There are few books which will challenge the way you think. They go beyond your traditional way of thinking and totally introduce a radical approach to put things into perspective. Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth comes in that category. Having read a good number of Indian spiritual books previously points covered in the book makes all the more sense in the current world.
Often we understand the mind is something which does the thinking part. Often overwhelmed with thinking, our actions and behaviors get a direction. This results in unhappiness and negative thinking which eventually limits the human potential. In order to manifest the real potential of an individual one should go beyond thinking and start exploring the new paradigm – the human consciousness. However, this paradigm can be explored if ego is regulated and starts living in the present. The ego inside the human being always wants to derive its strength from the past or future. This paradigm leaves with guilt about the past and anxious about the future. This is precisely what limits self-expression of human beings from manifesting life in its full form. The whole book revolves around this core paradigm where the author takes you through a very exciting journey into self discovery.
Living in the present means nothing to prove, nothing to show to anybody, you just exist in the purest form of bliss like how a flower blossoms from a plant. In many aspects blooming flowers can be related to human enlightenment and raise of consciousness which is referred to in many religions as well. On the other hand ego completely hijacks individuals by deriving pseudo power from various roles we play in our lives. Initial chapters of the book dive very deep into the ego and its implications. Pages after pages run in an abstract form of thinking which probably challenges many paradigms that we are already living for so many years.
Then the author introduces a concept called pain body. In my opinion this is the most interesting and eye opening chapter. Often we carry so much pain in our bodies caused by repeated cycles of negative emotions, ego fueling negative emotions, further it becomes our natural way of thinking. This eventually gets into a vicious cycle where individuals get stuck for their lives. When the same pain body takes over a society or a country the negativity multiples. In this chapter also the author comes back and re-iterates how living in the present can help individuals to overcome their pain body and live a fulfilling and powerful life.
In subsequent chapters on self-discovery, finding inner purpose, breaking free from a restricted life author gives much deeper insights into leading a much empowering and fulfilling life. In summary, I would say this book falls in the intersection of self-improvement, spirituality and practicality. By imbibing and implementing even 10% in our daily life can bring phenomenal changes to an individual and people around. While it requires a lot of patience to read every page I am sure you will have a lot of takeaways in the end.
