the power of now

[MooNiNite]

blah blah blahhh

[Fū Yue]

The power of now, POW!

Knock you down!

Mrs.Grandmaster P:

Will be waiting on your way down.

Lying on the ground, open your eyes;

She's got the pie, to remedy the lies!

 

 

Simple jack on the rhyme,

beyond time, it's clear to see,

every Grandmaster P post,

is toast, he's got a lyrical fever,

and the only cure is more pie

Cinnamon & apple technique, word

also, I want a third, see

cuz I'm hungry now.

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I had to post this.

[madMUHHH]

You people are weird.

 

 

So I guess this is the perfect place for me.

 

 

 

About the Eckhart Tolle book: I dunno, "The Power of Now" is probably one of the books that changed me the most (for the better) just by me reading it. Mind you, it was also one of the first books I read that could be considered "spiritual", but still I really can't say anything bad about it.

[Tibetan_Ice]

Tolle's a sad windbag and very very dated these days.

It's a mittel european trait is sad windbaggery. Germans especially are good at it. Lots of sad yet strangely intense German ladies in communes and Ashrams around the world.

Tolle does wear nice pullovers though.

 

Tolle is not a sad windbag and he is not dated.

What is the purpose of introducing ethnic background to support your opinion? Are you trying to spread prejudice?

 

I love Eckart Tolle. He is the world's best psychologist. He is often funny, witty, clever and amusing. I own just about all of his books, some CD's, many podcasts and have studied him for a long time. Tolle understands impermanence, ego, and the pain body, and he is very capable of passing that understanding to his audience.

 

In his book called "Practising the Power of Now", you will find some classic practices, those practices which are found in most Buddhist and Vedanta manuals. He really did his homework and picked very effective methods with which to educate people about spirituality and self-realization.

 

One of the practices is "watching your thoughts" and becoming a watcher of thoughts.. (sounds familiar?) He even has a little game of asking yourself: "I wonder what my next thought will be."

 

Another practice is "how to heal the body by transferring or directing consciousness".

 

Another one of his practices is "sensing the inner body" (which is very similar to Goenka's technique, and one part of Buddha's technique of anapanasati, or body mindfulness).

 

When I first learned about Tolle's "sensing the inner body", I turned it into my regular meditation, twice a day for 35 minutes. After two weeks, I had to stop. My kundalini was activating during the meditations. It is also very blissful to become a cloud of life-force. I was becoming a cloud of life-force, and sometimes this cloud of life force would kind of separate from the body, while going up or down elevators, turning corners etc.. I was also becoming aware 24 hrs a day (watched myself sleep for a few days in a row), I could see with my eyes closed ... well you get the picture. All that, by just fixating on the feeling of the life force.

 

If you treat "sensing the inner body", that is, you focus on the 'feeling of the life-force in the body' and perform dhyana, dharana and samadhi on it, it will blow your socks off. I'm very happy that this practice is in my bag of practices and I still use it to this very day, especially if I need healing or dissociation from the outer world.

 

What Tolle has created is timeless and will no doubt help many people realize their true natures or get started down the path.

 

 

So you can understand my dismay when someone who didn't get the same thing out of Tolle that I did, calls him a sad, dated windbag.

 

E'nuf said..

TI

[JustARandomPanda]

its the title of a book that was ridiculed as being watered down and full of mumbo jumbo

 

eckhart tolle wrote it. I never read it and i have no desire to.

 

Ah Anamatva...you are missing out. I've read the book and it truly is pragmatic. Tolle's points were similar to themes stressed by Lao Tzu and the Buddha. He was mainly introducing the idea to people who have zero knowledge of the practices you and I know about that focusing one's attention on a single moment eventually gives rise to a serene, peacefulness within.

 

He teaches this peacefulness within in turn gives rise to equanimity and later acceptance that's unconditional. Thus fully accepting of others despite their flaws and foibles.

 

I had only 3 minor quibbles with the book.

 

1. It doesn't give an actual method these 'spirituality noobs' he targets can begin to practice and thus experentially understand first hand what he teaches in the book.

 

2. Because it doesn't give an actual method - and he doesn't stress that it takes time for this peaceful, harmonious, natural way of living to arise - gives people the wrong impression it takes zero effort on their part to get the fruits of what his book describes.

 

3. Because he focuses on the fruit of focusing on the "now" (equanimity, serenity, acceptance) a lot of people get the very wrong idea from his book this means it's "acceptance" of injustice. If you read his other works or talks you find out this is not what Tolle advocates. Injustice or harm to others (if you are able to prevent it) should be stopped. It's just that even while one is busy preventing harm or injustice one still has equanimity and acceptance of other beings - including even the perpetrators of said injustice or violence. You're sort of 'inoculated' against developing ill will toward them too.

