THE POWER OF THE MOMENT NOW
© Translation from English by Nikolai Lavrentiev
Moscow 2003
THE RIGITAL CAUSE OF THIS BOOK
THE TRUTH THAT IS INSIDE YOU
THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE ON THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT
FREEING YOURSELF FROM YOUR MIND
ENLIGHTENMENT: RISING BEYOND THINKING
EMOTION: THE BODY'S REACTION TO WHAT THE MIND IS DOING
DON'T CREATE ANY MORE PAIN IN THE PRESENT
PAIN OF THE PAST: DISSOLVING THE BODY OF PAIN
IDENTIFYING THE EGO WITH THE PAIN BODY
THE ROOT CAUSE OF FEAR
HOW THE EGO SEEKS INTEGRITY
DON'T LOOK FOR YOURSELF IN YOUR MIND
END THE ILLUSION OF TIME
NOTHING EXISTS OUTSIDE THE NOW
KEY TO SPIRITUAL DIMENSION
ACCESSING THE POWER OF THE MOMENT NOW
LEAVING PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME
THE MADNESS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME
THE ROOTS OF NEGATIVITY AND SUFFERING GO OUT IN TIME
HOW TO FIND LIFE UNDER YOUR LIFE SITUATION
PROBLEMS ARE ILLUSIONS OF THE MIND
QUANTUM LEAP IN THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
JOY OF LIFE
LOSING THE MOMENT NOW: WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF THIS MISCONCEPTION
ORDINARY UNAWARENESS AND DEEP UNAWARENESS
WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
DISSOLVING ORDINARY UNCONSCIOUSNESS
FREEDOM FROM DISCONTENT
WHEREVER YOU ARE, BE THERE COMPLETELY
THE INTERNAL INTENTION OF YOUR LIFE PATH
THE PAST IS NOT ABLE TO SURVIVE IN YOUR PRESENCE
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK
ESOTERIC MEANING OF “EXPECTATION”
BEAUTY IS BORN IN THE PEACE OF YOUR PRESENCE
AWARENESS OF PURE CONSCIOUSNESS
CHRIST: THE REALITY OF YOUR DIVINE PRESENCE
EXISTENCE IS YOUR DEEPEST SELF
FINDING YOUR INVISIBLE AND INDESTRUCTIBLE REALITY
CONNECTING WITH THE INNER BODY
TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE BODY
SERMON ABOUT THE BODY
HAVE DEEP INNER ROOTS
BEFORE YOU ENTER THE BODY, FORGIVE
YOUR CONNECTION WITH THE UNMANIFESTED
SLOW DOWN THE AGING PROCESS
STRENGTHENING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
LET YOUR BREATH LEAD YOU INTO YOUR BODY
CREATIVE USE OF THE MIND
THE ART OF LISTENING
DIVING INTO THE BODY
SOURCE OF CHI
DREAMLESS SLEEP
OTHER CHANNELS
SPACE
THE TRUE NATURE OF SPACE AND TIME
CONSCIOUS DEATH
JOIN THE MOMENT NOW FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE
RELATIONSHIPS OF THE “LOVE-HATE” TYPE
HARMFUL ATTACHMENT AND THE SEARCH FOR INTEGRITY
FROM ATTACHMENT TO ENLIGHTENED RELATIONSHIPS
RELATIONSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
WHY WOMEN ARE CLOSER TO ENLIGHTENMENT
DISSOLVING THE COLLECTIVE PAIN BODY OF WOMEN
GIVE UP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF
THE HIGHEST GOOD BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL
ENDING YOUR LIFE DRAMA
INSTABILITY AND CYCLICITY OF LIFE
USING AND LETING GO OF NEGATIVITY
THE NATURE OF COMPASSION
TO ANOTHER ORDER OF REALITY
ACCEPTING THE MOMENT NOW
FROM THE ENERGY OF MIND TO THE ENERGY OF SPIRIT
CONDITION IN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
TRANSFORMATION OF DISEASE INTO ENLIGHTENMENT
WHEN TROUBLE COME
TRANSFORMATION OF SUFFERING INTO PEACE
WAY OF THE CROSS
ABILITY TO CHOOSE
Translator's Preface
Do what you must - and come what may!
(Knightly motto)
Now that the work on translating the book is completed, when the people to whom I sent working versions of individual chapters and the book as a whole shared their feelings with me, the need arose to “explain” about the terminology used.
Here is a fragment from my correspondence that prompted me to think about this:
– I want to ask you, why did you choose the word “yield” for “surrender”, and not “surrender”, as it is usually interpreted? For me, “Surrender” sounds more global, irrevocable, like capitulation (resisted - surrendered), and in “surrender” there is some echo of polite incompleteness. I am writing only about my observation, perhaps it just shows my non-surrender.
I have nothing against “surrender”. For many, “surrender” is what works. However, for me, “surrender” also has such connotations as coercion, violence, and it does not matter at all where it comes from - imposed from the outside or cultivated from the inside. Surrender gives off the smell of regret, loss of face, looks like a sluggish gait and a downcast gaze, a lack of joy and lightness, something like moral death, that is, for me it smacks of resistance a mile away. It’s like surrendering a city in war - if we hadn’t been knocked out, we wouldn’t have surrendered it. That is, we didn’t want to, but we were knocked out.
Such “surrender” does not inspire me. It leads to quiet inner bitterness. Causes a desire for revenge, revenge. If we talk about “surrender,” then only about complete, deep and cleansing, like fire, in which everything that could still be regretted burns without a trace.
On the other hand, Surrender is the result of awareness, conscious acceptance, sincere forgiveness, as a sign of gaining inner strength. Surrender is reconciliation. Complete absence of resistance as a consequence of awareness. Surrender is a force that comes from within. Surrender is unity, connection. Surrender is peace.
