logo

48 pages 1 hour read

Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1997

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 7-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7 Summary: “Portals into the Unmanifested”

Tolle revisits his recommendation to meditate by paying attention to the “entire inner energy field of the body” (129). He claims that it will feel “liberating” to connect with what he refers to as the “Unmanifested” or “Being within all beings” (130). He claims that the “Unmanifested” is the source of chi, which in Eastern philosophy is the inner body’s energy field. In this view, directing some of a person’s attention to this inner body allows one to maintain a “portal” to the “Unmanifested” and, therefore, become a source of connection between the external world and God (132). Tolle argues that while people encounter the Unmanifested each night during sleep, it can serve as a liberating force only if it is experienced “consciously” (133). He argues that the Unmanifested is the “truth” to which Jesus referred in his famous quote, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (133).

The other main “portal” is living in the Now, which Tolle argues is also an inherent part of being able to experience the inner body. Another portal is to “surrender,” or give up all psychological and egoic resistance to the present moment. He clarifies that love in itself is not a portal, but love comes into the world through these portals. Paying attention to silence and emptiness is also important; Tolle references the Buddhist tradition that acknowledges the empty space that exists in all forms. He provides the example of a regular room, noting that while the room has four walls and a roof and is filled with objects, none of these things is the room itself. The empty space is an integral part of the room, and he urges the reader to pay attention to it as much as to the room’s form. Tolle argues that by doing so, people will become more aware of their inner essence.

He continues to discuss the importance of space, which can be perceived as nothingness only in comparison to the world of manifested forms, what Lao Tse called the “ten thousand things” (140). He argues that what people think of as space is the “Unmanifested itself” (141). Tolle argues that in order for the Unmanifested to become “realized,” the world has to exist; as Buddhists say, “If there were no illusion, there would be no enlightenment” (142). A final portal is encountered only after the body dies. Those who lose their fear and their attachments to the sensory world might enter this portal, but those who resist it will be born again.

Chapter 8 Summary: “Enlightened Relationships”

Tolle begins Chapter 8 by addressing the matter of seeking enlightenment through relationships. He argues that waiting for the right romantic relationship and expecting it to bring enlightenment traps people in a mindset of waiting while squandering the present. He argues that “true salvation” is available within each person and is a “state of freedom” from suffering and longing (146). He urges the reader not to view time as a way toward enlightenment when it is really a great “obstacle” to it (146). Tolle argues that unless the people within a relationship are experiencing consciousness, it is likely that their partnership will become a “love/hate” relationship with a great deal of conflict and negativity (148). He claims that many couples unconsciously create this drama as a way to feel “alive” (148). While many couples wish they could just get rid of the negative aspects of their relationships, Tolle believes that without them, the positives would not exist either, as “the polarities are mutually interdependent” (148).

Tolle addresses why people become “addicted” to their romantic partners and argues that any experience of “love” that can instantly turn to grief or hostility is not real love but “grasping and clinging” (149). He claims that romantic relationships are so highly prized because they provide an opportunity to feel whole; in heterosexual relationships, men and women pursue wholeness with people of the “opposite energy polarity” (150). Tolle argues that, like all addictions, these types of relationships begin and end with pain that comes from one’s own needs and experiences. In order to overcome these addictive relationships and generate real love in relationships, Tolle recommends that people disassociate from their minds and pain-bodies, which fuel the negativity. He tells readers to stop judging themselves and to stop trying to judge or change their partners. When people do not try to change their partners, they move “beyond ego” and, therefore, beyond ideas of victimhood and codependency (154). Tolle promises the reader that this will lead either to the peaceful end of the relationship or to its genuine deepening.

Tolle laments that so many people are single because they are frightened of being in another dysfunctional relationship, while others remain in negative partnerships out of fear or habit. However, he urges the reader to view conflict as an opportunity for “salvation” by examining what is brought forth from the unconscious (158). This can become a valuable part of the sadhana, or “spiritual practice” (158). Tolle advises the reader to not judge their partner’s actions since this can quickly fuel the egoic mind; he tells the reader to commit to “being the knowing” rather than “being the reaction” (160). He believes that “accusing, defending, attacking” are all symptoms of egoic thinking that are fueled by the pain-body (160). He also claims that men are more likely than women to struggle to identify their own emotions and feel connected to their bodies; therefore, men can get stuck living in their minds rather than being present. This can present problems in relationships when men struggle to understand women’s feelings, and both partners’ pain-bodies are activated by their conflict. Tolle warns that people who are present may pose a challenge to people who are “unconscious” and, therefore, cannot live without conflict (163).

