The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle [Book Summary & PDF]

• • You are not your mind. Of course, everyone has an internal narrator, but Tolle reminds us that it should not be tied to your identity or sense of self.
  • Mindfulness writes Tolle, helps you notice what is happening in the present moment to help you make a better judgment. Likewise, meditation, (which is a more formal type of mindfulness,) works wonders with stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Tolle suggests that one must practice meditation on a regular, to root oneself in the present.
  • The body keeps score. (There’s a book by that same title I’d highly recommend) but the idea here is to try not to allow emotions to be bottled up. Find an outlet to release them without lashing, or dumping them on others. Tolle refers to these sorts of emotional outbursts as the pain-body. (And we all have them. Whether it’s childhood trauma or ego identification—the pain body is in there, waiting to pop/ crying for help. It’s not until we do the work, and take on our healing journey sincerely, that these life situations of ours may subside.)  This book offers a starting point but it’s not the absolute. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle will give you a glimpse into eternity, however, the path is practical and requires some effort.

Chapter 1 

YOU ARE NOT YOUR MIND: The greatest obstacle to Enlightenment

Tolle explains that enlightenment is a state of wholeness.

He says “It is finding your true nature beyond name and form to reach a paradoxical state.”  To put it more clearly, it’s a state that is essentially you, and yet, it is much higher than you.

He points out that, “being can be felt, but it can never be understood mentally. You can know it only when the mind is still, and your attention is fully and intensely in the Now.” 

“When you’ve tapped into the Now,” writes Tolle, “you realize the things that truly matter, like beauty, love, creativity, joy, and inner peace — all arise from beyond the mind.

The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated.”— Eckhart Tolle.

Chapter 2

FREEING YOURSELF FROM YOUR MIND

Listen to the voice in your head. Writes Tolle. Be there as the witnessing presence.

That voice you’ll often hear… belongs to your conditioned mind.

It’s the result of all history—the collective cultural mindset we inherited growing up.

Do not judge or condemn what you hear. Writes Tolle, because doing so would mean the same voice has returned through the back door.

Tolle explains you’ll soon realize: there is the voice, and here I am listening to it, watching it.

In your everyday life, you can practice this by taking any routine activity that’s usually a means to an end and giving it your fullest attention without judging your emotions.

Chapter 3

ENLIGHTENMENT: RISING ABOVE THOUGHT

Eckhart Tolle describes the mind as an instrument; a tool that’s there to be used for specific tasks. When the job is completed, you lay it down.

He points out that approximately 80 to 90 percent of people’s thinking is repetitive and useless. He added; that these thoughts are often negative as well as harmful.

“If you observe the mind,” explains Tolle, “you’ll find this to be true.”

The present moment holds the key to liberation. But you cannot find the present moment as long as you are in your mind. — Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart reminds us that enlightenment means rising above thoughts, not falling back to a level below thoughts. (i.e., the level of an animal or a plant.)

Chapter 4

EMOTION: THE BODY’S REACTION TO YOUR MIND 

Tolle describes emotion as the body’s reaction to the mind — or, you might say, a reflection of the mind in the body.

In a more straightforward form, Emotion arises where mind and body meet.

Strong emotions can even cause changes in the biochemistry of the body.

And so, If you have any difficulties tapping into your feelings,(as we can all feel sometimes) Tolle advises that you start by focusing your attention on the inner energy field of your body.

He says, “Feel the body from within.” Doing so will also put you in touch with your emotions. 

Love, joy, and peace are the three main aspects of deep states of being. Writes Tolle.

In other words, they are the foundation of inner connectedness with Being, because they all arise from beyond the mind.

Eckhart Tolle points out that, emotions come from the dualistic mind (meaning thinking in good/bad, up/down, black/white, negative/positive, in other words, the law of opposites.)

“Whatever the present moment contains,” explains Tolle, “accept it as if you had chosen it.

Tolle also emphasizes the idea that the present moment is all you ever have.

Always work with it rather than against it.

Make It your friend and ally, not your enemy.”

Tolle clarifies that, as long as you cannot access the power of the Now, every emotional pain you experience leaves behind a residue of pain that lives on in you.

He states that this includes the pain you suffered as a child; and the unconsciousness of the world you and I were born into. But If you don’t consciously face the pain body,” explains Tolle, “you’ll be forced to relive it repeatedly.” So, watch out for any sign of unhappiness in yourself, in whatever form it may be. Tolle says it’s the awakening of “the pain-body.”

The Two Levels to Your Pain

There are two levels to your pain:

1. The pain you’re creating now. 
2. The pain from the past still lives on in your mind and body.

Therefore be present enough to watch the pain body directly and feel its energy field within you. By doing so, It can no longer control your thinking or behavior.

Everything is shown up by being exposed to the light, and whatever is exposed to the light itself becomes light. — Eckhart Tolle.

