The Power of NOW

   Author: Eckhart Tolle

Reviewed by Theresa Welsh

Eckhart Tolle has established himself as one of the foremost spiritual teachers of our time, one of the new breed who are not affiliated with any formal religion. His 1999 book, The Power of Now, has been widely read and has garnered high praise from those who have absorbed its message. Its original publisher writes in the Preface that readers reported "wonderful healings, transformations, and increased joy… ."

Tolle has produced other books, tapes and is a popular speaker at events. His teachings come from his own life-changing experience of spiritual insight during a difficult time. He is well-educated and learned in the teachings of many spiritual traditions. But what he stresses in this book is this simple message: silence the chatter in your head and live in the present moment. Dissolve past and future and feel the connection with all things. The book has a Q and A format, containing the questions he is most often asked. I found the questions to be good ones, the same questions I would ask. His answers almost always come back to "the power of now."

A Familiar Concept
What exactly is the power of now? It seems to me it is the same idea taught by Gurdjieff more than fifty years ago. Like Eckhart Tolle, Gurdjieff was not affiliated with any religious organization, nor did he see his teachings as "religious." He was seeking the essential truth of existence, trying to answer that most basic question: Who are we? He found truth came to him when he got beyond the constant noise going on in his mind that kept him "asleep." He began working on techniques to "wake up" and sense the universe around him. He did this by observing himself, by noticing that there seemed to be an observer and an observed. How was this possible? Does it not point to an essential self, a being that goes deeper than the superficial concerns of our minds that keep us from feeling peace?

A good introduction to Gurdjieff is Charles T. Tart's book, Waking Up. He gives you a good overview, without the complexity that Gurdjieff developed around his ideas. For the full Gurdjieff, read In Search of the Miraculous by P. D. Ouspensky. It's difficult reading, but takes you into much deeper levels than you'll get with Tart.

Tolle's book is an even simpler presentation of what he terms "the power of now." In Tolle's terminology, "the now" means not living "in time," erasing the past and the future which is where most of our fretting and worrying is centered. Just feel the universe as it is now. Feel the connection now. Focus on your body, which contains your deeper self, and focus on what is around you. Nature is powerful and can lead you into the now when you simply contemplate a tree, a flower, a bird. Do not think about anything, just look and see and be.

You Are Not Your Mind
I can endorse these practices which are similar to what I have discovered. When you quiet your mind and begin to really see nature, you may find you are overwhelmed by its beauty. But you do not need a beautiful garden to use the techniques of "waking up" or using the "power of now." Tolle emphasizes that you are not your mind, just as Charles Tart says you are not your "false personalities." Under these things is your essential self. In the concept of "non-duality," all things are connected. The essential you is part of the universe, or you can think of it (as many spiritual teachers do) as being part of God. It is the God within that you seek. It is not "out there" but inside. You cannot get to it with your mind.

The mind, Tolle tells us, is basically the ego, which tries to run your life. The ego convinces you that you are separate from the universe, that there is conflict between you and other living things, and there are situations you must fear. The ego is the source of conflict and pain. Tolle tells us the most important thing we can learn is "to disidentify from your mind." This may seem strange and even anti-intellectual, but when you discover the "you" that is not your mind, you see what he means. There is nothing wrong with using your mind. It is a tool and one you should use fully. But it is not YOU.

He's Best When He Stays On Message
Tolle at times departs from discussing how each person can find the power of now, and that is when he sometimes stops making sense. He writes about a coming raising of consciousness of all humanity, and, while I have heard this before from other spiritual writers, I think it's just interesting and harmless speculation. He also says women can be enlightened more easily than men, but I don't see any reason to think that's so. He attributes many qualities to animals, which they may or may not have. I loved his statement, "I have lived with several Zen masters, all of them cats." I live with cats too and love them for their ability to relax and enjoy life, but I'm not sure they are Zen masters.

Non-Affiliated Spiritual Teachers: No Fire and Brimstone
Eckhart Tolle has made a contribution to spiritual development with this book, which provides simple practices that can lead to less stress, less fear, less conflict between people and more peace and joy. He has no doctrines, no list of things you must believe to be "saved," no organization you must join. I find it remarkable that free-lance spiritual teachers are popping up to help those of us who don't feel comfortable with powerful organizations telling us they have a monopoly on truth and salvation. If you are interested in more of these non-affiliated teachers, try the books of Jed McKenna, whose Spiritual Enlightenment: The Damnedest Thing is also interesting reading. (see my review of McKenna's book) Jed is an advocate of "non-duality" and tells us that once you are enlightened, it is forever.

While you may disagree with these new spiritual gurus, they are not seeking to control anyone the way organized religion generally does. They do not cajole or threaten or insist that you "believe" certain things. I have come to feel that believing is vastly overrated and often means nothing. People "believe" things because they have been told to believe them. They "believe" with their mind, with their false personality. The new spiritual teachers show you how to "know" in your essential self, how to feel the truth, to experience the joy of Being. There is no point in pushing these books at people who don't want to read them. Spiritual enlightenment is individual and no one gets there until they are ready.