Tolle does make you stop, really stop the take in the NOW moment. This indepth book awakes you to life interrupted by life. It makes you self aware of why it is important to be current in you life and things, people, and places around you by taking the time to realize you life is happening whether you want to be aware of it or not!

If you have heard of Zen, Vipassana, Mindfulness, or Gospels of John and Thomas, you will really appreciate Eckhart Tolle's, The Power of Now. Tolle promotes living in the Now and his book in its question and answer format seeks to explain how. The Power of Now is not a religion, but a spiritual practice which is `hidden' in the major religions. Eckhart points out where the practice can be found in the Bible and in Buddha's teachings. For some, this book provides the `link' between the Christ and the Buddha.

For those looking for a simple practice, he has several methods which shows immediate results. Great book for those who are seeking.

The Power of Now is a book that provides inspiration to change the way you think. It has powerful insight and information to transform a persons' perspective and open them up to the spirit within.

The book quite simply, transformed my life in a minute. The author writes in a clear concise way and everything he says makes perfect sense.

There are a lot of reviews on this site debating the truth of the teachings in the Power of Now, whether its statements are true, whether they are valid, whether they are boring, whether they are interesting.

These reviews miss the point of the book. The book is an introduction to a practice - a practice of being in the present, of being centered and still. It gives you the tools to look at your mind, and by looking at the mind, be identified with the awareness that is watching the mind - what Tolle calls the watcher. The more one can do this, the more they find their life improving, and a deeper connection with source, the spirit, their deeper self.

The words of the book are not perfect. The arguments against or for the book and the way the content is presented may have validity. But again, they miss the point. The point is to *use* the tools presented in the book and see what happens to your life, to uncover a deeper meaning to your reality. Without practice, the book is simply another "interesting book", with which the ego mind can judge, evaluate, criticize, adore, adulate, admire etc. for its own reasons.

Put the principles of the book into practice in your life, and then you will *see* the value of the book, its simplicity, power and truth.

In-so-far as content, I think this is a great book, because of the importance of what it discusses. For people who have not ever considered spirituality, mind, body, spirit...I think this would be difficult to get through.
This would not be the first book that I would recommend to anyone who maybe seeking "self" knowledge. As the "next" book to read...perhaps...

"To be or not to be, that is the question". Choosing to live in the moment is a process you have to work on, it doesn't come easy. Awareness is the key, as you move on in your day.

To remember that eternity is NOW and that there is no time just moments.

The ego wants, wants, wants and once you detach yourself from yourself you can start living in the NOW. "I AM that I AM".

Root of the EGO: "I think therefore I AM" Descartes. Becoming aware of your thinking, this is "I AM".

The collapsing of the EGO releases the spirit. This is our true identity.

Other books for your consideration:
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61) by Eckhart Tolle.
Memories, Dreams, Reflectionsby C.G. Jung
Man's Search for Meaningby Viktor E. Frankl
Awarenessby Anthony DeMello
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Pocketbook Guide to Fulfilling Your Dreams (One Hour of Wisdom)by Deepak Chopra

Corpse Whisperer
Too often we worry and think ourselves unhappy. The Power of Now talks about just being in the now. It isn't about not planning for the future, but living your life realizing how NOW is important.
I'd reccomend the book for anyone who is searching for what they feel is missing in their life.

This book is a little "out there", I felt a bit lost trying to listen to it on audio CD. I would not buy it again.

I have listened to this book 5 times on audio and have now purchased to read and highlight my favorite insights. The teachings have increased my pre-existing faith and I thank God for sending me this message when He did.

I read this AFTER I read his book A New Earth. So, I liked this book but got more out of the other. I would recommend you start there (A New Earth). But, I will say that the "power of now" concept (it's in both books) COMPLETELY changed my life the second I read it. You start right now implementing the concepts because that is all you have! So simple and logical - I guess that is why the general population is missing it...people are always trying to make things so complicated. One of the best things I noticed was an instantaneous change in my children's behavior! Nothing can put a price on that!

