Debunking The Power of Now: Introduction
Eckhart Tolle is a first-class charlatan. Despite this fact, he has sold, and continues to sell millions of copies of his book The Power of Now.
As the son of famed New-Age guru Elizabeth Clare Prophet, I grew up around a lot of ’spiritual’ posturing. I’m familiar with all the verbiage and the tricks of the New-Age trade. So I know a charlatan when I see one.
But here’s a snip from Wikipedia:
The charlatan is usually a salesperson. He does not try to create a personal relationship with his marks, or set up an elaborate hoax using role playing. Rather, the person called a charlatan is being accused of resorting to quackery, pseudoscience, or some knowingly employed bogus means of impressing people in order to swindle his victims by selling them worthless nostrums and similar goods or services that will not deliver on the promises made for them. The word calls forth the image of an old-time medicine show operator, who has long left town by the time the people who bought his snake oil tonic realize that it does not perform as advertised.
“Selling them worthless nostrums and similar goods or services that will not deliver on the promises made for them.”
It is in this sense of the word that I am labeling Tolle as a charlatan. His nostrums as laid out in The Power of Now are worthless and do not deliver on the promises made for them. I will demonstrate this conclusively over the course of this series. If people understood the contradictory nature of Tolle’s work, and its reliance on discredited metaphysics and theories of mind, they might not be so eager to play along.
Let’s start with Tolle’s credentials, or rather lack thereof:
He had no formal education between the ages of thirteen and twenty-two, refusing to go to school because of its “hostile environment”; but he pursued his own “particular interests.” Tolle graduated from the University of London and entered, but did not complete, a doctoral program at Cambridge University, having studied literature, languages and philosophy. At the age of twenty-nine, Tolle experienced what he calls an “inner transformation,” after suffering long periods of suicidal depression.
So here we have a “spiritual teacher” who skipped high school (presumably he was teased or had trouble fitting in socially–what else would “hostile environment” refer to?), never studied a lick of psychology, avoided any notable science courses and lived in a state of suicidal depression for several years of his adult life. Yeah, that’s really the kind of damaged person I want to hold forth about how to find joy, and the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.
On the first page of the introduction, Tolle describes his literally overnight “awakening.” From out of what sounds like a night sweat, he comes to some kind of awareness of his sub-personalities: the self that is experiencing terror and dread, and the self that is the observer. Rather than getting these two parts of himself to have a conversation so that he can find out where the fear is coming from, he immediately decides one of them is not real. He splits off the “lesser self” and determines to vanquish it. He then describes himself as having lived the next five months in utter bliss and joy, having “found what everyone else is looking for.” He describes his deeply fearful self as a “fiction of the mind.”
This is the gross error and singular point of departure after which every concept which follows becomes meaningless. It’s a regurgitation of religious duality, good and evil within the self, God and the Devil. For millennia, religions have tried to improve human morality by splitting off from “evil” and declaring war on it. You tell me: has this approach worked?
This is not how the human psyche functions. You can repress parts of your personality, but you can never eliminate them. What Tolle has done is to repress what Carl Jung would have called the shadow self. Without even knowing the man, I can be certain of one thing: If he hasn’t had a complete change of attitude or undergone a deep course of Jungian therapy, that suicidal and terrified self he repressed 30 years ago is still lurking deep within him, waiting for some opportunity to emerge and wreak havoc.
The same can be said for every Power of Now disciple who thinks they’ve conquered the “lesser self” or the “ego.” You don’t get something for nothing, and you don’t get rid of your shadow by reading a book. You must fully face and acknowledge it, and come to terms with it through therapy. Having done so, you’ve only dealt with that small part of the shadow of which you’ve become aware. There’s always more lurking beneath the surface, and it can sometimes be glimpsed in dreams. It goes extremely deep. All the way back to our primal origins and down through the ages where we survived through mortal combat with the forces of nature, animals, and each other. Civilization is such a recent development that only the thinnest of psychological veneers separates us from our evolutionary legacy of primal fear and rage.
On page 5, Tolle actually steals the word “I am” from New Thought and masters organizations. He uses “I am” to describe his “true nature” as consciousness divorced from form. So we haven’t even gotten to Chapter 1, and already he’s taking us into mind-body and spirit-matter dualism (not to be confused with the good-evil duality mentioned earlier). These are archaic beliefs. Not a single reputable scientist today would accept that there is any identity absent the neural correlates of consciousness.
Tolle describes how after his awakening he spent nearly two years of his life sitting on a park bench destitute but in a state of “bliss.” (Some people would call that vagrancy). After his two-year stint in the park, he decided he would become a spiritual teacher.
