The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Buddha, the “Awakened One,” was a philosopher and spiritual leader who lived from approximately the 6th to the 4th century BCE in what is now Northern India. Buddha was the founder of Buddhism, a spiritual and philosophical tradition that Tolle references numerous times throughout his work. Buddha lived in an ascetic manner, focused on restraint and meditation. After being devastated by observing tremendous suffering, he realized that the path to ending one’s suffering lay in the “middle way,” training the mind through meditation. This practice was his path to enlightenment.

Tolle often borrows Buddhist perspectives and phrasing, and he extensively quotes the Buddha as a spiritual teacher. He urges the reader to “be the Buddha, be ‘the awakened one,’ which is what the word “buddha” means” (31). He also endorses Buddha’s view on enlightenment as being “the end of suffering” and encourages the reader to adopt this perspective (12). However, Tolle makes a point of disagreeing with Buddhists who feel that it is unrealistic to try to attain enlightenment in this lifetime, preferring to interpret the Buddha’s view that it is in anyone’s power to end their suffering now. Tolle draws many parallels between Buddha and Jesus, arguing that their revelations and teachings had the same meaning.

Jesus was a first-century AD Jewish religious teacher believed to have been born in Bethlehem, near Jerusalem. He is the central figure of Christianity, which holds that he is the Son of God, born to a virgin named Mary. He was a controversial figure, and Roman leaders sentenced him to death by crucifixion between AD 30 and 36. Christians believe he was resurrected three days after his death.

While most Christians consider Jesus the Son of God who came to earth in human form to offer salvation to humanity, Tolle argues that Jesus was simply a man. Tolle argues that “Christ” is misconstrued as being a personalized deity when it should really just mean “presence” or “God-essence.” He claims, “He was a man who lived two thousand years ago and realized his divine presence, his true nature […] Thus the man Jesus became Christ, a vehicle for pure consciousness” (104). For Tolle, Jesus’ significance lies in his revelations about consciousness, which he tried to teach through his sermons and parables. Throughout his book, Tolle frequently refers to Jesus and reinterprets his teachings about attaining peace and overcoming the world through the lenses of consciousness and enlightenment. He considers Jesus and Buddha equally profound spiritual teachers and often discusses their teachings and parables together, drawing parallels between them. Tolle refers to Jesus as an “enlightened teacher” who appeals to people who are motivated by presence, not by ego (105). Tolle’s reliance on Jesus’ teachings in his work has attracted both praise and condemnation from Christian critics, some of whom feel he is misinterpreting Christian teachings.