Eckhart Tolle's acclaimed book "The Power of Now" has many powerful lessons for living. It's a transformational tool to help us shift our consciousness and a signpost for awakening.
The life lessons that were the most helpful to me included:
The answer to the human dilemma cannot be found through the intellect but through consciousness (awareness) and our response to what happens.
Consciousness is the only lasting and meaningful aspect of who we are. It transcends our bodies, minds, emotions, possessions and events. Yet most of our energy and attention goes into doing, work, appointments, to-do lists, mind-clutter, possessions and commitments. The opposite of doing is being: stillness, spaciousness, awareness, silence and spontaneity. Doing is never enough if we neglect Being.
Recognizing that our ego, the unawakened self, is an imposter pretending to be us.
Making ourselves right or wrong is one to the principle mind egoic patterns. Nothing will satisfy us as long as the ego remains in place.
The power of allowing lies in noninterference, non-doing, in Presence, in the space between the clutter of thought and emotion. Wisdom, joy, love, creativity and aliveness are in the gap between the perception and the interpretation.
Being present is infinitely more powerful than anything we could say or do.
Surrender to pain it's not who we are. Pain is a doorway out of our ego prison. It's not the pain but the identification with the pain that forces us to relive the past again and again and keeps us in a state of unconsciousness.
To stop our egoistic body identification we should shift our attention from our external thought to the feeling of aliveness inside. The intensely alive energy field is our life energy, the bridge between the form and the formless.
What matters in not what we say and believe but how we act and react.
Whatever we think the world is withholding from us, we are withholding from the world. Just act as if we had it, and it will come. When we start giving we will receive.
The source of abundance is inside us. When we acknowledge the abundance around us it awakens to dormant abundance within.
Whatever we perceive, experience, do, think or feel is content. Content is what absorbs most people. Content is not essence. Essence is the formless inner space of consciousness. The universe is an indivisible whole in which all things are interconnected. The atoms that make up your body were once forged inside stars.
When we don't mind what happens we are aligned with what is. When we align with the present moment our actions become empowered by the intelligence of Life itself.
The ego can never be aligned with the present moment. The ego sees the present as a means to an end, an obstacle or an enemy. We become Present when we see our dysfunction and make friends with the Now. Presence is a state of inner spaciousness.
Life is always now. There is only this moment. The elimination of time from our consciousness is the elimination of ego.
When we say yes to the Now, the Now becomes a doorway into the formless and the separation between the world and God dissolves.
The joy of Being, which is our true happiness, cannot come to us through any form, possession, achievement, person, or event. It emanates from the formless dimension within us, from consciousness itself and thus is one with who we are. If we are content with being nobody in particular we align ourselves with the power of the universe.
Through us the universe is becoming aware of itself.
We are so consumed by time that we have forgotten eternity, which is our destiny. Eternity is the living reality of who we are.
Non-resistance, non-judgment and non-attachment give true freedom. Through acceptance, we become spacious inside.
Being aware of breathing for a year is more powerfully transformative than attending any courses. The more we are aware of the breath, the more its natural depth will reestablish itself. Conscious breathing stops the mind. Three conscious breaths stops compulsions. Discover inner space by creating gaps in our thinking. Awareness is Presence, consciousness without thought, and connection with universal intelligence. The mind of God is consciousness.
A belief in God is a poor substitute for the living reality of God manifesting every moment in our lives.
Give others full attention. The space of awareness is more important than what we are talking about.
Our entire life journey ultimately consists of the step we are taking at this moment.
Live with uncertainty, even enjoy it. There is ultimately no such thing as "my" life, since "my" and "life" are one.
All of the ancient religions point to two fundamental truths. The first is that humankind's "normal" state of mind is dysfunctional. Hinduism calls it maya the veil of delusion, Buddhism refers to it as dukka or suffering, Christianity calls it "original sin" meaning "to miss the point" to live unskillfully or blindly.
Although humankind is intelligent and our achievements are impressive in science, medicine, technology, architecture and the arts our intelligence is also tainted with insanity.
The second truth in all religions is that a radical transformation of human consciousness is possible. The Hindus called the transformation Enlightenment, the Buddhists Liberation, and the Christians Salvation.
Humanity's greatest achievement is not science and technology but the recognition of our individual and collective madness. The moment we recognize that "normal" human existence is a collective nightmare we begin a process of healing and transcendence.
Many religious teachings have become distorted, divisive and part of a collective insanity. Yet in spite of all the insanity in the name of religion, the Truth to which they all point still shines through. There have been individuals throughout history who experienced a shift in consciousness and realized within themselves the Truth to which all religions point. They discovered that being "spiritual" has nothing to do with what we believe and everything to do with our state of consciousness.
Our purpose is to awaken from the ego-created earth-drama. This is the new earth (the tiltle of his next book).