Tolle uses several devices in the introduction to rhetorically inoculate his readers against questioning. The first is a little curly-cue symbol which is sprinkled throughout the book. He says “after certain passages, you may want to stop reading for a moment, become still, and feel and experience the truth of what has just been said.” Well maybe I might want to decide whether what I read made sense to me or not before I meditate on the “truth” of it. But he’s preaching to the converted. People who’ve bought his book have already decided he’s a “wise man” who knows more than they do, so they’re uncritically lapping up his every word. The curly cue-symbol basically says, “pause here to be sure you thoroughly hypnotically induct yourself with this particular piece of spiritual propaganda before moving on.”
Tolle is not used to being questioned. He’s so convinced of his rightness that he simply “deals with” people’s objections with that sickly-sweet patronizing haughtiness we’ve come to expect from guru types:
“questions or objections may occasionally come into your mind as you read. They will probably be answered later in the book, or they may turn out to be irrelevant as you go more deeply into the teaching–and into yourself.”
In other words, “if my hypnotic suggestion’s not working on you right away, give it some time and it will eventually.” Then comes the flattery. Every good con man butters up his mark as he enlists their cooperation. Tolle is no exception as he pretends to the role of humble facilitator:
“I can not tell you any spiritual truth that deep within you don’t know already. All I can do is remind you of what you have forgotten. Living knowledge, ancient and yet ever new, is then activated and released from within every cell of your body.”
Then a defense of the inevitable vagueness:
“I use words such as “mind,” “happiness,” and “consciousness” in ways that do not necessarily correlate with other teachings. Don’t get attached to any words. They are only stepping stones, to be left behind as quickly as possible.”
This guy is practically self-refuting. Don’t get attached to words? That’s right, if you actually read the words, (you know, those groups of letters we use to convey meaning) and process them with your mind, you might figure out that what he’s saying doesn’t make sense. It’s the oldest rhetorical trick in the book. “Oh, don’t listen to my words, they mean something different when I say them than when other people say them.” It’s equivocation, trying to make oneself a priori immune to argument.
FInally, Tolle attaches himself to the coattails of the “timeless wisdom of all religions.” If it’s wisdom, and it’s so timeless, how come theologians can’t manage to keep from eternally bickering with each other? He might as well have said “the timeless nonsense of all religions.” As the Marquis de Sade once remarked, “the religion proves its prophet, the prophet his religion.”
I’m tired of talking about Tolle and hearing people say “I don’t see what’s so bad about him.” Why buy a book because it’s “not so bad.” I’d say you should buy a book that’s demonstrably great. Last time I checked, credibility, accuracy, and evidence were important features in order for something to qualify as knowledge. Tolle’s books are woefully lacking in all three of those departments–they’re lengthy statements of his personal experience and opinions. By working through this debunking, I’ll be able to talk in detail about Tolle’s specific factual errors and shortcomings.
It’s almost a complete waste of time, I agree. Those smart enough to avoid The Power of Now already have, those lost enough to fall for it aren’t really interested in what’s wrong with it. But as with all atheist critiques of religion, I can only hope this will find its way to some receptive minds which have begun to question their former dogmas, and may be open to eventually realizing that Emperor Tolle has no clothes.
Comments (48 comments)
inkadu / February 16th, 2009, 11:21 pm / #1
Critiquing Tolle with Jung is like hitting tofu with a jello bat.
BlackSun / February 16th, 2009, 11:35 pm / #2
inkadu,
Great metaphor! Had to laugh.
But seriously, I don't think it holds in this case. Jung's work is vastly more substantial. Granted, most psychology is theoretical at this point. I look forward to a time when that can change through reverse engineering and modeling of the brain.
But even without empirical verification of the theories, there's one huge difference: Even though Jung was quasi-religious, his concepts of shadow and universal archetypes accurately describe the full range of human motivations. They do not require any dualistic metaphysics to be valid. And they are not in conflict with what we know about evolution and the human universals.
That's a world of difference.
BlackSun / February 16th, 2009, 11:36 pm / #3
inkadu,
Great metaphor! Had to laugh.
But seriously, I don't think it holds in this case. Jung's work is vastly more substantial. Granted, most psychology is theoretical at this point. I look forward to a time when that can change through reverse engineering and modeling of the brain.
But even without empirical verification of the theories, there's one huge difference: Even though Jung was quasi-religious, his concepts of shadow and universal archetypes accurately describe the full range of human motivations. They do not require any dualistic metaphysics to be valid. And they are not in conflict with what we know about evolution and the human universals.
