I have long refused to read the famous best seller “the Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle until March this year. The main reason was from my aversion toward any “hoo-hoo-ha-ha” of public hype as I am naturally cautious for anything if they are too noisy. He was featured big few times by Oprah Winfrey. She is a big fan of his and the once-anonymous-man owes huge debt to her for his now-world-famous celebrity status. Thus, I have been flipping his books in the bookstores every now and then, but, was never really inclined to read through it. Then, Bhante Kovida is one of his avid fans and strongly recommended me to read it. Okay…
It didn’t take me long to finish reading once I sat with it. Yes, very far out book, definitely…but I am not yet so convinced by it. Not because I couldn’t grasp or understand what he is talking about, but because of the levels of abstraction in his language for the description of the “Now.” Because, the Now is so easy to grasp it as soon as you can turn back to your breathing—breathing in, breathing, and pause. The Now is simply in the pause. The more spacious and steady the pauses become, the Now is just right there for you to start living it. It’s extremely sweet, loving and full, just like Indian mangos. If you tasted local mangos only, and think you know the taste of good Indian mangos, then, you are very wrong. So is the taste of the true Now, that lies in between our breaths. Breath by breath, they are so honest and direct path to our freedom and well-being in all levels of our being, the body, mind and spirit.
But, he and his questioners go round and round, as though chasing after its own tails, to understand the “Now.” Very much like the J. Krishnamurti. The legendary theosophy philosopher spent his entire life to explain about meditative states instead of teaching meditation until he died of 90 plus years of age. He talked forever about how beautiful is the silence of mind in reflecting nature and life, but he could never convey his exalted experiences to his world-wide followers. Because people were asking the same type of questions again and again decades after decades instead of they themselves meditate to grasp those experiences. I was told that he died as a very disappointed man… It seems to me that Mr. Tolle is also taking Mr. Krishnamurti’s footsteps…
It is just amazing to realize how much people love to talk about love rather than being lovers. Same goes with mindfulness, goodness and wisdom. Rather than living mindful, good and wise, they analyze about mindfulness, goodness and wisdom. Embracing the Power of Now? Rather than living Now, they talk about how to live Now while constantly moving back and forward to the past and future. It is truly absurd and frustrating to repeat the same talk about certain issues again and again, while it all falls onto deaf ears because not many are truly listening. As much as we are paranoid about talking than listening that can only happen in Now, we are forever going to miss the trains to our destinations.
Truth, happiness, peace and harmony…they elude us like mirage. Our inborn nature, the longing for highest truth in us, always look up for something loftier than mundane. That is why there are so many quacks that use the name of religion and spirituality to cheat and abuse people. The naives are those ignorants who believe others’ talks in the face value. We just have to know how to distinguish the truths for our own good if we were not to get dragged around by the nose in the market place of spirituality.
Whatever I have seen some-twenty years ago in my US days, now, coming to the shore of Malaysia… Lately a lot of spiritual products in the New Age era are rushing over here. Outdated over there, arriving here now, each claiming to offer salvation, love, bliss and spiritual freedom to our famished material souls. I am not saying they are wrong. It is just that I am reminding you to take all of that with a pinch of salts. Too sweet consumption, you might get diabetes. It is all matter of balancing the trinity in us—body, mind and spirit. Don’t swing to one side only. Come back to the other side as well as the pause in between. Don’t get into too much mood making. Don’t do too much thinking and talking and planning for the future. Learn to rest in Now.
The Now is the Pause in between, in our breaths. When you can live more of your breathing awareness, then, you can also understand what Mr. Tolle is talking about, what Mr. Krishnamurti is talking about. Mindfulness meditation, Loving-Kindness meditation…they all have roots in the Breaths. You can truly experience and actually live all those wonderful things they talk about when you can discover the pause in between the breaths. Until then, what sounds sweet to ears will remain just one step out of your reach. They can’t be yours.
Your life is depended on your breaths. So is the Now, so is your health, happiness, love and material/spiritual emancipations. The Now is in the Pause in between our breaths, so easy to forget, but so easy to get in touch, as soon as you can remember.
Breathe in, breathe out, and pause; breathe in, breathe out, and pause…there lies the eternal humdrum of our godly nature. One step forward, breathe in, one step forward breathe out, one step forward, pause your breath…we walk side by side with our Holy Spirit or Buddha nature. How can you be not mindful, loving, kind or blissful when you become just That. Don’t waste time and energy talking about, thinking about, discussing over it. Don’t fret over it for ages trying. Just do. Just breathe in, out and pause but, you have to put your whole awareness to it instead of running on auto-pilot mode. It is much easier than you think. Even your toddlers can do. Why not you? Now, let's do breathing together. Breathing in, breathing out and pause…search for where the breathing is happening? Tummy, chest? It doesn’t really matter as long as you continue be mindful of your breaths; your body will know what to do, your mind will calm down in no time, and your spirit will shine forward brightly… Trust me.