People will read into Tolle's gibberish whatever they want to hear. They will fool themselves into believing that his "teaching" is something new and critical. Yet, it's nothing more than the oldest lie in the Book.

You can be god. You can control your reality. You.... You.... YOU!

Sorry, but that it isn't true.

I love this book so much I've bought several copies and give them as gifts.

I have been a student of the Tao for several years and have a general understanding of Eastern thought, but it seems that Mr. Tolle just skipped any actual study and went straight for the book.
Let me put it this way, anybody who says they have achieved enlightenment has not, and anybody who is enlightened would not publish a self help book.

This is a great book for anyone on their spiritual journey. Very easy and fun to read, as it addresses many questions he have while reading it.....

A great book. Not much else to say but do a gut check. If it feels good right now, pick it up. I wasn't a big fan of A New Earth. Couldn't get into it.

First, let me say that I love this book, but the audiobook version is very disappointing. I want to share this book with as many people in my life that I can, and my husband only listens to audiobooks, so I bought this for him. He doesn't like it at all, and I listened to it, it is very hard to hear the speaker, the tone of voice isn't very excited or animated at all, and I could not listen to it for very long.

First, let me say that I love this book, but the audiobook version is very disappointing. I want to share this book with as many people in my life that I can, and my husband only listens to audiobooks, so I bought this for him. He doesn't like it at all, and I listened to it, it is very hard to hear the speaker, the tone of voice isn't very excited or animated at all, and I could not listen to it for very long.

The book was in xcellent shape, looked like i bought it off the shelf. will be making purchases from seller again

As another reviewer stated "the title says it all." The "trick" is to find an activity, pastime, relationship, hobby, vocation, etc. [or a series of them] which engage(s) us fully. OR, be in a circumstance in which the REALITY OF THE PRESENT cannot be avoided [war, starvation, etc.] Persons faced with imminent death know about the NOW.

This book is for those who are ready and willing to let go of their ego-based reality. Not for the faint of heart, Eckhart Tolle will take you by the hand and lead you back to where we all belong.

He will unveil the depths of this long forgotten reality known as 'The Now' If you're looking for something light and fluffy, look elsewhere... although this book has gained great popularity (especially due to the Oprah promotion), the depth and richness of this book are unrivaled and it will take you several readings to just begin to touch the surface of the wisdom contained within.

Don't know what Oprah is thinking about the ability of the author's words to inspire. I found it practically unreadable but laced here and there with some truthful generalities. I'd say Eckhardt Tolle has found a self-help formula that chooses gibbberish words from columns A and B that sells books. I purchased the book to take on a trip. Unable to stay with it, I even tried moving forward and finally gave up.

Of Course Eckhart is my favorite, I just cannot read enough of his books. They have really helped me change my thinking and stop to enjoy life. This is a living 101 book all should read.

Words fail to describe what the time spent with The Power of Now has meant to me but I'll try. This book became my guide to a place that allowed me to tie together everything in my life and brought me to peace at a time of huge turmoil and really for the first time in my life. My spiritual beliefs also were brought into focus and made stronger. I have purchased copies of this book for some of my friends who were on their way to enlightenment and they too are finding a way peace that they have never had. You won't be sorry for the time you spend with this book.

