(Click thumbnails below to read about different ways to meditate).
One book that has the ability to significantly change the world is Eckhart Tolle’s, the Power of Now. The theme of the Power of Now is that people can find and maintain a deep sense of peace, joy and fulfillment, and in doing so, “return home to themselves.”
What does “returning home to yourself” look like?
The notion of finding peace and joy and returning home to yourself is not a poetic, unknowable concept. It’s real. When you break through the barrier of the noise of the mind, it’s like having total awareness of being alive. Its like being able to see the world with clarity and without the constant stream of mental judgments and mental noise. Even the appearance of objects seem so different and vibrant. And even physical space takes on new meaning — you sense that everything is connected. Knowledge takes on a dimension that transcends language. Instead of having faith in God, you know and feel God. You go through life having a deep sense of peace and joy. You feel that peace and joy within yourself and external to yourself. It is a life without constant mental fear. The peace you feel is not like coming home to yourself, it is coming home to your natural state of being. When you realign with yourself, it becomes obvious that this state is the way you were meant to be.
The experience will likely make you wonder if animals experience this same sense of peace because they likely don’t have mental noise.
Tolle’s message is not new, but he speaks with extraordinary clarity and shows clear paths to obtain this peace. The Power of Now is already recognized by many to be one of the great books on spirituality. As the years and even centuries go by, it’s popularity and acceptance will likely increase. This book has become so popular it is almost perceived as pop-literature (or “new age”), which is both good and bad. The good is that many people are finding the message. The bad, is that many in academia and the religious communities are not recognizing its value. By its popularity, it has become almost too pop culture in so far as as its monumental message has been marginalized as a temporary cultural phenomenon.
Eckhart Tolle’s takes intangible concepts that many have written about before him and wonderfully lays it out clearly for the western mind. He speaks with authority. He speaks as a person who has truly experienced what he speaks. There are other great works out there, but the Power of Now is one that speaks to our Century. It is likely that Tolle’s book will stand the test of time and be considered great literature for years to come.
Further below there is a list of “paths” that Tolle suggests to break the barrier of the noise of the mind (and ego). Many will think of these paths as meditation or prayer ideas; but they are really “ways of life” ideas.
One of the goals of this article is simply to spread news about The Power of Now and suggest that there is some urgency for the world to adopt either this book, or the message contained therein. The proposition here is that spirituality needs to touch the masses; but in order to effectuate changing the world more quickly, it is hoped that the message could be adopted by leaders, the powerful, and those in academia.
If there was any time in human history where humanity needed to find peace, joy and fulfillment, it is now. The last 100 years is a relatively short period of time when considering the length of human history. Yet, the last 100 years saw 170 million people killed in wars and genocides. It seems we are moving towards continued and accelerated violence, not away from it. We can ponder whether humanity has an unconscious desire to kill itself. Not only do we have the weapons to do it, but we seemingly have a depressed and agitated disposition to do so.
If we destroy ourselves, we will not only take billions of innocent human lives, we will also destroy trillions and trillions of other innocent life forms. And, we will likely destroy earth as a habitable planet. Hopefully humanity does not have an unconscious desire to end it all, but there is enough empirical evidence to suggest that humanity is on such a dangerous road. To borrow a phrase from Sigmund Freud, we are a “civilization of discontents.”
Speaking about the “end of the world” may seem like a common and exaggerated theme, but empirically, what other animal has the weapons to destroy itself? What animal has used these weapons against itself? What other animal uses so much violence against one another? The end of the world may not be imminent — like within the next decade or so — but even if it were within the next 100 years, that is imminent enough. It is our responsibility to try to change.
Humanity needs peace. We need to grow peace within people’s psychology and hearts. If we create this personal sense of peace for individuals, it will have the effect of causing peace within our social-political fabric. Humanity has strayed from what it is to be naturally fulfilled and joyful. It is sad because when you look at our species we have so much potential for goodness, compassion, kindness, and love. Yet, we have moved into a direction of discontentment, agitation and violence.
For centuries and to varying degrees, we have strayed from the values that promote truly fulfilled joy and peace. Recently, we have shifted more and more away from a humanity that is human centered and replaced it for one that is material centered. We have gone through industrial and technological revolutions and our new-found focus is the “search for the material.” What makes this shift towards materialism dangerous is that we care less about human compassion and caring for one another. As a result, there is a natural alienation between humans. Instead of feeling a natural connection for one another, there is pent up anger and distrust. People are angry and distrustful because they psychologically yearn for the deep and satisfying experiences that only a human centered focus can bring.
