Books : The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Rating: - A must read...
Well worth the few pounds on a life changing book and completely ignore the 1 star reviews. Read it slowly and let the words absorb into your very being.

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Rating: - Happiness is the Road
This book focuses on the way in which living 'in the present' is the road to true happiness.

If you enjoyed the book, you simply have to check out Marillion's recent CD, Happiness is the Road - Essence, which takes Tolle's work and builds it into a stunning musical journey.

Tolle's ideas, clearly explained in this book, although sometimes simplistic, provide a strong basis for achieving enlightenment - and are closely aligned with many principles of buddhist philosophy.

The book and CD are both recommended!

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Rating: - please avoid this book
Please avoid this book.

First of all, he is claiming to be an 'enlightened being' and yet to me it seems quite egotistical to start your book by declaring your own superiority and wisdom in this way. To my mind this device exposes a need to justify himself in the absence of having any relevant qualifications. Being the centre of so much attention through the publication of bestsellers also comes across as somewhat materialist to me, not what I would expect from the enlightened one.

This book is not original. It describes a philosophy based on the central claims of many doctrines associated with eastern mysticism. These are all wonderful, colourful, exciting and maybe even true. But Eckhart Tolle is cheating by presenting himself as a teacher, because he is not. He is just saying what he has learnt from his own study in this area, and then branding himself as a source.

I believe this is called hypocrisy. A well respected and more authentic spiritual master once said that 'God forgives everything except hypocrisy'.

So if you are not sure about buying his book. I recommend you avoid it. Go and do something you enjoy instead.

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Rating: - If you want an overcompicated book about Jesus, buy this.....
This book:
* repeats itself over and over.
* has a lecturing style (at one point he tells the reader "please just listen").
* massively over-complicates the issues
* is a book about Christ and God (although he doesn't get to the Christ bit until half way through the book, when the reader suddenly realises that this is a religious text).

Not recommended.

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Rating: - essential reading
This book has been written in the sense of a dialogue between master and disciple reminicent of the Corpus Hermeticum. However in this case the reader may or may not find these imposed questions useful or, indeed annoying... This is a book which is either going to hit a chord, or will seem like utter nonsense. From my point of view as an average reader, I have found it very important because it explores concepts of this mind/ego (a double) which is inside of each person which needs confronting in someway. I think this book is must read for anyone who feels they are on a spiritual path, because fundementally (and in my limited understanding) the awareness of the 'double' and the fission of dark and light is inevitable along this path. If this is really the case, then this book should be seen as essential reading.