In the beginning of his book 'The Power of Now', Eckhart Tolle narrates how people would occasionally come up to him and ask him about enlightenment: "I want what you have. Can you show me how to get it?" To this, the enlightened teacher would quietly respond: "You have it already. You just can't feel it because your mind is making too much noise."

For Eckhart Tolle, who achieved a profound spiritual transformation when he was only twenty nine, enlightenment is not something outside of yourself, it is something very much close to you: inside yourself!

"The word enlightenment conjures up the idea of some superhuman accomplishment," says he, "and the ego likes to keep it that way, but it is simply your natural state of felt oneness with Being. It is a state of connectedness with something immeasurable and indestructible, something that, almost paradoxically, is essentially you and yet is much greater than you. It is finding your true nature beyond name and form."

The essence of the writing of Eckhart Tolle is simple and clear: living in the now is the truest path to blissfulness and enlightenment. "Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life..." The teachings are presented simply in a question-and-answer format. Key words like 'pain', 'consciousness', 'emotion' which are used to identify various phases of life, are clarified in a manner so that one gets the essence of the word, and does not get lost in the intricacies of the interpretations. "Don't get attached to any words," elaborates Eckhart, "They are only stepping stones, to be left behind as quickly as possible."

"I am that stranger who has nothing to give you and who is telling you to look inside… inside yourself." - says he in the beginning of the first chapter of the book. The subsequent chapters unfold this journey from 'You are not your mind' to 'Moving deeply into the now' to 'The Meaning of surrender'.

This seemingly simple journey towards knowing the self is tackled at both levels: the obvious and the deeper realm! The book, therefore, becomes a guide that is not just meant to be flipped through casually, but dwelt upon long after the pages are closed and the words continue to reverberate in the consciousness at a deeper level! "Don't read with the mind only. Watch out for any 'feeling-response' as you read and a sense of recognition from deep within. I cannot tell you any spiritual truth that deep within in you don't know already. All I can do is remind you of what you have forgotten."

Eckhart does shy away from stating things as they are! In answer to one of the questions on "how only true love between a man and a woman can make us whole again," he very gently chides the questioner: "You are waiting for an event in time to save you," says he. "Is this not the core error that we have been talking about? Salvation is not elsewhere in place or time. It is here and now."

Like all the gurus guiding their students in a compassionate yet firm manner, the chiding is mild and even a seemingly fatuous query is handled with sensitivity and respect for the journey of the seeker. There are 'pauses' provided in the text for experientially digesting what has been written… the exercises help to actualize the teaching!

As a person who believes in taking charge of her life, I could identify with the confusion of the interrogator in the chapter 'The Meaning of Surrender', who wondered whether surrendering to life was tantamount to being fatalistic! The response of the Master is nothing short of brilliant: "True surrender… does not mean to passively put up with whatever situation you find yourself in and to do nothing about it. Nor does it mean to cease making plans or initiating positive action. Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life. The only place where you can experience the flow of life is in the Now, so to surrender is to accept the present moment unconditionally and without reservation."

In another chapter Eckhart talks about 'past' saying that, "The more attention you give to the past, the more you energize it, and the more likely you are to make a 'self' out of it.... Give attention to your behavior, to your reactions, moods, thoughts, emotions, fears, and desires as they occur in the present... Only the present can free you of the past."

The book offers insight on topics such as 'Going deep within one's inner body', 'Moving from addictive to enlightened relationships', 'How problems are just an illusion of mind', How one must not just listen with one's mind but with his whole body, and many varied subjects. Perhaps an index at the end of the book, listing the key words used throughout the book, could have helped the reader in navigating through these topics better! This, however, doesn't camouflage the brilliance of the message in the writings in anyway!

We are all searching for the Truth: of life, of existence! For the seekers in us, the message from the Guru is loud and clear: "Do not turn your attention elsewhere in your search for Truth for it is nowhere else to be found but within your body. You also realize that the light is not separate from who you are but constitutes your very essence."

This book will resonate with you long after you have put it down… the words will echo when you realize the simplicity of the truth spoken through them… the questions will cease when you accept the reality of the present and surrender to the Power of Now!

Reviewed by Shally Khedkar

• Title: The Power of Now
• Author: Eckhart Tolle
• Publisher: Yogi Impressions