BlackSun / February 17th, 2009, 12:31 am / #4
inkadu,
Great metaphor! Had to laugh.
But seriously, I don't think it holds in this case. Jung's work is vastly more substantial. Granted, most psychology is theoretical at this point. I look forward to a time when that can change through reverse engineering and modeling of the brain.
But even without empirical verification of the theories, there's one huge difference: Even though Jung was quasi-religious, his concepts of shadow and archetypes accurately describe the full range of human motivations. They do not require any dualistic metaphysics to be valid. And they are not in conflict with what we know about evolution and the human universals.
…and if you don't like Jung, here's Alexander Solzhenitzyn saying essentially the same thing:
"If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"
MindSplat / February 17th, 2009, 2:23 am / #5
Nice try, Blacksun. I recommend this book to anyone seeking the true meaning of life. Without "The Power of Now," I'd still be addicted to an oval-shaped snooze button on my Sony "Dream Machine." In fact, the book was so powerful, all I ever read was the title. Right now, you and I are alive. At some later point, we'll both be dead. See the power of now, now? Yeah, I thought so.
philosophress / February 17th, 2009, 9:05 am / #6
I remember starting to read this book, then feeling suspicious and annoyed, and then putting it down. It was the same feeling I had when my yoga instructor told me that we modern folks get into the habit of thinking too much, and that it causes stress and we sometimes need to stop and not think at all. It's kind of paradoxical to have an emotional (rather than rational) reaction against people who say 'don't think', but I do. I sometimes think my brain does all the processing and just notifies me of the results by how I feel, which is of course very unscientific, but also very efficient. Anyway, maybe she's right. Maybe I think too much and I should meditate and lose consciousness.
Amaterasu / February 17th, 2009, 11:57 am / #7
And if we would integrate that shadowy ("evil")side of the heart with the light ("good") side of the heart and be unafraid of the dark side, and embrace it and master it and ourselves. Then the shadow part is under our command, under our own will.
I bucked up against Jungian theories for a while, but I see their essence in other books and ideas I pick up and like, and accept.
MindSplat / February 18th, 2009, 6:13 am / #8
Right on, Amaterasu. And thank you Black Sun, for recognizing Jung's concept of the shadow for what it is–a useful tool that can help us understand our unconscious minds–but only if you nurture that giant mass of neurons that keeps us breathing and smiling.
Alas, history has taught us that there is no one-size-fits-all recipe to feed the mind. Some eternal truths, but for the most part, you're on your own.
Too many non-believers seem to dismiss the concept today, erroneously concluding that it's married to the metaphysical. It's also often overlooked that Jung had a "psychotic break," and I doubt he'd ever have had the insights he did without that experience. His mind went splat.
To understand a mechanical device, engineers take it apart and try to put it back together.
Plato: "Our greatest blessings," [says Socrates,] "come to us by way of madness, provided the madness is given us by divine gift."
Jung: "Although insight into the problem of opposites is absolutely imperative, there are very few people who can stand it in practice."
darkeros / February 18th, 2009, 5:41 pm / #9
"Nice try, Black Sun?" You recommend this book for anyone seeking the 'true meaning of life"? Whoa… here we go… the definition of a zealot. The canned version of "true meaning of life".
First of all this guy has taken an age old message, from many traditions… Zen Buddhism, for one… and even more contemporary… "Be Here Now" in the 60s…. and made millions off of it., of course, giving no credit where credit is due. As well as the Sumaraii's and their daily meditation upon Death to keep them awake and fearless in the face of the horrors of life. This is a simple/complex practice. Yet it does not stand alone. Which is why the traditions I speak of above encompassed ardent daily disciplines and study.
The zealots, I have met, who have given me Eckhart's books and the tapes, are ungrounded and developmentally damaged people… unconsciously beating up others with their wounds/shadows, while skipping along practicing what they call their enlightenment. Its very unfortunate. Over time one particular friend has returned to intensive therapy to work on the power of THEN, the past that dramatically was controlling her now abusive character.
If these philosophies could be suggested as an adjunct to life, rather than THE ONE & ONLY TRUTH YOU NEED… they could serve. And we could see these teachers as very ordinary human beings, and in this guys case, just a disseminator of already known information, rather than inflate them to a stature they do not deserve…. as well as money that could be serving desperate needs in other places. (One of his many dark shadows.)
