With the 1999 release of The Power of Now, a The New York Times No. 1 bestselling book about the spiritual power of living in the moment, Eckhart Tolle became one of the most popular and influential authors in the mind/body/spirit marketplace, and that popularity has only grown. The Power of Now has been translated into…
I already respected and had personally benefited from Eckart Tolle’s teachings when my friend Jess and I sat down with Eckhart at his publisher’s home in Vancouver, British Columbia. I have interviewed a pretty fair number of impressive spiritual teachers over many years. Nonetheless, I remember being truly affected by Eckhart’s very presence. Because that’s…
Ray: What can help people better understand the now — what the present moment really is, and what they really are? Eckhart: Most people equate the now, the present moment, with what happens in the now. They think there are many different moments, thousands of moments every day, because different things are happening every…
Ray Hemachandra: How practical is the practice of alignment with the present moment? For example, is making money at odds with an enlightened mode of being? Eckhart Tolle: If the main purpose of what you do is making money, then of course, yes. You are using what you do as a means to an end,…
Ray: Why is stress so common, and what are the consequences of people living stress-based lives? Eckhart: The whole world accepts that being stressed is the normal way to live. In fact, people think you have to be stressed to be successful. They think if you are not stressed, something is wrong with you. But…
Ray: If awareness means recognizing being conscious as our inner purpose and living accordingly, does awareness encourage passivity by making specific life goals irrelevant at the most important level? Eckhart: Some people say they can be conscious only when they sit quietly. One woman said to me, “I can be spiritual when I sit alone…
