Review: The Power of Now (1)

I read a few chapters of the book and so far it’s quite interesting. Here is the first part of my review:

You are not your Mind

Descartes belief “I think, therefore I am” is basically an error, as the author states. Thinking is NOT Being and Identity is not Thinking. Today almost everyone is not able to stop thinking, it is like a mental noise that prevents us from inner stillness. In today’s world thinking has almost become a disease. One is constantly judging, comparing, analyzing, complaining, speculating, commenting and so on…
It looks like that we don’t use our mind in the right way and that most of the time the mind uses us.

That does not mean that we have to stop thinking altogether. It means that we should be aware of our thought processes, that we should “watch the thinker”. Being aware not only of the thought but also of yourself as the witness of the thought is the key. The moment we are aware of observing the thinking process a higher level of consciousness is activated and thought itself loses it’s power over you. 

The voice in your head (your mind)  judges the present through the eyes of the past and that view doesn’t have to be the most accurate one. Sometimes this voice can be your own worst enemy. It can drain vital energy from you and it can make you unhappy. So we have to free ourselves from this mind-identification. We do this by realizing that there is the voice and here I am. We are not that voice and that is why the author calls this state a higher consciousness. We are able to observe our own thinking patterns. This is one way to free yourself from mind-identification.

Another way to create a gap in the mind stream is to direct the focus of your attention into the Now.

In your everyday life, you can practice this by taking any routine activity that normally is only a means to an end and giving it your fullest attention, so that it becomes an end in itself.

We have to learn to disidentify from our mind. We have to rise above thought.

So it looks like that it is best to avoid thinking at all? That’s not true.  The mind is an instrument, a tool. It has to be used but in the right way.
Eckhart Tolle explains:

The mind should be used for a specific task, and when that task is completed, you lay it down. As it is I would say 80 to 90 % of most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of it’s dysfunctional and often negative nature, much of it is also harmful.

The next logical question you may ask is: Why should we be addicted to thinking?

Because you are identified with it, which means that you derive your sense of self from the content and activity of your mind. Because you believe that you would cease to be if you stopped thinking.

This is the common misperception or fear we all have. We think that we can not be without thinking. But to be conscious is more than just thinking. Actually thinking is just a small part of consciousness.

Emotions

Emotions are the body’s reaction to your mind. They are a reflection of your mind in the body. Usually they represent an amplified thought pattern and because of this it is often not easy to stay present enough to be able to watch it like we discussed “watching the thinker”.
Here again it is important that you’re not identified with your emotions (especially harmful ones like anger, jealousy, hatred…)  because if so you end up in a vicious circle:
thought -> emotion -> amplified thought -> …

Related posts:

1. Review: The Power of Now (2)
2. Review: The Power of Now (3)
3. Review: The Art of Happiness (4)
4. Review: The Art of Happiness (3)
5. Review: The How Of Happiness (2)