Oprah was so impressed with Tolle's new book, A New Earth: awakening to your life's purpose, that she created a ten-week web-event attended, in one way or another, by twelve million people. Another web-event starts June 16.
This book has, according to Oprah and many of the people who participated, the power to change the way that people feel about themselves, the way they interact with others, and ultimately the way that communities and nations interact. It's a book the world needs to read now!
This is a bold assertion, but in my personal view it is not unwarranted. The concepts in the book are founded on the teachings of all the great religious traditions. Tolle goes to the very heart of the Golden Rule; he enables us to set aside our prejudice and see God's image in others, then interpret their actions in ways that reduce fear and create harmony and peace. He does this using non-religious language that is universal and easily understandable.
Millions of people have read Tolle's previous book, The Power of Now. That book emphasized the importance of remaining focused on the present moment--avoiding any anger about prior injury or fear about future loss. While many people understood the psychology involved, others saw the book as promoting a non-focused, passionless wandering through a goal-less life. This wasn't Tolle's intent.
The new book addresses the questions that people have asked during the time since The Power of Now was published and helps people understand the importance of creating a change in consciousness at this critical time in history.
Tolle says that the mental chatter that occupies so much of our mental day is useless and repetitive--a rehashing of past anger and future fears that interferes with our efforts to make helpful decisions. Once our consciousness is raised to recognize the anger and fear for what they are, we can easily set these aside so that we can set goals and choose a course of action that will be effective in achieving them.
The great Indian sage, Swami Rama, said, "The mental aspect of health is more important than the physical, and the spiritual aspect of health is of greater importance than either of these." If this is true then Tolle's books have the capacity for great physical healing. Science recognizes stress as the cause of many diseases and the destroyer of health and happiness. Living in the present moment, while not eliminating stress altogether, eliminates the chronic stress which interferes with so many body systems and functions.
Oprah’s web-event was recorded and is available as audio and video downloads in podcast form. Listening to the podcasts while reading the book adds an extra dimension to the experience.
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