Book Summary | The Power of Now (1995)

​“There have been many people for whom limitation, failure, loss, illness, or pain in whatever form turned out to be their greatest teacher. It taught them to let go of false self-images and superficial ego-dictated goals and desires. It gave them depth, humility, and compassion. It made them more real.” - ​Eckhart Tolle

"The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment" by Eckhart Tolle is an insightful book that delves into the idea of living in the present moment to attain personal happiness and spiritual enlightenment. Tolle argues that much of human suffering is a result of being caught up in our minds, preoccupied with thoughts of the past or future, rather than experiencing life as it unfolds in the "now."

Some exercise for our practice:

• Ask the question: What's going on inside me at this moment? What, at this moment, is lacking?
• Close your eyes and say to yourself: "I wonder what my next thought is going to be." Then, Be like a cat watching a mouse hole. What thought is going to come out of the mouse hole?
• Ask yourself, "If not now, when?"
• Flooding the body: "Close your eyes. Lie flat on your back. Choose different parts of your body to focus your attention on briefly at first: hands, feet, arms, legs, abdomen, chest, head, and so on. Feel the life energy inside those parts as intensely as you can. Stay with each part for fifteen seconds or so. Then let your attention run through the body like a wave a few times, from feet to head and back again. This need only take a minute or so. After that, feel the inner body in its totality, as a single field of energy. Hold that feeling for a few minutes. Be intensely present during that time, present in every cell of your body. Don't be concerned if the mind occasionally succeeds in drawing your attention out of the body and you lose yourself in some thought. As soon as you notice that this has happened, just return your attention to the inner body." See yourself surrounded by light or immersed in a luminous substance. Then, breathe in that light. Feel that luminous substance is filling up your body and making it luminous, also.​​