There are no words that could describe this book! It's the most meaningful and the most important book for your soul/Being/life after the Bible! An absolute must for your awakening! Make sure you get and read the other books by Eckhart Tolle after this one, especially "The New Earth..." !!!!!!!

I had heard so much publicity for The Power of Now and truly wondered if the book would hold up to the rave reviews. I am so pleased to say that I am thoroughly enjoying this book. The Power of Now is completely changing how I am walking through this life. Thank you Eckhart Tolle for enlightening me to living in the "Now!"

Eckhart Tolle is an important Spiritual Teacher of our times, and his book "The Power of Now", is absolutely Life Changing.

I read this book at a time when I was absolutely delusional. I'm so glad that I suffered through all my neurotic BS for years and years, because if I had been content with what most people consider to be a good life I would have never awakened. Now that I'm beginning to deepen my understanding I thought I'd throw this review up for others to read.

I see how important it is for me to put this out there because nothing matters more than realizing the truth....not accepting some dogma which most people have done and continue to live with their filters which limit their ability to live in reality. Nothing matters more than this (not this book, but what the book may be able to bring about inside yourself); not money, fame, sex/any other shallow pleasure, your ambitions, past, not your family/relationships (not saying they aren't important...but ultimately relationships can be a hindrance if you are ignorant of the nature of their essence), and no idea of happiness or love that the majority of the humans on this planet buy into will make your life meaningful. All of these things may bring you some feeling of importance and acceptance...some pleasure....these pale in comparison to being able to live in wonder, with REAL joy and love.

I had thought I knew what love was....I do now, and I know that most people aren't able to love....but we all have potential. I now know what bliss is...can you feel bliss from owning a big house or landing a lucrative career....can you feel love for everything by "becoming" an educated person with a nice office where you can display how great and smart you are, lining the walls with diplomas, certificates and awards? Will that person (or people) whom you long after completely fulfill you once your long thought out relationship plan comes to fruition? If you reflect on what you have wanted in the past and thought about obtaining and realize that it didn't fulfill you...it might have made you excited and anxious thinking about how great it would be once you got it...but then you get that thing and you loose interest in it...you look for something else you can think about obtaining, and the cycle just keeps you in this confused state of distraction from what is truly significant in life...the ONLY thing which is available to EVERYONE.

I could say the present moment is all there is and how great it is and how everything else is an illusion and give you a logical basis which can't be refuted....but don't take my word for it...find out yourself. Do you know what a spider is?....when you asked "what's that" pointing to a "spider" your Dad might have said..."oh, that's a spider"; so now you can't see the spider, tree, birds or flowers because all you see is their labels. This gets so deep (I haven't fully realized the depth...each day is astonishingly new and insightful) and I want to share this with everyone...and you will too if you realize how trite the "American dream" is.

You can go to school, get a good job, be in happy relationships and buy nice things AND realize that there is more to life....but please do yourself (and the rest of us) a favor and find out what is truly meaningful before you accept that your secure and highly planned out path to successful happiness with all your beliefs, ideas and opinions will hold water. I'm not saying drop your dreams, I'm saying find out what it is that you DO HAVE...that you always have...that you will always have...because you will never have anything else (speaking in the absolute). I hope you find out for yourself and maybe you can help others find out as well...there is nothing better you can do with your life than help someone find out.

This book should be required reading for all human beings on this planet! Eckhart Tolle is the most enlightened and well spoken spiritual leader of our time. Anyone at any level of spirituality or stage of enlightened development will enjoy and benefit from reading this book. I got it on audio book too so I can easily inject the teachings into my daily life.

boring book. nothing new. i don't know what the hype is about. these are not original ideas and the style drags.

