Early acclaim for

216 Pages·2005·0.8 MB·English

Early acclaim for
THE POWER OF NOW
"If I were allotted only one book, I would choose Eckhart Tolle's The Power of
Now. Why? Because this book emanates a spirit of love, not only through its
words, but in the spaces between the words. No book has touched me, nor
embraced me as this one has." — Patricia Gordon, Calgary, Alberta
"This book offers us a wonderful gift, but we must have the courage to seize it. I
encourage you to accept this gift. I believe our very survival on this planet is depen-
dent on the inner journey that Eckhart Tolle is urging us to take."
— Bill Carpenter, Businessman and Fellow Spiritual Seeker
"I found this book to be a wonderful perspective for people like me who wish to
integrate the message delivered so eloquently by A Course in Miracles and Deepak
Chopra's Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. Every time I return to a segment of the
book, I am surprised to find a new deeper meaning than the previous read."
— Jean-Pierre LeBlanc, CEO, SAJE (manufacturer and retail chain of natural health products)
"This manuscript is like a collection of 'Daily Bread' in that the gleanings of
knowledge that are made available by Eckhart are in a spiritually digestible form
of question and answer. These conscious awareness triggers are a must read in
this present age of truth seekers."
— David L. Jones, author of A Warrior in the Land of Disease
"The book gave me comfort and inspired me no end and gave me insight after
insight regarding my own personal journey. It was a revelation and a joy to read."
— Albert Koopman, Business Executive
"I have searched for meaning, well-being, health and life, but unfortunately I
was searching outside myself. The Power of Now has shown me how to find life's
elusive treasures within." — John Kuchenthal, Organizational Development Consultant

THE POWER OF
A GUIDE TO SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT
Eckhart Tolle
NEW WORLD LIBRARY
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way
Novato, CA 94949
Copyright © 1999 by Eckhart Tolle
Book and cover design: Jacqueline Verkley
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole
or in part, or transmitted in any form, without written permission
from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief
passages in a review, nor may any part of this book be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or other, without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.
Tolle, Eckhart, 1948-
The power of now : a guide to spiritual enlightenment / Eckhart Tolle.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-57731-152-3 (alk. paper)
1. Spiritual life. I Title.
BL624.T64 1999
291.4*4—dc2i 99-42336
CIP
Originally published in Canada by
Namaste Publishing Inc., 1997.
First U.S. printing, September 1999
ISBN 1-57731-152-3
Printed in Canada on acid-free paper
Distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West
23 22 21 20
You are here to enable the divine
purpose of the universe to unfold.
That is how important you are!
— Eckhart Tolle

CONTENTS
Preface xiii
Foreword xvii
Acknowledgments xxiii
Introduction 1
The Origin of This Book 1
The Truth That Is Within You 3
CHAPTER ONE: You Are Not Your Mind 9
The Greatest Obstacle to Enlightenment 9
Freeing Yourself from Your Mind 14
Enlightenment: Rising above Thought 18
Emotion: The Body's Reaction to Your Mind 20
CHAPTER TWO: Consciousness: The Way Out of Pain 27
Create No More Pain in the Present 27
Past Pain: Dissolving the Pain-Body 29
Ego Identification with the Pain-Body 34
The Origin of Fear 35
The Ego's Search for Wholeness 37
CHAPTER THREE: Moving Deeply into the Now 39
Don't Seek Your Self in the Mind 39
End the Delusion of Time 40
Nothing Exists Outside the Now 41
The Key to the Spiritual Dimension 42
Accessing the Power of the Now 44
Letting Go of Psychological Time 46
The Insanity of Psychological Time 48
Negativity and Suffering Have Their Roots in Time 49
Finding the Life Underneath Your Life Situation 51
All Problems Are Illusions of the Mind 53
A Quantum Leap in the Evolution of Consciousness 55
The Joy of Being 56
CHAPTER FOUR: Mind Strategies for Avoiding the Now 59
Loss of Now: The Core Delusion 59
Ordinary Unconsciousness and Deep Unconsciousness 60
What Are They Seeking? 62
Dissolving Ordinary Unconsciousness 63
Freedom from Unhappiness 64
Wherever You Are, Be There Totally 68
The Inner Purpose of Your Life's Journey 73
The Past Cannot Survive in Your Presence 74
CHAPTER FIVE: The State of Presence 77
It's Not What You Think It Is 77
The Esoteric Meaning of uWaiting" 78
Beauty Arises in the Stillness of Your Presence 79
Realizing Pure Consciousness 81
Christ: The Reality of Your Divine Presence 86
CHAPTER six: The Inner Body 89
Being Is Your Deepest Self 89
Look beyond the Words 90
Finding Your Invisible and Indestructible Reality 91
Connecting with the Inner Body 93
Transformation through the Body 94
Sermon on the Body 96
Have Deep Roots Within 97
Before You Enter the Body, Forgive 99
Your Link with the Unmanifested 100
Slowing Down the Aging Process 102
Strengthening the Immune System 102
Let the Breath Take You into the Body 104
Creative Use of Mind 105
The Art of Listening 105
CHAPTER SEVEN: Portals into the Unmanifested 107
Going Deeply into the Body 107
The Source of Chi 108
Dreamless Sleep 110
Other Portals 110
Silence 112
Space 113
The True Nature of Space and Time 116
Conscious Death 118
CHAPTER EIGHT: Enlightened Relationships 121
Enter the Now from Wherever You Are 121
Love/Hate Relationships 123
Addiction and the Search for Wholeness 125
From Addictive to Enlightened Relationships 128
Relationships as Spiritual Practice 130
Why Women Are Closer to Enlightenment 136
Dissolving the Collective Female Pain-Body 138
Give Up the Relationship with Yourself 143
CHAPTER NINE: Beyond Happiness and Unhappiness There Is Peace 147
The Higher Good beyond Good and Bad 147
The End of Your Life Drama 150
Impermanence and the Cycles of Life 151
Using and Relinquishing Negativity 156
The Nature of Compassion 161
Toward a Different Order of Reality 164
CHAPTER TEN: The Meaning of Surrender 171
Acceptance of the Now 171
From Mind Energy to Spiritual Energy 175
Surrender in Personal Relationships 177
Transforming Illness into Enlightenment 180
When Disaster Strikes 182
Transforming Suffering into Peace 183
The Way of the Cross 186
The Power to Choose 188