Stillness Speaks : Whispers of Now

I found this book to be very insightful. It's written very clearly, and cuts right through challenging thoughts. It's 'paragraph' layout makes it easy to read, and fitting for the kind of book it is. I'd recommend it to anyone with an open mind seeking Truth.

Eckhart Tolle has been a favorite of mine since I read 'The Power of Now' years ago. 'Stillness Speaks' is full of bite-sized bits of wisdom from this great author. Check him out on YouTube. He has a very engaging and genuine way of speaking his truth.

A great book to pick up for a few minutes of reflection and review of those truths I want to always keep being reminded of as I continue my Journey into "God."
The orders I received were actually for my daughter and niece as gifts I wanted for them to also enjoy.

.
The fact that this book stirs up controversy speaks of its real power, and the power of any teaching that goes beyond the narrow range of our human expectations.

In the Introduction, Tolle says, "If you come to a spiritual teacher - or this book - looking for stimulating ideas, theories, beliefs, intellectual discussions, then you will be disappointed. In other words, if you are looking for food for thought, you won't find it, and you will miss the very essence of the teaching, the essence of this book, which is not in the words but within yourself."

And later, "Allow the book to do its work, to awaken you from the old grooves of your repetitive and conditioned thinking."

"This book, of course, uses words.... the thoughts within this book don't say 'Look at me.' but 'Look beyond me.' Because the thoughts came out of stillness, they have power -- the power to take you back into the same stillness from which they arose."

I have nothing to add to this clarity.

This is a very nice book that you can read one paragraph at a time, just to remind you and help you not to get your self lost in the problems of your life and look a bit more into your self, one paragraph at a time

my opinion-- Most authors want you to take the negitive and using various methods change to the positive in thought word and deed.Eckhart teaches, no shows me what is negitive or false and to own it. Then the truth becomes evident

I've read all of Tolle's books, this one was certainly moving for me. it's a great handbook for life. if you are going through a change, a hard time, anything-pick up this book. It will guide you if you let it.

My adult son Jacques and I are benefiting from this authors writings, CDs, & DVDs. We now understand and have become acquainted with our true selves and more importantly been introduced to our mind, the thinker of our thoughts, our ego.

With this separation of our thoughts from our true selves has given us the opportunity to view our lives and actions with more objectivity resulting in our ability to see life more clearly and with less thought based judgement AKA resistance AKA pain.

Life is so much easier to live and so much more fun too. We highly recommend this book and his other writings as well.

Recommend to all human beings, should be required reading k-12 and higher education as well.

Quite simply the Truth; not easily put into practice, but it is worth the effort.

Enjoy! And great luck to all who tread this path.

I just loved it ,it took me to another place, another dimension, i really can't describe the feelings , some sentences just made my tears drop and a strong beautiful feeling in my heart chakra arises and sometimes I felt my whole inner body responds, nothing can describe the effect this book was on me.

Superb....this book is so much more accessible than 'The Power of Now' even though much of the content is taken from there. I now have it on my Kindle but also in paper copy by my bedside. Wonderful book!

I keep this wonderful little book at my bedside and wouldn't think of traveling without it. The subjects (chapters) indicated in the table of contents make it easy to find concise help for issues that may cause anxiety and/or frustration in one's daily life. It's a real treasure!

After reading "A New Earth", I wanted more and found what I was looking for in this small book. Short passages give just enough to consider without leading you further than you might be ready to go. I find something new each time I pick it up. It is certainly refreshing.

This is the kind of book you always carry with you. I would suggest, as I am going to do soon, to buy several copies and send them into the circulation via like-minded friends. Get it, read it, love it, and help others do the same.

Stillness Speaks The book arrived in excellent condtion and in a timely manner. I am very interested in the content. Thank you for bringing it to me so quickly and easily.

1. This is a small book that easily stows into your carry-on bag. It is meant to be read in small sections at a time, which is compatible with traveling or relaxing around the pool, fireplace, etc. It is great for finding true relaxation and hopefully inner peace.

2. This book also makes a nice gift if you want to introduce someone to Tolle's writings. It does not contain some of the more controversial things (like women's pain bodies) that the "Power of Now" incuded.

3. If you've already read Toole's books and are ready to move on, I highly recommend "Insight Meditation, The Practice of Freedom" by Joseph Goldstein.

The spiritual quest made understandable. Tolle is able to communicate new ways of thinking that are life changing, and are not so esoteric to make you say "huh?". I would read "The Power of Now" first.

