At age 29, Eckhart Tolle had a spiritual transformation. His book, The Power of Now, is an explanation not only of how he found peace of mind in an age of increasing pressures, stress and personal turmoil. It's also a simple guide of how each of us can do the very same thing regardless of our religious affiliation or even if you have no religious leaning. This landmark book has been called by some “the most practical of all self-help books.”
His secret? He learned that he was not his mind. He is, indeed, he decided, more than his mind. The mind, with its nearly 60,000 thoughts per day, would like us to be identified solely as this one part of us. The truth of the matter, he states, is that there’s something behind our minds. It is a being-ness behind his mind – and yours – that extends far beyond the chatter of the mind. Your mind would have you thinking about the past – filled with regret – or contemplating the future. The only way to acquire true peace of mind is to accept what your present moment. This is may be difficult to understand, considering that our civilization is built on the many achievements of the mind in action. But, Tolle contends that until you take control of your mind, your thoughts, your mind will control you. This is not a new revelation. Tolle has culled man religious traditions including Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism and even Hinduism, all saying the same thing. What sets his work aside from other contemporary writers, though, is that he doesn’t try to force some “grand scheme” for you to follow. He doesn’t say that you can’t reach this peace of mind unless you take seven spiritual steps or you go back and deal with your past. No, the beauty of his theory is that you start from where you are right now, regardless of what that may look like. Nothing will change for you unless you accept where you are in your life right here, right now. Why? Because, according to Tolle, the more you resist your current status, the more painful it becomes for you to handle. Instead, you embrace where you are in life. Tolle’s ability to demonstrate how this works is nothing less than eloquent. He urges us to be more involved in the daily routines of our lives, the smallest of details that go into making your life the beautiful tapestry that it really is. How do you go about that? But not losing focus on your actions in the present moment, regardless of how tiny and inconsequential they may appear. Think about the last time you were reading a book and suddenly found your mind mulling over what had occurred earlier at work. The next thing you know, you’ve read several pages without knowing what you really read. Similarly, every time your mind asks you “What would happen if you won the lottery?” you begin to think of all the aspects of your life don’t live up to your expectations. These types of thoughts only make you more disaffected with your life. By focusing on what you don’t have only makes it more painful thinking about why you haven’t gone farther. Tolle makes the bold suggestion that this moment that we are all experiencing is “problem-free.” Problems, he explains, need to exist in time. When you live in the present moment there is no way problems can inch their way in. The more often you remember to live in the present, the less influence your problems have over you. He then goes one step further by urging you to withhold judgment on what you deem as a problem or “bad.” Instead, accept the situation’s right to exist. He says you must first forgive the situation. Yes, do this even if you hate the situation you’re experiencing now. As part of this process, even accept – without judgment – your hatred of where you are now. In order to live in the moment, Tolle instructs us to pay attention to the activities we go through daily. Actions even as small as washing your hands, doing laundry, even walking up or down steps, even playing with your children or grandchildren. If you refuse to feed your situation with fear, a miracle of sorts will occur, Tolle contends. A solution to your issue, your situation, your problem arises. This is a book that not only needs to be read once, but it needs to sit on your nightstand or end table so you can pick it up and consult it at any time. Read and re-read this book. You’ll find it an invaluable guide to a new, worry-free life.
0 Comments
|