HN Books @HNBooksMonth

I think the only book I can recall having a direct impact on my conscious awareness was The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle[0].

The book is very easy to read and quite enjoyable with everything that it includes. I definitely recommend to check it out.

[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenme...

⬐ septerr

Same. And I recommend the audio book over the print. The format of presentation in the audio book and hearing Eckhart himself talk makes a big difference.

⬐ jayavanth

Same! As you mentioned: "What is my next thought going to be?" was my trigger as well.

If this book seems too woo-woo for some, or the term God triggers you, you should check out a book called Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Here are other meditations that leads me into the present moment:

   - Am I alive?

   - Do nothing for 30-60 mins

   - Who am I?

   - What do I know for certain?

⬐ leobg

Same here. First time I tried to read it, I literally smashed it angrily in the floor. But I came back to it a while later. And then it clicked. I read many more books by “E.T.” after that, and also loved his audio lectures (audiobooks, YouTube, Eckhart Tolle TV). That was a while back, though. Ten years or so.

Those who enjoy Eckhart will probably also enjoy Osho. His talks had a similar effect on me. With Osho, it is helpful that he is no longer around. So it’s easier to look past the cultish aspects of his person.

⬐ carabiner

I liked PON but it did seem to fall under the "thanks I'm cured" or "happiness is a choice" school of personal development. It works for some people, maybe those who sometimes fall under a bad mood once in a while, but doesn't do much for real mental illness. It's like telling a lifelong alcoholic that drinking is a choice or an overweight person that eating is just a choice. How do you stay on that horse if you fall off it nearly every waking hour?

⬐ StopDarkPattern

How to tell someone is trying to trash something. Unnecessary abbreviations. Its literally everywhere. The Power of Now is a transformational book and is extremely enlightening. Everyone should read it.

⬐ fastball

Not sure I understand your comment? Are you criticizing that GC abbreviated the books as PON rather than spelling out Power of Now?

⬐ ChrisClark

I was very skeptical about this book, and even while reading along I'd get the feeling of "uh, this is way out there wacko", but I decided to just take it at it's word and follow along.

And now I am able to briefly enter a state of complete acceptance and feel pure love flowing through me, like the perfect hug from a perfect being that understands me in every way. The first time I actually teared up a bit, the feeling of being accepted the way I was with no judgement.

It could be God, it could be "collective consciousness", it could be me just tricking my brain into releasing endorphins (and I'm leaning towards that explanation). But the result is amazing, it has seriously helped me with anxiety, fear, self hatred, etc.

⬐ pksebben

It's the God-focus that immediately turned me off to Eckhart. I've had plenty of people recommend him, and own a copy of the power of now, but I can't get past the feeling that there's a hidden agenda. I'm all about being present and experiencing the world through different lenses - I like new ideas and I'm open to thinking differently, but that higher power thing just puts every synapse I have on high alert.

⬐ rthomas6

For what it's worth, that book is probably most to blame for shoving me hard from Christianity to secular agnosticism. I grew up being able to feel God's presence and love. The Power of Now helped me look at where that feeling originates (internally), how it is connected to me, and how universal it is across various traditions and religions throughout time. What is it? I don't know. But calling it God and being done with it doesn't describe it well. It's a part of you and your brain is involved in the process.

⬐ ChrisClark

Yeah, I know something is happening in my brain's state, but it's no proof of anything else "out there". But I can completely understand those people now, and how they can take this feeling and believe there really is something else there.

Though it's infinitely more likely it's all still inside my fleshy brain. :)

⬐ sage92

Well why not address the elephant in the room. He's not going about his message subtlety:

"You used the word Being. Can you explain what you mean by that?

Being is the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death. However, Being is not only beyond but also deep within every form as its innermost invisible and indestructible essence. This means that it is accessible to you now as your own deepest self, your true nature. But don't seek to grasp it with your mind. Don't try to understand it. You can know it only when the mind is still. When you are present, when your attention is fully and intensely in the Now, Being can be felt, but it can never be understood mentally. To regain awareness of Being and to abide in that state of “feeling- realization” is enlightenment." Ch. 1 The Greatest Obstacle to Enlightenment

There it is. That's what he considers to be God. Mind you, those are just the words he chose. He mentions that words are merely signposts. Think of pointers in programming languages.