Life is much more complex than one simple answer. And each one's 'meaning' is uniquely their own.
darkeros / February 18th, 2009, 5:57 pm / #10
Okay… okay…. realize you were being sarcastic, Mindsplat… which I didn't catch until I looked at your name. Got me! And… it actually afforded me the opportunity to say what I wanted to say anyway… so thanks for the rub!
ah… will the REAL zealot please stand up?
Nancy C. / February 18th, 2009, 10:55 pm / #11
"Be Here Now", Eckhart, or Eckanckar, best experienced while on acid on a beach somewhere (Mexico is good). Of course. Jung, not so much. Helps to be under - oh, I dunno - maybe 40? for the Eckhart stuff.
Anna / February 22nd, 2009, 4:02 pm / #12
I'm looking forward to reading the follow-up on this introduction Sean.
I think in the long run such a series of articles will be helpful because people in many cases simply do need to have access to opposing viewpoints on people such as Tolle.
There is so much sycophantic agreement in so many other places on the Web and the wider world that being able to google 'Tolle' and find links to critical articles like this could really help some people.
I know that it has been helpul to me to read your previous articles on Tolle. In conjunction with the Rick Ross Cult Education site, your site has been one of the most helpful to me in regaining a sense of critical perspective after ten years being involved with New Age beliefs and practices of various kinds.
So please keep it up, thanks!
By the way I tried to post this comment using OpenID but Yahoo wouldn't allow it because they say this site is using version 1.0 instead of 2.0.!
Kind of frustrating!
Black Sun Journal » Debunking The Power of Now: Introduction / February 23rd, 2009, 1:19 am / #13
[...] Black Sun Journal » Debunking The Power of Now: Introduction [...]
BlackSun / February 23rd, 2009, 3:50 am / #14
Anna, thanks. I hope I have the patience to stick with it. I just posted another installment. Sorry about the comment problems. I'm sticking with intense debate as they work the bugs out. Thanks for visiting.
amina / February 24th, 2009, 8:53 pm / #15
I agree with all of your ideas about light and darkness,
except that somtimes in life we might need to contact our "spirtual" selfs (which is a sub-personality as well) and for some people, to reed about it, and get inspired from it, might be a very usefull healing process
the important thing is to keep open and explore all aspects of ourselves, know them and not reject them
ypu can't keep away from the "fark side" but you do not need to identify yourself with it : you can actually decide not to live by it
in the other hand , you can't either just identify with the "light" or the "spiritual" or "good" or "angelic"side but you can choose to do good things ot of your life, be kind and loving and honest rather than revengefull and mean
"this is my opinion
gretings to all
amina
RonCdeWeijze / February 25th, 2009, 9:52 am / #16
Good vs evil is one distinction, spirit vs matter is another. We know there are many distinctions but we should be careful not to call both 'dualism'. People may get easily confused (Tolle for one?), especially when instead of having the same word for different things, might also be (who knows?) different words for the same thing.
sja / February 28th, 2009, 8:26 pm / #17
Readers of this forum would be most interested in the following web site:
http://www.scientificexploration.org/council.html
TropiGal / March 1st, 2009, 7:16 pm / #18
Eckhart Tolle is one of the more annoying New Age speakers I've heard. He's slow and boring. But then I think Wayne Dyer is pompous and Deepak whashisname (just kidding, Chopra) is absurd. Good debunk, Blacksun.
proteeny / February 18th, 2010, 9:20 pm / #19
Gotta disagree with all the debunkers on The Power of Now; & while I respect Sean Prophet's take on a lot of other topics, it's clearly evident that his "pendulum" swings 180 degrees away from anything that he considers New Age(so over-used) because of his upbringing & life experience(his parents). Can't blame him there. However, think possibly baby is being thrown out with the bath water.
bhn / February 18th, 2010, 9:26 pm / #20
Here, here!!
BlackSun / February 18th, 2010, 9:32 pm / #21
proteeny,
"Baby out the the Bathwater" is not an argument, it's apologetics. Please state a rational premise as to why you think Power of Now is valid or useful. Come on, even one tiny little piece of logic?
bhn / February 19th, 2010, 12:00 am / #22
Yes, you're right. "Baby…,etc." isn't an argument. Just a personal observation. It's been my experience to date that no amount of argument, logical or otherwise, changes anyone's mind. One's "mind" is changed when it(for whatever reason) is ready to change. "Rational premise" is as subjective as "spiritual belief". Call me lazy, but I don't care to try to convince anyone that they should share my feelings (oh-oh; I'm using the F-word!) about that book or any other. However, I'm glad that there are those who take the time & energy to expound their views. Makes life more interesting. I see a trend here with rubber-stamping ideas that fall outside of "rationality/logic" with the big 'ole New Age label. Kinda boring. Maybe someone can come up with a more original term, something a little less limiting. But then, I guess that's the problem with words; as Tolle might say, they aren't the experience, they just point the way. P.S. Is it not a good thing to "like" something?
proteeny / February 19th, 2010, 12:08 am / #23
"bhn" didn't write the above reply to blacksun 72p; 'twas I, Proteeny!