Surrender, on the contrary, means disunity and despair. But this may well be a stage on the way to Concession.
About twenty-five years ago, when my reference book was “The Way of Karate,” one phrase surprised me: “To grab is to lose. To give in, to give in, means to win.” To my Western, male, straightforward mind, this seemed complete nonsense and caused strong resistance. And in that book it was also written that when you learn to give in and practice it in everyday life, then you will gain access to real power.
But isn’t my strong fist, lightning-fast reaction and trained body real strength?
And once, in the cramped space of a crowded subway car, when I was thinking about this topic, a huge, tipsy man fell on my shoulders and almost pushed me over the seated passengers. I leaned against the handrail to hold back his onslaught, and with pleasure felt how my muscles began to work, how they tensed. But the man was big, and it couldn’t last that long...
- Give in, give in... - flashed through my head, -... What kind of b-nonsense...!
After a moment, I relaxed my muscles and went to the right. The man collapsed on top of those sitting, frantically catching the handrail. I straightened up in the space vacated by the man, watching with curiosity how difficult it was for him now.
- Hmm, “give in..., hmm, give in...” - that’s how it worked! It’s like I didn’t do anything. I just gave in. That’s exactly what he “didn’t do.” And only many years later it began to dawn on me that by not doing, you can “do” much more. That to resist what is means to lose lightness and flexibility. Attachment to what you resist deprives you of mobility.
In essence, all the words that the reader encounters in the book are familiar to him and he has heard and pronounced them many times himself. All that remains is to agree on what meaning we will give to them. Here is an excerpt from one story:
– Why do you say Mind and Reason? Aren't they the same thing?
- Reason is Once-Mind is one, separate mind. Reason is a part of the Mind that realizes itself separately from the Whole so that the Whole can know Itself as a Whole. Reason is the mirror of Mind.
Many people think that changing their life is difficult or almost impossible.
People involved in spiritual development believe that they can do it. They know that they create their own reality.
Indeed, everything depends on ourselves.
All that is needed for positive changes in life is great desire to make it better, regularly use spiritual tools. Well, and of course, confirm all this with specific actions.
In this article we will share with you simple practices, which Eckhart Tolle recommends in his book “A New Earth”.
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They will help you improve your health, get rid of anxiety and bad habits. By applying them in your daily life, you will find inner harmony, peace, self-confidence, learn to listen to your body, and increase your level of awareness.
9 Eckhart Tolle Practices That Will Change Your Life
1. Feeling the inner body
Most identify themselves with the body. The body is me. Spiritually awakened people know that they are not a body, but a soul living in a body. But few of them are aware of this constantly, every second.
Often people are dissatisfied with their body. Either they are not satisfied with the weight, the size of the nose, or the color of the eyes and skin. Sometimes people reject it entirely and avoid looking at themselves in the mirror.
No matter what your body looks like on the outside, behind its outer form it is a rich and living energy field.
To go beyond the body and understand that you are not the body, you need to enter it.
This practice allows accept and love your body, establish contact with him. Through this practice you will learn awareness and you will be in the present moment.
2. Feeling of abundance
Many complain that they are not treated well enough: “They don’t respect me, they don’t pay attention to me, they don’t praise me, they don’t thank me, they don’t recognize me. They don't take me into account."
And in treating themselves kindly, they suspect some kind of hidden motivation and think: “People around me want to manipulate me, they want to use me. Nobody loves me."
They see themselves as a “needy little self” whose needs are never met. This basic mistake in perceiving who they are causes functional impairment in everything that concerns their relationship.
They are convinced that they have nothing left to give and that the world or others are denying them what they need.
If the thought of lack - be it money, recognition or love - has become part of who you think you are, you will always be feel lacking.
Instead of feeling grateful for the good things you already have in your life, you see only the lack.
In fact, if you believe that the world is refusing you, it means that YOU are refusing the world because deep down you believe that you are small with nothing to give.
You don't have to own anything to feel abundant, although if you feel abundant all the time, things will almost certainly come to you.
Abundance only comes to those who already have it. It seems almost unfair, but it is true. Both abundance and lack are internal states that manifest in your reality.
3. Practice “Don’t answer the offender”
The ego is always on guard and always ready to defend itself against everything that it considers aimed at weakening it.
When someone reproaches or criticizes me, the ego sees this as an attempt to reduce it and immediately tries to return its sense of self to its previous level, for which it resorts to self-justification, defense or condemnation.
It doesn't matter to him whether the other is right or wrong. He is more interested in self-preservation than the truth. A powerful spiritual practice in moments of ego manifestation is to try to consciously let it loosen and don't try to restore it.
Of course, this does not mean that you invite others to insult or scold you or become a victim of unconscious people. Sometimes the situation may require you to hit someone back in very specific terms.
When there is no egoistic need to defend yourself in your words, then there is power behind them, not reactive compulsion.
What the ego appears to be a weakness is actually the only true force.
4. Awareness of oneself as aware
The way to discover inner space is to become aware of yourself as aware. What is the benefit of this practice? You stop the flow of thoughts, look deep into yourself and enter in contact with your highest aspect.
Say or think: “I Am” - and don’t add anything to it. Be aware of the calm that follows the “I Am.” Feel your presence, naked, naked, unclothed existence.
Neither youth, nor old age, nor wealth, nor poverty, nor bad, nor good, nor other things have anything to do with him. This is the spatial womb of all creation, of all forms.
This practice by Eckhart Tolle will fit perfectly into yours.
5. How to feel peace and tranquility
This practice will help people suffering from obsessive thoughts and constant anxiety.
You learn to slow down, to calm your mind. By practicing this exercise regularly, you will gradually give up value judgments “good-bad”, which will expand your consciousness.
You can perform it at any convenient time, for example, when you are sitting in line to see a doctor or in some government agency.
