Stillness Speaks
by Eckhart Tolle
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Book Reviews of Stillness Speaks
Book Review: A Handy Reference to Staying on Track
Summary: 5 Stars
At first glance "Stillness Speaks" may seem like less of a "real book" than "The Power of Now" or "A New Earth". It is smaller in size, shorter and does not have the same kind of continuity in the sense of going on an inward journey. Yet that is exactly what appeals to me about it. This is the kind of book I can place on my nightstand, open to any page, read a few ideas to ponder and put away for the night (or day).
For someone who is struggling to integrate the concepts in Tolle's other books, this one may not have much appeal. For for those who have done the inner work, who have been on the journey for a while, this book offers succulent reminders of ways to continually bring ourselves back to appreciating every moment and manifestation of life. For example, after writing the last sentence I randomly opened the book to page 72 and read, "Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand and becoming comfortable with not knowing." This is such a simple idea, profound and yet a tremendous challenge for most seekers.
This is not a book to read from cover to cover. It is a book to ponder a bit at a time. The ideas presented are so rich with meaning that trying to absorb it by simply reading would render the mind dull and bloated. It is a meditation tool, a garden of ideas, any one of which has the potential to expand consciousness.
Book Review: Comprehendible but not comprehensive
Summary: 4 Stars
The author-reviewer who claimed that Eckhart Tolle just wrote "Stillness Speaks" in his own style despite what the common market wants is inaccurate. Tolle's title and cover alone suggest media tampering, and playing to the market and sacred dollar-given that Tolle chooses to hide-away and write instead of publicly teach.
Other writers have now jumped on the "The Power of Now" money-train (Tolle's first bestseller) to come up with ludicrous, convoluted titles like "The Power of this Moment".
What these one-step wonder books miss out on is comprehensiveness. The logic of "the now is all there is" philosophy is that there is nowhere to go after that - except writing books for profit. Tolle no longer sits on park-benches watching life go by but toils at his laptop so he has more lira to buy.
However, as a spiritual person, I would say that there are indeed further steps which these books do not broach. There is impersonal social responsibility as proclaimed by Andrew Cohen. Diet and energy-work to prepare for enlightenment taught by Dave Oshana. Simple being as taught by masters like Ramana Maharshi and Poonjaji.
However I would not want to see these topics written about by those who don't know about them as they were experts. So its just as well that certain authors do not go there. My advice is to find a really comprehensive teaching.
Book Review: Succinct, Insightful, Superb
Summary: 5 Stars
Eckhart Tolle deserves to be congratulated for driving home clearly Buddha's messagge of "Tathata" or "suchness" or as Echart Tolle puts it, "isness". The "Sutras" in this book of compact wisdom will help you to lead a life of joy without conflict. How can conflict arise if you accept things as they are, not out of helplessness but from a deep internal knowing?This book is very timely in its message when there is so much of unnnecessary suffering inflicted by humans on themselves. The peace and stillness is your birthright. Eckart Tolle points the way with as much love and wisdom as a top-rate Zen master.
But I cannot help exhorting you to devour the books by the incomparable Osho (Rajneesh) who is the author of more than a hundred books. If this sounds overwhelming, please start first with "A cup Of Tea", and "Be Still and Know". The following is from " Be Still and Know"
"Modern man has forgotten how to relate with existence; he has forgotten how to whisper with the clouds and the trees and the mountains. He has completely forgotten the language of silence ... because it is the language of silence that becomes a bridge between you and the universe that surrounds you. The universe knows no other language. On the earth there are three thousand languages; existence knows no other language except the language of silence.
Book Review: How to activate that non-conceptual intelligence within
Summary: 5 Stars
"Stillness Speaks" is another fantastic book by Eckhart Tolle. In it he urges us to get in touch with inner stillness, our essential nature -- beyond words.
Religious and political dogmas arise out of the erroneous belief that words can encapsulate reality or Truth. According to Tolle, dogmas are collective conceptual prisons that cause of so much conflict and pain in the world. No thought can encapsulate truth -- at best it can point to it.
If we are to be happy and survive on this planet we need to get in touch with that inner space beyond words. In the words of Mr. Tolle, "We need to get in touch with intelligence itself, the underlying consciousness out of which every form is born." But how do we activate that non-conceptual dimension of intelligence within us that is far greater than the egoic mind? Mr. Tolle is obviously talking about meditation here.
I have discovered a meditation course where you can "feel the aliveness in your body that anchors you to the NOW and get rooted in Being, your divine reality," and you can do this in a controlled environment for a 10-day period. This course is described in The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation by William Hart.
Book Review: A wonderful spiritual book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great follow up to the Power of Now. Eckhart takes universal spiritual truths that have been known to mystics for years and shares them with the general population. This book is written in the same form as Buddhist Sutras. The book is short and to the point.
Examples from the book:
Whatever you accept completely will take you to peace.
Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand and becoming comfortable with not knowing.
Through "you" formless consciousness has become aware of itself through you.
Spiritual awakening is awakening from the dream of thought.
Eckhart uses Zen teachings and quotes Jesus and Buddha several times in his book. Of all the books I have read I believe Eckhart Tolle is the most enlightened. I detect no Ego in his writings and he seems to write from a higher level of consciousness than most of us live at. He teaches that the ego is not us, we are the witnessing awareness, we need to quit getting lost in our stream of thought and stay aware of the present moment. We also need to stop falling under the delusion of our conditioned mind (pain body)and see life as it really is. The main teaching is to quit resisting life and embrace what is. 5 star book read it until you get it.