[TimTheEnchanter]

The man who wrote this book, Eckhard Tolle was near suicide as depressed person, in his youth. Then he had an Aha moment (I wish I had something like this) and realized that when he focused obsessively on the past or the future, he caused his own anxiety and depression.
Recounting the experience, Tolle says;
"I couldn’t live with myself any longer. And in this a question arose without an answer: who is the ‘I’ that cannot live with the self? What is the self? I felt drawn into a void! I didn’t know at the time that what really happened was the mind-made self, with its heaviness, its problems, that lives between the unsatisfying past and the fearful future, collapsed. It dissolved. The next morning I woke up and everything was so peaceful. The peace was there because there was no self. Just a sense of presence or “beingness,” just observing and watching."

You can view him on YouTube.com
What amazed me of him that he apparently had cured himself of a serious disorder by changing his thinking. He now lectures on techniques of implementing in the now thinking.

[Webgoji]

While that's really cool, it's not exactly an "aha" moment. It's been around for over 2500 years and he didn't even really change the terminology.

[Little Lulu]

Thanks for this. I agree that Eckhart Tolle hasn't said anything new, he has packaged his information in a way that is easy to understand and added the story of his personal struggles so he seems 'reachable'.

[gayleggg]

I'm a big fan of Eckhart Tolle's. I favor his book A New Earth over The Power of Now, but I found both to be very helpful and encouraging. And I find listening to his videos and CDs to be very relaxing. While it may be nothing new, it is still furthering the cause of enlightenment.

[Little Lulu]

Thanks for this gayleggg. I forgot to add that I use his information regularly (books, CDs, videos) and he has been a big part of my spiritual path in recent years.

[TimTheEnchanter]

I understand but for me the message was new(Aha moment). I never studied Zen and found his delivery quite refreshing. What version was the "Power of Now" around for 2500 years? Zen? I do not doubt that The Secret as well as most new age "discoveries" are nothing more than putting an old wine into new bottle and slopping a new label on them - having said this the amazing thing is (to me) his personal transformation after that day, he spoke of.

[sideblinded]

The Power of Now was the first book that I read on living in the present moment and it birthed me to start reading more books about this....

[Fuzzybear]

[avlady]

my mother always get angry with me when i brought up past events and future worries. she said to live in the present, which i still have a hard time doing. i'm getting better at although and know shes right-there is no other way to be happy in the moment.

[mountain human]

Originally Posted by KinkyGuy

I understand but for me the message was new(Aha moment). I never studied Zen and found his delivery quite refreshing. What version was the "Power of Now" around for 2500 years? Zen? I do not doubt that The Secret as well as most new age "discoveries" are nothing more than putting an old wine into new bottle and slopping a new label on them - having said this the amazing thing is (to me) his personal transformation after that day, he spoke of.

Buddhism started 2500 years ago...Tolle's teachings rely heavily on Buddhism (acceptance, impermanence, non-attachment, etc.) as well as other spiritual schools of thought. Dense material for sure.

[wolfgaze]

Please check out this 10 minute video with narration from Tolle set against stimulating nature scenery and some music....

If people enjoy this, there are 4 additional videos compiled by this youtube user that I can also post and which are excellent as well...

[wolfgaze]

[wolfgaze]