What is most dangerous is that along with pent up anger of individuals, we have volatile political systems. Politically, we have many who are in search of power for power sake and power for economic gain. We could analyze the world, politically, and undoubtedly point fingers at one group over another. But such analysis only fuels the fire of hatred, distrust and discontentment. Let’s just say most if not all groups, religions, countries, and races are discontent. And all our groups of people form a dynamic relationship that has put humanity where it is today. So we ultimately are all at fault and we ultimately all need to fix ourselves.
Many skeptics might say that we cannot change. But we, as animals, can change. And… we are animals. We separate ourselves in our minds from other animals, because of our supposed intellect. We are animals that believe we are better, smarter, more sophisticated than the rest of the animal (and even plant) world. This is a fundamental mistake. We do not know the depth of the reality of other animals. It is likely that the depth of their experiences in many ways is likely so different than our own that we cannot comprehend — with our intellect — their reality. Look at the animal and plant world: they essentially have a balanced nature that interacts with one another to form a living system that is generally peaceful. There is a “give and take” cohesion that makes up our planet that has proven co-habitable for millions of years – our planet is no different than a healthy living organism. Humanity, though, is a species at a crossroads. We are a cancer to the living organism, Earth. Humanity is threatening the organism.
It is a bleak outlook and one that cannot be ignored. And we have to honestly confront this outlook. Humanity’s finger is on the trigger; and the end result will be great human suffering and very possibly, humanity’s suicide.
The Hope
Can humanity change itself? There seems to be division in our world between those who believe we can change and those who do not.
Unfortunately, many people don’t think humanity can change itself. They believe any desire and effort is fruitless. There seems to be a serious case of global apathy about change. The thought is that people have been unkind towards one another since the time of Cain and Able. Many believe hostility is an existential reality and that it is natural for people to turn against one another. There is skepticism about humanity’s plight: that we are inherently violent, and in some respects, inherently ‘evil.” It raises the age old question of why there is cruelty (evil).
There is another point of view: that humanity is not inherently evil. Many people hold this view intuitively and and many so-called enlightened people from the past write about this. Humans, as a species, are genuinely good, peaceful and joyful beings. The reasons we have moved from our true spiritual selves is that we’ve clouded our nature. The key for ourselves is to take the clouds away and to realign ourselves with the spiritual.
There are many great pieces of literature that talk about the clouding of people’s natural state. One that is poignant and known by many is the story of Adam and Eve. Tolle refers to this story in the Power of Now, also. Noticeably, the Bible begins with this story. It is a story of how people have lost a natural state in an attempt to gain knowledge and judgment. Essentially, the story of Adam and Eve is a story about civilization and its discontents. It’s a story about a humanity walking away from a state that could have been joyous and peaceful, but found discontentment.
But fortunately the story of Adam and Eve need not be viewed as all negative. One could look at the Story of Adam and Eve and say that solution to humanity’s problem is built into the story: that we do have a natural state of peace and joy — call it an innate Godliness to us; that the universe has an innate sense of peace and joy and that we need to reconnect to it.
It is fitting that the story of Adam and Eve starts off the Bible, stating the problem; and then, Book by Book after Genesis, trying to solve it. So, the Story of Adam and Eve also stands for the proposition that people are on a search to regain meaning and regain joy. Hence the story of Adam and Eve stands for the birth for the humanity’s quest for spirituality.
A main theme to Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now, is that humanity can change, but it will start with individuals returning to their spiritual center. Just as humanity can learn from the past of what it doesn’t want to be; humanity can learn from the past what it wants to be. We need to look to the past and see the common thread of messages given to us. These messages are enduring (1) that we are spiritual beings; (2) that we do have an innate joy and peace within; (3) that we essentially have God within us; and (4) that we can experience a new view of the world that is radically different, but radically true to who we are. These messages have carried from century to century, and from “enlightened” person to “enlightened” person. With this knowledge from the past, we have the tools and knowledge at our disposal to personally change; to find deep internal peace. From that perspective, it is exciting. We can do it with some speed; we can do it with some confidence. Once we believe we can change, the desire to change will follow.