BlackSun / February 19th, 2010, 12:28 am / #24
Still no argument. Personal experience doesn't count for much. It's by definition subjective, and wrong more often than not. Knowledge is only acquired through strict observation by multiple observers, and peer reviewed scientific study.
New Age = woo = vague and meaningless sentimentalities. Call it whatever you want to call it. It's doesn't improve self-knowledge and it therefore has no demonstrable utility for human progress. It keeps people confused and in the dark about who they are. The worst part is they think it's a source of enlightenment.
Quoting Tolle to defend Tolle. Might as well quote the bible in support of the bible. Nice touch.
proteeny / February 19th, 2010, 6:33 pm / #25
Well, I guess you told me! Think I'll give it all up now & go study science ; thanks for the tips- Ciao!
Carlon / June 26th, 2010, 1:53 pm / #26
I once did a fake interview with Tolle…some people wrote to me convinced it was real. This was strange given the fact that I just strung together a bunch of meaningless phrases.
Hmm…is that Tolle's secret?
http://dontstepinthepoop.com/interview-with-eckha...
RWayne / July 1st, 2010, 7:20 pm / #27
Anyone who believes that science isn’t subjective is in for a rude awakening upon any close investigation. There is a great deal that is subjective to scientific investigation, particularly in the area psychology. The topics researchers choose to investigate, to their interpretation of the data they gather and the conclusions they draw on that basis. The apparently empirical process of science has many cracks where one’s intuition, insight, and subjective impressions can squeeze in their influence.
To suggest that an experience is meaningless simply because it can’t be validated by scientific investigation is as irresponsible as it is shortsighted. An individual maintains the right, and in fact the responsibility, to define for him or herself what does or doesn’t matter to them. In fact denying someone that right or suggesting they should pass the hat to gain a consensus on what their experience means to them doesn’t make much sense and is often the kind of stuff that takes people into treatment not out of it.
Shaman / September 29th, 2010, 7:27 am / #28
Judgment, condemnation and harsh negative criticism are all projections of the Jungian shadow self. Interesting how you have gone so completely out of your way, expending countless hours of energy to even post a pseudo interview, hatefully "debunk" someone who has brought nothing but soothing and healing words to millions of souls on this planet who desperately need it. In response to your comment about Eckhart's suicidal depression and years of suffering:
"Yeah, that’s really the kind of damaged person I want to hold forth about how to find joy, and the meaning of life, the universe, and everything."
Why would you want anyone else than someone who has walked a mile in your troubled shoes to teach you how to overcome it? Spending years in a classroom studying books, makes you a wise person not. Experience is the greatest teacher of all. The fact that Eckhart has suffered to the point of virtually killing himself because of it, in my opinion, gives up all the credibility and authority he needs to teach me, and the world about transcending suffering. He's lived in a state of peace, joy and tranquility for over thirty years. Can you say that? When you can, let me know, and then I'll consider listening to you.
BlackSun / September 29th, 2010, 7:54 am / #29
Actually, judgment is something the mind does to decide whether a proposition has truth value or not. Tolle's biggest problem is that in denying the role of the mind, he is in denial of his own nature. He's trying to lead others down the same path, something not healing, but actually destructive.
We are evolved beings of mind, and trying to pretend there's something else higher is a travesty. Clearly most Tolle followers haven't begun to master the use of their minds, and the all-important skill of critical thinking. So they abdicate, putting themselves in that mushy state of acceptance, a prerequisite for stagnation and sheep-like submission.
If any point of view can't stand up to criticism, if the only defense is that the reviewer is hateful, critical, or "a projection of the Jungian shadow self," said point of view isn't worth the price of the paper (or screen) it's written on. The whole point of shadow work is to realize we all have one, and to get to know it well enough so that it doesn't erupt and create havoc. No Jungian would ever advocate shadow avoidance or repression.