I've previously reviewed A New Earth (by the same author) and claimed that it was the best spiritual I have ever read. This is still true, however this book gives it a serious run for its money! The same messages found in A New Earth are found in this book, but in a much shorter time space.

If you haven't read A New Earth I would strongly suggest reading that before this and if you have read A New Earth you are guaranteed to love this one!

Eckart Tolle has been good for me. If you have never read anything by Eckhart Tolle don't start with this one. Start with "The Power of Now" or "A New Earth". This is a book intended as a daily meditation, study book, which is what I use it for.

I believe the messages within this book mustn't be overlooked. It is time for a change in the human perspective and this book is an amazing awakener to just that. If you are on the fence about reading "Stillness Speaks" or have read it and didn't personally like it I suggest you give it
a/another read with a completely open mindset. Try not to come to any conclusion on how you feel about the book until you've completely finished it. And if you are still dissatisfied with its content. I hope that you may give another one of Eckhart Tolle's extraordinary novels an opportunity to awaken you to the truth of what Life has to offer us. Namaste

I chose this rating due to the fact that there is BLUE HIGHLIGHTING thorughout the book that is an extreme distraction from reading the book. This is one of the things that I look for when I read the "comments" concerns the books that I order from any bookseller. I have been purchasing books for years from various book sellers through the store and have always been completely satisfied with my purchases.

I am sorely disappointed in this purchase.

D.I. Lee, Ph.D

Idiocy. You're supposed to shut out your thoughts and realize you're more than you, but then why the hell are you born? You're born to be you and have your troubles and be the idiot you are, or the brilliant rocket scientist you are, but you're better off shutting off your ego and being someone else? Simple rubbish. Someone had an idea about ego and figured it would make a great book, but in essence, it is nothing but re-written, recycled Buddha nonsense. Waste of my money. I would have enjoyed a comic book more than this sugar packet be the Buddha crap.

Eh. Bought out of curiosity to see what all the hubub was about. Nice book but I really didn't read past 2 pages bc it's not a necessary read. If you need it, get it, but the thing is you probably don't need it...I think this is a good book for people who are entirely new to thinking and living and experiencing outside the status quo/western paradigm. But if you've done any exploration and growth yourself, just let this one slide.

WHY DID YOU WRITE IT what can anyone say it is a BOOK you have no right to demand how many words to write. because

of that demand i usually wont write anything why do you need so many statements ITS GOOD SHOULD

BE FINE PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO ANSWE THESE QUESTIONS

This is a very special book that might best apply to those who are already fairly familiar with Eckhart's teachings. But in that sense, it is something QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT from the Power of Now or the New Earth. Stillness Speaks is more akin to the Tao Te Ching. Let me elaborate.
I've read the Power of Now, the New Earth and watched several videos of Eckhart's talks. Although they convey the same message, they do it very differently, so it can well be that, depending on where you are at in your life, you cannot yet comprehend Eckhart's talks and other books, because they appear "mumbo-jumbo" to you. :)
If you are still at the very beginning of the awakening process, I think The Power of Now and/or the New Earth are the books where you should begin. However, if you are already fairly awakened (that is to say, you don't need any more lenghty, conceptual explanations on the workings of the ego, pain-body, awareness, etc.) you might find that these two books are quite a bit "too elaborative." And that's perfectly fine, because most people encounter Eckhart's teachings in a stage in that they are still identified with their mind, so these books first and foremost speak to your mind.
But in an already awakaned state, when reading these books, say, for the third or fourth time, you might cath yourself thinking: "OK, I already know and understand all these things on the conceptual level. Could you now please say more with less words?”
And that is exactly what Stillness Speaks does. It is a wonderful collection of wisdom-nuggets that are sometimes only a few sentences long but, because of that, extremely powerful. And even more: this is a book that the audiobook (Audible) format suits BEST! I also listened to The Power of Now and the New Earth audiobook, but in Stillness Speaks Eckhart talks much more slowly and operates with longer SILENCES between sentences.

When I first „listened” to this gap after a sentence, suddenly I felt something incomprehensible. The words affected my state of consciousness much more with these breaks than they could have if they followed each other in an uninterrupted way. I often even paused the listening voluntarily and just sat / walked in silence for minutes before I continued with the next sentence.