Find out what causes anxiety in this article.
6. Awareness of your breathing
Be aware of your breathing. Notice how you feel as you breathe. Feel the air flowing in and out of your body. Notice how your chest and abdomen expand slightly as you inhale and exhale, and then fall back.
To create some space where previously there was a continuous sequence of thoughts, one inhalation-exhalation cycle is enough. One conscious breath cycle done many times throughout the day is an excellent way to bringing space into your life.
Breathing happens naturally. All you have to do is watch it happen. But this does not involve any tension or effort.
Observe a short pause special resting point between exhalation and inhalation, before the next inhalation begins.
Many people's breathing is unnaturally shallow. The more aware you are of your breathing, the greater the natural depth it acquires - it begins to restore itself.
Breath awareness pushes you at present is the key to all internal transformation. When you are aware of your breath, you are absolutely present.
You will notice that you cannot think and be aware of your breath at the same time. Conscious breathing stops the mind.
7. Getting rid of bad habits
Long-rooted compulsive behavior patterns can be called addiction - a certain energy field that lives in you in the form of a pseudo-entity or pseudo-personality, and at times captures you entirely.
If you have compulsive behaviors such as smoking, overeating, drinking, TV, internet addiction or anything else, here's what you can do:
Remember that you need to catch every thought aimed at justifying addictive behavior as soon as it comes into your head.
Ask yourself: “Who is that talking there?” And you will understand that this is addiction speaking. As long as you are present as the observer of your mind, the likelihood of her being able to trick you into doing what she wants becomes less likely.
8. Practice “Lose yourself to find yourself”
When you stop emphasizing who you are at the level of form, then who you are beyond it emerges more fully. By getting smaller you become bigger. To the ego it will look like you are losing yourself, but in fact the opposite is happening.
Here are some ways in which people unconsciously try to emphasize their identification with form. If you are vigilant enough, you may be able to detect some of these patterns in yourself:
- You demand recognition for your work and get angry or upset if you don't get it;
- You seek attention by talking about your problems, presenting your medical history, or causing a scandal;
- You express your opinion, which no one asks for and which does not affect the situation in any way;
- You are more focused on how you look in the eyes of another person than on yourself, that is, you use others in order to receive an egotypical reflection or strengthen your own ego;
- Trying to impress by showing off your assets, knowledge, good looks, position, physical strength, etc.;
- Inflating your ego for a while through angry reactions and speaking out against something or someone;
- You take what is said personally, get offended, make yourself right and others wrong, mentally or verbally expressing futile and useless discontent;
- Want to be noticed or look important.
If you find such stereotypes in yourself, try an experiment. Experience how it feels and what happens when you leave this pattern. Just drop it and see what happens.
This is another way of generating consciousness. When you stop emphasizing your form-oriented persona, you will unlock the enormous power that flows into the world through you.
9. Awakened doing
Awakened doing is the attunement of your external goal (what you do) with your internal goal (awakening and being in an awakened state).
Through awakened doing you merge into one with the external purpose of the Universe. Through you, consciousness flows into the world. It flows into your thoughts and fills them with inspiration. It flows into, guides and inspires your business.
There are three ways in which consciousness can flow into what you do and thereby come into the world through you - acceptance, pleasure and enthusiasm.
Each represents a specific vibrational frequency of consciousness. If you are not in a state of either acceptance, pleasure, or enthusiasm, take a closer look and see that you are creating suffering for yourself and others.
All these practices are aimed at knowing your true self - who you really are.
They allow us to uncover all the ego traps that we fall into every day so that we can make the choice to take control of our lives rather than being led by a restless mind.
Current page: 1 (book has 16 pages in total)
Eckhart Tolle
THE POWER OF THE MOMENT NOW
© Translation from English by Nikolai Lavrentiev
Moscow 2003
FROM AN AMERICAN PUBLISHER
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
THE RIGITAL CAUSE OF THIS BOOK
THE TRUTH THAT IS INSIDE YOU
CHAPTER ONE: YOU ARE NOT YOUR MIND
THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE ON THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT
FREEING YOURSELF FROM YOUR MIND
ENLIGHTENMENT: RISING BEYOND THINKING
EMOTION: THE BODY'S REACTION TO WHAT THE MIND IS DOING
CHAPTER TWO: CONSCIOUSNESS: THE WAY AWAY FROM PAIN
DON'T CREATE ANY MORE PAIN IN THE PRESENT
PAIN OF THE PAST: DISSOLVING THE BODY OF PAIN
IDENTIFYING THE EGO WITH THE PAIN BODY
THE ROOT CAUSE OF FEAR
HOW THE EGO SEEKS INTEGRITY
CHAPTER THREE: GOING DEEP INTO THE MOMENT NOW
DON'T LOOK FOR YOURSELF IN YOUR MIND
END THE ILLUSION OF TIME
NOTHING EXISTS OUTSIDE THE NOW
KEY TO SPIRITUAL DIMENSION
ACCESSING THE POWER OF THE MOMENT NOW
LEAVING PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME
THE MADNESS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME
THE ROOTS OF NEGATIVITY AND SUFFERING GO OUT IN TIME
HOW TO FIND LIFE UNDER YOUR LIFE SITUATION
PROBLEMS ARE ILLUSIONS OF THE MIND
QUANTUM LEAP IN THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
JOY OF LIFE
