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

I loved this book. The information itself I have been hearing and experiencing for many years as I personally open and grow. It's about waking up people! Becoming conscious and remebering who you are. Thank you Eckhart Tolle for bringing this out in such a big way as we are all in a time of big change.

Eckhart Tolle speaks from a place of love and consciousness that is truly expanded. Our divine nature is within us, ready to be remembered if we can only move past the pain and drama that we have mistaken for "US".
If I was on a desert Island, this would be the one book I would want to have.
Light and love to you all
Karen

This year has been a potporri of severe physical and emotional pain for myself- after reading A New Earth- I feel so much better knowing "suffering is OK" (burning off of the ego) and knowing that if other people (or yourself ) are very unusually quiet- it is one of two things- they are dwelling on the past or worried about the future. I have always thought that the "unseen" is all there truly is in life- and everything else is a passing illusion.
"What we see will only last a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:18

This was a most worthwhile read. As others more knowledgable on the subjects Tolle covers have pointed out, the book certainly is not perfect and to some is merely a rehash of principles that they are already well aware of. However, for someone like me, who stumbles upon this book front and center aisle at Target while the kids are checking out the pc games, it is a breath of fresh air whose positives greatly outweigh its negatives. I don't expect complete synthesis with any non-fiction work. (If I want a perfect read, I'll read Emily Bronte). With a book like this, I am looking for something, anything, to enlighten or illuminate or stir or enhance or give some kind of guidance in a positive direction to what goes on in my mind and in my interaction with others. We all know that feeling; when something we see or read has a
profound effect. If it is just one sentence or one page, it will have been worth the read. This book achieves that effect many times over.

One thing of note; this book was definitely written by someone who does not speak English as their native language. Doesn't matter how well one learns a language; if it's not your native tongue there will inevitably be subtle nuances that are lacking. For a book like this, maybe that is a good thing because there is no clouding of the issue with elaborate or artful phrasing. Some passages come across rather bluntly. Perhaps this bluntness is misinterpreted by some as a lecturing style of pompousness or self-righteousness. I saw neither of the two; to me the book was simply observation after observation. And some of the observations were truly eye-opening, such as the idea that "man made God in his own image" - what a potent observation! Also, Tolle's advice to avoid dealing with and looking at others in the context of roles, and more so as fellow human beings instead. There is no denying the validity of advice like this.

I really don't know much, if anything, about Buddhism or Hinduism. This book made me want to learn more. Tolle has great respect for the world's religions, and he successfully points out their interconnectedness to each other. We truly are all members of the same species. I really appreciated his insights into Jesus Christ's teachings, not just on a religious level for me as a Christian but on a much broader level for us as human beings. I don't know what or any religion Tolle practices, but it didn't matter. Much of the wisdoms of the world's religions transcend their own followers and are beneficial to all.

Again, some or all of this may have already been covered by others, but for me Tolle laid it out quite nicely and I am grateful for it.

The ideal way to read this book is once through, and then a second time with a highlighter, noting passages and insights that you find inspiring or thought-provoking. That makes it easier to go back and experience the best the book has to offer whenever you "need" to, so to speak.

This book is really helping my husband and me with our relationship. It is an interesting read and I would recommend it to anyone with an open mind.