A Book for the Spiritual Seeker

[Kenneth]

Hi Matt!

I just finished reading the book also, and I must say that i wholeheartedly agree with you on recommending this book!

I too am a "searcher" (and a speed-reader *LOL*), but I have to admit, that I think I will read this book  again, and again, and ....

To all others I would like to present some "hints" on what this book is about, as I understand it. (Also helps me clarify these thoughts, and their deeper meaning for my self).

The main topic of this book is, that enlightenment is possible each and every moment of your life - it is merely one step away. Enlightenment is NOT at the end of a very long journey - The enlightenment (In Tolle's view) is to be able to BE ABSOLUTELY IN NOW. Nothing more, nothing less []

But, that is also the tricky part of it!... There are numorous obstackles, that we each put up as barriers for our self - and Tolle has (IMO) a GREAT understanding of these barriers - and what "tools" we as humans can use to help us!

Like time ... Huuu ?!?, how can Time be a barrier? Well, how much can you be in NOW, if you are thinking about the Exams TOMORROW, or how you SHOULD have presented your studies yesterday?. (Or how much you REALLY want to achieve enlightenment when you are good enough, educated enough, etc. etc).

Tolle introduces Clock-time (used when planning how you will do your work, or using the knowledge from an earlier situation, wich is OK), compared to Emotional-time, that is when you are somewhere in the future, or in the past (through Thoughts or feelings), instead of being in NOW - like the Exams example.

The Mind .... Yup, the one and only - our thoughts, our Ego-defence - the one we (my self included!) actually use to find "enlightenment" with. Here i found a piece of information, that our mind and/or Egodefence CAN NOT SURVIVE without us beliving in the "illusion" of time, and that our mind egodefence is one of the MAIN obstacles for us finding peace and enlightenment.

The (I am not sure how to translate this from Danish - here it is called <Smertelegemet>, but something like "The Emotional Pain-body" or something like that ... Where we store the resistance of the moments, where we did NOT accept the WHOLE NOW. (Like if you are in great emotional pain, and you try to "run" from that pain, years later you are in a similar situation, that the new pain gets mingled with the OLD pain, and creates a much stronger pain/feeling).

One of the main tools that Tolle describes is the "Observer" inside of us - the ability to silently stand by, and observe what goes on inside our mind, and our emotions - without judging or analyzing(!), just accepting NOW.

A person asks Tolle - "How can I achieve what you got?" (meaning the peace and enlightenment), and Tolle answers "You allready got it, it's just you mind that is creating to much noise for you to feel it"


I allready look forward to reading this book again!

[Nick]

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the post, and welcome to the Astral Pulse! [] I remembered a review of this book in our Welcome to Member's Book Recommendations forum. What I've done is to copy the link to the review for you. You may want to add your thoughts on the book at that forum as well.

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5345


Very best,

[Arie]

The Now is here because of The Eternal God of Creation who is peaceful

and understanding to the point of being limitless and unbounded. For

the purpose of understanding this awareness...be...just be...more
aware and even more.

[Kerske]

hello old friends-
 Like several on this forum, I must have taken a years long break from any kind of postings.  And also for about a years time, I stopped practicing astral projection.  Before I state the book, I just wanted to say that although I do not know how many forum participants acknowledge the belief that they are indeed searching for higher truths, I definitely fell into this category approximately one year ago.  I was practically on a relentless quest to research and note all "New Age" phenomena ( and then some ) in order to see if I could find the missing piece which fit everything together.  And even though I see the transformative power of this book, a book which dramtically changed my perspective of spirituality, its content will not affect all readers.  Some will even scoff at it, claiming the author has no knowledge whatsoever.  Whatever their reaction, good or bad, I could care less, I am just suggesting the book in order to allow the individual a chance at ending their suffering (even the suffering that is sometimes felt by one's confusion over his or her spirituality ).  The book is titled "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.  Tolle is not the only teacher to have presented such material, but rather a more contemporary figure which explains the pure essence of what enlightened teachers such as Christ, Buddha, and Lao Tzu once told.  A teaching which can ultimately allow the reader a chance at transcending suffering and knowing the true essence of Being.

 Before any mind activity can begin for those who are reading this, I do not claim to be enlightened.  I'm a typical college student who read this book and others like it several months ago, and for the first time in my spiritual quest I realized that one does not need to search for Truth.  It is here right Now.  I know some might be thinking, " oh great, this guy makes no sense ", please understand that whenever such a teaching must be expressed in words, the speaker is already at a loss.  This is because I am trying my best to use form to describe the formless.  This is why I believe the Bible can be seen to contain many contradictions.  However, this book which I just gave does not emphasize one religion or belief system over another.  Its teachings is of course a synthesis of many, since many teachings contain underlying similarities.  So in closing, I just wanted to say that whosoever picks up this book, I recommend do so with an open heart, for occasionally an open mind does not always allow the individual true clarity.

 regards,
   Matt Kerske