A New Earth: Oprah's Book Club: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

Mind blowing. I have this book on audible and have listened to it a few times now. The physical edition I'm writing this review for I bought as a gift. A New Earth is an amazing journey into a new way of seeing the world. I've been doing quite a lot of reading into consciousness and ego and this book seems to bring together all the various threads I've come across so far - into a fabulous life changing whole. Highly recommend for anyone interested in understanding more about the human mind and how we rerlate to the world.

Alright, lemme break it down for you. This. Book. Changed. My. LIFE! On a serious note, the change in perspective that came with reading this book is real. I honestly felt like I made a spiritual breakthrough that allowed me to really take control of my life. Reading this book answered so many questions for me and a lot of things finally started to make sense and seem clear. If you feel lost and require a bit of guidance, I would highly recommend this book. This book offers insight to those who are ready for an awakening, and if you don't feel anything from this book, it's most likely you're not ready.

I found it hard to pick up this book initially believing it would be a poor sequel to The Power of Now. How wrong I was. It takes the central message of its predecessor and expands it. Oh my how Eckhart expands it. This book is liking taking your own mind through an almost endless vortex of conscious self discovery. Like The Power of Now, it is hard to read at times. And again, not because the information is hard to understand. The information is easy to understand, which is the problem. The hardness, once again, is the acceptance of said information. Everyone I spoke to who read The Power of Now, which includes fellow counsellors like myself and including myself, could not read a relatively short book within days or a week. Everyone, including myself, had to stop reading it part of the way through. Which is what I did 20 perfect of the way through before I picked it up again a year later and finished it. And then read the whole book again twice more. This book however, A New Earth, had me willing and able to read it over the course of a weekend and I feel so much better for it. A simple concept that Eckhart expertly espouses, the acceptance of one's simple truths. Simple, yet extremely difficult. Even if you accept that it's your own unconsciousness or ego getting in the way. It's so hard to wake fully after sleep walking for a long period of time. And once again, this book will do just that. A mind awakening. And like Power of Now, I will read again and again. As the information never gets old. Simple truths that endlessly assimilate with endless time.

I think this book is better than what Eckhart Tolle has previously written. I personally enjoy reading his perspectives on the ego and the examples on how we act from ego in our everyday lives. However, I am not able to fully adopt his viewpoints on the ego: I find myself only agreeing to a certain point before I (or my ego I guess) begins to object. It seems to me that the author advocates a complete annihilation of ego. It is certainly easy to get the impression that our egos are bad and being rit of them is good. I not only wonder how we are supposed to rit the world from all these egos, I also wonder whether or not it would actually be preferable. It seems to me that if we all got rit of our egos, then mankind would be grocely uniform. If anything, it must be our egos that create diversity and I certainly prefere diversity to uniformity. Furthermore I am bothered by the idea of "losing myself" by ritting myself of the very charactaristiscs and qualities which make me stand out as a unique individual. Surely ego cannot be all bad? I certainly resist the idea that there should be anything installed in our make-up which does not serve some valuable purpose in one way or the other. With that being said, I still enjoy reading the authors perspectives on the detrimates of our egos - and fortunately "A new earth" is packed with it. But he really does make some interesting points or observations and they certainly helped me become more aware of myself in certain situations. So I have most definately gained something of value by reading this book. Now, when it comes right down to it, I personally do not lose track of the fact, that the idea that we have an ego is exactly that - an idea. The existence of a so-called ego cannot really be verified or refused. Yet I can still employ and explore the idea that we have an ego and gain from that perspective, without losing myself completely in the idea itself. The above is a very important point, because this is exactly how far I advocate this book. I have personally read and used Eckhart Tolle books as a way of trying to understand certain areas or charactaristics of man - a model if you will. Therefore I have gained something from author's books, despite the fact that we certainly disagree on certain points. I have read this book several times by now and even recommended it to a close relative of mine. I simply recommend that the reader fully understands that all of this ego-stuff is essentially just a collection of ideas; an attempt (amongst many) to describe the wierd and wacky nature of man. I thereby only recommend using this book properly as a tool or model, rather than allowing it to become ones whole life philosophy or sole frame of reference in respect to understanding what it entails to be a human being.