Chapter 7

EGO IDENTIFICATION WITH THE PAIN-BODY

Tolle explains that once you have understood the basic principle of being present— as the watcher of what happens inside you — and you “understand” it by experiencing it — then you have the most potent transformational tool at your disposal. “However,” says Tolle, “this is not to deny that you may encounter intense inner resistance from moment to moment.”

He points out that this happens because you had made an unhappy self out of your “pain body” and believed that this mind-made fiction is who you are. Tolle also reminds us that getting rid of old false identity won’t be easy. You will be tempted to be in pain — in the pain-body — than to take a leap into the unknown, and risk losing the familiar unhappy self. He indicates that “This is the purest form of addiction.” So If this applies to you, observe the resistance within yourself. It might take a while for you to release the identity you’ve attached to the pain body, but it’s worth it. As Tolle puts it:

It’s the unconscious fear of losing your identity that’ll likely create strong resistance to any dis-identification. —Eckhart Tolle.

Chapter 8

THE ORIGIN OF FEAR

Tolle states that fears come in many forms: unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension, dread, phobia… you name it. But Tolle also realized that this kind of psychological fear is always something that might happen, as opposed to not something that is happening — now.

He says “You are in the here and now, while your mind is in the future.” 

And so as a result, this creates an anxiety gap.

His advice is to watch out for any defensiveness that you may feel within yourself.

Ask yourself “What am I defending?

Is it a false identity? an image in your mind? a fictitious entity? What is it?

And once you get to the bottom of it, make this pattern conscious, until you’re able to dis-identify with it.

In the light of your consciousness, the unconscious habit will then quickly dissolve. — Eckhart Tolle.

Chapter 9

THE EGO’S SEARCH FOR WHOLENESS

“As long as the egoic mind runs your life,” observes Tolle, “you cannot truly be at ease, at peace, or truly fulfilled.” The reason why is that the ego is a derived sense of self, and it must identify with external things.

Tolle clarifies that these “external things” are not — you.

And this German teacher is certainly not asking you to believe that your identity cannot be found in any of those things. Don’t get it twisted. It’s just that if you live long enough, you’ll know the truth of it for yourself. “You will know it at the latest,” writes Tolle, “when you feel death approaching.”

Death stripped away all that is not you. Writes Tolle. And the secret of life is to “die before you die” — and find that there is no death .—Eckhart Tolle.

Chapter 10

MOVING DEEPLY INTO THE NOW [Don’t seek yourself in your mind] 

Tolle explains that the ego’s needs are endless.

It feels vulnerable and threatened; therefore it lives in fear and wants.

And so identifying with the mind will likely create a false self — an ego, as a substitute for your true self, which is rooted in Being.

As Jesus once put it, “You become a branch cut off from the vine.”

The problems of the mind cannot be solved on the level of the mind.– Eckhart Tolle.

The mind in itself is not dysfunctional. Writes Tolle. It is a beautiful tool.

“However,” says Tolle, “dysfunction sets in when you seek yourself in it and mistake it for who you are.” And when you do so, It then becomes the egoic mind and takes over your whole life.

Chapter 11 

END THE DELUSION OF TIME

Tolle notices that to be identified with your mind is to be trapped in time. As a result, this creates an endless preoccupation with the past and future and an unwillingness to honor and acknowledge the present moment and allow it to be.

And the reason why it’s hard to let go, according to Tolle, is that the past gives you an identity, and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whatever form. But, of course, explains Tolle, both are illusions.

Tolle believes, the more you are focused on time: past and future — the more you’ll miss the Now. Which is the most precious thing there is.

Tolle states “There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be.” Secondly, Now is the only time that can take you beyond the limited confines of the mind. It is your single access point to the timeless and formless realm of Being.

The eternal present is the space within which your whole life unfolds, the one factor that remains constant. —Eckhart Tolle.

Chapter 12 

Eckhart Tolle explains that the key to the spiritual dimension is through self-observation. By noticing what it’s like to be this presence being that you are, more presence will automatically come into your life.

Don’t judge or analyze what you observe. Watch the thought, feel the emotion, and observe the reaction. And the moment you realize you are not present — you are present.

Chapter 13

FINDING THE LIFE UNDERNEATH YOUR LIFE SITUATION

Tolle suggests that Ignore your life situation for a while, instead pay attention to your life.

For what you call “your life” writes Tolle, should be more accurately called “your life situation.”

What’s the difference?

Well according to Tolle, your life situation exists in time.

While your life is now.

…

Your life situation is mind-stuff.

Your life is real.

“It’s not about solving your problems,” explains Tolle, “It’s about realizing there are no problems.”

Focus your attention on the Now and tell me what problem you have at this moment. As there are no problems in the now, there is no fear either. — Eckhart Tolle.

Thank you for reading.

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• Browse more spiritual books

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This summary is not intended as a replacement for the original book. All quotes are credited to the author mentioned above and the publisher. 

 Until next time.