DamnSkepticalNow / October 19th, 2010, 6:48 pm / #30
Looks to me like Eckhart Tolle and Billy Meier have amazingly similar, nearly identical in fact, backgrounds AND marketing techniques for the hokey philosophies they promote. The only difference I see is that Meiers tries to bolster his lack of serious credentials with being a "Chosen One" for Extra Terrestrials who "channel" their messages through him to enlighten the people of Earth that the end is near. BTW, Billy has a warehouse full of books for sale and has a retreat/meditation center too for the "Rich and Famous" can hide out in Switzerland. Meier was doing very well until his UFO photos were debunked and his predictions came to naught!
DamnSkepticalNow / October 19th, 2010, 8:02 pm / #31
In doing some research on the history of Transcendental Meditation using internet search, I started to see Eckhart Tolle book references popping up with some regularity. By the way, I knew nothing at all about him at the time. So, I switched gears temporarily to see if I could get a feel for what his gig was and did some searches about him. I did indeed find out a lot of the background that has been presented here. The first thing I asked myself was why is this guy so popular, he has NO credentials! THEN, I discovered that he was a virtual nobody until Oprah started to promote first his book, then him on her Media Network which move the sales of him book from him going door to door to bookstores to self promote him wares to selling millions of copies of them, doing seminars, retreats and web casts. I thought myself, ANYTHING endorse by Oprah needs to be treated with suspicion if not full blown skepticism. Tolle has a deceptive video called, "What is Meditation" (this is probably why he kept coming up in my searches to begin with, btw). The video opens with Tolle just sitting there looking stupid. He says nothing for a pretty long pregnant pause before he begins explaining that the video isn't really about Meditation and he goes into his "shtick" instead. I said to myself, "what a pompous, self-centered, and arrogant moron!" I was really pissed off and it went down hill from there listening to the mumbo jumbo that followed. Normally, I would have said psychobabble but the nonsense that he up with was more like my idea of a "snake oil salesman" or a perhaps more like a delusional rant. The video repeats most of the objections that have been articulated in this article but I found his damn snickering at his own cleverness which he frequently does throughout the video to be annoying. I had no "axe to grind" with Tolle before I viewed the video but its clear to me that he is by no mean a Spiritual Guru, clever marketing guru perhaps. Much of what he presents is circular and/or repetitive such that it crosses the "boring" boundary and goes straight away to the "offensive" category. His repetition isn't used as a teaching tool but rather as filler in logical gaps. To paraphrase Julia Sweeney's reference to her final analysis of Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle is pretty much "full of shit". Thank for the great article.
Shifu Careaga / November 16th, 2010, 5:44 pm / #32
I don't have much interest in reading Tolle's book because it's not worth half of Zen and Zen isn't worth anything without sutras… BUT
I did want to comment on what I saw here. I have to agree with an above writer that clearly you are getting exactly what you want out of his book: spite about everything you superstitiously consider to be superstition and apparently "new Age" whatever that means anymore. As a matter of fact, if it's mostly based on Zen there's nothing New about it, is there?
There was another statement I saw… "FInally, Tolle attaches himself to the coattails of the “timeless wisdom of all religions.” If it’s wisdom, and it’s so timeless, how come theologians can’t manage to keep from eternally bickering with each other? He might as well have said “the timeless nonsense of all religions.” As the Marquis de Sade once remarked, “the religion proves its prophet, the prophet his religion.”"
So in other words… you hate religion and are going to disagree with anything someone says simply because it might be tied to religion. Also you obviously don't put any value in good lessons from history, for example the wisdom and scientifically proven healthiness of the Bible's nutritional guidance. Interesting: throw the baby out …. apparently more suits this kind of ranting.
Next you say why don't religions get along? It's exactly the kind of one-sided "I am right" relativism YOU DISPLAY that does that.
You are clearly unaware of the 10 vibratory valences of the mind (everything is a wave so don't bother arguing here) which allow us to see what your deal is: you are in the 8th level… not bad btw, and you like to pick on those in the 7th because in the 8th level you resonate with the 4th (anger). Your self-satisfaction is described in Mahayana Buddhism as a great pit from which you will suffer until you leave it, and certainly your hate-filled rhetoric proves that is true.
The Daishonin said, and you aptly prove it true, "The blind cannot see the characters of this sutra [meaning Truth]. To the eyes of the ordinary people [of the lower six paths]4 they look like characters. Persons of the two vehicles [of 7th and 8th Realms] perceive them as the Void. Bodhisattvas look on them as innumerable doctrines. Buddhas recognize each character as a golden Shakyamuni [Buddha]"
Is being atheist and refusing to believe we can know anything not a form of attachment to Void!?
