A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61)

Eckhart Tolle says in his life-changing book "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" that all suffering is caused by our "ego." The ego is the identification with our thoughts, emotions, memories, interpretations and opinions. It is our involuntary stream of thinking, reactions, stories, resentments and comparisons. Our ego identity can also be our work, possessions, appearance and accomplishments. Tolle says the ego is the identification with a role to protect and enhance ourselves. The ego cannot distinguish between the situation and our interpretation or reaction. The ego is never at peace with the present as satisfaction is always in the future. The ego's negativity and suffering are motivated by self interest and short sightedness. Armed with Tolle's teachings I began observing my ego in action. To my dismay I saw how my ego always wanted the next thing to react against, to feel annoyed, disturbed or outraged. I realized I was addicted to anger and upset. I had no idea my constant reacting against everything strengthened my ego and sense of self importance. Each time I complained it made me right and the other person wrong. As I became more aware I saw there was something in me that took pleasure in negativity. My ego was a master of selective perception and distorted interpretations. The moment I noticed this there was a shift from ego to awareness. I became more aware of the difference between the event and my reaction to the event. In time I discovered the best way to differentiate between fact and opinion was not through my thinking but my awareness. Tolle says I'm not unique. The collective ego of countries keep grievances to fuel their endless cycle of violence. Throughout history many religions believed they were in sole possession of the Truth and killed those that did not believe their story. Their truth was considered more important than human life. When I stopped feeding my ego's illusions I felt a profound joy and connectedness with all of creation. As my victim identity diminished I stopped seeking people's attention and sympathy. I became more accepting of what happens. Instead of waiting for some change in the future I now enjoy the present. The joy does not come from what I do but flows into what I do. My new awareness allowed the world to become a mirror. The more I loved without conditions the more loving the world appeared. The spiritual realization I am not my thoughts, feelings, body or story but pure consciousness set me free. The other Tolle teachings I found helpful include the awareness of how the ego patterns we react to in others are usually the same patterns in ourselves. How the ego constantly tries to protect and enlarge itself by looking at the world as "us" versus "them." How the ego needs enemies to feel right and superior. What we react to in others we strengthen in ourselves. How the ego sees each person as separate and views them as inferior or superior. How all suffering is ego centered. Ego uses our mind to resist life as it is. The more we make our thoughts, beliefs, story and identity the Truth the more we cut ourselves off from the spiritual dimension within. Spirituality has nothing to do with what we believe and everything to do with our state of consciousness. Since consciousness transcends thought it is the dimension within ourselves that is infinitely more vast than thought. The Holy Spirit is the Truth and it is within all of us. This is what Jesus really meant when he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." Our essence, the Holy Spirit, is the TRUE identity of all humankind and all of creation. When we touch the Christ Within all our actions and relationships reflect the oneness of all life. Our REAL identity is not the voice in our head but our awareness prior to the thoughts, the space in which our thoughts, emotions and sense perceptions happen. Awakening is the realization that who we are is the oneness of life, we are the manifestation of all things, experiences and personalities. It requires a shift of perception from seeing ourselves as an isolated individual to being in everything, everyone and everywhere. It is the realization that we are universal spirit or consciousness. There is no separation anywhere in the the universe. It is a glimpse beyond the veil of duality. When we have no ego we become a conscious Presence, we are not concerned about how others see us, and become one with Life itself. The way to break the ego's negative spell is is to become aware of the ego. Our identity will then shift from ego to awareness. Awareness grows as the ego shrinks. Alertness allows us to detect subtle negativity such as impatience, irritation and nervousness. True self esteem comes when we realize we create our own suffering and rise above the ego's conditioning. Not reacting to our ego is the best way to dissolve our ego. To not react we must see the other person's behavior as coming from their ego. It is not personal. When we look passed the ego to their spiritual essence they too have an opportunity to become more conscious. Non-reaction is forgiveness. It is not a weakness but a strength. Non-reaction does not mean we accept hurtful behavior. There is no ego in informing someone of a mistake so it can be put right. The key is to make a neutral statement, stick to the facts and not complain. Complaining serves the ego not change. Reading a "A New Earth" helped me stop waiting for some change in the future and enjoy the present. The joy does not come from what I do but flows into what I do. My awareness allows the world to become a mirror. The more I love without conditions the more loving the world appears. The spiritual realization I am not my thoughts, feelings, body or story but pure consciousness has set me free.

