Eckhart Tolle

I've stayed away from the Power of Now because it wasn't a pure Buddhist teaching, but I was on family trip to Florida,  NYC to Florida and I listened to the book on tape. It's a curious blend of Christianity and Buddhism. I think there are some Buddhists who are into it, though thinking about it now, I wonder who I really know. I think I've heard hints of a Theravadan monk who really is all in on now.

My understanding of it, is that one way to cut down on depressive and anxious thoughts is to focus on the here and now. The past and the future are de-emphasized. There is a kind of freedom in the moment, an opportunity to be mindful. Thoughts about the past and future are in a crucial way a distraction from the moment. There are many ways in which we spin out of being present. 

It's not clear how much reflection or meditation are needed to what later are quite interesting elaborations of this insight. It's not clear which teachings are important. There are a lot of interesting linguistic comments about open and closed concepts. There is a lot of talk about the emotional pain body, and living in the here and now could perhaps be congenial with Feldenkrist and Focusing (Tricycle review). I also thought a lot about Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach. I think that would be a complimentary book. I haven't read Be Here Now, because it's Hindu guru, and I read Buddhism, but I have a feeling this book would also be an unacknowledged source. 

There's a lot in the book, and there were times when I fell asleep listening to it, but I was trying to stay awake to drive, so I listened to the book in a way I haven't listened to it.

I thought the parable of a beggar begging on a box that contained money, was similar to the Lotus Sutra parables about already having what you need, the person who had money in their clothes, and the person who goes and wins over his own father with his hard work and reasonableness, without knowing he would be inheriting the family kingdom. 

In a way, he hides a lot of his spiritual journey. One day he's having a panic attack and all upset, and the next he's wandering around like a child in a candy shop, living in the now. It's not quite explicit the steps or the background to this big dramatic awakening.

It's OK that I don't know a lot of details and background, it's a fun coherent line of thinking that he presents, and I'd say it's an interesting important book, though I'm not sure how much it's going to influence me. It's influenced me because I've listened closely to parts of it. Anyway, I'm curious to learn more now that I've gotten some time listening to the text while I'm awake.