Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - Does "The Power of Now" Turn You Into a Boring Zombie?

Acting Like Godot · 08-14-2007, 12:51 AM

VacMan, I don't think you are understanding Eckhart Tolle's book properly. I thought I would share a personal perspective, based on my meditation practice.

When you are meditating regularly, you can access the power of now. Not merely during the actual meditation, but (for me) a period of about 36 hours after a deep meditation session.

During those 36 hours, I get peaceful, calm feelings. I also get the temporary ability to "not think". Lest you be mistaken, it's not about denial and it's not about being stupid.

It simply means that I temporarily have much greater control over my mind. For example, during those 36 hours, if I choose to do a complex piece of work (mine usually involves drafting 50-page legal documents), I can definitely think very clearly, in fact more clearly and precisely than before. There is improved concentration, and distracting, irrelevant thoughts are kept out.

I would be able to go about my daily routine with no chatter in my mind. Eg suppose I am walking from Point A to Point B. I would be literally able to walk from Point A and Point B with very minimal thoughts in my head. I would just walk, with full consciousness of the fresh air, the scenery, the goings-on about me. A simple walk becomes very enjoyable.

I don't know how to explain it any better - except to say that if you have ever taken a dog or a young child on a walk, and noted its joy and exuberance, just moving around, looking at things, paying attention to sounds and colours, well, it's like that. You're the dog/child.

Now if I actually decided to use my walking time to think about something, eg a work project, I would be able to. Furthermore I wouldn't get distracted by random, irrelevant thoughts about other things. That is what Eckhart is talking about.

It's not about "not thinking". It's about thinking when you want to or need to, and only about the things you want or need to think about.

If you want another analogy, the untrained mind is like an out-of-tune musical instrument that you can't stop yourself from playing, and making a lot of horrible sound that causes you a headache.

The trained mind, able to access the power of mind, is like a perfectly tuned musical instrument, which you play only when you choose to play.

08-14-2007, 12:51 AM	#6 (permalink)
Acting Like Godot Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 4,800	VacMan, I don't think you are understanding Eckhart Tolle's book properly. I thought I would share a personal perspective, based on my meditation practice. When you are meditating regularly, you can access the power of now. Not merely during the actual meditation, but (for me) a period of about 36 hours after a deep meditation session. During those 36 hours, I get peaceful, calm feelings. I also get the temporary ability to "not think". Lest you be mistaken, it's not about denial and it's not about being stupid. It simply means that I temporarily have much greater control over my mind. For example, during those 36 hours, if I choose to do a complex piece of work (mine usually involves drafting 50-page legal documents), I can definitely think very clearly, in fact more clearly and precisely than before. There is improved concentration, and distracting, irrelevant thoughts are kept out. I would be able to go about my daily routine with no chatter in my mind. Eg suppose I am walking from Point A to Point B. I would be literally able to walk from Point A and Point B with very minimal thoughts in my head. I would just walk, with full consciousness of the fresh air, the scenery, the goings-on about me. A simple walk becomes very enjoyable. I don't know how to explain it any better - except to say that if you have ever taken a dog or a young child on a walk, and noted its joy and exuberance, just moving around, looking at things, paying attention to sounds and colours, well, it's like that. You're the dog/child. Now if I actually decided to use my walking time to think about something, eg a work project, I would be able to. Furthermore I wouldn't get distracted by random, irrelevant thoughts about other things. That is what Eckhart is talking about. It's not about "not thinking". It's about thinking when you want to or need to, and only about the things you want or need to think about. If you want another analogy, the untrained mind is like an out-of-tune musical instrument that you can't stop yourself from playing, and making a lot of horrible sound that causes you a headache. The trained mind, able to access the power of mind, is like a perfectly tuned musical instrument, which you play only when you choose to play.