Great book. Bought one for my mum as well.

The power of now gave such an in-depth understanding about what it means to prioritize the present moment in my day to day life. And the new earth create way more awareness about the voice in my head ( the ego ) by being conscious about how it operates and practical ways to detach from it. What a great book

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I bought this for someone else.

Eckert Tolle's book "A New Earth" hardly needs another Amazon book review considering the 1,451 that have been submitted so far. After reading a number of the reviews, I was startled by the extraordinary esoteric thinking of many the reviewers. This is hardly typical of the average American mind. It appears the "New Age" movement has grown exponentially and it demonstrates the immense hunger for spirituality that has been so suppressed in American culture. In a way, this is sad because it represents a hunger that much of the institutional church is not fulfilling. The critical issue is that Christian spirituality is meant to be pro-active, generating the powerful forces of love, compassion, forgiveness and caring for others while the new secular spirituality can be extremely self-centered. I have chosen to write this book review from the perspective a Catholic peace and social activist. Regardless, none of these reviews can substitute reading "A New Earth" because one needs to personally taste the absolute eloquence and powerful spiritual insights found in Eckhart Tolle's writing. Reading Eckhart Tolle is transformational. His writing is therapeutic. Chapter three, "The Core of Ego", is definitely a prime instructional source for good mental health. "A New Earth" is one of the most important books of our time. It needs to be read by all inquiring spiritual minds and those struggling to understand the increasing violence and insanity in the world. Eckhart Tolle's book presents a clear understanding of human consciousness, profound spirituality and the beginnings of a radical and evolutionary awakening of a higher consciousness. To arrive at this higher consciousness, Eckhart Tolle delves deeply into the dysfunction of the human ego, both in the individual and in the institutions of power and wealth. To Eckhart Tolle, "The greatest achievement of humanity is not its works of art, science or technology, but the recognition of its own dysfunction, its own madness". Eckhart Tolle states how the love of things can contribute to the domination of the human ego and how a consumer society honors material things as a means to self-enhancement.....it distorts our perception of reality and the true nature of our humanity. To quote Eckhart Tolle: "Ego-identification with things creates attachment to things, obsession with things, which in turn creates our consumer society and economic structures where the only measure of progress is always more. The unchecked striving for more, for endless growth, is a dysfunction and a disease. It is the same dysfunction the cancerous cell manifests, whose only goal is to multiply itself, unaware that it is bringing about its own destruction by destroying the organism of which is a part". With "A New Earth" chosen by the Oprah Book Club, and the numerous appearances of Eckhart Tolle on the Oprah Winfrey show, Oprah has played a big role in elevating the spiritual consciousness of hundreds of thousands of American readers. Oprah must be commended for this. As I understand it, more than any other book in recent history, this book was read and reviewed by the vast majority of book clubs in the U.S. I hope "A New Earth" will be the beginning of much needed maturity in American thinking and in American Christianity as well. Yes, to me, Christianity in America needs to mature in a spiritual way if ever there is to be greater maturity in American culture. A higher spiritual consciousness is the essential element for radical social transformation. As Fr. Richard Rohr, of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, NM, would say, Christianity in America has become a belonging system, "us" against "them", rather than a system for personal transformation. The tragedy is that Christianity has become in some ways just another institution seeking its own perpetuation and power, dominated by the human ego. The dysfunction of the human ego is what Christ tried so hard to get through to the minds of his disciples, particularly when he told Peter, the "first pope", to "get behind me you devil" (Mathiew 24,15) or "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye" (Mathew 7). Christ had the perfect non-dualistic mind. In fact, addressing the human ego goes to the heart of all of the world's major religions, but Christianity seems to have walked away from it. Christianity chose to do so when it became part of the Roman Empire in 325 AD. Since then, Christianity has had a hard time critiquing the system and the unjust status quo that stems from the dysfunction of the human ego. Christianity has found it difficult to critique the system because it has become a part of the system. The culturally imprisoned mindset of many American Christians is totally contrary to the mind of Christ. As mentioned, addressing the problem of the human ego goes to the heart of all