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| The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment | 
 enlarge | Creator: Eckhart Tolle
Publisher: New World Library
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $17.92
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Avg. Customer Rating:  961 reviews
Sales Rank: 365544
Format: Unabridged
Media: Audio Cassette
Number Of Items: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.8
ISBN: 1577311760
Dewey Decimal Number: 291.44
EAN: 9781577311768
ASIN: 1577311760
Publication Date: December 30, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book with no markings. Expanding Books has been in the bookselling business for 18 years and we guarantee your satisfaction.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Beside the mark May 19, 2005
139 out of 175 found this review helpful
Many years ago I went through a spell of compulsive thinking that was particularly acute and painful. One day, while I was in the grip of these tormenting thoughts, I walked into my garden. Suddenly I saw my cat jump on a small rodent. I immediately rushed to the rescue of the tiny animal. After I had delivered it and given my cat a good but useless scolding, I remembered my previous painful engagement with thought. To my utter astonishment, the problem and the thinking that went with it-- or rather had created it--had totally disappeared!
This simple anecdote may serve to illustrate the main error of Eckhart Tolle's teachings. The mournful round of thoughts had come to an abrupt end not because I had tried to stop it, but because there was a sudden, unpremeditated gap in it, caused by an unexpected incident that had required all my attention. Now what Eckhart wants you to do is to bring about this change through effort, and he gives you tricks to achieve it. All this obviously implies a motive (putting an end to an unpleasant state), compulsion and time, all of which indicate that thought--the cause of all the mischief and misery--is still active. Instead of identifying with thought or resisting the now, what one is now doing is trying to disidentify oneself from it or to say "yes" to the now. This is another game by exactly the same actor.
Therefore this path is not going to lead you very far. It is as simple as that.
The book itself is written in very simple English and in a question and answer format. I noted that the author claims that his words, specially the repetitive parts of the book, can draw you into the nothingness from which they came. Maybe. What I have found is that the Power of Now is mostly very vapid prose full of cheap and hackneyed notions spiced up with a few Gospel and Zen quotes. The aim seems to be the "end of suffering", which makes enlightenment a kind of Ultimate Prozac. The author insists that it is something that is "felt" and speaks of the unending bliss resulting from residing in Being. All this seems too superficial, too epidermic to be true. And creates tremendous expectation. No wonder people start making superhuman efforts to be awake after reading the book. Unfortunately, when you try to force thinking to stop, it comes back at your throat with a vengeance. Remember the anecdote at the beginning of this review.
If you are a serious spiritual seeker, I recommend J.Krishnamurti instead of E.T. See my own review of "Total freedom" for more information.
Finally, let me tell you something: Eckhart Tolle sells photographs of his uninspiring face on his website. Five dollars for a view of his congested face absorbed in meditation or smiling at the disciple/customer. Isn't that enough to show the vulgarity of the whole thing?
Move on, truth is not to be found here.
 The Truth is in the Power of Now December 14, 2000
130 out of 145 found this review helpful
This book is so filled with truth, so powerful, so crystal clear that I was compelled to write this review and share it with other people. THE POWER OF NOW and WORKING ON YOURSELF DOESN'T WORK by Ariel and Shya Kane are the two most powerful and insightful books on self-awareness I've ever had the pleasure to read. Reading both of these books is like working with Zen masters, compassionate spiritual teachers who can free us from the torture that our minds and our judgments inflict on us constantly. I am not exaggerating when I say that THE POWER OF NOW was like a breath of fresh air. Tolle gets right to the point and explains so much about inner peace and how our minds actually work that I found myself wanting to share what he and the Kanes have discovered. If THE POWER OF NOW is the technical manual for reaching fulfillment (because it is mostly explanations about awareness rather than illustrative examples), then WORKING ON YOURSELF DOESN'T WORK is the practical guide with real world examples and insights that describe exactly how satisfaction is possible in everyday life. You'll want both of these books. I've found what I was looking for thanks to these wonderful authors.
Easy to comprehend, hard to live December 4, 2000
81 out of 91 found this review helpful
I've read this book twice and also saw the author live a few weeks ago in San Francisco. He battled for many years with severe depression, and looked for answers to his life through higher learning before having a complete change of life and finding inner peace and joy through living in the present moment. He encourages the reader to let go of the ego and brain "noise" and be in the now, which is how he says he lives. Most all of the "problems" we have in life don't directly effect us in the moment, yet we are controlled and tortured by them he says. Tolle also makes the case for healing past pain and suffering through simply being fully here now. Making these changes in our materialistic, image possessed, ego driven society is a challenge indeed, but he would say it's our only way out. This is truly life changing stuff.