Eckert Tolle's book "A New Earth" hardly needs another Amazon book review considering the 1,451 that have been submitted so far. After reading a number of the reviews, I was startled by the extraordinary esoteric thinking of many the reviewers. This is hardly typical of the average American mind. It appears the "New Age" movement has grown exponentially and it demonstrates the immense hunger for spirituality that has been so suppressed in American culture. In a way, this is sad because it represents a hunger that much of the institutional church is not fulfilling. The critical issue is that Christian spirituality is meant to be pro-active, generating the powerful forces of love, compassion, forgiveness and caring for others while the new secular spirituality can be extremely self-centered. I have chosen to write this book review from the perspective a Catholic peace and social activist. Regardless, none of these reviews can substitute reading "A New Earth" because one needs to personally taste the absolute eloquence and powerful spiritual insights found in Eckhart Tolle's writing. Reading Eckhart Tolle is transformational. His writing is therapeutic. Chapter three, "The Core of Ego", is definitely a prime instructional source for good mental health. "A New Earth" is one of the most important books of our time. It needs to be read by all inquiring spiritual minds and those struggling to understand the increasing violence and insanity in the world. Eckhart Tolle's book presents a clear understanding of human consciousness, profound spirituality and the beginnings of a radical and evolutionary awakening of a higher consciousness. To arrive at this higher consciousness, Eckhart Tolle delves deeply into the dysfunction of the human ego, both in the individual and in the institutions of power and wealth. To Eckhart Tolle, "The greatest achievement of humanity is not its works of art, science or technology, but the recognition of its own dysfunction, its own madness". Eckhart Tolle states how the love of things can contribute to the domination of the human ego and how a consumer society honors material things as a means to self-enhancement.....it distorts our perception of reality and the true nature of our humanity. To quote Eckhart Tolle: "Ego-identification with things creates attachment to things, obsession with things, which in turn creates our consumer society and economic structures where the only measure of progress is always more. The unchecked striving for more, for endless growth, is a dysfunction and a disease. It is the same dysfunction the cancerous cell manifests, whose only goal is to multiply itself, unaware that it is bringing about its own destruction by destroying the organism of which is a part". With "A New Earth" chosen by the Oprah Book Club, and the numerous appearances of Eckhart Tolle on the Oprah Winfrey show, Oprah has played a big role in elevating the spiritual consciousness of hundreds of thousands of American readers. Oprah must be commended for this. As I understand it, more than any other book in recent history, this book was read and reviewed by the vast majority of book clubs in the U.S. I hope "A New Earth" will be the beginning of much needed maturity in American thinking and in American Christianity as well. Yes, to me, Christianity in America needs to mature in a spiritual way if ever there is to be greater maturity in American culture. A higher spiritual consciousness is the essential element for radical social transformation. As Fr. Richard Rohr, of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, NM, would say, Christianity in America has become a belonging system, "us" against "them", rather than a system for personal transformation. The tragedy is that Christianity has become in some ways just another institution seeking its own perpetuation and power, dominated by the human ego. The dysfunction of the human ego is what Christ tried so hard to get through to the minds of his disciples, particularly when he told Peter, the "first pope", to "get behind me you devil" (Mathiew 24,15) or "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye" (Mathew 7). Christ had the perfect non-dualistic mind. In fact, addressing the human ego goes to the heart of all of the world's major religions, but Christianity seems to have walked away from it. Christianity chose to do so when it became part of the Roman Empire in 325 AD. Since then, Christianity has had a hard time critiquing the system and the unjust status quo that stems from the dysfunction of the human ego. Christianity has found it difficult to critique the system because it has become a part of the system. The culturally imprisoned mindset of many American Christians is totally contrary to the mind of Christ. As mentioned, addressing the problem of the human ego goes to the heart of all of the world's major religions. But not often enough do religious or spiritual writers critique the institutions of corporate capitalism. Eckhart Tolle's book is most timely to stimulate a new national conversation, particularly when considering America's "never ending war" against terrorism and the near dictatorial powers of the U.S. Military Industrial Complex. It is time U.S. citizens recognize that government propaganda in support of war and the interests of corporate capitalism is a force that strategically preys on the weaknesses of the human ego. Actually corporate capitalism can be said to be diabolical as it seeks to enrich itself by altering human consciousness. This then exaggerates the human ego that has led to a dysfunctional society. Eckhart Tolle never used the word "capitalism". Yet the underlying message of his writing is a severe critique of capitalism. I guess you could say the word "capitalism" has been "sanctified" in America, the unspoken word or the unseen elephant in the living room. Eckhart Tolle avoids saying in a direct manner, "corporate capitalism is intrinsically evil and unsustainable" or "corporate consumer capitalism alters human consciousness and is the destroyer of the human spirit". You have to come to that conclusion yourself. In March 2009, there was a conference at the Center of Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, NM called "The Emerging Church: Christians Creating a New World Together". This conference was attended by a thousand people, about half of whom were Catholic, the rest were mainline and evangelical Protestants and other Christians. Many of those at the conference believed that the future of the church will be the coming together of like minded people from all denominations who seek a more prophetic and contemplative faith. A higher global consciousness that is seeking a more just, sustainable and compassionate world is already a powerful emerging force in the world. The "emerging church" seeks to be part of this higher social consciousness. It seeks to serve as praxis and as co-creator for the evolutionary destiny of humankind to consciously provide for the survival of it's own species. An increasing number of Christians view this higher consciousness as the universal consciousness of the risen Christ. To these Christians, the salvation and survival of humankind is what the death and resurrection of Christ is all about. A more contemplative faith is about centering oneself in Presence, through meditation and contemplation, seeking wisdom through the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is done by embracing opposing thoughts and coming to spiritual discernment. Particularly for a Catholic activist, this centering of the human spirit is the critical means of overcoming personal anger when so involved in non-violent civic activism. Spiritual discernment goes to the heart of a healthy democracy as well. A healthy democracy is truly an act of the human spirit. Democracy is meant to work for the common good and to question the unjust status quo. This is why corporate capitalism hates democracy and seeks to destroy it with the total corruption of the U.S. Congress. I see the teachings of scholars like Eckhart Tolle and the emerging church movement as bringing maturity to Christianity in the 21st Century. It is the coming together of like minded people of all faiths that see the human ego, enticed by the institutions of corporate capitalism, as being the prime cause of social unrest, the scapegoating of others and the waging of war. It cannot be denied, the oppression of global capitalism is the cause of the "blow-back" of terrorism. This blow-back from war and economic domination is in reality the powerful forces of spirituality at work, the liberation of the human spirit. In meditation and contemplation, where we seek to separate ourselves from the dominance of the human ego, we can come to see what the Divine Spirit wants us to see, the holiness of all people, to understand our own brokenness and thus becoming able to forgive others with compassion. Father Richard Rohr stated so well in a September 4, 2009 article in the National Catholic Reporter that another word for contemplation is non-dualistic thinking. "That's what makes people able to be merciful and forgiving. You can't love your enemies with a low level dualistic mind. It's impossible. You don't have the software to know how to do it. So we tell people to love your enemies. A normal Catholic can't do that with the software that he or she has been given. Catholics were never taught they need a different consciousness to understand the Gospel".