Tolle claims that women are generally closer to enlightenment than men and attributes this to their ability to be in their body, rather than their mind, more easily. He refers to the Tao Te Ching, which conceptualized the source of all life as a sort of womb, a nurturing force that could both create and sustain life, and revered women for this reason. He blames mind-dominated thinking for causing people to lose touch with the divine and for valuing men over women. However, Tolle argues that the Unmanifested should not be perceived as a goddess, since this would be another way of personalizing God essence. He contrasts “mind-energy,” which powers society and is “hard and rigid,” with “Being-energy,” which is “soft and yielding” (165). Tolle claims that men’s major obstacle to enlightenment is their minds, while women’s challenge lies in their pain-body.

Tolle addresses how women can prevent their pain-bodies from keeping them in the grips of the egoic mind. He explains that pain-bodies can be particularly powerful because they can function collectively as well as individually. For example, women are burdened with more pain due to centuries of gendered violence such as rape and other painful experiences like childbirth. Menstruation, which Tolle calls the “free flow of life energy,” activates this pain-body, causing women to be “actively possessed by an energy field” that prompts them to feel negative (167). Tolle tells the reader to overcome their pain-body by not identifying with it or forming an attachment to it. He warns against holding onto the collective pain of female oppression since it holds people back from their “essence and true power” and only strengthens the ego (169). Tolle advises women to observe their emotional and physical pain during menses to “catch it” before it influences their thinking (170).

Tolle concludes Chapter 8 by answering several questions about relationships. He acknowledges that gay people may be more likely to question social norms and thinking, thus helping keep their minds open for enlightenment. However, he warns against forming a strong identity with one’s sexuality and, thus, strengthening the ego. He also argues that people who feel “unease” when single will not feel satisfied in a relationship and are likely to blame their partner for their dissatisfaction (174). He says that people’s relationships with themselves are not necessary when they are conscious; instead, they will feel that they are simply themselves, and “all [their] other relationships will be love relationships” (177).

Chapters 7-8 Analysis

In these chapters, Tolle continues to develop his theory about the nature of reality, life forms, and consciousness but does not develop or explain these ideas very thoroughly, implying that the reader should simply trust his judgment.

He introduces an important new term, the Unmanifested, which he claims is the source of all life. According to Tolle, by becoming conscious and living in the present, people can connect to this life source. He borrows heavily from Buddhism and Taoism's Tao Te Ching in making these arguments but does not try to support his theory with data or science.

Tolle further establishes himself as a spiritual authority by discussing the “portals” people can use to access consciousness and making judgments about their usefulness. For example, he claims that dreaming is one type of portal into consciousness, but lucid dreaming, in which people control their actions in a dream, is not really “liberating” because people must be awake for their experience of consciousness to have an effect. He does not develop this argument very thoroughly, leaving the reader with questions about the significance of the dream life. Similarly, he claims that sex provides another portal, but this portal is also temporary. He does not develop his argument about why the temporariness of sex and dreaming make them insignificant and how the reader could constructively use these portals.

Tolle’s insights into relationship dysfunction are more pragmatic and help to illuminate why judgment and control can have such a negative cyclical effect on relationships. While many of his observations and examples are highly relatable for the reader, who may recognize themselves, friends, or family in his writing, Tolle does not offer specific advice on how to help heal relationships that are currently fueled by egoic thinking. Indeed, he implies that it is better to lose one’s partner while living consciously alone than to maintain the relationship but fail to live consciously. While Tolle’s advice is consistent with his instruction to not try to change one’s partner, it may disappoint people who hoped to use his perspective and tools to help heal their relationships in a more proactive way. Furthermore, Tolle discusses only heterosexual relationships and makes generalizations about how men and women behave in these partnerships. His argument that men and women are attracted to each other in order to achieve a sense of “wholeness” neglects to address how this theory would apply to non-heterosexual relationships.

Similarly, Tolle intuitively connects women and the space in their wombs to the Unmanifested source of life, arguing that their biology brings them closer to enlightenment than men. While he references ancient cultures’ veneration of women and conceptualization of them as a life-giving force, he does not make it clear why men’s ability to create and carry life does not bring them equally close to enlightenment. This lack of detail undermines Tolle’s arguments and creates a sense of confusion for the reader. While Tolle speaks highly of women and argues that they are becoming conscious at greater rates than men, he attributes women’s discomfort during menstruation to their being “possessed” by negative energy (167). He does not explain how this energy field relates to hormones or biological function. This bold and unsupported claim may alienate readers who have more scientific understanding of bodily functions by evoking and sustaining societal stigmas around menstruation.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text

Related Titles

By Eckhart Tolle