I have the feeling that The Power of Now and the New Earth are good informative books on spirituality but after having read them several times, one can "get" nothing more out of them. Stilness Speaks, on the other hand, is more like the Tao Te Ching. You can open it ANYWHERE, read / listen to it for even just a few minutes, then carry on with your life with heightened awareness. Almost like a meditation. Wonderful. And in THIS particular sense I can truly say that it is Eckhart's best book.

Love this book. Pointing to Aware Joyful Presence, which is who you truly are.

Two favorite quotes from the book: "When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world".

"What will be left of all the fearing and wanting associated with your problematic life situation that every day takes up most of your attention? A dash, one or two inches long, between the date of birth and date of death on your gravestone."

Books by Eckhart Tolle introduced me to the wonderful realization that we cannot find salvation in our beliefs and ideas, as they are fixed, while life is fluid and dynamic. And, there is the Infinite Intelligence that runs the galaxy, solar system, blood pumping in our body, our breathing, our bodily functions, etc. We are intrinsically connected to this Intelligence as are all beings . Some religions call it God, physicists call it The Universe, some people call is Higher Self. They all are one and the same. There is no absolute Right and Wrong, as what dogmatic religions claim.

In my personal journey, on a more practical note, I find the books by " Abraham-Hicks " teaching to be valuable for realizing our state of joy (Presence) while allowing the Universe (Infinite Intelligence) works its way through us.

I was so excited and was anxiously awaiting this book. When I opened it up I was sadly taken over by disappointment. It's a book of PHRASES. Did I miss something in the review? If so, that's my fault. However, if I'm ever feeling down or in need of a pick-me-up phrase, there's no need for me to pay $15 for it. Not discounting the fact that many of the phrases are well said, but I didn't need to buy a book of them! Just an easy way for the author to make some extra $$. BUUUUUUMMMMBBEEED

My sister bought me this book as she knew I was exploring contemplative prayer and thought it would fit right in...it did. This is my first read from Mr. Tolle and I know that I will keep it close by for a long time. I have for most of my life tried to experience God through religion as I was indoctrinated to do so from a very young age. Needless to say there were too many loopholes and questions that religion brushes off as "a mystery" to consider it to be the be all and end all to finding out who God is. I think the real mystery is why does orthodox religion direct us away from God rather than to Him it is certainly more profitable, and it is a good way to control the masses. When you look past religion and search on your own you find that God's love is free for those who ask for it (He/She already loves us) there are no hoops to jump through so to speak. Orthodox religions are for the most part an "external" experience of God. We are taught we need to go to someone who received a degree in God to get these answers or to find God in tradition or ritual that "the church" has given it's own seal of approval as the way to know God. To tell someone that their best chance in finding God is to search within relinquishes control of the masses and starves the ego. Yeshua Jesus even said that true followers will not worship neither on this mountain or Jerusalem but in spirit and truth John 4;21-24, that time is coming.

God is within...I am still working on getting closer to Him but I realize that He or She is inside and that I smother Him/Her with myself and my ego and my ignorance. That if I want to truly be close to Him/Her I need to only look inside into that stillness within me and just be quiet and be in His/Her peace. But it takes guidance and understanding and a bit of self-discipline to get around the obstacle of "self"...but it can be done. Mr. Tolle has given us one of the keys to unlock what religion calls "a mystery" and to assist those seeking the peace that goes beyond man's understanding.

This is a gem of a book concise and to the point. Not a book to breeze through but to contemplate, meditate, re-read write notes and bring into being in our lives. The concepts are challenging but the language is written so that comprehension is obtainable. I have not read "The Power of Now" but have ordered it any book that has 2,000 reviews must be worth looking at and if it was written by Mr. Tolle I'll read it. I wish you well on your journey in discovering true peace.

Steve H.

"Stillness Speaks" is a sequel to Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power of Now". Although it speaks to the same concepts, this book is in the form of short aphorisms that mirror the teachings of Advaita Vedenta Philosophy. This philosophy may be termed the philosophy of the "One" or the philosophy of "Non-Duality". Whereas Advaita Vedenta is path of spiritual progress and enlightenment "Stillness Speaks" is more of a self help book that stresses the importance of living in the moment and not addressing thoughts of the past and of the future. I would highly recommend this book.

"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 gets you rooted in Being, your divine reality," and you can do this course in just 10 days. This course is called Vipassana and is described in The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation by William Hart.