CHAPTER FOUR: MIND STRATEGIES FOR AVOIDING THE NOW MOMENT
LOSING THE MOMENT NOW: WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF THIS MISCONCEPTION
ORDINARY UNAWARENESS AND DEEP UNAWARENESS
WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
DISSOLVING ORDINARY UNCONSCIOUSNESS
FREEDOM FROM DISCONTENT
WHEREVER YOU ARE, BE THERE COMPLETELY
THE INTERNAL INTENTION OF YOUR LIFE PATH
THE PAST IS NOT ABLE TO SURVIVE IN YOUR PRESENCE
CHAPTER FIVE: THE STATE OF PRESENCE
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK
ESOTERIC MEANING OF “EXPECTATION”
BEAUTY IS BORN IN THE PEACE OF YOUR PRESENCE
AWARENESS OF PURE CONSCIOUSNESS
CHRIST: THE REALITY OF YOUR DIVINE PRESENCE
CHAPTER SIX: THE INNER BODY
EXISTENCE IS YOUR DEEPEST SELF
FINDING YOUR INVISIBLE AND INDESTRUCTIBLE REALITY
CONNECTING WITH THE INNER BODY
TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE BODY
SERMON ABOUT THE BODY
HAVE DEEP INNER ROOTS
BEFORE YOU ENTER THE BODY, FORGIVE
YOUR CONNECTION WITH THE UNMANIFESTED
SLOW DOWN THE AGING PROCESS
STRENGTHENING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
LET YOUR BREATH LEAD YOU INTO YOUR BODY
CREATIVE USE OF THE MIND
THE ART OF LISTENING
CHAPTER SEVEN: CHANNELS INTO THE UNMANIFEST
DIVING INTO THE BODY
SOURCE OF CHI
DREAMLESS SLEEP
OTHER CHANNELS
SPACE
THE TRUE NATURE OF SPACE AND TIME
CONSCIOUS DEATH
CHAPTER EIGHT: ENLIGHTENED RELATIONSHIPS
JOIN THE MOMENT NOW FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE
RELATIONSHIPS OF THE “LOVE-HATE” TYPE
HARMFUL ATTACHMENT AND THE SEARCH FOR INTEGRITY
FROM ATTACHMENT TO ENLIGHTENED RELATIONSHIPS
RELATIONSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
WHY WOMEN ARE CLOSER TO ENLIGHTENMENT
DISSOLVING THE COLLECTIVE PAIN BODY OF WOMEN
GIVE UP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF
CHAPTER NINE: BEHIND HAPPINESS AND UNHAPPINESS THERE IS PEACE
THE HIGHEST GOOD BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL
ENDING YOUR LIFE DRAMA
INSTABILITY AND CYCLICITY OF LIFE
USING AND LETING GO OF NEGATIVITY
THE NATURE OF COMPASSION
TO ANOTHER ORDER OF REALITY
CHAPTER TEN: THE MEANING OF SURRENDER
ACCEPTING THE MOMENT NOW
FROM THE ENERGY OF MIND TO THE ENERGY OF SPIRIT
CONDITION IN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
TRANSFORMATION OF DISEASE INTO ENLIGHTENMENT
WHEN TROUBLE COME
TRANSFORMATION OF SUFFERING INTO PEACE
WAY OF THE CROSS
ABILITY TO CHOOSE
Translator's Preface
Do what you must - and come what may!
(Knightly motto)
Now that the work on translating the book is completed, when the people to whom I sent working versions of individual chapters and the book as a whole shared their feelings with me, the need arose to “explain” about the terminology used.
Here is a fragment from my correspondence that prompted me to think about this:
– I want to ask you, why did you choose the word “yield” for “surrender”, and not “surrender”, as it is usually interpreted? For me, “Surrender” sounds more global, irrevocable, like capitulation (resisted - surrendered), and in “surrender” there is some echo of polite incompleteness. I am writing only about my observation, perhaps it just shows my non-surrender.
I have nothing against “surrender”. For many, “surrender” is what works. However, for me, “surrender” also has such connotations as coercion, violence, and it does not matter at all where it comes from - imposed from the outside or cultivated from the inside. Surrender gives off the smell of regret, loss of face, looks like a sluggish gait and a downcast gaze, a lack of joy and lightness, something like moral death, that is, for me it smacks of resistance a mile away. It’s like surrendering a city in war - if we hadn’t been knocked out, we wouldn’t have surrendered it. That is, we didn’t want to, but we were knocked out.
Such “surrender” does not inspire me. It leads to quiet inner bitterness. Causes a desire for revenge, revenge. If we talk about “surrender,” then only about complete, deep and cleansing, like fire, in which everything that could still be regretted burns without a trace.
On the other hand, Surrender is the result of awareness, conscious acceptance, sincere forgiveness, as a sign of gaining inner strength. Surrender is reconciliation. Complete absence of resistance as a consequence of awareness. Surrender is a force that comes from within. Surrender is unity, connection. Surrender is peace.
Surrender, on the contrary, means disunity and despair. But this may well be a stage on the way to Concession.
About twenty-five years ago, when my reference book was “The Way of Karate,” one phrase surprised me: “To grab is to lose. To give in, to give in, means to win.” To my Western, male, straightforward mind, this seemed complete nonsense and caused strong resistance. And in that book it was also written that when you learn to give in and practice it in everyday life, then you will gain access to real power.
But isn’t my strong fist, lightning-fast reaction and trained body real strength?
And once, in the cramped space of a crowded subway car, when I was thinking about this topic, a huge, tipsy man fell on my shoulders and almost pushed me over the seated passengers. I leaned against the handrail to hold back his onslaught, and with pleasure felt how my muscles began to work, how they tensed. But the man was big, and it couldn’t last that long...
- Give in, give in... - flashed through my head, -... What kind of b-nonsense...!
After a moment, I relaxed my muscles and went to the right. The man collapsed on top of those sitting, frantically catching the handrail. I straightened up in the space vacated by the man, watching with curiosity how difficult it was for him now.
- Hmm, “give in..., hmm, give in...” - that’s how it worked! It’s like I didn’t do anything. I just gave in. That’s exactly what he “didn’t do.” And only many years later it began to dawn on me that by not doing, you can “do” much more. That to resist what is means to lose lightness and flexibility. Attachment to what you resist deprives you of mobility.
