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Giovanni Alcantara's Reviews > The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
by
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Tolle comes out as a very sharp and knowledgeable and author on human consciousness since the first pages of the book.
His approach in explaining what he calls "The Power of Now" is effective and captures you psychologically (and sometimes physically) in every line he writes.
His teachings on techniques of meditation were particularly influential having never been exposed to meditation before. Sessions on looking into a characterisation of the mind in a non-judgemental way, from Chapter 1, was already mind-blowing to me, and definitely makes you see your surroundings in several perspectives at different level of intensity. Then emotion handling, the feeling of the inner body, the concept of emptiness of space and sound, they were all equally as captivating.
I somehow wish the book stopped there. Tolle never gives scientific proofs of how this works. You just somehow have to accept this and finding rationality or scientific evidence of what he says is just not contemplated. And I would say this is actually fine, because, as he points out, it just works. You feel it.
What left me very disappointed, however, are the numerous references to Catholicism or Buddhism throughout the book. I just do not get it. Who cares what Jesus said on the Bible? It felt like he was aiming at that specific demographic of people who just accept what it is being told them, expecting the reader to do the same with what he wrote. He also gives ideal approaches to several situations in relationships, psychological complications like depression, or when difficult situations. On a bigger scale this felt like he was just trying to widen his audience seeking universal empathy, trying too hard to get the reader's unconditional trust.
TL;DR: Excellent approach to techniques of meditations "to live in the Now"; but don't seek for rationality.
His approach in explaining what he calls "The Power of Now" is effective and captures you psychologically (and sometimes physically) in every line he writes.
His teachings on techniques of meditation were particularly influential having never been exposed to meditation before. Sessions on looking into a characterisation of the mind in a non-judgemental way, from Chapter 1, was already mind-blowing to me, and definitely makes you see your surroundings in several perspectives at different level of intensity. Then emotion handling, the feeling of the inner body, the concept of emptiness of space and sound, they were all equally as captivating.
I somehow wish the book stopped there. Tolle never gives scientific proofs of how this works. You just somehow have to accept this and finding rationality or scientific evidence of what he says is just not contemplated. And I would say this is actually fine, because, as he points out, it just works. You feel it.
What left me very disappointed, however, are the numerous references to Catholicism or Buddhism throughout the book. I just do not get it. Who cares what Jesus said on the Bible? It felt like he was aiming at that specific demographic of people who just accept what it is being told them, expecting the reader to do the same with what he wrote. He also gives ideal approaches to several situations in relationships, psychological complications like depression, or when difficult situations. On a bigger scale this felt like he was just trying to widen his audience seeking universal empathy, trying too hard to get the reader's unconditional trust.
TL;DR: Excellent approach to techniques of meditations "to live in the Now"; but don't seek for rationality.
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