of the world's major religions. But not often enough do religious or spiritual writers critique the institutions of corporate capitalism. Eckhart Tolle's book is most timely to stimulate a new national conversation, particularly when considering America's "never ending war" against terrorism and the near dictatorial powers of the U.S. Military Industrial Complex. It is time U.S. citizens recognize that government propaganda in support of war and the interests of corporate capitalism is a force that strategically preys on the weaknesses of the human ego. Actually corporate capitalism can be said to be diabolical as it seeks to enrich itself by altering human consciousness. This then exaggerates the human ego that has led to a dysfunctional society. Eckhart Tolle never used the word "capitalism". Yet the underlying message of his writing is a severe critique of capitalism. I guess you could say the word "capitalism" has been "sanctified" in America, the unspoken word or the unseen elephant in the living room. Eckhart Tolle avoids saying in a direct manner, "corporate capitalism is intrinsically evil and unsustainable" or "corporate consumer capitalism alters human consciousness and is the destroyer of the human spirit". You have to come to that conclusion yourself. In March 2009, there was a conference at the Center of Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, NM called "The Emerging Church: Christians Creating a New World Together". This conference was attended by a thousand people, about half of whom were Catholic, the rest were mainline and evangelical Protestants and other Christians. Many of those at the conference believed that the future of the church will be the coming together of like minded people from all denominations who seek a more prophetic and contemplative faith. A higher global consciousness that is seeking a more just, sustainable and compassionate world is already a powerful emerging force in the world. The "emerging church" seeks to be part of this higher social consciousness. It seeks to serve as praxis and as co-creator for the evolutionary destiny of humankind to consciously provide for the survival of it's own species. An increasing number of Christians view this higher consciousness as the universal consciousness of the risen Christ. To these Christians, the salvation and survival of humankind is what the death and resurrection of Christ is all about. A more contemplative faith is about centering oneself in Presence, through meditation and contemplation, seeking wisdom through the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is done by embracing opposing thoughts and coming to spiritual discernment. Particularly for a Catholic activist, this centering of the human spirit is the critical means of overcoming personal anger when so involved in non-violent civic activism. Spiritual discernment goes to the heart of a healthy democracy as well. A healthy democracy is truly an act of the human spirit. Democracy is meant to work for the common good and to question the unjust status quo. This is why corporate capitalism hates democracy and seeks to destroy it with the total corruption of the U.S. Congress. I see the teachings of scholars like Eckhart Tolle and the emerging church movement as bringing maturity to Christianity in the 21st Century. It is the coming together of like minded people of all faiths that see the human ego, enticed by the institutions of corporate capitalism, as being the prime cause of social unrest, the scapegoating of others and the waging of war. It cannot be denied, the oppression of global capitalism is the cause of the "blow-back" of terrorism. This blow-back from war and economic domination is in reality the powerful forces of spirituality at work, the liberation of the human spirit. In meditation and contemplation, where we seek to separate ourselves from the dominance of the human ego, we can come to see what the Divine Spirit wants us to see, the holiness of all people, to understand our own brokenness and thus becoming able to forgive others with compassion. Father Richard Rohr stated so well in a September 4, 2009 article in the National Catholic Reporter that another word for contemplation is non-dualistic thinking. "That's what makes people able to be merciful and forgiving. You can't love your enemies with a low level dualistic mind. It's impossible. You don't have the software to know how to do it. So we tell people to love your enemies. A normal Catholic can't do that with the software that he or she has been given. Catholics were never taught they need a different consciousness to understand the Gospel".

„A New Earth“ is one of the best books I have ever read.

For this price, you’d at least expect a cosmetically fine book. Other than that, the book speaks for itself, it’s decent.

EL SERVICIO DE AMAZON ES EXCELENTE Y EL LIBRO UNA JOYA

This book is absolutely amazing. It talks about humanity awakening to their true essence. Eckhart explains what happens during the awakening process and how we are moving towards an egoless earth. I found this book very helpful since I have started the awakening process and needed a guide to explain what is happening. I found this book at the perfect time when I needed it. This book is a must read.