In essence, all the words that the reader encounters in the book are familiar to him and he has heard and pronounced them many times himself. All that remains is to agree on what meaning we will give to them. Here is an excerpt from one story:
– Why do you say Mind and Reason? Aren't they the same thing?
- Reason is Once-Mind is one, separate mind. Reason is a part of the Mind that realizes itself separately from the Whole so that the Whole can know Itself as a Whole. Reason is the mirror of Mind.
So, I translate the word “mind” as “mind”. For in the book we are talking about my and Your mind, and not about the Mind, which appears to me in the form of an omnipresent, all-pervading and dimensionless field contracted into an infinitesimal point.
The word “experience” is usually translated as “experience.” And its meaning as “sensation” is almost always ignored. The book “The Power of Now” talks about the present moment, in which there is no past and in which “feelings” have not yet become “experience.” “Experience” is about the past. In the present there are only “sensations” that we “experience” or “experience”, which can also be considered a valid translation of the word “to experience”.
The author talks about feeling, experiencing Life Now. Any thing that is at the moment is in our field of vision, valuable not in itself, but as a source of sensations - whether we are talking about a cup of tea, a car or a book. All that exists is the Now moment. All that each of us has is the sensations at this moment. That’s why I often translate the word “experience” as “feeling.”
The word “conscious” is usually translated as “conscious” or “aware.” Which of these meanings is more appropriate to convey the context of a book whose focus is a state? Neither one nor the other. In my opinion, both create a connotation of action or have to do with process, and the state is better characterized by the word “conscious”. Because the author invites the reader to learn to enter and abide in a state of conscious Being or Presence, then where we talk about the state, you will find the word “conscious”.
The word “Existing” is not even a dictionary translation of the word “Being”, which usually means:
1. being, existence, life;
2. creature, person;
3. being, essence,
however, it is “Existence” that is least attached to any formalization, identification or image. It does not point to anything in particular, especially when it comes to the timeless Being, the omnipresent God, the eternal One Life, the all-pervading Unmanifest, the transcendent Reality, the Nagual. It has nothing in common with what could be imagined, because the mind refuses to step over this line. Only You you can do it because Existence is place yours Genesis.
Word "compassion" For some reason it is almost always translated into Russian as "compassion". Although it has nothing to do with suffering. In English “suffering” – “suffering”. That is, even in spelling these words have nothing in common. And not in vain.
In the context of this book, one of the main themes of which is the reduction of total human suffering, the term "compassion" It just destroys the whole context and leads in the wrong direction. Apparently, this is the most ordinary trap into which the mind habitually leads us, imperceptibly replacing one concept with another. And ordinary unawareness allows this substitution to exist.
So, I myself am of the opinion that compassion multiplies suffering, that is, it increases pain.
Empathy not only allows a person to be fully present in a situation. It allows you to sympathize, co-experience, co-participate, and at the same time not suffer, but create a calm and clean space for true healing, and show the suffering a living example of accepting what is.
And yet, there is certainly a justification for addressing the reader as “you”, which has historically been established in Russian-language publications - it is respectful and polite. However, in the literature devoted to personal growth And spiritual development, which cannot be delegated to anyone, such treatment leaves a loophole for the inventive mind to avoid the uncomfortable aspects of growth. After all, “you” is, as it were, both “I” and “we,” that is, this appeal is not to me personally. Of course, when it suits me, come to me. And when not?
But you can’t get out from under the “you”.
Addressing “you” unfolds and focuses your conscious attention on yourself, and awakens the transformative power in you.
“If you want change, start with yourself!”
Addressing “you” holds back this power and dissipates it, and does not allow change to be fully realized.
In this translation, everything is the same as in the original: where there is tenderness, there is tenderness, where there is sharpness, there is sharpness, where there is energy, there is energy, where there is “you”, there is “you”.
I haven't read this book. I live it.
For me, it became one of the most important in my life.
Do you want to know why?
Then do what you must - and come what may!
Nikolay Lavrentiev
Moscow 2003
e-mail: [email protected]
FROM AN AMERICAN PUBLISHER
Perhaps only once a decade, or even once a generation, does a book like The Power of Now appear. It's more than a book; it is filled with vital energy, and holding it in your hands, you can probably feel it. It has the power to evoke feelings in readers and change their lives for the better.
The first edition of The Power of Now was published in Canada, and Canadian publisher Connie Kellow told me that she had heard repeated stories of positive changes and even miracles happening in their lives as people delved into the book. “Readers call,” she said, “and many of them tell me about the miraculous healings, transformations and increased joy they experience because they accepted this book.”
The book brought me to the realization that every moment of my life is a miracle. And this is the absolute truth, and it doesn’t even matter whether I understand it or not. And “The Power of Now” shows me again and again how to come to this understanding.
From the very first page of this work, it becomes clear that Eckhart Tolle is our modern master. He does not profess any particular religion, adhere to any doctrine, or follow any guru. His teachings have absorbed the heart and essence of all traditions, and do not contradict any of them - neither Christianity, nor Hinduism, nor Buddhism, nor Islam, nor native customs, nor anything else. He knows how to do what the great masters did: explain to us in simple and understandable language that the path, truth and light are within ourselves.
Eckhart Tolle begins with a short introduction, telling us his story of early depression and despair, culminating in a terrible and terrible feeling during one night awakening some time after his twenty-ninth birthday. Over the next twenty years, he reflected on these experiences, meditated, and deepened his understanding.
Over the past ten years, he has become a world-class teacher, a great soul, carrying the great message that Christ taught, that Buddha taught: the state of enlightenment is achievable, here and now. It is possible to live free from suffering, anxiety and neurosis. To do this, we need to come to the understanding that we are causing ourselves pain; to the understanding that the cause of our problems is our own mind, and not at all some other people or the “outside world”. This is our own mind with its almost never-ending stream of thoughts, thoughts about the past, worries about the future. We make a big mistake by identifying ourselves with our mind and thinking that this is who we are - when in fact we are so much more.
