A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle...a review by yours truly:o

[Liam_Saiful_Din]

Has anyone read this book? Do you have any thoughts on it? I bought it based on a recommendation from a friend and it arrived a few days back.

So I get the book and the first thing I notice is this big "O" stuck on the front to indicate that is has been recommended by (gulps to hold back the vomit) Oprah's Book Club. I immediately called him up and gave him some of the best grade A profanity my mouth could spew. Laughingly, he told me to just go ahead and read the book. So read it I did.

Before opening it though, I noticed it was from Namaste publishers which is a publication known for putting out Buddhist literature...I should know, I was a very devout Buddhist before embracing Islam. Then I see the picture of the author; a little German guy named Ekhart Tolle. He's an odd looking little man that looks like an elf from the Keebler tree who was ousted from the group for injecting growth hormones and forced to live life outside the tree as a spiritual guru instead of making wonderful Keebler goodness.Well, now Oprah has "discovered" him and people are going nuts over this guy's spiritual teachings.

In any case I start to read the book and within the first 10 pages, my built in bull**** detector starts heating up almost to the point of meltdown. This guy downplays religion in todays society and basically says that mankind is too advanced for religious dogma. Rather, he suggests that people become "spiritual" by becoming "aware" and leaving behind the hurt caused by the "pain-body" which in Islam is simply called the nafs.

This guy clearly steals ideas from the very religions he downplays and makes them into his own brand of thought. He calls it "being in the now". Just in the first 10 pages alone, there are references to Lao Tzu as well as the Buddha and his teachings are so obviously influenced by them that I'm amazed that Oprah and all these other morons are jumping all over this book as if it's something new. It's nothing new! Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and others have always taught about overcoming the lower self. Not only that, it was taught in a way that MADE SENSE.

My wife and I caught some of this character on youtube and watched him for about 10 minutes. After he was done my wife sat in silence and I broke that silence with a loud "what the **** did he just say?!"

Look, if you watch Oprah, that's okay. We all have our faults. But do not waste your time with this book. If you wanna read a book by a German nut case, go read Mein Kampf or something.

[Jamroll]

Salam,

Lol, entertaining review.

I've read two of his books, The Power of Now (which I believe is his original book), and Stillness Speaks (which is a summarised collection of quotes from the first book and other sources).

I actually found the Power of Now quite an interesting book. What I tend to do with books of this nature is sift through all the BS ideas, as you put it, and look to see if there is anything of benefit in it. I actually thought it was quite a useful theory. It basically encourages living in the moment to lessen anxiety and worry about the past and the future. Like you say, it borrows ideas from ancient Eastern philosophies, like Zen and Taoism, and repackages them in a way that people who live immersed in the contemporary mindset would understand better.

[Liam_Saiful_Din]

You actually got through two of his books?! You must be the man of steel everyone says you are!

[Summers]

Liam_Saiful_Din said

You actually got through two of his books?! You must be the man of steel everyone says you are!

His name is Jamroll, and nickname Twinkie.

[shadha]

His book has been selling like crazy.


shadha-

[MossadConspiracy]

that sounds so incredibly boring

such a shame, considering the title could easily be for a cool scifi story