Building on the astonishing success of The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle presents readers with an honest look at the current state of humanity: He implores us to see and accept that this state, which is based on an erroneous identification with the egoic mind, is one of dangerous insanity.Tolle tells us there is good news, however. There is an alternative to this potentially dire situation. Humanity now, perhaps more than in any previous time, has an opportunity to create a new, saner, more loving world. This will involve a radical inner leap from the current egoic consciousness to an entirely new one.In illuminating the nature of this shift in consciousness, Tolle describes in detail how our current ego-based state of consciousness operates. Then gently, and in very practical terms, he leads us into this new consciousness. We will come to experience who we truly are--which is something infinitely greater than anything we currently think we are--and learn to live and breathe freely. Publishers Weekly According to Tolle, who assumes the role of narrator as well, humans are on the verge of creating a new world by a personal transformation that shifts our attention away from our ever-expanding egos. This idea is well realized through Tolle's remarkably well-paced narration. Naturally, the author understands his material so thoroughly that he is able to convey it in an enjoyable manner, but Tolle's gentle tone and dialect begs his audience's attention simply through its straightforward approach. Something about this reading just seems profoundly important, whether one agrees with the material or not, and listeners' attention is sure to be captured within seconds of listening to Tolle's take on the universe in which we live. Originally released in 2005, both book and audiobook were reissued when Oprah Winfrey chose the title for her book club this year. A Penguin paperback. (Feb.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The Flowering of Human Consciousness 1Evocation 1The Purpose of This Book 5Our Inherited Dysfunction 8The Arising New Consciousness 13Spirituality and Religion 17The Urgency of Transformation 20A New Heaven and a New Earth 23Ego: The Current State of Humanity 25The Illusory Self 27The Voice in the Head 30Content and Structure of the Ego 34Identification with Things 35The Lost Ring 38The Illusion of Ownership 42Wanting: The Need for More 46Identification with the Body 49Feeling the Inner Body 52Forgetfulness of Being 53From Descartes's Error to Sartre's Insight 54The Peace That Passes All Understanding 56The Core of Ego 59Complaining and Resentment 61Reactivity and Grievances 64Being Right, Making Wrong 66In Defense of an Illusion 67Truth: Relative or Absolute? 69The Ego Is Not Personal 72War Is a Mind-set 74Do You Want Peace or Drama? 77Beyond Ego: Your True Identity 77All Structures Are Unstable 79The Ego's Need to Feel Superior 81Ego and Fame 82Role-playing: The Many Faces of the Ego 85Villain, Victim, Lover 87Letting Go of Self-Definitions 89Pre-established Roles 90Temporary Roles 93The Monk with Sweaty Palms 94Happiness as a Role Vs. True Happiness 95Parenthood: Role or Function? 97Conscious Suffering 101Conscious Parenting 103Recognizing Your Child 104Giving Up Role-playing 106The Pathological Ego 109The Background Unhappiness 112The Secret of Happiness 114Pathological Forms of Ego 118Work-With and Without Ego 121The Ego in Illness 124The Collective Ego 125Incontrovertible Proof of Immortality 127The Pain-Body 129The Birth of Emotion 131Emotions and the Ego 134The Duck with a Human Mind 137Carrying the Past 139Individual and Collective 141How the Pain-Body Renews Itself 144How the Pain-Body Feeds on Your Thoughts 145How the Pain-Body Feeds on Drama 148Dense Pain-Bodies 151Entertainment, the Media, and the Pain-Body 152The Collective Female Pain-Body 154National and Racial Pain-Bodies 157Breaking Free 161Presence 164The Return of the Pain-Body 167The Pain-Body in Children 169Unhappiness 172Breaking Identification with the Pain-Body 174"Triggers" 177The Pain-Body as an Awakener 180Breaking Free of the Pain-Body 183Finding Who You Truly Are 185Who You Think You Are 186Abundance 190Knowing Yourself and Knowing About Yourself 192Chaos and Higher Order 194Good and Bad 195Not Minding What Happens 198Is That So? 199The Ego and the Present Moment 200The Paradox of Time 204Eliminating Time 206The Dreamer and the Dream 208Going Beyond Limitation 210The Joy of Being 213Allowing the Diminishment of the Ego 214As Without, So Within 217The Discovery of Inner Space 223Object Consciousness and Space Consciousness 227Falling Below and Rising Above Thought 229Television 230Recognizing Inner Space 233Can You Hear the Mountain Stream? 236Right Action 238Perceiving Without Naming 239Who Is the Experiencer? 241The Breath 243Addictions 246Inner Body Awareness 248Inner and Outer Space 250Noticing the Gaps 253Lose Yourself to Find Yourself 254Stillness 255Your Inner Purpose 257Awakening 259A Dialogue on Inner Purpose 262A New Earth 279A Brief History of Your Life 282Awakening and the Return Movement 284Awakening and the Outgoing Movement 288Consciousness 291Awakened Doing 293The Three Modalities of Awakened Doing 295Acceptance 296Enjoyment 297Enthusiasm 301The Frequency-holders 306The New Earth Is No Utopia 307Notes 311About the Author 315