Eckhart Tolle shows us again and again how to connect with what he calls our Being:
Existence is the eternal One Life, always existing beyond the myriads of its forms, which can appear and disappear, be born and die. However, the Existence, as the most intimate, invisible and unshakable essence, is present not only outside, but also deep inside each form. This means that right now it is available to you as your own deepest Self, as your true nature. Just don't try to comprehend it with your mind. Don't try to understand her. You can only know it when your mind is calm. When you are in a state of presence, when your attention is completely focused and highly focused on the Now moment, then you can feel Being, but you cannot comprehend It mentally. Returning to awareness of Being and remaining in a state of “sensation-awareness” is what enlightenment is.
The Power of Now is hardly a book you can read in one sitting - it requires you to put it aside from time to time and reflect on the words, evaluating and trying them on to your own life experience. It is the ultimate guide, a complete course on meditation and realization. This is a book that is worth returning to again and again - and every time you pick it up, you reach new depths and find new meaning. This is a book that many people, including myself, will study throughout their lives.
The number of readers captivated by the book “The Power of Now” is growing. It has already been called a masterpiece; but whatever it is called, and whatever is written about it, this book has the power to change lives, the power to awaken us to realize who we are.
Mark Ellin
Novato, California, USA
August 1999
PREFACE
Covered by an azure sky, the orange-yellow rays of the setting sun can, at some specific moment, give us a moment of such amazing and stunning beauty that we are unable to take our eyes off it. The splendor of this moment is so blinding that the obsessive chatter of the mind gives a pause, making the mind unable to carry us away from what is here-and-now. In this wonderful glow, it seems that a door is opening before us into another, always present, but very rarely felt, reality.
Abraham Maslow called this phenomenon “peak sensations” because they represent the sublime moments in life when we joyfully find ourselves thrown beyond the limitations of the mundane and ordinary. He might also call them “fleeting” sensations. In the process of such unfolding, we can glimpse, momentarily, slip into the eternal realm of Being itself. And at least for a moment, for a short time, we return home, to our True Self.
Someone might sigh: “Oh, this is great... if only I could stay here. How can I settle there forever?”
For the past ten years I have been committed to finding such a path. During my quest, I have had the privilege of engaging in dialogue with some of the most courageous, inspired and visionary “paradigm pioneers” of our time: in the fields of medicine, science, psychology, business, religion and spirituality, and in the field of human potential. This distinct group of individuals unanimously suggests that humanity is now experiencing a quantum leap in its evolutionary development. This change is accompanied by a shift in points of view throughout the world, that is, changes in the basic picture of the “nature of things” that we carry within ourselves. The world seeks to answer two fundamental questions: “Who are we?” and “What is the nature of the universe in which we live?” Our answers to these questions dictate the quality and nature of our personal relationships in the family, with friends, with employers and subordinates. Viewed on a large scale, they define what these communities are like.
It should come as little surprise that the view on which world opinion is based questions much of what Western society holds as truths:
Myth No. 1. Humanity has reached the pinnacle of its development.
Isaline, co-founder of Michael Murphy, drew on comparative religious studies, medical science, anthropology and sports to make a provocative claim about the existence of more advanced stages of human development. When a person reaches these advanced levels of spiritual maturity, his extraordinary abilities begin to flourish - love, vitality, personality, physical body awareness, intuition, perception, communication and will.
The first step is to acknowledge that they exist. Most people don't recognize it. Only then, with conscious intention, can the technique be used.
Myth No. 2. We are completely separated from each other, from nature and the Cosmos.
The myth that they are “not-like-me” gives rise to wars, violence against the planet, and all forms and manifestations of human injustice. Who in their right mind would harm another person if they perceived them as part of themselves? Stan Grof, in his studies of non-ordinary states of consciousness, sums it up by saying: “According to recent research, the psyche and consciousness of each of us are integral parts of “All-That-Is,” because there are no absolute boundaries between the body/ego and everything that is. exists".
Dr. Dossey's Era 3 medicine, in which one person's thoughts, attitudes, and healing intentions can influence the psychology of another (as opposed to Era 2, which is dominated by mind-body medicine), is very well supported by scientific research into the healing power of prayer. Now, according to known physical principles and the world-accepted opinion of traditional science, this cannot happen. However, the evidence is overwhelming that it is possible.
Myth No. 3. The physical world is all there is.
Limited by materialistic concepts, traditional science believes that nothing that cannot be measured, tested in a laboratory, or tangible through the five senses or their technological extensions simply does not exist. It's "not real." As a consequence of this: all reality has been reduced to the size of physical reality. Spiritual, or what I would call non-physical dimensions of reality, are not considered at all.
This is at odds with “primordial philosophy,” whose philosophical consensus spans eras, religions, traditions, and cultures that describe distinct but continuous dimensions of reality, the evolution of which is seen from the most dense and less conscious—what we would call “matter”—to the least dense and most conscious, what we would call spiritual.
Interestingly enough, this extended, multidimensional model of reality is proposed by quantum theorists such as Jack Scarfetti, who describes supraluminal travel. Other dimensions of reality are used to explain movement that occurs faster than the speed of light - the main speed limit. Or the work of the legendary physicist David Bohm with his explainable (physical) and inexplicable (non-physical) multidimensional model of reality is considered.
This is not pure theory - the Aspect Experiment, conducted in 1982 in France, demonstrated that two once connected quantum particles, being separated and separated by a huge distance, remained somehow connected to each other. If one particle changed, then the other also changed, and instantly. Scientists do not know the mechanism of how such travel can occur, the speed of which exceeds the speed of light, although some theorists believe that such communication is carried out through gates to higher dimensions.
