The Power Of Now is a self help spiritual book written by German born Eckhart Tolle. This is no philosophy book, and as I suppose it can be placed in the new age bracker, its far more than that. New age books tend to offer people more beliefs to hang onto in the future. It is simply replacing old beliefs in new ones. This book encourages you to give up beliefs, and all hope for the future. Sound bleak? Well it is, that is the end of your self-made image of yourself. The story goes that one night in a state of deep depression, Eckhart said to himself "I cannot live with myself any longer". This was the thought that kept repeating in his mind until he became aware of this peculiar thought. "Am I one or two? If I cannot live with myself, there must be two of me: the 'I' and the 'self' that 'I' cannot live with. Maybe he thought only one of them was real. It is unclear what happened to him that night, but he apparently awoke 'awakened'. The self proclaimed enlghtened teacher takes a phychological stance in mapping out just how often humans avoid their current suituation through daydreaming and hoping. This book tries to offer a way out of suffering. Incorporating zen and bhuddist teachings Eckhart claims the only way out of suffering is in the Now(or rather through the power of now). He even offers his own interpretation of christian and other world religious teachings. For anyone with an open mind and into spirituality of any sort, this bestseller is a must read.
I am ridiculously late to this thread, but I've only just joined this forum! In my humble opinion, The Power of Now is the most relevant book of all time. For those who may be interested, here's a nice summary of the first few chapters of the book: Summary & Review of the Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle
