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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... read more

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Ekhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. And while this message may not seem stunningly original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, supportive voice, and enthusiasm make this an excellent manual for anyone who's ever wondered what... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Ekhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. And while this message may not seem stunningly original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, supportive voice, and enthusiasm make this an excellent manual for anyone who's ever wondered what exactly "living in the now" means. Foremost, Tolle is a world-class teacher, able to explain complicated concepts in concrete language. More importantly, within a chapter of reading this book, readers are already holding the world in a different container--more conscious of how thoughts and emotions get in the way of their ability to live in genuine peace and happiness.

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  • “Even when the sky is heavily overcast, the sun hasn't disappeared. It's still there on the other side of the clouds.”
  • “"The pain that you create now is always some form of nonacceptance, some form of unconscious resistance to what is. On the level of thought, the resistance is some form of judgment. On the emotional level, it is some form of negativity." (E. Tolle 1999 p.27)”
  • “"Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it." (E. Tolle 1999 p.29)”
  • “"You can always cope with the present moment, but you cannot cope with something that is only a mind projection - you cannot cope with the future." (E. Tolle 1999 p.35)”
  • “"The more you are focused on time - past and future - the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is. Why is it the most precious thing? Firstly, because it is the only thing. It's all there is. The eternal present is the space within which your whole life unfolds, the one factor that remains constant." (E. Tolle 1999 p.41)”
  • “"Past and future obviously have no reality of their own. Just as the moon has no light of its own, but can only reflect the light of the sun, so are past and future only pale reflections of the light, power, and reality of the eternal present." (E. Tolle 1999 p.42)”
  • “"Through self-observation, more presence comes into your life automatically. The moment you realize you are not present, you are present. Whenever you are able to observe your mind, you are no longer trapped in it. Another factor has come in, something that is not of the mind: the witnessing presence. (E. Tolle 1999 p.45)”
  • “"If it is the quality of your conciousness at this moment that determines the future, then what is it that determines the quality of your conciousness? Your degree of presence. So the only place where true change can occur and where the past can be dissolved is the Now" (E. Tolle 1999 p.50)”
  • “Just as dogs love to chew bones, the mind loves to get its teeth into problems.”
  • “Pain”
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • Accept — then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.
    Highlighted by 1916 Kindle customers
  • Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.
    Highlighted by 1701 Kindle customers
  • Pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within.
    Highlighted by 1475 Kindle customers
  • If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally.
    Highlighted by 1445 Kindle customers
  • The secret of life is to “die before you die” — and find that there is no death.
    Highlighted by 1400 Kindle customers
  • The pain that you create now is always some form of nonacceptance, some form of unconscious resistance to what is.
    Highlighted by 1381 Kindle customers
  • To the ego, the present moment hardly exists. Only past and future are considered important.
    Highlighted by 1366 Kindle customers
  • Power over others is weakness disguised as strength. True power is within, and it is available to you now.
    Highlighted by 1214 Kindle customers
  • All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry — all forms of fear — are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.
    Highlighted by 1177 Kindle customers
  • Emotion arises at the place where mind and body meet. It is the body’s reaction to your mind — or you might say, a reflection of your mind in the body.
    Highlighted by 1029 Kindle customers
Show all 20 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

A beggar had been sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years.

Table of Contents edit see section history

INTRODUCTION
The Origin of This Book
The Truth That Is Within You

CHAPTER ONE: You Are Not Your Mind
The Greatest Obstacle to Enlightenment
Freeing Yourself from Your Mind
Enlightenment: Rising above Thought
Emotion: The Body's Reaction to Your Mind

CHAPTER TWO: CONSCIOUSNESS: The Way Out of Pain
Create No More Pain in the Present
Past Pain: Dissolving the Pain-Body
Ego Identification with the Pain-Body
The Origin of Fear
The Ego's Search for Wholeness

CHAPTER THREE: Moving Deeply into the Now
Don't Seek Your Self in the Mind
End the Delusion of Time
Nothing Exists Outside the Now
The Key to the Spiritual Dimension
Accessing the Power of the Now
Letting Go of Psychological Time
The Insanity of Psychological Time
Negativity and Suffering Have Their Roots in Time
Finding the Life Underneath You Life Situation
All Problems Are Illusions of the Mind
A Quantum Leap in the Evolution of Consciousness
The Joy of Being

CHAPTER FOUR: Mind Strategies for Avoiding the Now
Loss of Now: The Core Delusion
Ordinary Unconsciousness and Deep Unconsciousness
What Are They Seeking?
Dissolving Ordinary Unconsciousness
Freedom from Unhappiness
Wherever You Are, Be There Totally
The Inner Purpose of You Life's Journey
The Past Cannot Survive in Your Presence

CHAPTER FIVE: The State of Presence
It's Not What You Think It Is
The Esoteric Meaning of "Waiting"
Beauty Arises in the Stillness of Your Presence
Realizing Purse Consciousness
Christ: The Reality of Your Divine Presence

CHAPTER SIX: The Inner Body
Being Is Your Deepest Self
Look Beyond the Words
Finding Your Invisible and Indestructible Reality
Connecting with the Inner Body
Transformation through the Body
Sermon on the Body
Have Deep Roots Within
Before You Enter the Body, Forgive
Your Link with the Unmanifested
Slowing Down the Aging Process
Strengthening the Immune System
Let the Breath Take You into the Body
Creative Use of Mind
The Art of Listening

CHAPTER SEVEN: Portals into the Unmanifested
Going Deeply into the Body
The Source of Chi
Dreamless Sleep
Other Portals
Silence
The True Nature of Space and Time
Conscious Death

CHAPTER EIGHT: Enlightened Relationships
Enter the Now from Wherever You Are
Love/Hate Relationships
Addiction and the Search for Wholeness
From Addictive to Enlightened Relationships
Relationships as Spiritual Practice
Why Women Are Closer to Enlightenment
Dissolving the Collective Female Pain-Body
Give Up the Relationship with Yourself

CHAPTER NINE: Beyond Happiness and Unhappiness There Is Peace
The Higher Good Beyond Good and Bad
The End of Your Life Drama
Impermanence and the Cycles of Life
Using and Relinquishing Negativity
The Nature of Compassion
Toward a Different Order of Reality

CHAPTER TEN: The Meaning of Surrender
Acceptance of the Now
From Mind Energy to Spiritual Energy
Surrender in Personal Relationships
Transforming Illness into Enlightenment
When Disaster Strikes
Transforming Suffering into Peace
The Way of the Cross
The Power to Choose

Notes
Acknowledgments
About the Author

Glossary edit see section history

  • pause symbol: The author uses a symbol that looks like an elongated S. This symbol means that the reader "may want to stop reading for a moment, become still, and feel and experience the truth of what has just been said."

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Eckhart Tolle (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Namaste Publishing
Country: Canada
Publication Date: 1997
ISBN: 0968236405
Page Count: 193

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: BL624 .T64 1999
  • Dewey: 291.44

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

Concepts are too difficult for children to grasp

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • A New Earth
  • Practicing the Power of Now
  • An Introduction to A Course in Miracles
  • A Course in Miracles
  • The Spiritual Secrets of Happiness Health and Success: A Powerful and Practical Guide for Manifesting the Life You Truly Desire

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • Practicing the Power of Now

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