"If you are unable to look beyond such interpretations and so cannot recognize the reality to which the word points, then don't use it. Don't get stuck on the level of words. A word is no more than a means to an end. It's an abstraction. Not unlike a signpost, it points beyond itself. The word honey isn't honey. You can study and talk about honey for as long as you like, but you won't really know it until you taste it. After you have tasted it, the word becomes less important to you. You won't be attached to it anymore. Similarly, you can talk or think about God continuously for the rest of your life, but does that mean you know or have even glimpsed the reality to which the word points? It really is no more than an obsessive attachment to a signpost, a mental idol." Ch 6 Look beyond the Words

⬐ tomrod

This state of being is a focus of Sam Harris' Waking Up book, and one he discusses in some of his initial podcast episodes. The beatific state achievable by meditation, deep prayer, or psychedelics sounds very therapeutic.

Note I'm not a Sam Harris acolyte, but I do appreciate his logic-first approach to understanding the world, the mind, current events, and life generally.

⬐ ChrisClark

Thanks for the recommendation, I'm going to check out that book too.

⬐ systemsignal

Did you have to practice to achieve this or just from reading the book?

⬐ ChrisClark

I really didn't have to practice. I just read the book and followed some of the directions like, "Ask yourself in your head, what am I going to think about next?"

It is a way to kind of 'separate' your consciousness from your 'thinking'. I don't really have the right words, but you then just observe your own analytical mind. You can observe without judgement, and at that point you're not thinking about the future or the past, but only the present moment exists.

In those moments I can then use thinking as a tool, but in the same way I use my hand to grab something, I'm not always using my hand, and in that state I'm not always using my analytical mind, only when needed.

It's in that state that I feel 'love' or something like it throughout my entire body. I feel like a huge weight is taken off me and I can just relax. And with hints of that love extending outwards and through everything. Something I've never believed in, it could be all internal to my brain still, but I understand how people can feel like there is something else out there.

Random 'thinking' thoughts come and go in that state, you just observe them, acknowledge them, and let them go. And I've heard that's very similar to what most people say about meditation.

He goes on to say that state of mind can become permanent. You live in the moment and only choose when to think about the future and planning, only use that part of you when needed. Worrying about the future all the time is not good, but there are times when you do need to think and plan. You don't always have to analyze everything, but choose to do so when it's needed.

I am nowhere near that point, not sure I could get there. But it does sound appealing, constantly enjoying the present moment, but also deciding when you should learn from the past or think about the future. But not be obsessed with it.

As a side note, I find right when I hit that state, most of the time, I yawn. Yawning is still kind of a mystery, but some current research shows it could be extra excitement of the brain, or even extra brain cooling. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3678674/ Maybe I'm just using a lot more brain power and energy to focus on my consciousness or just to focus on all my senses? All just random guesses, I know barely anything about it.

⬐ walkhour

Thank you for sharing!

⬐ trts

I can remember having a similar experience the first time I read it. Although I saw value in it, it seemed weird. I later recommended it to people who found it just too bizarre or radical to get through.

Coincidentally I just finished the audiobook again today. I couldn't count how many times that makes. With all other things that seemed significant to me, they mostly fell by the wayside of my changing experiences or perspectives. The Power of Now is the only book that has seemed _more true_ every time I've read it, and at every stage of my life.

It's lucky that Eckhart is alive to narrate the audiobooks, as his voice almost in and of itself conveys the meaning of his writing.

I am glad it helped you. Truly it is the most life-changing book I've read.

Read: the power of now

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenme...

This might not be a universal solution, but one interesting book that might help is "The Power of Now" http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Now-Spiritual-Enlightenment/... as it deals with mind's tendency to degrade into negative thoughts to the point where those negative thoughts and emotions are controlling. It's an older title that any library would have.

I didn't give the Amazon.com URL before. So i had to repost.

⬐ mitmads

I didn't give the Amazon.com URL before. So i had to repost.

I really enjoyed 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle. If you have not read it yet, the book starts with Eckhart's "I" and "myself" realization... very powerful stuff imo.

It's in audio book format too.

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenmen...

⬐ MichaelGG

Book also starts off with a mention of how quantum entanglement proves something about "metaphysics".