48 pages • 1 hour read
Eckhart TolleThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1997A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Preface and IntroductionChapter Summaries & Analyses
Preface Summary
Writing in 2004, Tolle looks back over the six years since his book was first published. Tolle feels that his book The Power of Now continues to make an impact in changing “human consciousness” (cxxxv). He thanks his readers for sending him messages that share how his work affected them personally. Tolle reminisces about this book’s original publication by a small Vancouver-based publisher, and he remembers hand-delivering copies to local bookstores. He recalls that the book became an “underground bestseller” before reaching fame through Oprah Winfrey’s reading recommendation, which helped it enjoy worldwide success (cxlviii). Tolle receives letters from a variety of readers, including psychotherapists who feel that his work is helpful for their patients. He claims that these messages often discuss the “inner peace” and other benefits that come with living in the present moment and releasing attachment to ego and identity (clv). He acknowledges that while the book has many fans, it also has many critics who find it strange or “meaningless” (clxix). Tolle feels that since his work is critical of the ego and of “incessant thinking,” it is sure to prompt “egoic reaction, resistance, and attack” from people who identify strongly with their own thinking and egos (clxix). Overall, Tolle is pleased that the reaction to his book is “overwhelmingly positive,” and he is hopeful that it will continue to encourage a more “enlightened humanity” (clxix).
Introduction Summary
Tolle introduces his book by discussing his young adulthood and how he came to author The Power of Now. He explains that throughout his 20s he suffered from severe anxiety and often felt suicidal. One night he woke up and felt “absolute dread” and questioned why he should continue to live (3). Tolle continued to think that he could not live with himself any more, which prompted him to consider how many “selves” he had (3). He realized that he had two “selves” and considered the possibility that only one of his selves was really legitimate (3).
With this realization, Tolle stopped thinking and felt sucked into a “vortex of energy” and an internal “void” while hearing the words “resist nothing” (4). Feeling no fear, Tolle allowed himself to fall into this “void” and only remembers waking up the next morning (4). The next day, Tolle feels as if he were seeing his environment in a new way and feels a sense of appreciation and amazement for everything around him. He ponders whether his old self was in so much pain that his consciousness finally rejected it, leaving only his “true nature as the ever-present I am” (5). With this “false” identity gone, Tolle read more about spirituality and worked with spiritual teachers. He claims that he felt immense peace and joy and lived without a job, home, or relationships. His “undercurrent of peace” continues in his life today, and he encourages other people to find theirs, which he says is ever-present but hidden due to the constant “noise” the mind generates (5).
Tolle explains that his book is a compilation of discussions and questions and answers inspired by his conversations in spiritual classes, seminars, meditation sessions, and counseling. He prepares the reader for two major discussions: what is “false” in identities and how to “free [oneself] from the enslavement of the mind,” which he argues is a “transformation of human consciousness” (8). Tolle aims to help people understand the “Now,” which he claims is a crucial part of enlightenment. He encourages readers to not only experience his work with their minds but also to be attuned to their feelings as they read. He explains that he will sometimes quote spiritual leaders such as Buddha and Jesus, and he hopes the reader sees the many parallels among the teachings of ancient religions. He laments that the power of many ancient teachings is “obscured” by “extraneous matter” that developed with them over the course of millennia (9). Tolle concludes his introduction by stating that he hopes to overcome readers’ “mental resistance” so they can accept the “truth” that he is sharing (10).
Preface and Introduction Analysis
In his Preface and Introduction, Tolle establishes some of the key arguments in The Power of Now. He introduces the notion of two “selves,” which will become a crucial aspect of his work. He contrasts the “true nature” (165) with the voice in one’s head, which he equates with the “egoic” self (169). Tolle implies that the “true nature” is deeper and more primal or intuitive than the ego, which is fueled by thinking (165). Tolle builds on these ideas to connect people’s suffering with their thinking, negatively characterizing thoughts as “noise” (6) that is “involuntary and incessant” (161).
By explaining his own revelatory experience and how it changed him from an anxious and suicidal young man into a joyful and serene spiritual teacher, Tolle emphasizes the power of his ideas to change people’s everyday lives. He primes the reader to accept his teachings in two ways. First, he references his book’s popularity and the range of people, from nuns and monks to prisoners and psychotherapists, who transformed their thinking and teaching after reading his work. He also mentions its endorsement by Winfrey, its worldwide popularity, and its translation into many languages, which he says may intrigue his audience to be curious and open-minded about his arguments and continue reading. Secondly, Tolle confronts skepticism by acknowledging the “mental resistance” to his arguments that readers may feel and claims that he seeks to “reach that place within you that you already know, just as I know, where the truth is recognized when it is heard” (10). By promising to give the reader a window into “enlightenment” and a part in a global shift in consciousness, Tolle appeals to people who are dissatisfied with their own patterns of thinking and feel that the world around them also needs to undergo a major change (169).
