The Power of Now

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (2004)
Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart begins this book with the story of how he came to be a spiritual teacher before going on to write that this book represents the essence of his work. Since it was written in 1999, some may wonder if this statement still holds true. Having listened now to many an hour of his recent meditations and lectures, I'd agree that this book captures the essence of the wisdom Eckhart Tolle is still sharing today with audiences around the world. He uses a Q&A format, the content coming from lectures, counseling sessions, and seminars. I found this format to be a penetrating way of shining a light on the illusory nature of ego and the nature of the true self. The book also provides numerous practical teachings on how access and stay connected to our true nature.

“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.” --Eckhart Tolle, 'The Power of Now:'

What I especially appreciated about this book is the straight-forward, eye-to-eye nature of the writing, perhaps because the message is not always easy to take. Accepting the 'death' of the ego identity is experienced as a substantial challenge by most people; this book provides the mental concepts - the pointers - to more clearly perceive the egoic self and awaken from its illusion.