite of what the book is trying to achieve.
But, in order to be happy you must change. In order to change, you must completely immerse yourself in Tolle's message. Just at some point you MUST take a step back and realize that there is a middle ground you must walk between total ignorance and total awareness. Because we do live in a society, and society has certain expectations. Upon reflection, you may find that they are minimal and not worthy of the weight you put on them, but they exist. Ignoring them will lead to uneasiness.
My biggest disagreement with Tolle is that the mind is NOT to be ignored. The mind is the most powerful tools at humanity's disposal. Tolle taught me to harness mine, which I thank him for. Most of your thoughts are garbage, and most people do play out useless dramas over and over again. But your mind will also occasionally come up with gold. So what I took from Tolle is that you are responsible for your own headspace. You do not need to identify yourself with negative thoughts. You do not need to react emotionally to negative thoughts. But if you are thinking positive thoughts, if your thoughts make you happy, indulge yourself. Happiness does not come from thinking nothing and doing nothing. It comes from finding what you enjoy and pursuing it.
There will come a point, if you truly immerse yourself in Tolle's message, where you will be forced to ask the question, "money, status, material objects, and reputation do not motivate me anymore. What does motivate me?" This means you are on the right track, and at this point you must pursue a higher purpose. Because fulfillment lies in knowing that you personally, your life has meaning. You know why you are on this earth, what you were put here to do. Tolle rips you out of your socially conditioned state of being. Some might call it hell. But he also leaves you in purgatory. Heaven is your own to find. Tolle simply points out what won't make you happy. But the fact of the matter is that your own happiness is your own to pursue and your own to find. And your mind is the only tool that can get you there. Do not ignore your own thoughts, they do have value. In fact, they have more value than you could possibly know.
So to conclude, read the book because it needs to be read. Do not use "presence" as an excuse to not get your life handled. You have responsibilities to yourself and the people around you, do not ignore them. And remember, happiness is the goal, not mindlessness. | | | | Changes lives Dec 22, 2008 |
This book gave me insights on living in the "present moment" that have had a profound impact on me. I have suggested reading this to several friends.
If I ever get around to making a list of life changing books, this will one of top ones.
Now if I could just get better at practicing the principals, as that's always the problem with great idea's. ;-) | | | Write your own review about The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
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