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The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (平装)
by Eckhart Tolle
| Category:
Spirituality, Enlightenment, Inspiration, Personal transformation |
| Market price: ¥ 158.00
MSL price:
¥ 148.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Written with compelling wisdom and clarity, this awesome guide to man's spiritual awakening will continue to inspire and enlighten people as it has. |
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AllReviews |
  1 2 Total 2 pages 14 items |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
There are a few reviews here that don't recomend this book. Because of this I almost did not purchase the book. I eventually decided to go ahead and get the book anyway. I can truly say that this is one of the best books I have read. I purchased the audio book too so that I could listen at work. I must have read the book 3 times and listened to the audio book more times than I can recall.
I feel that Eckart has found enlightenment, and I have found what he says works. His chapter on the pain body is fantasic; and I also love his chapter on focusing on the inner body. I also mediate with Holosync from Centerpointe Research Institue (Please see the book Thresholds of the Mind to learn more about Holosync). Together, I have found that The Power of Now and Holosync have been the most effective tools toward my goal of inner peace and spiritual growth (I have tried several different programs and read many books throughout the years).
I strongly suggest the audio book. His voice (to me anyway) is so peaceful and relaxing. This book may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I am glad that I didn't take the advice of the negative reviews here and got it anyway. If you do get the book, I hope that you find it as helpful as I have on my journey.
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Chris Fendrich (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
My subversive suggestion is this: Eckhart Tolle did not have an enlightenment experience at all, save for the kind of enlightenment that comes from a thorough reading of spiritual literature. I have this doubt because true enlightenment to me seems mutually exclusive of the kind of condescending tone Tolle uses through-out his book. I think we all expect a more compassionate voice from spiritual leaders, a caring style of communication which empathizes with the frailty of the human condition. But I could be wrong! Perhaps haughtiness is in vogue for today's gurus.
Along that same line, Tolle continually comes across as a big know-it-all. He loves to be Tolle the Physicist, with his multiple references to the "high energy frequency of presence." Then there's Tolle the Geologist: "Even a stone has rudimentary consciousness; otherwise it would not be, and its atoms & molecules would disperse." And we have Tolle the Biologist: "The accumulation of time as the psychological burden of past and future greatly impairs the cell's capacity for self-renewal." If an appendix were included with associated references to scientific research, his statements might have some credibility. But as it is, they don't, and for any reader with a modicum of critical thinking skills, these statements, along with many others, are met with puzzlement or just immediate dismissal.
A third observation from reading this book is that the author likes to make these grand, sweeping, unrealistically pessimistic statements about society which again are met with puzzlement. For example, "Because we live in such a mind-dominated culture, most modern art, architecture, music, and literature are devoid of beauty, of inner essence, with very few exceptions. ... No civilization has ever produced so much ugliness." (p.81) Is that really so? And: "... we live in a culture that is almost totally ignorant of death, as it is almost totally ignorant of anything that truly matters." (p.118) I doubt this is the case for the 12 million health-care workers in the U.S. who give their hearts out to the sick & dying every day, not to mention the countless citizens who are caring for their ageing & dying parents.
I think it's with remarks like these where Tolle's lack of compassion (due in part to his haughtiness and distorted world views) comes across as hurtful or offensive to everyday people who by their actions exhibit deep thoughtfulness about things which truly matter.
(A negative review. MSL remarks.) |
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Royce Buehler (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
Something in your head goes click. Or else it doesn't.
Down through time, there have probably been thousands of natural mystics, who more or less fell into a state of enlightenment in one dazzling moment, and never lost it.
There have been millions who have glimpsed such a state, accidentally, or through chemical enhancement, or through spiritual practice. And they may or may not find their way back to it now and then, and they appreciate whatever help is on offer to "cleanse the doors of perception". Many millions more are seekers, who have heard the rumor of enlightenment and hope for a connection to it.
Tolle clearly and authentically belongs to the first group. He makes it all sound very easy, which of course from the enlightened side of things it is. He doesn't seem to have a very solid grasp of what a slow plod it can be for most of us in the other two groups. Still, the advice and the method are the same for everyone.
There are plenty of texts that will give one version or another of the same advice, from Brother Lawrence to the Upanishads to the Gurdjieff work to Zen. A distinct advantage Tolle's account will have over most of the rest, for many readers, is the fact that his own dazzling burst came to him independently of any particular spiritual tradition. And that frees him to explain the way to arrive at the same peace and self-control, without imposing any dogma, and (for the most part) in simple, everyday modern language. It's not surprising that, for so many readers, this freedom and freshness have made the message click for them.
In its radical refusal to mix in any esoteric religious paraphernalia, its quiet and patient return to the same monotonous core prescriptions of silence and non-judgmental attention to the present, The Power of Now is most reminiscent of the style of Krishnamurti. And that's a high recommendation.
By the same token, it isn't surprising that for many other readers the book just sounds like more of the same self-help hype. The central insight is extremely simple, and it's all-or-none. You get it, or you don't. This is one more chance to get it, more straightforwardly expressed than most. And if you've already had your glimpses, it's a useful, friendly reminder to return to your spiritual practices, and the value they've had for you.
True, there's nothing new here. There's nothing new about sunrise, or falling in love, either. That's hardly a serious fault in any of the three.
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Mark Selman (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
My father physically and verbally abused me as a child and I was still carrying around this hurt after 41 years. I had been to therapists and read self-help books, but had never been able to get past the hurt. One day in early 2005 while I was reflecting inwardly on this, I found true forgiveness for my father and also for myself. This resulted in a profound spiritual transformation for me. I felt a great burden lift and I became enveloped in a loving presence and felt a greater peace than I have ever known before. I came to know myself at a very deep level of being. All of my fears, worries, concerns, and negative thoughts vanished instantly. In fact, all my thoughts pretty much vanished. I sensed my surroundings through some sort of awareness, not through thought. I could still relate to everyone and everything as I did before, but now it was on a much deeper level and with a much greater understanding. I could still "override" this awareness and judge my circumstances or have negative thoughts or fears, but I knew it instantly when I had done so, because I could feel the loss of awareness and of being. All I had to do to get back to this beautiful state of awareness is release those thoughts or emotions that took me out of that state. In this state of awareness, I could feel this deep inner peace and a love that cannot be understood by the mind. I allowed this awareness to guide me in everything from work to relationships, and even to my food choices. My life began to transform before my eyes. I had reached a state where duality did not exist. Nothing was good or bad, right or wrong, better or worse. It simply was. No one could have an argument with me and nothing could disturb me. I lived my life from moment to moment not worrying about the future, because in the short time I was in this state of awareness, it was demonstrated to me repeatedly that my needs are met even before I ask.
Folks, I am just a regular guy. I am 42 years old and I write software for a living. I have a family and a mortgage. I am just like you. I am here to tell you that the state of "enlightenment" does exist and is VERY real and it is everything Mr. Tolle says in his book, The Power of Now. For me, this state of awareness lasted about two weeks and those were the most wonderful two weeks I have ever spent. I am not in that state of awareness now, but I will never forget it. If you ever reach this state, you will know without a doubt who you really are.
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