This is so contrary to what those who remain true to the traditional paradigm might think that those influential, progressive people with whom I spoke believe that we have not yet reached the pinnacle of human development, and that we are rather connected to everything that there is something in life that is separate from all of this, and also that the full spectrum of consciousness encompasses both physical reality and the many non-physical dimensions of reality.
In essence, this new world vision includes seeing both ourselves and others, and everything in life, not only through the eyes of our little earthly self, born and living in time, but rather through the eyes of the soul, through the eyes of our Existence, our True Self. . One by one people are moving to this higher orbit.
With his book, The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle rightfully takes his place in this special group of world-class teachers. His message is this: The problem of mankind is rooted deep in his mind. Or rather, in our identification of ourselves with our minds.
The drift of our consciousness, the tendency to follow the path of least resistance, the incomplete awakening to the present moment - creates emptiness. Reason, limited by time, and designed to serve us profitably, compensates for this by declaring itself master of the situation. Like a butterfly flying from flower to flower, the mind draws us into past experiences and sensations, or into “TV series” created by itself, predicting in advance what will happen. Very rarely do we find ourselves in the ocean depths “here” and “now”. For it is here - in the moment Now - that we discover our True Self, located outside the physical body, beyond the changing emotions and chatter of reason.
Splendor crowning human development, does not rest in our ability to reason and think, although this is precisely what distinguishes us from animals. Intelligence, like instinct, is just a stage along the way. Our original purpose is to connect with our essential Essence and express this extraordinary, divine reality in the ordinary physical world, moment by moment. It's easy to say, and yet rare are those who have reached these highest levels of human development.
Fortunately, there are guides and teachers who can help us along the way. As a teacher and mentor, Eckhart's greatest strength lies not in his ability to enrapture us, by being a connoisseur of entertaining stories, by making the abstract concrete, or by giving useful technology. Most likely, his magic lies in his own personal experience, in the experience of one of those who came to know. As a result, there is a power behind his words that can only be found in the most famous and celebrated spiritual teachers. Living in the depths of this Great Reality, Eckhart clears the energetic path for others to join him.
What if others do this? The world as we know it will definitely change for the better. Among the wreckage of vanishing fear, drawn into the whirlpool of Life itself, values will change. A new civilization will be born.
“Where is the proof of the existence of this Great Reality?” – you ask. I am only offering an analogy: a mass of scientists can get together and bring you everything scientific evidence because bananas are bitter. But all you have to do is taste one of them once to realize that bananas taste completely different. After all, the proof lies not in intellectual debate, but in somehow being in touch with the sacred, within and without.
Eckhart Tolle masterfully opens us to this possibility.
Conversations at the last edge”
Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
© Translation from English by Nikolai Lavrentiev
Moscow 2003
THE RIGITAL CAUSE OF THIS BOOK
THE TRUTH THAT IS INSIDE YOU
THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE ON THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT
FREEING YOURSELF FROM YOUR MIND
ENLIGHTENMENT: RISING BEYOND THINKING
EMOTION: THE BODY'S REACTION TO WHAT THE MIND IS DOING
DON'T CREATE ANY MORE PAIN IN THE PRESENT
PAIN OF THE PAST: DISSOLVING THE BODY OF PAIN
IDENTIFYING THE EGO WITH THE PAIN BODY
THE ROOT CAUSE OF FEAR
HOW THE EGO SEEKS INTEGRITY
DON'T LOOK FOR YOURSELF IN YOUR MIND
END THE ILLUSION OF TIME
NOTHING EXISTS OUTSIDE THE NOW
KEY TO SPIRITUAL DIMENSION
ACCESSING THE POWER OF THE MOMENT NOW
LEAVING PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME
THE MADNESS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME
THE ROOTS OF NEGATIVITY AND SUFFERING GO OUT IN TIME
HOW TO FIND LIFE UNDER YOUR LIFE SITUATION
PROBLEMS ARE ILLUSIONS OF THE MIND
QUANTUM LEAP IN THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
JOY OF LIFE
LOSING THE MOMENT NOW: WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF THIS MISCONCEPTION
ORDINARY UNAWARENESS AND DEEP UNAWARENESS
WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
DISSOLVING ORDINARY UNCONSCIOUSNESS
FREEDOM FROM DISCONTENT
WHEREVER YOU ARE, BE THERE COMPLETELY
THE INTERNAL INTENTION OF YOUR LIFE PATH
THE PAST IS NOT ABLE TO SURVIVE IN YOUR PRESENCE
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK
ESOTERIC MEANING OF “EXPECTATION”
BEAUTY IS BORN IN THE PEACE OF YOUR PRESENCE
AWARENESS OF PURE CONSCIOUSNESS
CHRIST: THE REALITY OF YOUR DIVINE PRESENCE
EXISTENCE IS YOUR DEEPEST SELF
FINDING YOUR INVISIBLE AND INDESTRUCTIBLE REALITY
CONNECTING WITH THE INNER BODY
TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE BODY
SERMON ABOUT THE BODY
HAVE DEEP INNER ROOTS
BEFORE YOU ENTER THE BODY, FORGIVE
YOUR CONNECTION WITH THE UNMANIFESTED
SLOW DOWN THE AGING PROCESS
STRENGTHENING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
LET YOUR BREATH LEAD YOU INTO YOUR BODY
CREATIVE USE OF THE MIND
THE ART OF LISTENING
DIVING INTO THE BODY
SOURCE OF CHI
DREAMLESS SLEEP
OTHER CHANNELS
SPACE
THE TRUE NATURE OF SPACE AND TIME
CONSCIOUS DEATH
JOIN THE MOMENT NOW FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE
RELATIONSHIPS OF THE “LOVE-HATE” TYPE
HARMFUL ATTACHMENT AND THE SEARCH FOR INTEGRITY
FROM ATTACHMENT TO ENLIGHTENED RELATIONSHIPS
RELATIONSHIP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
WHY WOMEN ARE CLOSER TO ENLIGHTENMENT
DISSOLVING THE COLLECTIVE PAIN BODY OF WOMEN
GIVE UP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF
THE HIGHEST GOOD BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL
ENDING YOUR LIFE DRAMA
INSTABILITY AND CYCLICITY OF LIFE
USING AND LETING GO OF NEGATIVITY
THE NATURE OF COMPASSION
TO ANOTHER ORDER OF REALITY
ACCEPTING THE MOMENT NOW
FROM THE ENERGY OF MIND TO THE ENERGY OF SPIRIT
CONDITION IN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
TRANSFORMATION OF DISEASE INTO ENLIGHTENMENT
WHEN TROUBLE COME
TRANSFORMATION OF SUFFERING INTO PEACE
WAY OF THE CROSS
ABILITY TO CHOOSE
Translator's Preface
Do what you must - and come what may!