Stillness Speaks is, by design, a shorter and smaller book than the author's previous one "The Power of Now". It's as if to demonstrate visually that it's not about "reading more" and "learning more" that brings one to a place of peace. In fact, Tolle often argues for the opposite, the quieting and stilling of the noisy mind, as the way to allow a greater peace and presence to appear.

The author's assumption is that this "presence/stillness/force" is benign and intelligent and good. Some people with traditional views may struggle with the ambiguity of exactly who or what this source of wisdom and peace is, since it's only loosely defined.

To get the most out of this book, the reader may need to suspend some long held beliefs about the world and their part in it, and see things from a new perspective that's free from a sense of self and ego. That's a major shift for many of us. So this is not light reading. To be taken seriously, it requires an examination of your belief system and that's always a bit scary and challenging. But that's often where growth occurs.

I would recommend this book for anyone who's goal is not so much success as it is peace of mind and congruity of life.

To say that this author has changed my life is such an understatement. This is the first time that a wisdom has touched me so profoundly that a year after picking up "The Power of Now" I am still reaping the rewards of that book, of "A New Earth" and now, "Stillness Speaks." Who could imagine that Mr. Tolle's books could possibly get better and better? I'm not sure that they do. I think it's only that each one is so profound that you find yourself believing each is better than the last one you read because you learn so much from each. Today I re-read the sutra about "the dance of form." It literally opened up a whole new way of looking at life for me. It lifted me out of a despondent state and made me so excited about life again - in seconds. How to express my gratitude for such a gift? Simply, I suppose, to recommend this great writer and thinker and his books to others, and to practice being in the NOW as much as I possibly can. I truly believe it is the path to peace, love and understanding in this troubled world.

A friend lent me the CD version of STILLNESS SPEAKS, written
and read by Eckhart Tolle . . . this was my introduction to the
author, and because I was so impressed with what he has
to say, I now look forward to reading his classic book (THE POWER
OF NOW).
Tolle talks about living in "the state of the presence," a living in the
"now" that is both inspirational and practical . . . in doing so, the
pressures of future and past thinking disappear . . . fear and
frustration also vanish, conquered by the moment.
STILLNESS SPEAKS takes the form of 200 individual entries,
organized into 10 topic clusters that range from "Beyond the
Thinking Mind" to "Suffering and the End of Suffering" . . . the
entries are concise and complete in themselves, but heard
together, they make a powerful whole.
Be forewarned that Tolle speaks v-e-r-y slowly, so it might
take you some time to get used to his narration.
The other drawback to listening to the book was that I was
driving when listening to it and, as such, could not copy
down all the entries; e.g., to share with you . . . but I
was able to jot down the following that caught my attention:
Reincarnation doesn't help you if in your next incarnation you still
know who you are.
Love does not want or fear anything.
Naming something as bad causes an emotional contradiction
within you.

This books will take you back to stillness and peace any moment you pick it up and read a few lines. I find this as a very useful book to read just before starting my evening meditation and before going to bed. After coming home from work, when the momentum of the mind is still flowing, I pick up this book and the mind sees the wisdom and slow down and stops. Meditation is just natural and effortless after that.

In the introduction to the book Echart tells us "If you are looking for food for thought, you won't find it here". So if you are looking for entertainment, a new theory, or to escape from boredom this book is not for you. This book is only for a bit more serious people who just want to go back to stillness and enjoy the bliss of being, not being this or that, but just being. This book has several chapters like the egoic self, nature etc. I also bought the audio CD along with the book. After listening to the audio several times, his words have become a kind of inner guide inside my head.

I was stunned when I read some of the negative reader feedback the store customers submitted about this new book. I'll grant them that it might be best to have read "The Power of Now" as a prelude to "getting" the clearer, more distilled messages in "Stillness Speaks", but that does not diminish the impact of the book. "Stillness Speaks" is not wordy, obscure, or complicated. It is meant to be simple, and as the author often states, words are just signposts that awaken deeper truths that already exist within us.
My opinion is not a prejudiced one. After reading his magnificent first book three times in a row, I'd been looking for another book that would help me to reinforce these new concepts for me. Quite frankly, I couldn't understand the reason Mr. Tolle wrote his rambling previous follow-up to TPON called "Practicing the Power of Now". However, when I picked up "Stillness Speaks" and browsed through it in a bookstore, I could not put it down. It now sits on my bedside table, where I can read a passage every morning. Like "The Power of Now", this book will lift your consciousness and change your life for the better . . . IF that is what you're looking for.

