The Power of Now

 

The spiritual book that ignites me for being in the present moment.

During the 1^st lockdown in Covid 19 pandemic, I was able to download an eBook called “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.  At first, I couldn’t get the concepts clearly. But, during the month of August, I got an opportunity to participate for a seven-day residential retreat at Nissarana Vanaya, Meethirigala (details on www.nissarana.lk). There I learned to practice mindful walking, mindful sitting and perform activities mindfully during the day. Without any distraction from scrolling through social media on mobile, reading books, watching television and even talking to each other. That relaxation helped me to understand the importance of being in the presence. Once I return back, I went through the chapters as I practiced with SMS - Slowly, Mindfully and Silently.

Once I mentioned that I’m currently reading “The Power of Now” in one of the Pick a Book sessions, an awesome friend of mine, TM Shuvo Hridayesh said that he has the hardcopy and handed over to me to go through it. I got super exited and did a presentation and practice session on it.

Let’s first get to know about the author;

•        Eckhart Tolle is a spiritual teacher, presenter and best-selling author

•        He’s a German born resident of Vancouver, Canada

•        “The most popular spiritual author in US” – The New York Times

•        The Power of Now has sold over 2 Million copies and translated into over 30 foreign languages

 This book contains with 10 wonderful chapters, starting with You are not your Mind, The way out of Pain, Moving deeply into the Now, Mind strategies for avoiding the Now, The state of Presence, The inner Body, Portals into the Unmanifested, Enlightened Relationships, Beyond Happiness and Unhappiness there is Peace and The meaning of Surrender.

On the Introduction, the author mentions that until his thirtieth year, he lived in a state of almost continuous anxiety sprinkled with periods of suicidal depression. It feels him, as if he’s talking about some past lifetime or somebody else’s life.

On chapter one, You are not your mind, starts with a story of an old man who had been sitting by the roadside begging for years. One day a stranger came and said, “I have nothing to give you” also he asked, “What’s inside that box you are sitting on” Then the beggar replied, “Nothing, I haven’t ever look inside” Afterwards, the beggar opened it and found the box full of gold. Just like that, we are sitting on our own treasure/wealth without knowing what’s inside ourself.

Some of the concepts are;

Ø  What is the greatest obstacle to enlightenment? – The author says that, “It’s true that I do lot of aimless thinking, like most people, but I can still choose to use my mind to get and accomplish things and I do that all the time.”

 Ø  Freeing yourself from your mind – The author mentions to watch the thinker and “Draw your consciousness away from mind activity and create a gap of no-mind in which you are highly alert and aware but not thinking.”

Ø  Rising above thought – As per the author, “The mind is essentially a survival machine. Attack and defense against other minds, gathering, stories and analyzing information.”

 Ø  The body’s reaction to your mind – What about emotions? The author states “To feel your emotions, start by focusing attention on the inner energy field of your body. Feel the body from within.”

 

On the next chapter, Consciousness: The way out of pain. The author mentions that “Nobody’s life is entirely free of pain and sorrow. Isn’t it a question of learning to live with them rather than trying to avoid them?” Also, some of the sub-headings the author discusses;

v Create no more pain in the present – “The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It’s self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life.” Also, you can free yourself from disappointments in the past and worrying about the future.

 v Past pain: Dissolving the pain-body – “Fight with the pain-body would create inner conflict and thus further pain. Watching it implies accepting it as part of what is at that moment.”

 v The origin of Fear – “Fear has been part of our basic underlying emotional pain and isn’t a certain amount of fear just healthy self-protection?”

 v The Ego’s search for wholeness - “As long as the egoic mind is running your life, you cannot truly be at ease; you cannot be at peace or Fulfilled.”

  

 On the subsequent chapter, Moving deeply into the now. The author discusses the below concepts with details;

•        Letting go of Psychological time - “If you dwell on mentally, self-criticism, remorse or guilt come up, then you are making it part of your Psychological time. Which is identification with the past and continuous compulsive projection into the future.”

•        Finding the life underneath your life situation - “Forget about your life situation for a while and pay attention to your life.”

•        All problems are illusions of the Mind - “The problems are mind-made and need time to survive. It is impossible to have a problem when your attention is fully in the Now.”

•        The joy of Being - “As you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve and life begins to flow with joy and ease.”

Quick summary:

         -  Freeing yourself from your mind.

         -  Every person carries the seed of enlightenment deep within.

         -  Be the one who observes, the silent watcher of your mind.

         -  Be the power of your own conscious ‘Presence’.

 

This is your state of Being. You have succeeded already!

(For more details on www.eckharttolle.com)