The Power of Now Intro-Chapter 1.

This is one of the first books I started with that I consistently re-read as it helps me with mindfulness. A constant reminder to stay in the present moment. These are my key takeaways from the book.

Introduction: Who is Eckhart?

​Eckhart explains how he came to be a spiritual teacher. He lived unconsciously for almost 30 years. One night, the pain of living was worse than he’s ever felt before. He was laying in bed in the darkness thinking about how he didn’t want to live anymore, the same thought over and over. He became aware of the thought that was, “if I cannot live with myself there must be two of me, the I and the self that I cannot live with." "Maybe only one of them is real," he thought, and that is when his mind stopped and he became fully conscious.

He felt a whirl of energy and started to feel panicky (fear), he heard the words: resist nothing. He was heading toward a void inside himself and he let go of the fear and accepted what was happening. He woke up a new person, everything was light and vibrant. He was intrigued by spiritual teachings, he wanted to know more about it. His deep suffering forced his consciousness to withdraw from his identification with the fearful self which is the fiction of the mind. What was left was his natural state, consciousness in his pure self. He was even homeless for two years, sitting on a park bench in pure joy. You have this peace within you. You have it already, you just can’t feel it because your mind is making too much noise. 

Chapter One: You Are Not Your Mind

Those who have not found their wealth, the simple joy of living and being at peace, will always be a beggar, even if you acquire all the material wealth; it will never fill that void you feel on the inside. You have that treasure within. State of connectedness, that is you but is much greater than you. The true nature above name and form. Enlightenment is the end of suffering, what happens when there is no more suffering, silence. You have to find out for yourself. Until you sit with a clear mind and 100% present you’ll never feel “being”. It’s impossible to understand being in the mind. The mind has to shut off in order to be aware of reality. It is immediately accessible to you. What is the biggest obstacle? Identification with the mind, thoughts that become obsessive. A story line that replays in your head. The “I am this and I am that”. Thinking is just mental noise keeping you from experiencing being. Identification with your mind creates this screen of concepts, labels, images, words, judgements, and definitions that blocks true relationships. This brings out the separateness, that there are two versions of you. Thinking is a disease, disease happens when things become out of balance. Your mind is supposed to be a great instrument when used correctly. Your mind uses you, you believe you are your mind. Do you know how to turn it off? If not then you are a slave to your mind and aren’t even aware of it. You are not the thinker, when you start watching the thinker you become more conscious. You begin to awaken.