The Power of Now
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Florida US
Posts: 296
The Power of Now and A New Earth are my two favorite books. I am currently listening to the PON audiobook for the 3rd time. I had a life changing realization while reading PON for the first time over two years ago. I realized that I am not my life situation or my problems, that they can’t touch the essence of my true nature. Not sure yet about who I am, but the ‘knowing’ that I am not an alcoholic, a mother, a wife, etc, has been truly liberating. I have a drinking problem (which once had me), I have two daughters and a husband, but I am not that. It’s hard to explain but ‘seeing’ this has done a thousand times more for me than all my previous attempts at solving my life situations.
I agree that Tolle’s teachings are similar to those of Buddhism and Advaita or non-duality. He is a master at explaining these ancient philosophies to us westerners in a manner that’s intriguing and attractive.
Inhabiting the body as Tolle calls the act of feeling the innerbody is my favorite portal into the ‘unmanifested’ as he often refers to Source, god, etc. Feeling my innerbody immediately brings me to the Now, that place of stillness where nothing, not a thing, has the ability to disturb me.
I am delighted to hear that there are other Tolle fans in this forum about addictions.
Natalie
I agree that Tolle’s teachings are similar to those of Buddhism and Advaita or non-duality. He is a master at explaining these ancient philosophies to us westerners in a manner that’s intriguing and attractive.
Inhabiting the body as Tolle calls the act of feeling the innerbody is my favorite portal into the ‘unmanifested’ as he often refers to Source, god, etc. Feeling my innerbody immediately brings me to the Now, that place of stillness where nothing, not a thing, has the ability to disturb me.
I am delighted to hear that there are other Tolle fans in this forum about addictions.
Natalie
now what?
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 85
My partner gave me her copy of The Power of Now months ago and I'm only half-way through so far. I love it, but it isn't a "just sit down and read" book. I have to read only a few paragraphs at a time, then give myself time to absorb them.
I've known about the zen concept of living in the now for a couple of decades, but until I encountered Tolle, I didn't have a good idea of how to apply the concept. Now I do.
I highly recommend his ideas.
I've known about the zen concept of living in the now for a couple of decades, but until I encountered Tolle, I didn't have a good idea of how to apply the concept. Now I do.
I highly recommend his ideas.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 1
Tolle some people due to extreme anxiety can just have a sudden flip of the mind....
Originally Posted by Mattcake 
I have a problem with "The Power of Now". Tolle supposedly had a sudden lightning-bolt experience that led him to some sort of spiritual enlightenment. He describes this in the intro.
He then proceeds to explain a system ("Now") so that other people can experience this spiritual state. The one problem is, he himself did *not* practice any of it, at least not at first. His esoteric "change" was immediate.
He then proceeds to explain a system ("Now") so that other people can experience this spiritual state. The one problem is, he himself did *not* practice any of it, at least not at first. His esoteric "change" was immediate.
As he discribes he was going through a very dark place, his thinking mind or ego couldn't take it anymore it was do or die so some how his brain flipped....I will explain every one of us has awareness but most of the time we live in our thinking minds our reactive minds we look around lable stuff judge stuff etc the voice in our head goes on all day long and depending on what it's saying and how identifed we are with it we are to how it effects our emotions and how good or bad we feel....now if our mind torments us enough and we listen to it to the point where it is so painful we feel like killing ourselves but don't there comes a point where the mind will just split in two.....you will separate from your thinking mind back into your pure awareness ! The real you the one that actually is the witness of the mind and emotions. This split is enlightentment it's what there all trying to teach us. That we have a mind that runs wild and emotions that torment us but that is not who we are we are the witness of the mind and emotions the pure awareness that sits back and watches.....but if your pushed hard enough your awareness will spontaneously split away from thinking mind and ego and you will just jump from a tormented mind to pure awareness of your mind with no knowledge needed.
Spontaneous enlightenment.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 2,654
Hi, Gurkha2005, welcome to SR and Secular Connections.
I agree with you. I identified with the mind's endless voice 'thinking- judging - demanding). I read Tolle years ago, sadly when I was drinking and therefore comprehension was somewant limited. I also tried to practice Mindfullness and meditation ( good description in Tosh's and Soberlicious' posts above.
When I discovered Rationnal Recovery AVRT, here in Secular Connection. Although the technique may be successfully applied by people of any faith. It's secular because we stop drinking under our own power (a God given, if you believe in God) as opposed to stopping drinking by enlisting God's help.
RR/AVRT was the missing piece in the puzzle that solved my drinking problem, forever. The technique enlists the power to split from our reactive minds and become the observer, as Tolle describes. I've never thought of this action as 'enlightenment' or a 'spiritual experience'. But to transform from a daily drinker for over 20 years, the last 5 being all day, to the point were I'd almost given up hope, discovering and applying RR/AVRT was life changing.
I can also apply the technique to other unwanted, destructive 'thinking' which generates stress, fear and anxiety and 'label' those and observe then as the independent 'self' observer; in the same way I label the mis-directed survival drive (rogue 'Beast'that generates thinking, feelings and emotions to direct me to drink). Therefore I have a rogue 'thinking' stressing over the future, raging and resenting over the past. I notice them, as a detached observer and don't allow myself to become entangled and caught up. I also have a rogue 'Binge Beast' who desires endless cakes, pies, puddings, biscuits: the technique has disable it.
This method is so powerful and to think the roots go back thousands of years!
I agree with you. I identified with the mind's endless voice 'thinking- judging - demanding). I read Tolle years ago, sadly when I was drinking and therefore comprehension was somewant limited. I also tried to practice Mindfullness and meditation ( good description in Tosh's and Soberlicious' posts above.
When I discovered Rationnal Recovery AVRT, here in Secular Connection. Although the technique may be successfully applied by people of any faith. It's secular because we stop drinking under our own power (a God given, if you believe in God) as opposed to stopping drinking by enlisting God's help.
RR/AVRT was the missing piece in the puzzle that solved my drinking problem, forever. The technique enlists the power to split from our reactive minds and become the observer, as Tolle describes. I've never thought of this action as 'enlightenment' or a 'spiritual experience'. But to transform from a daily drinker for over 20 years, the last 5 being all day, to the point were I'd almost given up hope, discovering and applying RR/AVRT was life changing.
I can also apply the technique to other unwanted, destructive 'thinking' which generates stress, fear and anxiety and 'label' those and observe then as the independent 'self' observer; in the same way I label the mis-directed survival drive (rogue 'Beast'that generates thinking, feelings and emotions to direct me to drink). Therefore I have a rogue 'thinking' stressing over the future, raging and resenting over the past. I notice them, as a detached observer and don't allow myself to become entangled and caught up. I also have a rogue 'Binge Beast' who desires endless cakes, pies, puddings, biscuits: the technique has disable it.
This method is so powerful and to think the roots go back thousands of years!
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