 

What the book is absolutely amazing at doing is describing the fruits such practices bring. Seriously. I've never read a better book in that regard. He displays the fruit of such practices and shows how it spills over into everyday life in everything we do. Because people can see what he's talking about they become inspired to finally take action and begin looking for a meditation (and/or qigong) practice to apply to their lives to bring the results about his book stresses.

 

Would at least urge you to reconsider the decision to not read it.

 

******

 

Agree with Tibetan Ice that Tolle is anything but a "sad European windbag". I also have his Practicing the Power of Now audio book and it's got a lot of practical practices that people can begin incorporating into their daily lives - right in the midst of busy life.

 

One of my favorites was his suggestion to ask one's self, "I wonder what my next thought will be?" and then sit and wait for it. Then ask it again...and wait for it. Wash, rinse, repeat. You begin to learn surprising things about yourself if you do that daily over an extended period of time.

 

I like the Power of Now book so much I've decided to give copies as a Xmas gift this year to my mom and sister (I would've given a copy to my dad too except he doesn't read...heavy sigh...).

[GrandmasterP]

Nice pullover.

[Tibetan_Ice]

If anyone is interested in two excellent videos about Tolle, I would recommend the following:

 

A recap of the main teachings from the point of view of a beginner:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CJ2TUtQvJo

 

 

Eckhart Tolle talks about his awakening - Part1 (Jun 2012)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrsySWJgKfo&feature=related

 

Eckhart Tolle talks about his awakening - Part2

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZG77Rth3uU&feature=relmfu

 

Eckhart Tolle talks about his awakening - Part3

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVoqjnpep1g&feature=relmfu

 

 

TI

[thelerner]

I've also wonder for all its popularity how many lives has his work really changed? Personally I like it, but it hasn't changed me. At times when I'm tense or worried I'll listen to one of his audio's or read a page or two of his book and it helps me then.

 

I do see it as hammering an important point of Buddhism, though it may be too anti thought too narrow a focus for its own good.

[Path]

i read it years ago, borrowed from the local library, its a good book. i bought the book eventually just to support its publish, i don't even need it. go read it, even if you don't need it recommend it to those who you think might help them in their path.

[Isimsiz Biri]

Awareness of the moment and the surroundings is very vital in Taoism and Zen Buddhism as everybody on this forum would agree. The interesting point is that, also in Sufism, to be aware of the moment and everything plus to be aware that you are always present in God's court, to be that God always sees you and also God is in everything is very very important.

[GrandmasterP]

We saw these sufi guys dance when we were out in Turkey.

Guy there told me they are 'separating heaven and earth' and drawing down and on a power.

Sounded kinda familiar.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=L_Cf-ZxDfZA&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DL_Cf-ZxDfZA&gl=GB

Edited November 16, 2012 by GrandmasterP

[Isimsiz Biri]

We saw these sufi guys dance when we were out in Turkey.

Guy there told me they are 'separating heaven and earth' and drawing down and on a power.

Sounded kinda familiar.

http://m.youtube.com...Cf-ZxDfZA&gl=GB

 

These are Mevlevi order (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mevlevi_Order) dervishes known as "Whirling Dervishes" The order was formed by famous Sufi, Rumi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi)

[GrandmasterP]

I like Rumi, he told jokes.

My kinda holy man is a jokester.

http://www.mythfolklore.net/3043mythfolklore/reading/rumi/pages/20.htm

Edited November 18, 2012 by GrandmasterP

[konchog uma]

holy crap grandmasterP

 

youve been a member here for two months and have 1500 posts??

 

thats wild

[GrandmasterP]

You are never alone with obsessive compulsive disorder bro.

:-)

[Isimsiz Biri]

I like Rumi, he told jokes.

My kinda holy man is a jokester.

http://www.mythfolkl...mi/pages/20.htm

 

You may also like the following link.

http://sologak1.blogspot.com/

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

if you lick your fingers and put them in a socket, now has about 110 volts of power

Let me find the video of me being tazed. It DOES exist, I just cant find it.... <.< that's what, 50,000 volts? fun. Truth be told, I felt like I coulda stood up and walked away, but in the moment, I felt it was better no one knew I could do that.... hahaha

[GrandmasterP]

 

 

You may also like the following link.

http://sologak1.blogspot.com/

........

Cool link.

Many thanks.