(Knightly motto)
Now that the work on translating the book is completed, when the people to whom I sent working versions of individual chapters and the book as a whole shared their feelings with me, the need arose to “explain” about the terminology used.
Here is a fragment from my correspondence that prompted me to think about this:
– I want to ask you, why did you choose the word “yield” for “surrender””, and not “surrender”, as it is usually interpreted? For me, “Surrender” sounds more global, irrevocable, like capitulation (resisted - surrendered), and in “surrender” there is some echo of polite incompleteness. I am writing only about my observation, perhaps it just shows my non-surrender.
I have nothing against “surrender”. For many, “surrender” is what works. However, for me, “surrender” also has such connotations as coercion, violence, and it does not matter at all where it comes from - imposed from the outside or cultivated from the inside. Surrender gives off the smell of regret, loss of face, looks like a sluggish gait and a downcast gaze, a lack of joy and lightness, something like moral death, that is, for me it smacks of resistance a mile away. It’s like surrendering a city in war - if we hadn’t been knocked out, we wouldn’t have surrendered it. That is, we didn’t want to, but we were knocked out.
Such “surrender” does not inspire me. It leads to quiet inner bitterness. Causes a desire for revenge, revenge. If we talk about “surrender,” then only about complete, deep and cleansing, like fire, in which everything that could still be regretted burns without a trace.
On the other hand, Surrender is the result of awareness, conscious acceptance, sincere forgiveness, as a sign of gaining inner strength. Surrender is reconciliation. Complete absence of resistance as a consequence of awareness. Surrender is a force that comes from within. Surrender is unity, connection. Surrender is peace.
Surrender, on the contrary, means disunity and despair. But this may well be a stage on the way to Concession.
About twenty-five years ago, when my reference book was “The Way of Karate,” one phrase surprised me: “To grab is to lose. To give in, to give in, means to win.” To my Western, male, straightforward mind, this seemed complete nonsense and caused strong resistance. And in that book it was also written that when you learn to give in and practice it in everyday life, then you will gain access to real power.
Introducing "The Power of Now" quotes by Eckhart Tolle:
- You attract to yourself and manifest what corresponds to your inner state.
/li> - You feed your own misfortune by devoting time to it. Time is his blood
- If there is no joy, no peace, no ease in what you are doing, then this does not necessarily mean that you should change what you are doing. All you have to do is change the way you do it.
- What characterizes a bad habit? Here's the thing: you lose the feeling that you can stop. You have no alternative. It seems that habit is stronger than you. In addition, it creates a false sense of pleasure in you, which then invariably turns into pain.
- Negativism has never been the optimal way to deal with any situation. In fact, more often than not, it keeps you tied to that situation, preventing you from making real change.
- You also understand that absolutely everything that truly matters - beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace - arises beyond the mind. Then you begin to awaken.
- The inability to stop the flow of thoughts is a terrible misfortune, which we, however, do not realize and almost all of us suffer from it, which, however, is considered the norm.
- As soon as you begin to honor and respect the present moment, then all existing dissatisfaction dissipates and the need for struggle disappears, and life begins to flow joyfully and calmly. If you act from present moment awareness, then everything you do will be imbued with a sense of quality, care and love - even the simplest actions.
- You don't become good by trying to be good.
- You can only lose what you have, but you cannot lose what you are
- Giving in is not weakness. It contains colossal power. Only the one who has given in has spiritual power. Through surrender you gain inner freedom from the situation. Once you do it, you will be able to notice that the situation begins to change without any effort on your part. In any case, you are free.
- This seems like a paradox, but when you overcome your internal dependence on external forms, your life will noticeably improve - first of all - in its external manifestations. Those people, events, in general, everything without which you could not imagine your happiness, will appear in your life by themselves, without any effort on your part. And nothing will stop you from enjoying it all.
- The more you identify with the mind, the more you suffer.
- True salvation is a state of freedom: freedom from fear, from suffering, from feelings of inadequacy and ineffectiveness, and therefore from everything you want, need, cling to, and become attached to. This is freedom from obsessive thinking, from negativity and, above all, from the past and future as a psychological need.
- Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you chose it. Always work with him, not against him. Make him your friend and ally, not your enemy. It will magically transform your whole life.
- True change happens within, not without.
- Make the present moment the most important, the main focus of your life.
- Freedom begins where you realize that no one owns you, that you are not an object of possession, that is, you are not a thinker. Knowing this allows you to observe existence.
These were specially selected, most useful, in our opinion, quotes from Eckhart Tolle from the book “The Power of the Now Moment.” Especially for you, we recommend several more similar articles with quotes from deep books.
- You attract to yourself and manifest what corresponds to your inner state.