If there is any doubt about the potential goodness of our inner core, think about what we have accomplished in the name of humanity: systems of food distribution to prevent starvation; an advanced health care system to save lives, social programs to help, cloth and house the poor, legal programs that ensure people have someone on their side, religious bodies that foster a place for communal gathering and a search for spirituality and meaning, a civilization that promotes the well-being of its families; educational systems that still ponder the humanities, people acting out compassion to give donations, armies of volunteers, countless authors and speakers who want to change the world, even some politicians who have genuinely good intentions, etc.. Its like that spiritual side to who we are is trying to peer out of the clouds. We have a core that is pro love and compassion to our fellow beings.
The fear is that over the centuries, we are moving away from human centeredness. The fear is that the frequency of love and compassion is less and agitation and discontentment is more. Our peaceful and joyful core has been increasingly clouded. We need to alter our dysfunction. We need to want to change. We need to believe that we can change.
The Power of Now’s message is that many people have broken the barrier of discontentment and have rediscovered or reconnected with their deep sense of peace and joy. In our lack of understanding, we often refer to these people with terminology that may not really be accurate: “enlightened,” “awakened,” “mystics,” “gurus,” “holy,” etc. Christ, Buddha and Mohamed come to mind as three who have delivered monumental messages and effected history greatly. But there is a tendency to believe that these religious figures obtained peace and joy from God’s grace and we cannot. That we have to spend our days on earth with discontentment and suffering with the hopes to be reconnected with peace and joy upon death. The message to Tolle and so many other is that this is wrong. We can find our peace and joy, and find it now.
With the advances of technology — with print media and now the digital age — the message of spirituality is growing. People have not lost the search for meaning. If there is one thing that has been constant for humanity is this search for meaning. Our innate desire to search for meaning and to reconnect with that joyful and peaceful nature is who we are, and will remain who we are until we regain it.
History shows us that many others have found that internal peace and joy. Tolle’s message — along with countless others — is that we can return to that peace and joy too. So much has been written on spirituality and much of it with clarity that speaks in a way that western mind can more easily understand. Some of the literature even reads as “how-to” manuals to break the mind’s grip that has blocked finding our inner-peace. But noteworthy is Eckhart Tolle’s, The Power of Now. This book has become so popular it is almost cliche. Terms like “Live in the Present” or “Be in the Now” are everywhere… without a true understanding of the depth of the message. As a species, we need to educate the masses — especially the influential of society — as to the message. We need the message to be mainstream.
The Solution
One way to accomplish global change is to get people to believe they can achieve a rich spirituality existence. One of the obvious and at the same time, overlooked, ways to do this is teach it at school systems, particularly universities. The concept of the “spiritual dimension” might make people in academia cringe. But whatever this spiritual dimension is to humanity, this dimension seems to be a reality. Humanity has been searching to reconnect with this dimension for thousands of years. And philosophers, thinkers, writers, poets, and spiritual and religious guides have been alluding to these topics for eons. Many have reconnected with their spiritual dimensions and write about their experiences. These experiences of re-connection are monumentally fascinating. They need to be studied and their paths emulated.
In our days of libraries, digital age, and shared communication, the transfer of knowledge is extremely rapid. There is a snowball effect of people reading about spirituality and then reconnecting to their spiritual center. These people have reconnected with their peace and joy. Many people have written about these experiences. Humanity and its academic world should not ignore these people and their messages. There are many contemporary and religious authors that come from a less-than-academic background but who have shared their experiences of finding peace and joy. They often share their messages succinctly and beautifully. The advantage of some of the contemporary authors is that they speak with a nomenclature and clarity that is easier to understand for most. Eckhart Tolle has been singled out perhaps as the contemporary writer having the greatest clarity and insight.
The main point here is that there are some really good, thoughtful, philosophical, and even pop-cultural writings that are being overlooked by the “smartest” people in the world… the people in academia. Academics are one group of people that could have a most significant role in steering humanity away from danger. People in academia create and propel the many unwritten rules, mores and attitudes that we live by. We need more and more academics to allow the door to open to books and ideas that may not be considered fashionable or academic-sounding-enough within the sometimes arrogance of the academic world.
The rather large problem of education is that we don’t have enough academics even willing to explore this realm of spiritual possibility. Plato once said, “The true mark of the philosopher is astonishment.” If academia is still interested in being astonished by this thing called life, they will seriously study the message that many of the philosophers, mystics, poets, religious figures and the contemporary authors are saying. And if the idea of academics seeking the spiritual seems unusual or unlikely, it should not. Academia has been on the search for truth whether consciously or unconsciously from its inception. Academics generally don’t start off their careers unless they first had that sense of astonishment about them.
