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.
Themes
The Body, The Mind, and The Present
Tolle’s perspective on the human mind and body permeates his work as he discusses the different ways they can draw people closer to—or push them farther from—consciousness. In his examination of how to best bring oneself into the present moment, he frames the body and the mind as opposing forces. For Tolle, the mind is compulsively thinking, usually ruminating on the past or projecting into the future; this makes it an obstacle to living in the Now. Moreover, this thinking is a function of the ego, as thoughts try to bolster a sense of identity and separateness from others and often fuel selfish desires and the need for control. Quieting one’s thoughts and attaining a state of “no-mind” to become completely immersed in the present moment is crucial to experiencing consciousness (19). According to Tolle, the only way to use thoughts as a tool for enlightenment is to observe one’s own thinking and identify with the observer, rather than with the reactions and patterns of the egoic mind.
In contrast, Tolle discusses the body as a tool to tap into the present. His enthusiastic perspective on the body emphasizes its potential as a gateway to consciousness. As a result, he argues that people should care for their bodies with respect rather than force them to experience discomfort in a quest for personal growth. He preaches against ascetic methods such as mortification of the flesh, fasting, and celibacy, stating that the Buddha engaged in such practices but did not attain enlightenment until after he stopped them (114). Tolle insists, “Transformation is through the body, not away from it” (114).
Because people’s bodily sensations are happening now, Tolle believes that paying attention to them allows them to override the mind’s thinking and possibly create gaps of “no-mind.” By claiming that emotions are more physical than mental, Tolle separates emotions from thought processes. He explains, “[...] While a thought is in your head, an emotion has a strong physical component and so is primarily felt in the body” (26). As such, he advises readers to become aware of the physical sensations their emotions bring about: “Feel the energy of the emotion [….] It is the doorway into Being” (27).
Tolle does not refer to any scientific data about how thoughts or emotions are produced, preferring to rely on his own voice as a teacher, presented authoritatively, to persuade the reader. These discussions challenge the reader to try mindfulness work that values the physical symptoms their bodies present. This theme also creates paradoxes in Tolle’s overall argument, since it is bodies that enable minds to function and produce egoic thoughts. His followers are expected to attune to their bodies’ sensations as a means of becoming mindful or conscious and distilling emotions from thoughts. However, he also believes that bodies are mere forms or illusions. At the same time, he considers bodies essential to helping people connect with what is real: consciousness and the Unmanifested.
Consciousness and The Past
Tolle’s argument that living in the present is the key to consciousness, otherwise known as enlightenment, greatly informs his perspective on people’s relationships with their pasts and when it is appropriate to recall past events. Tolle argues that it is the egoic minds that are preoccupied with the past and interested in forming an identity from it. He explains, “It is always concerned with keeping the past alive, because without it—who are you?” (22). He uses this claim as a basis for his argument that analyzing the past—and the pain experienced in it—is counter-productive to personal growth, since it distracts from the present and may encourage people to create an identity out of their negative experiences. Instead, he advocates for living in the present and thinking about the past only to resolve something in the present. He tells the reader, “[...] have your dwelling place in the Now and pay brief visits to the past and future when required to deal with practical aspects of your life situation” (34). This advice helps him underscore the importance of treasuring the present moment and making it one’s focus. He insists that time is not valuable, since it is an illusion. Thus, “The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is” (49).
Tolle’s argument about not pondering the past may surprise some readers, as it stands in contrast to cultural views on self-awareness, counseling, and personal development. Many therapeutic approaches advocate careful analysis of one’s past, especially one’s childhood, to identify the origins of certain behaviors and patterns of thinking and address them. While Tolle does not explicitly address these approaches, he implies that these types of help may fuel the egoic mind and take the patient farther away from enlightenment. Tolle claims, “The more attention you give to the past, the more you energize it, and the more likely you are to make a ‘self’ out of it” (92). Tolle emphasizes this argument through a warning to the reader: “The past perpetuates itself through a lack of presence” (60). Tolle claims that even if people intellectually understand the mistakes of their past, they will continue to act out their usual patterns if they live in the mind rather than in the present. These confrontational passages challenge the reader to spend less time fostering negative feelings about the past and focus on how they feel and behave in the present. They also raise questions for people in psychology and related professions about the potential unintended consequences of rumination on one’s past and the impact of leaving past issues unresolved.
Religious Traditions and The Power of Now
Religious traditions, especially Christianity and Buddhism, form a significant undercurrent throughout The Power of Now. Tolle uses scriptures, parables, and terms from both religions to explain his own arguments and help legitimize his stances. He frequently quotes Jesus, whom he mentions 30 times throughout the book, and offers a new perspective on his teachings. For example, he claims that Jesus’ warning about being a “branch cut off from the vine” refers to the dangers of identifying with the egoic mind (47); Christians traditionally interpret this passage as a reference to the importance of remaining in unity with Jesus. Tolle takes great interest in the exact wording of the scriptures, using their precise phrasing to bolster his arguments. For instance, he notes that in the Bible, God says, “I am that I am,” which Tolle feels evokes presence rather than time (105). He uses this phrasing to argue that people should not interpret the Bible as preaching about a literal god but about the importance of the present and becoming conscious. Christian interpretations focus on this passage as indicating that God is eternal and present. Similarly, when he discusses the biblical parable of the man who built his house on a rock, he emphasizes that the scriptures say he dug deep to be able to build on a solid foundation. Tolle interprets this to mean that people must pay attention to their inner body to become conscious and stable. By including his own interpretations of Jesus’ words, Tolle integrates Christian ideas into his views in ways that are broader than or contradict their traditional interpretations. Some church leaders embrace and accept his views, while others reject them as antithetical to scripture.
Tolle’s interpretations also create strong parallels among different faiths as he synthesizes quotes that he interprets as having the same meaning. For instance, he claims that Jesus’ desire for people to “overcome the world” is the same as Buddha’s observation of enlightened people who “crossed over to the other shore,” as they both refer to gaining consciousness and losing interest in the world of “forms” (139). Despite their similar origins, Tolle never mentions the other Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Islam, nor does he include references to other major world religions such as Hinduism and Sikhism. However, he suggests that all faiths preach the same message as his and claims that his work fuses all faith traditions. He writes about The Power of Now, saying, “This book can be seen as a restatement for our time of that one timeless spiritual teaching, the essence of all religions” (9).