„A New Earth“ is one of the best books I have ever read.

I grew up in a religious home, and have had in interest in theology/philosophy/spirituality most of my life. I've read and listened to this book many many times, and still come back to it regularly. (I now have this in paperback, hardcover, audiobook, and ebook - and use all of them). It's essentially devotional reading for me at this point. Some of the things Tolle writes of may seem a little woo-woo at first, but if you let them sink in, you can see almost everything that he talks about in others (first) and then yourself. I often find myself laughing out loud when I realize that I'm doing something that arises from the Ego or the 'Pain Body.' Once you read this book, and understand it, you cannot fully go back to the unconscious person that you may have been before. You can ignore it. You can fight it, but it will always be there. To say that I've embodied everything that Tolle writes about in this book would be completely untrue in the ten years since I first read it. These are very easy teachings to understand, and very easy to put into practice theoretically, however, there is a constant realization on my part that the Ego doesn't want things to be that way. I, or I should say the Ego, wants to push forth with unconscious living. I think that very few people have the sudden overnight transformation that Tolle had (as described in The Power of Now), but that's okay. I accept that. I know that in the end, I will have to relinquish everything that I hold onto. I am still materialistic, addicted, selfish, greedy, etc. but perhaps less so, and certainly in a different way - I can't be unconscious of these things any longer. Ultimately, I am a better person for having read this book, and will continue to change. Some may argue that Tolle is "just repackaging Buddhism" etc. and that may be the case to some extent, but he does draw upon the texts and teachings of many different religions, and does so in a way that I think makes things more accessible to westerners. If you come across things in the book that you disagree with or don't understand, just ignore them and carry on. Personally, I do not need to believe everything in the book to derive the benefits from it, however, I would say that I believe 90% of it to be true. Tolle excels at pointing out human folly. Highly recommended.

Explains the deeper meaning to life in a wonderful manner. Biggest take ways - 1) present moment is all that matters. 2) living in the present moment by giving up physical forms and ego makes the present moment all the more enjoyable. 3) Ego deals in three ways a means to an end, an enemy, negative thinking... Whenever in a situation ask yourself these three questions and get back to the present if not already there 4) There is no good or bad situation, everything happening is just the way it is for a deeper meaning just accept it the way it is and keep moving on. 3) Three essentials that should be part of evey moment - acceptance, happiness, enthusiasm.

J'ai connu cet écrivain grâce à mon frère. Il avait lu "the power of now" et il m'avait envoyé en audio, j'ai bien aimé. Récemment je faisais des recherches sur la conscience, et c'est comme ça en effet que j'ai retrouvé Ekhart Tolle a New earth. J'ai été assez vite charmé de les premiers pages de ce livre. Après 40 pages lues, déjà je peux dire que je vois le monde d'un autre angle, et ça commence petit à petit à changer ma vie, de mal en bien évidemment. Il y a une connexion rapide qui s'est fait entre moi et ce livre, de que je le prends pour continuer ma lecture je m'en souviens très vite ce que j'avais lu des pages précédentes. Cela ne m'arrive pas à d'autres livres, en plus depuis longtemps j'ai une très mauvaise mémoire mais ce livre est magique, ça améliore ma mémoire, la capacité de concentration. Je suis très très satisfaite de cet achat

Great book. Bought one for my mum as well.