Katie Davis, author Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment, gave me this book recently after attending an intensive with her and her husband, Sundance Burke, author Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being, and I am really glad. Power of Now is a clear and wonderful book. It is obvious that Eckhart has studied every angle, strategy and position that the ego could possibly have.

sometimes hard to get through but very good concept and oh so true. read through a few times till you get it

When I stated my goals at the beginning of 2008, I had something different in mind than the usual "lose some weight, be more active, more considerate, etc." Although more success than ever in terms of community respect,an amazing growing business, great friends, incredible husband,and a wonderful child have graced my life for many years, I felt something deeper missing that I could not put my finger on. So my 2008 goal stated simply " I want to be Astonished at This Life, This Opportunity once again." I was answered, so quickly, so profoundly by Life itself in the form of Eckhart Tolle and "A New Earth" and "The Power of Now." To effectively counteract the radical changes we are now experiencing upon the Earth we must change within ourselves. These books give us the key that was always there in front of us, the friend we never acknowledge because we constantly look to the past or the future to "live" our lives. That greatest of friends is the Present, the NOW -and I deeply thank Eckhart for reminding me of this gift.

The Power of Now hits its mark. People must learn to live in the NOW and not the past or the future if they wish to achieve true happiness. Mr. Tolle explains this so beautifully. This theme reminds me of my favorite book that also deals with the same theme of living in the NOw, Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbookand is a great workbook tool and follow-up to Mr. Tolle's book.

...Then he can experience the menstrual cycle firsthand and may not be so enamored of it. There's nothing like getting in touch with your inner goddess while curled into a ball in bed. And agonizing cramps do indeed make you ''present''! Trust me, you don't dwell in the future or the past when the menses descend.

Honestly, can anyone get through this book without laughing aloud at certain points? I do not denigrate the search for spirituality, but never before have I heard it delivered by someone so humorless and pompous. Pass me the Midol...

Is a must for everyone that is a seeker of truth and inner development. The concept of "the inner presence" is well explain as to how experience it and with good ways to work with for a life of activity and responsibilities. There is something important to learn here.

The Power of Now is one of those rare books that can change not only your life but also your mind. And it is precisely mind, according to author Eckhart Tolle, that causes so much of the distress that we see in the world today. Presenting a view that is gaining popularity among New Age thinkers--even as it departs radically from traditional psychology--Tolle explains, with stunning clarity and insight, that it is human beings' excessive identification with their minds that brings them pain and suffering. In Tolle's view, mind and ego are virtually synonymous, and it is only through detachment from the mind, or "watching" the mind at work, that we become "conscious" enough to appreciate the present moment, where true power resides.

Tolle has an uncanny ability to take great mystical insights and serve them up in language perfectly digestible to modern readers. In some respects, what he is offering is not wholly new. For example, continual observation of the mind is a cornerstone of Zen philosophy and meditative practice. Western spiritual thinkers, too, such as Rudolph Steiner, have emphasized the watching of one's own mind at work as a major step toward spiritual enlightenment.

This is the type of book you come back to again and again and derive heightened insight with each rereading. It is also one of those books that you can open to any page and find genuine nuggets of timeless wisdom. Having enjoyed the book so much, I recently decided to purchase the audiotape version of the book. It should come as no surprise that Tolle's mellifluous voice bespeaks the presence of one who has lived his own teaching and achieved profound serenity. He is a great companion for the open road, just as the original book is a must-read for anyone who seeks sanity in an increasingly insane world.

This book helps one see themselves in a world of the time bound unconscious ego. Helps one work towards reducing finally removing the ego's subversive tactics so that what is left is NOW & Being Conscious.

Si estas familiarizado con este tipo de literatura y abierto a aceptar diferentes puntos de vista, es un libro que definitivamente está destinado a cambiar tu vida. Uno de los mejores que he leído en el campo. Maravilloso!! Lo recomiendo altamente.

A very enlightening read for those seeking spiritual enlightenment and wishing to attain a greater understanding of their life's purpose. Whether you believe (or have an interest) in this sort of stuff or not, there will be something to be gained from this text for everyone who reads it.