I can see you clearly having once been exactly as you are… and I am glad not to be like you anymore: so arrogant, so irritatingly dismissive of things. Also being in a higher vibratory state I can accept other points of view and religions and even unite them with their similarities and even unite science with religion.
But views like yours I will harangue and demonstrate their perversity because your self-satisfaction and arrogance is astoundingly obnoxious, like a know-it-all drunk on his own toxic brew. Also because I despise that part of me that was like you (you are right it is difficult to rid oneself of past self)
Finally you say dualism is dead. Last I check we called it wave-particle duality and there are perhaps a billion other things that can be attributed to yin/yang just like those with the disease atheism are yin and those with the disease of dogmatic attachment are yang. (In medicine, a- is a prefix to indicate lack of, meaning you are deficient in belief)
It IS true that duality is a myth of the mind debunked by the Buddha, but not for the reasons you state. Once again you need to rotate 180 degrees and humble yourself to the superstructure around you. Seriously it is all around you. Your uniqueness of mind when standing in a field… your telekinetic (do you type?) and time travel (do you not have memories?) powers that are yours irrespective of your physical matter which is nothing more than 99.999999999999999999% empty space and FIELDS OF RELATIONSHIPS .
It's so obvious… do you really want to be one of the sick ones that can't see the sky above and the ground below, etc…
btw - I am is the translation for Yahweh and predates that which you reference in the article. You'd know that with some research.
drug rehab Utah / November 30th, 2010, 2:42 pm / #33
let me tell you what it means for me " the power of now". it means chance, but real change. this book was a support for my low morality. i recommend it tho everyone that had a problem in life and he/her couldn't overcome.
Mike R / December 3rd, 2010, 3:40 pm / #34
This book is great. It serves as a new introduction to a timeless essence. Don't get caught up into all the pseudo psychoanalysis tricks of Jung and his followers unless you truly want to be ripped off by a therapist. Anyways, this is by no means a new topic, but it is packaged in a non dogmatic fashion unattached to any religious labels. By far there are better books about this topic coming from the Buddhist tradition, but they are filled with the religious slang and idolatry that that most religious adhere to. The posters response to me sounded like a wounded egos retaliation to a timeless reality.
Eckhart$ Toll / December 12th, 2010, 5:15 am / #35
Seriously Eckhart Tolle is a con man, a good hypnotist that speaks rhetorically vague bullshit and either puts you to
sleep, or lets you come up with whatever meaning you want in relation to his empty words, so you can trick yourself
into believing he's enlightened.
Zenmonk Genryu / December 23rd, 2010, 10:50 pm / #36
Well said. As a Zen Buddhist monk and meditation teacher, I cannot tell you the times I have had to deal in one way or another with the damage that this man's ridiculous platitudes and half digested spiritual 'truths' cause in the longer term for those who take them seriously. He is a charlatan and a snakeoil salesman.
Juliano / December 27th, 2010, 5:38 am / #37
The whole reason I got to read this page is that theres two youths at youtube who are pushing everyone to read Echart Tolle and Charles Eisenstein (rhymes with Einstein hmmm), and saying stuff like 'yeahhh…if you LOVE your hate you feel sooo guuurrrrd…yeah. So I though I should re-vive my research i did few times boack Googling 'Debunking Echart Tolle' so as to remember
The article here I like EXCEPT where is implied that5 because comeone finds school hostile, and doesnt want to do a psychology degree, and has suicidal thoughsd is somehow without any hope of insight….? Errrrm pardon me. That conclusion is as dodgy as whatever Tolle is pushin
And then Jung is made out to be lilly white. Not so….I suggest not limiting yourself and to research about the ENFORCED 'education' system, (John Taylor Gatto), and feminist critiques of Jungian thought.
ALSO to understand the roles of entheogehns in authentic spirituality. This is important to know. A good interview I recently listened to which will reveal things –I am not sure of the html here so please Google this which will bring you to it 'Mike Crowley gnostic media podcast interview'. Crowley is talking about his forthcoming book 'Drugs in Buddhism', and will reveal things like—you will not find any word referring to .mushroom' in Sanskrit, and this is because entheogenic mushrooms were taboo for the 'lower castes' but not for the 'highest cast' the Brahmins.
Now this is important to know because the very guru system originated from India. Anyway check it out—-just to say that as should be implied–once they hide the sacrament they then can replace with middlemen who can profit from your ignoreance and needyness–the 'needyness' being the denied freedom to openly explore our depths with the aid of entheogenic plants and substances.
Can I also recommend this book which also goes deep into the phoniness of the guru system–The Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power. I dont agree with ALL they say, nor their solution, but it is an amazing analysis of the propaganda surrounding all of this.
