The Power of NOW - A book review

How much do you live in the present moment?

Last month I read 'The Power of NOW" by Eckhart Tolle, a book that took me on journey within myself and surprised me with the simplicity that has been used to deliver a message that makes far more practical sense than millions of philosophy books out there on the shelf.

The book begins Eckhart's personal journey and gives us a glimpse of an experience that the author went through where he was on the brink of committing suicide and in the midst of extreme frustration he said to himself ,

"I can no longer live with myself"

What followed next was a heavy duty transformation which changed his life forever.

That was Eckhart's eureka moment which revealed to him that he has two distinct identities, on one side is the 'I' and on the other side, the 'self', which the 'I' can no longer live with. A shift in consciousness takes place in him and a presence of mind, free from any trail of thoughts, dawns on him. Eckhart uses the term, thoughtless presence to describe such a state.

The best part of this book is that it is NOT written in a typical theory format, like the way most psychological or spiritual books are written. The Power of NOW follows a 'Q & A' format where an imaginary interviewer who critically questions Eckhart about the need to stay in the NOW moment. The writing style makes us replace ourselves with the interviewer and assume that we are the ones having a conversation with Eckhart himself. As the chapters progress we see the message of the book evolving from psychology to philosophy and finally advancing towards a very simple yet powerful spiritual wisdom that works. However, it does not lose track of every day practical reality.

Below are a few bits and pieces of wisdom that I received from this incredible book, hope you find them inspiring the way millions of readers have.

• Be careful of all those moments when you are complaining, it carries an unconscious negative charge
• Do not dwell on the grievance too much, either change it, seek help to change it, if nothing works out then simply accept it, BUT do not dwell on it unnecessarily, there is absolutely nothing that you will gain out of it
• Wherever you are BE there totally
• To know if you are really living in the present, simply ask yourself if you are finding the current activity joyful or is it boring 
• If it is painful and you are still doing it then it means that you are hoping for some future gratification and using the present moment only as a means to an end
• In any given situation you have only 3 options:-
• Change it, if it is now favorable
• Leave it, if you cannot do anything about it
• Accept it totally without resistance
• When you find yourself in an emotional turmoil, just feel the pain fully without labeling it or thinking about it because doing so will imply your identification from it and so it becomes a long term process

It is not easy to stay in the present moment, however, if we were to even get short glimpses of the peace that we feel when we are totally present, we shall then know that there is indeed another way of life, far more fulfilling and happier than what we know of.

I would strongly suggest The Power of NOW for all those who are looking forward to learn the art of staying in the present. Staying in the present is of unavoidable importance as it enhances your productivity, unlocks your creative genius and most importantly improves your mental, emotional and physical well-being. 

Peace,

Rafaat Khan