The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
The art of inner-body awareness will develop into a completely new way of living, a state of permanent connectedness with Being, and will add a depth to your life that you have never known before.
You are not your mind
Your mind is an instrument, a tool.
It is there to be used for a specific task, and when the task is completed, you lay it down.
80 to 90 percent of most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature, much of it is also harmful.
Observe your mind and you will find this to be true.
It causes a serious leakage of vital energy.
The Ego
Identification with your mind causes thought to become compulsive.
To the ego, the present moment hardly exists. Only past and future are considered important.
Practice gratitude
Another easier activity is practising gratitude.
Maintain a journal and write down the points for which you are grateful in the present moment whenever your mind wanders off.
Remember practice is the key!
Consciousness – The Way Out of Pain
- The pain that you create now is always some form of non-acceptance, some form of unconscious resistance to what is.
- On the level of thought, resistance is some form of judgment.
- On the emotional level, it is some form of negativity.
The intensity of the pain depends on the degree of resistance to the present moment, which in turn depends on how strongly you are identified with your mind.
The mind always seeks to deny the Now and escape from it.
Give your attention to your body
If you keep your attention on the body as much as possible, you will be anchored in the Now. You won’t lose yourself in the external world, and you won’t lose yourself in your mind. Thoughts and emotions, fears and desires may still be there to some extent, but they won’t take you over.
The more you are able to honour and accept the Now, the more you are free of pain, of suffering — and free of the egoic mind.
Train your Brain
Try observing your thought patterns.
You’ll notice that the majority of your thoughts are about the past or the future.
How many of us have had our breakfast completely engrossed in the moment and enjoying the taste of our food? Practice observing and focusing on the current activity you are doing.
Observe The Mundane
- The breakfast tastes so good.
- The sky is so blue.
- My body feels so healthy and active.