Babel / December 28th, 2010, 8:11 pm / #38
Tolle's book, like all books, contains some truths, and some questionable viewpoints. But then, there is no ultimate truth anyway, just philosophical statements that may have relevance or meaning to someone at a particular time and may be percieved as "truth."
Tolle's book is a great starting point for discussion and thought about what matters in life, and a handy guide for someone who might need some guidance, in language that is not steeped in religious bias. Any intelligent person would be disinclined to accept it as ultimate truth, any more than any intelligent person would accept the bible as ultimate truth. It is all just part of a big debate - which always has and always will be ongoing - but having the discussion and asking the questions is not a bad thing.
Babel / December 28th, 2010, 8:12 pm / #39
I think it's pretty immature for any person to be completely for or against this work. We insult ourselves when we think that simplistically. The fact is, a lot of people have experienced comfort and healing from this book, and for those that it doesn't work for - fine - no one is forcing it at you. Read something else.
If someone needs to spend a great deal of time and emotional energy debunking this book - that is their priviledge. Unfortunately some of the efforts sound more like ranting than critical comment.
scott88 / February 8th, 2011, 11:56 am / #40
Eckhart's my boy. The only tangible moment we have is right NOW. Past and Future are intangible illusions. I read The Power of Now in a residential drug rehab.
Jason_M / April 17th, 2011, 6:58 am / #41
Completely agree on Dyer's pomposity. Can't stand to listen to him.
PowerOfWon / July 17th, 2011, 5:39 am / #42
A friend recommended Eckhart. Within 5 minutes I was disgusted by his thinly disguised NLP tricks.
“questions or objections may occasionally come into your mind as you read. They will probably be answered later in the book, or they may turn out to be irrelevant as you go more deeply into the teaching–and into yourself.”
“I can not tell you any spiritual truth that deep within you don’t know already. All I can do is remind you of what you have forgotten.”
I.e. don’t question me, you *know* I’m right. Seriously, people buy this cråp? If he had said: I believe this, it worked for me and I think it (the power of ‘now’, whatever that means) is worth experimenting with then I could let him be. But this mental extortion of the most vulnerable in society - that’s disgusting and Eckhart should be ashamed of himself.
hemal / August 22nd, 2011, 6:55 am / #43
Absolutely great book. Don't be put off by this post. "The power of now" is a book that will either completely change your life when you are ready or be meaningless (case in point above).
Mock In Peace / September 28th, 2011, 9:41 pm / #44
If you all even knew the half of it…It should have a pic of skull & crossbones (like poison) on it…To those that lost their lives because of this book, I promise that it will not have been in vain…
MGMonasterio / November 2nd, 2011, 4:51 pm / #45
Your own credetentials as a son of Elizabeth Clare Prophet are even scarier than those from poor Tolle! And I certainly do not understand how are you him a charlatan based on Tolle's lack of professional credentials when your own are as invisible as Tolle's…I, for a change, I do have a MD degree and a a PHD on Psychology, and even so, wouldn't dare to dismiss Tolle's work with such level of contempt as you gratuitously are doing here. The amount of suffering that you may have endured with such a family, although abolutely respectable, does not make you free to insult another's man´s life and and work with less than enough arguments.
Dr.Manuel Gerardo Monasterio
DB / November 6th, 2011, 10:03 am / #46
Everybody really familiar with Jung’s concept of the “Shadow” knows that it is projected onto somebody else when not integrated into one’s personality. In that sense it works like a boomerang and reveals much more about the person “debunking” than the person “debunked”. The author of the article should ask why he or she is agressively “debunking” in public a peaceful person that has not done the author any harm. Usually, if we don’t like what somebody says but don’t feel threatened by the words we tolerate the person. Why can’t the author tolerate Mr. Tolle? How can the author claim that somebody who has been living peacefully for many years and inspiring many people has not dealt with its “shadow” when he or she clearly hasn’t done so either? My guess is that the author has fallen victim to its own shadow projection. That’s no tragedy- everybody does it. The tragedy starts when we are not aware of it and don’t deal with it.
k4b4n / November 7th, 2011, 5:02 pm / #47
Exactly, that's what this post shows. Nothing more to add.
Clidre / January 14th, 2012, 8:27 am / #48
Hello ! This is my critic of Tolle's mythology and simplistic psychology. It's in French, sorry :
The title is :
The illusion of power's in spiritual's path. A example : the power's of now illusion.
http://clidre.skyrock.com/3057696667-Mentalisme-d...
have a nice day !
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