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The Power of Now is a pithy discourse on the timeless subject of spiritual enlightenment. While most books that directly examine the nature of enlightenment were written thousands of years ago, this one offers a uniquely modern perspective on the state of life in the 21st Century. Given this contemporary focus, combined with the simple but effectively explained tenets of universal spiritual truth, Eckhart Tolle delivers a poignant message of personal transformation that individuals with no interest in spirituality can still gain immense benefit from reading.

The Power of Now is essentially a study of mindfulness, a fundamental spiritual practice and meditation from the Buddhist tradition, but Tolle beautifully weaves this basic teaching through all the major western religious traditions. He discusses how unconsciousness, equated here with identification with the incessant chatter of the ego or mind, forces people out of a focus on the here and now and into a nebulous, painful space of suffering in which the individual holds fast to past and future for identity. He goes on to point out that it is this very identification, assumed as an escape from pain through the ego, that is actually the root cause of suffering. The central point of the book boils down to accepting what is (the now), giving it our complete attention (through which no suffering can occur), and remaining as much as practically possible in this alert state of “no-mind” as the key to spiritual freedom. It is on this last point that readers will have the most trouble; as Tolle himself admits, it takes great courage, resolve and attention to remain rooted in the now in an era of constant stimulation and distraction. Most of us, if we can achieve this state of consciousness at all, will move periodically in and out of focus on the present moment or Zen state. Considerable practice in mindfulness-focused meditation will probably be required for the reader to achieve the state of freedom Tolle is talking about.

That said, the book is full of valuable teachings that can be put into immediate practice. It is a kind of bible for coping with the nature of ego and avoiding the pitfalls of modern day consciousness. Chief these teachings is Tolle’s distinction between psychological time and clock time; psychological time referring to dependency on past and future to grant us an illusory happiness, and clock time referring to practical attention toward the passage of time necessary for modern life. Another simple though powerful message running through the book is to avoid engaging in harsh judgment: criticism of thoughts, our lives, and other people. Observing without judging is so incredibly simple, but tremendously difficult for minds that are conditioned and skilled at ruthlessly picking things apart through analysis. When brought to the level of consciousness, non-judgment is a powerful transformative agent for accepting everything in our personal universe, an acceptance tied to the sincerest form of understanding we can experience.

My main objection with an unquestioned adoption of Tolle’s message is that he often speaks as though taming the inner state of the mind is all that matters, as if an attentive balance between inner and outer life is not necessary. Though what we say and do is a reflection of our inner state, I do not believe that the “higher energy frequency” of mindful living is enough to exclusively guide our choices in every situation. Present moment awareness is essential, but it is nothing when it falls into a state of vegetative passivity and inaction. Thought, word, and deed must be working congruently in a positive direction for anyone to be truly spiritually successful. And while there is a time for mindfulness, most of us also feel a powerful need to be hopeful, and to capitalize on that hopefulness to plan future present moments to guide how we act now (Tolle does concede this in the book). Simply put, we have to plan to know where we are going.

The final lesson from Tolle’s book is to look forward and backward for guidance, but to never derive our true sense of self from these memories and hopes, as they exist only in the mind and constantly distract us from the reality of this moment. For those who practice any form of meditation and have come in touch with the timeless power of inner “being,” this may appear obvious, but to the more western-oriented masses for which meditation, karma, and spiritual consciousness are foreign terms, Tolle’s explanation may be invaluable. The present moment is eternal, awareness and mindfulness are critical, but for me, they are not the sole pieces to the puzzle of enlightenment. Constant inner and outer growth are significant elements as well.

4/5 Stars