The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle

“Your mind is anange instrument, a tool. It is there to be used for a specific task, and when the task is completed, you lay it down” – Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart is a contemporary spiritual teacher who got enlightened in his 30^th year after suffering from deep anxiety and suicidal thoughts since his traumatic childhood days. It took him a few years of contemplation to realize that he had experienced an awakening. In this book. Eckhart says that our mind has become our greatest enemy because it is always trying to compare, judge, and define everything and everyone, creating an illusion of separateness. It is the identification with our mind that creates differences among humans. It has truly become a menace and we have lost control over our thinking process. Eckhart asks a simple question to his readers- “Can you be free of your mind whenever you want to? Have you found the ‘off’ button? If the answer is no, then the mind has made you its slave.”

Mind is a powerful instrument if used in the right way otherwise it can be devastating.

He says that if you are not able to become aware of your thoughts, then you can watch your emotions. Emotion is the reaction of the body to thoughts in the mind. Therefore, from time to time, focus your attention and ask yourself, “What’s going on inside me at the moment?” Just allow the emotion to be there without judging it. Now you have become the observer or the watcher of your thoughts because you have separated yourself and your mind and brought the light of consciousness into everything unconscious within you.

Eckhart further says, do not be the seeker of enlightenment, but become present and aware in every situation. This will bring wholeness into your life. For example, we can be aware and present when we are washing our hands by focusing on our sense perceptions, the movement of our hands, the scent of the soap, and the feel of the water on our skin.

It is a must-read for people who often find themselves confused, helpless, anxious, or burnt out. This tool of being aware and conscious of the present moment is what we need going forward to survive in a world that’s moving too fast to comprehend. Here are my favorite lines from the book

“Would you rather die without pain, without agony? Then die to the past every moment, and let the light of your presence shine away the heavy, time-bound self you thought of as YOU.”