Real Life Dramas - Volume One

Darren G. Burton

Eckhart Tolle, from my point of view, is the best spiritual writer for our western society. As we practice being in the Now, giving all our attention to the present moment, we become more conscious and therefore more peaceful, enjoying all that the One Life gives us.
Diana Wagner

Eckhart Tolle has certainly written a 'masterpiece' with this consciousness expanding book 'The Power of Now.'

Potent insights are plentiful along with thought provoking revelations on focused intent, inner peace, acceptance, & true joy, by means of moving beyond 'ego' into enlightened consciousness.

Echart Tolle explains that in essence living in ego consciousness results in selective perception and distorted interpretation.

Eckhart Tolle also shows the reader how to move beyond the ego into a more expanded awareness that leads you into the direct experience of spiritual realization. As a result you will be able to see clearly and be of light consciousness.

Also important is the realization that to experience true peace you must recognize the impermanence of all forms.

A highly recommended book.

Better together with 'Nexus' by Morrison & Singh, an enlightening story that reflects all of the precepts found in "The Power of Now." 'Nexus' takes you on a realistic, true to life spiritual adventure with a colorful group of characters who are struggling with various obstacles in life as they attempt to journey beyond their ego to discover true peace, and transform their lives. In other words 'Nexus' takes the ideas found in "The Power of Now" and clearly demonstrates, in story form, how people try to apply these concepts in their own lives to deepen their experience of peace, to empower themselves, and to transform their lives.

Nexus: A Neo Novel

If everyone read and practiced what is in this book, the world would be different.

This book is life changing. The insights given are phenomenal and right on. Don't miss his next book,"A New Earth"!

The Power of Now is a good primer for the follow up book, A New Earth. I would recommend reading it first.

How much of your day is actually spent completely focused in the here and now? When you are working, how often do you find your mind wandering? How much of your time is spent thinking about what you are going to do next weekend or wishing you'd handled a particular situation differently?

The majority of us spend most of our life fixated on the past or worrying about the future. The present is just something that we gloss over until we realize that we missed out on something. Then, we yearn to have that day back.

What we tend to forget is that all we really have is now. The past is gone it no longer exists, except in memory. These experiences can't be changed in any way. Dream or worry about the future as much as you want but no one is promised these things, good or bad. This moment that's all. Make it count and really experience it.

It's a bit scary and freeing all at the same time to know that all we have is right now. More and more, I find myself feeling the here and now and listening to my intuition. I understand quality rather than quantity in my daily life. When I get off balance or upset, I see the fear scenarios playing and I re-center myself.

'THE POWER OF NOW' instructs you to focus on a single item at a time vs. being scattered in thought, action or emotion. This approach to life will help you obtain fulfillment and peace of mind. This seems like common sense, but the book reminds you of the things whicht are important and how to handle daily life.

The author repeats the same thing over and over in this book. I then realized it was necessary in order to have people obtain the correct mind-set. If you haven't read this book by Tolle, my advice is do so.

I bought this book when it first came out, and I still have it and enjoy reviewing it to this day.

I have wondered at the hypocrisy of 'enlightened' people wanting to share their knowledge and at the same time collecting huge publishing royalties. i.e. Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, Dalai Lama, Pema Chodron et al. The singular fact that only Eckhart's books are sold at cost speaks volumes to the reality of his enlightenment. Think about it.

I read Eckhart quite some time ago , and put the book away.Much time later I read another one, and put it away too.I wonder why people write so many long and so vehement reviews about how great he is or how silly he is.I have ordered two of his DVD's in german, and they are a very good way of improving my skills in that language.I have also noticed that most of the one star reviews come from people who think some author should be read instead of him,be it the Buddha,Krishnamurti,Ramana , this great man or that great man.I am not saying they should not read what they find serious, nor am I saying they should read Tolle.I have nothing for or against this author.I even enjoyed some sentences in the book,but that was all,no matter from where he got those ideas.

Amazon.com has been a valuable source of attaining everything I need in the way of movies, books, DVD and CD's. Thank you for making life much more accessible to me and with the price of gasoline, your service is even more important.