A New Earth – Awakening to Your Lifes Purpose – Oprahs Book Club Selection 61
A New Earth Awakening to Your Lifes Purpose Oprahs Book Club Selection 61
The highly anticipated follow-up to the 2,000,000 copy bestselling inspirational book, The Power of Now
With his bestselling spiritual guide The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle inspired millions of readers to discover the freedom and joy of a life lived "in the now." In A New Earth, Tolle expands on these powerful ideas to show how transcending our ego-based state of consciousness is not only essential to personal happiness, but also the key to ending conflict and suffering throughout the world. Tolle describes how our attachment to the ego creates the dysfunction that leads to anger, jealousy, and unhappiness, and shows readers how to awaken to a new state of consciousness and follow the path to a truly fulfilling existence.
The Power of Now was a question-and-answer handbook. A New Earth has been written as a traditional narrative, offering anecdotes and philosophies in a way that is accessible to all. Illuminating, enlightening, and uplifting, A New Earth is a profoundly spiritual manifesto for a better way of life — and for building a better world.
About the Author
ECKHART TOLLE is a contemporary spiritual teacher who is not aligned with any particular religion or tradition. In his writing and seminars, he conveys a simple yet profound message with the timeless and uncomplicated clarity of the ancient spiritual masters: There is a way out of suffering and into peace. Eckhart travels extensively, taking his teachings throughout the world.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars The map is not the territory
In "A New Earth" Mr. Tolle exhorts us to transcend our ego based state of consciousness–our attachment to old conditioned mind patterns. We can be happy and end the suffering and conflict in the world only by experiencing our essential self, which is prior to thought. According to Tolle the inner body is the bridge between form (our mental conditioning) and the formless (our essential self). Inner body awareness is the doorway out of the prison that is the ego.
Our body has its own intelligence and that intelligence reacts to our thoughts. The body reacts to what the voice in our head is saying. Our "story" consists not only of mental but also of emotional memory. In fact, the voice of the ego is continually disrupting the body's natural state of wellbeing.
Every negative emotion we have leaves behind a physical remnant of pain. Tolle calls the old emotional pain we carry around the "pain body." Our negative thoughts live on in the body. The good news is that we can dissolve the pain body by bringing the light of presence to it. Only presence can dissolve the unconscious past in us. Through acceptance and observation, spirit is freed from its imprisonment in form. Being aware of our breathing is also powerfully transformative.
Well this is all excellent information and in my opinion completely true. But wouldn't it be great if there was an actual course where we could put the material in "A New Earth" to the test – experientially. Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could turn on the light of presence in a controlled environment for a prescribed period of time? Wouldn't that truly awaken us to a new state of consciousness? Well there is such a course. See "The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation" by William Hart, also available from amazon.com.
4 Stars Enlightenment For Dummies
What passes for normal in man (and organizations) is actually a form of madness, says the author, madness that could lead to the extinction of our species. And this madness begins, he says, with the illusory sense of self that he calls "the ego." It is a sort of self-consciousness, sense of separateness from the rest of creation, self-importance, that underlies most human experience and thought process. Unfortunately it often leads to the sense that I (and my group) are right, others are wrong, and that leads to terrible and dangerous conflict. Realizing this madness for what it is, is the beginning of enlightenment, by whatever terminology we wish to call it. And perhaps, also, the survival of our kind.
Such is the gist of author Tolle's book. He explains early on that his goal is not merely to inform the reader about these concepts, but to change the reader's consciousness. Ambitious goal. Does he achieve it? You will have to decide for yourself, after reading the book, of course. A lot will depend on the reader's own state of mind, or readiness for this transformation.
As other reviewers have noted, much of this material is well known in the spiritual traditions, very little is original. Still, originality isn't everything, is it? The author writes elegantly and clearly, making the inexpressible understandable, with down-to-earth explanations and often with sparks of good humor. I enjoyed this book more the more I read. Did it change me? Well, it got me to noticing some things about myself in a new and somewhat disturbing way. So, I would say, Yes. I'm delighted that I found and read this book, and I recommend it to you as well. But, be warned. It's not for everybody. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.
3 Stars Review of the book,"A New Earth", by Ekhardt Tolle
I havent finished reading this book yet, but so far, it seems to me to be a mish mash of old and New Age Wisdom and truth. As far as a new Earth goes, there is really nothing new under the sun. However, that said, I am prepared to read it in full and give it a go.The same old problem always arises with every age, Mans inhumanity to Man, and mankinds seeming inability to forego greed, selfishness,& acquisitiveness , and replace these things with Love, peace, tolerance, forgiveness gentleness, openmindedness, and kindness.Everyone wants Peace and Love, but everyone is looking for an instant pill to make it happen.As I said, the ideas espoused in this book , while worthwhile, are not new, they have been taught by every world religion and prophet since the beginning of recorded time.
4 Stars Really makes you see things differently
I did like this book and it made me see things differently. I could see myself in the pages. Maybe we take things to much for granted and don't get in the moment. It helps you to understand some of the things that you do and teaches you to live in the moment. I guess at times we all need to set back and really see what we are doing. Some people will not like this book or what they see. Some might not be ready to hear what it has to say, but if you are ready to explore yourself and your life, then read this book. I understood a lot about what I was doing and why.
5 Stars It's amazing what I don't know till I know..
I was recently divorced, then my Mom died, plus other issues. Before this I had meditated read many books on Zen that sounded amazing to me, I could talk it. But didn't walk it.
Mr. Tolle's book found me at a time when I really needed it. It really put it all together and it became that meditation was now just presence. But instead of a mantra or something to focus on I feel a connection to G-d and nature that is incredible.
Mr. Tolle also shares many tools for living my life. "Take responsibility for the only thing you can take responsibility for, which happens to be the only thing that really matters:
Your state of consciousness." Oh my G-d what a truth. As bad as anything could in reality be, if I keep presence and accept the fact that it is bad but I don't need to feel bad about it, I can be more than OK.
This is a power tool for dealing with so many as in all aspects of life.
Learning about my "pain body", seeing it for what it is. Taught me how to not let it light up and interact with others pain bodies.
How the ego in most cases is ruining our lives and has made man's reputation on this earth a disaster. Thus the reasoning I am sure behind the title and now my quest, to create a new earth. One where we can all see the love in each other.
Thank you Mr. Tolle for presence a much appreciated state of mind and the ability to see the love in others eyes and not my fear reflected.
Related posts:
- A New Earth – Awakening to Your Lifes Purpose, Oprahs Book Club Selection 61
- The Purpose Driven Life – What on Earth Am I Here For?
- Practicing the Presence – The Inspirational Guide to Regaining Meaning and a Sense of Purpose in Your Life
- Stillness Speaks
- The Power of Now – A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
- Practicing the Power of Now – Essential Teachings Meditations and Exercises from The Power of Now
- The Wars of Gods and Men, Book III of the Earth Chronicles, The Earth Chronicles
- The Power of Now
- The Purpose Driven Life
- The Mayan Code – Time Acceleration and Awakening the World Mind
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