The present moment (the Now) is the only reality you ever have. The past is just a memory trace in the mind, and the future is an imagined projection. Life only ever unfolds in a continuous stream of present moments.

Tolle explains that the ego (a false, mind-made sense of self) thrives on psychological time. It keeps itself alive by dwelling on past memories, regrets, and grievances or by projecting itself into the future with worries, anxieties, and desires for fulfillment that are always around the corner. To the ego, the present moment barely exists except as a means to an end — creating a vicious cycle. Awareness is the way out. 

Using a Q&A format, Tolle dismantles the egoic mind and guides us toward a deep, personal connection with our inner "Being." Through practical reflections and simple exercises, we learn to witness our thoughts instead of becoming them, opening a space of stillness beneath the mental noise. From that stillness, we experience peace that isn’t dependent on circumstances and begin to live with greater ease, clarity, and compassion. The Power of Now serves as both a manual and a reminder to return, again and again, to the quiet awareness where life is actually unfolding.

What you can get from reading it:

• Concrete tools for disidentifying with the constant stream of thoughts & mental chatter that creates anxiety about the past or future.
• Dissolve the pain-body, an energetic field of old emotional pain that sabotages present happiness.
• The real meaning of surrender as an invitation to accept what is in any given moment, transforming acceptance into proactive, spiritual power rather than passive resignation.
• Use the present moment (the "Now") as a direct entry point into the eternal, formless dimension of pure consciousness, or Being.
• Bring presence into your interactions with others, dissolving drama and leading to deeper, more authentic connections.
• Experience a radical shift in perspective that reorients your life from a time-bound chase to a peaceful, purpose-driven existence rooted in being present.

about the author

Eckhart Tolle himself brings an unusual mix of intellectual rigor and lived awakening: a German-born former academic who left postgraduate studies after a sudden, life-changing inner shift pulled him out of years of depression. He went on to become a globally recognized spiritual teacher whose work draws from many traditions while staying non-dogmatic, which helps his writing feel both deeply rooted and widely accessible.