There is urgency that the people having so much control over the world — even world leaders — to find and accept these messages. Academics would certainly help this cause. Dissemination of these messages in educational institutions would quickly validate the messages as mainstream. The messages would spread even more quickly than it is now and effect the people in powerful positions.
Another powerful way to accomplish global change is to encourage established religious institutions — including religious schools and universities — to focus more on spiritual development rather than dogmatic content. Too often religious institutions are more concerned with dogmas and religious studies. They focus on the differences that define themselves from other religious institutions, rather than finding the common threads that they share.
The number one primary goal of religions needs to help people foster a relationship with God rather than about God. More emphasis should be placed on prayer and meditation than religious study. Through prayer and meditation, people can break through the clouds and return to God within them.
But of course, religious institutions may have fears about letting go the religious focus to replace it with a spiritual one; the fear being that anyone can develop spirituality independent of religious institutions. That is not true. We are social animals and equally need to share our spiritual experiences. That has been noted anthropologically and historically. There has always been a fundamental need for communal worship.
Religious institutions have not done a great job breaking through the clouds of discontentment. Just like in Academia, religious institutions need to open up their minds and hearts to the spiritual literature that helps aid prayer and meditation. Some of these books on meditation and prayer are being overlooked and criticized by religious institutions. Some religious leaders find the dogmatic problems with these authors and then throw the baby out with bathwater; never even giving the deep spiritual messages a chance.
How do we reconnect? How do we take off the onion layers to our minds and reconnect with that joyful and peaceful part of ourselves?
So much has been written about reconnecting with peace and joy (and God) since humans have recorded its thoughts. When we look back at historical records, we of course have the Buddha, Christ and Mohammad, Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor, Meister Eckhart a leading priest of the 11th Century, St. Augustine, many of the writers and poets studied in Humanities classes, Eckhart Tolle, and eastern religious figures, etc. Their messages seem to have similar content. The essential message is that (1) it is possible to reconnect with peace and joy — God, and (2) you do so by quieting the mind — like through prayer and meditation. There are many ways to quiet the mind. .
The term meditation is probably not what you think or have been taught. Meditation as it used here is more a way of life that can be used in any and every activity you do for the rest of your life. Eckhart Tolle talks about different ways to to get reconnected with ourselves. Some of these methods are:
1. Breathing and being aware of your breathing;
2. Being the witness of your thoughts without judgment — allowing thoughts to flow without identifying with your thoughts — deeply acknowledging that you are not our thoughts;
3. Feeling your physical body and allowing it be without judgment;
4. Feeling your emotional body (including the emotional pain) and allowing it be without going on thinking tangents about the pain — just being there with the raw physical emotional pain.
5. Getting in touch with the silence and stillness that is ever present; (so as you listening intently to the world around, you pay attention also to the silence that is behind all sounds);
6. Being totally present where you are and allowing that which happens to be;
7. Acknowledge and avoid the traps of time — with a deep understanding that in reality what happened in the past is no longer; and what happens in the future is not now (basically time really does not, from a physics perspective, exist);
8. Accepting what you are at any given moment;
9. The simple act of asking God to allow you to feel His presence/His Grace (and then the act of you feeling God’s presence);
10. To go deep inside yourself and feel that innate joy that is every present — God.
11. Feeling the stillness within yourself.
The more you “meditate” and ‘pray,” the more you incorporate multiple of these methods. But these things become a way of life; not just a 20 minutes prayer or meditation session. As you walk through life, these methods are part of you. The odd thing about this whole process it essentially you cognitively training yourself to be less cognitive and be more aware. In awareness, a deeper sense of knowledge arises.
One myth is that to obtain peace, joy and God, you need to takes years of monk-like seclusion. In fact, finding what was traditionally known as “enlightenment” could take a few minutes. The quicker you break down the noise of the mind and become present with the world without judgment, the quicker you can come home to yourself.
So to summarize this book review of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, we as humanity have lost our way. But in our lost state, it has propelled us to look for meaning, a search for God, a search for the spiritual, and a search to regain peace and joy. We need to accelerate this process. The road map is here for us to use. Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now can and will help accelerate this process. We just need more and more of the influential people of academia and leaders to seriously consider it. The notion of returning home to yourself is not some nebulous concept. It’s real and wonderful. Its not something we have to wait for upon death. The message and the experience by many people who written about this topic is that you can obtain this peace during your life; something that is not out of reach at all.