The Power of Taking People's Money May 12, 2006
75 out of 90 found this review helpful
Like most of the folks who did not give this book high marks, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, this book did not offer any new insights despite it's repeating "stay in the present" mantra.
To say that the book is repetitious is an understatement. You can probably read about the first 1/3 of the book and pretty much read what it has to offer. Now I am not hear to judge the validity of Mr. Tolle's experience (nor am I qualified to). I am glad that something happened that brought him back from the edge. However, this book is just a bad commentary on what thousands of other yoga, hindu, and buddhist writings say, except that his book is not as well written.
I agree with all of the statements regarding his philosophical errors that were listed in prior reviews so I am not going to repeat them here. However, Mr. Tolle makes the erroneous statement that the present is 'timeless'. Unfortunately this is not true. Anyone who has done any amount of reading on eastern thought and philosophy knows that the present is fleeting. The present time is subject to the same cycle of birth and death as we are. So when we are focused on the present, we are actually focusing on a succession of fleeting moments rather than one 'instance' in time. Understanding this impermanence of the present and accepting it is a very important part of our spiritual development. I feel this is an important concept that Mr. Tolle has failed to realize.
I hate to say it, but this book just smacks of something that was put out to make a buck. I am not saying that this is true, but that is my impression from reading it. Obviously this book has helped many people, but really I would strongly recommend avoiding this book for two reasons:
1) Many of his conclusions are not only vague, but oftentimes based on incorrect assumptions and completely wrong! See prior reviews for examples.
2) Mr. Tolle does not break any new ground here. He is not saying anything new that isn't said better elswhere. He pretty much just borrows ideas from other sources and repeats them over and over.
If curiosity gets the best of you (like it did me), I strongly warn you to read carefully and be prepared to be disappointed. However, if you find any value from this book in your life, I am am happy for you.
 A worthy goal, but the wrong path..... April 19, 2002
69 out of 125 found this review helpful
First of all I do think the present is very important and is where living takes place. I'm sure the authors are well-intentioned in writing this book. I always enjoy taking 'break time' when reading and during this time I've discovered some concerns I have with 'The Power of Now', please read below.....1.While it may be true that living in the 'now' is the truest path to happiness, the 'now' is only meaningful in the context of the past and the future. Without true meaning, purpose, and hope, a meaningful 'now' is illusory. 2.Do some people live solely in the past or future and thereby ignore the present? Certainly. But that does not mean that a proper time-context for the present should be abandoned? For instance a great amount of satisfaction can and should be taken for past accomplishments and past relationships. Additionally, looking forward to future goals and activities can provide a huge amount of satisfaction. 3.Our true identity is not merely our moment-to-moment experience, but is substantially shaped by our past and our future hopes. To ignore this or to pretend this is not the case is to invite delusion. Past memories and experiences do shape a person's worldview, and future hopes do affect current decisions. Living as if there is no future is not only hopeless, but it fosters madness. 4.If the future has no place in a healthy and peaceful existence, then the person who has just won the lottery should be just as content as the person who is sitting on death-row. The now is the now, and the now is not affected by past of future? That smacks in the face of common sense. 5.If being totally aware of ourselves at each moment means that we need to stop our thoughts, then the pursuit of truth should be abandoned. Why be concerned about discovering the truth in the future if all a person must do is convince oneself that the now is all there is? 6.It does seem possible to live a pain free existence by living fully in the present. However, is it worth it? Is it worth abandoning one's past, and ignoring one's future? These both are far to valuable to exchange for a pain-free life. 7.Some people may exclaim with great joy that 'all there is, is now', but is that true? Can it be liberating? Yes. Is it illusory? Yes. Is it worth it? No. 8.The author claims the humans are being trapped in a constant cycle of emotional illusions. This is exactly what Tolle is doing by promoting the illusion of a monistic view of the present. 9.While it may be true that some thoughts and emotions get in our way of living in genuine peace, that does not mean that all thoughts and emotions are negative. In fact, many thoughts and emotions contribute significantly to a fulfilling life. Unfortunately the author swipes too broadly and pushes all aside, instead of carefully and intentionally distinguishing the good from the bad. 10.The author is basically right in the conclusions of this book, provided there is no ultimate purpose in life, and that there is no future in which we can place our hope. However, if these premises are not valid, the conclusions are baseless. In conclusion, a worldview that provides a true and good hope in the future, based on the reality of the past is much more effective at securing a true peace in the present. May that hope not be in vain.
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