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.

Stillness is a word that contains everything. Distinctive from Mr. Tolle's other two bestsellers, Q & A formatted THE POWER OF NOW and ten-chaptered well-paced A NEW EARTH, STILLNESS SPEAKS is a work of brief, meditative quotes on truth. This peaceful book is small enough to go anywhere with you and serves as a quick portal to Serenity. When one becomes so still and unencumbered by thoughts, one's limited being is dissolved and the surrounding all life can breath through this formless state~ Thoughts belong to this world; stillness is the language of heaven.

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61)

I thought Stillness Speaks is a rehash of "The Power of Now" in one sense, but also a distilled version of "The Power of Now". The words Mr. Tolle says are meant to be experienced though it is the same old philosophy as "The Power of Now". That is why this book has lots of white spaces. That is why it is sectioned out with all the small paragraphs. If a book full of words is the one you feel you can get as much money back as you can, this is not the book for you because you are focusing too much on gaining knowledge. You want to adopt the words even before you can pause to see whether it makes sense to you. Your mind wants to be occupied with all the words so you cannot stop and to reflect.

This is a book you are not supposed to rush it through and read all of it in one day (though you can surely speed read it and be done in 2 hours because it is thin without too many words). It is supposed to be a book you read only one chapter a day to pause and to reflect slowly. You feel the words and you taste the words. You experience what he said without the noise that is always talking and judging. Then, you experience love and peace. Then, you are awakened from that voice in your head that is always talking and judging (egoic mind).

Also, when you are reading this book, you are supposed to take Mr. Tolle out of the picture as an identity (meaning the form of a spiritual teacher - does not matter whether you respect him or not). Mr. Tolle's words are just a gateway to our spiritual awareness to be in the presence and stillness. The words are meant to inspire and help us return to our authentic self (inner peace) - which exists in the presence. When we get into the mental position of, "What was he thinking when he was writing the book?" or judging "isn't it just a rehash of The Power of Now", you have already missed the point of the book - which is to stay presence and feel the words to achieve stillness. If you already have the book, why not read it with an open heart rather than complaining the white spaces/thin book? You already have it in your hands. Why can't you read it with gratitude and see what the words have to offer you?

Eckhart Tolle's small book carries important messages. Tolle breaks down the contents of Stillness Speaks into ten chapters on numerous topics such as nature, the Now, relationships and suffering. Most of them read as sutras, ancient spiritual teachings from India. Short and easily read, each offers insight to how we can learn to quiet the mind, become still, and connect with an inner peace. Tolle offers these morsels of wisdom to assist the reader in noticing the difference between the structuring of the ego and being consciously present in the Now, experiencing that inner peace.

While not affiliated with any one particular religion, Tolle submits simple and yet profound suggestions to enable us to stay connected to the present moment and in those moments knowing the truth of who we are. Beyond such judgments as superiority and inferiority, right and wrong, Tolle points out, we will notice and become aligned with the interconnection of all things, feel the reverence for all life, and become an active instrument in the world for peace. I highly recommend this book for everyone who feels there is something more within and who has both the courage and the curiosity to find out.

Spiritual teachers admonish students not to mistake the pointing finger for the moon. Eckhart Tolle admonishes readers not to mistake excessive verbiage for truth. This beautiful book gives us enough words to focus our attention while inviting us to a stillness within which we may come to our own knowing. Surely this is the most precious of gifts!
As a longtime student of non-dual teachings in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, it took me quite some time to open to what was being offered by this impish looking man who came to truth sitting on a park bench. Yet when I encountered him for the first time, in a video before an audience in Southern California, I was struck by the simplicity and force of his message. As I read "The Power of Now" it was clear to me that Eckhart Tolle is speaking of the perennial philosophy. Most importantly, he embodies the truth of which he speaks.
Yesterday I gave my copy of "Stillness Speaks" to a friend who is facing imminent death from cancer with both courage and grace. I told him that in my opinion embodying the simple message of this book is all that is required to experience the truth of being human. The book offers neither an intellectual framework to lean against, nor practices with which to temporize. It is now, or never! To a person dying, and this means all of us, of course, this is a message to grasp right now.
For those who require more words, in their displeasure with Mr. Tolle's offering, may I suggest Nisargadatta's "I Am That," or "Talks with Ramana Maharshi," or Longchenpa's "The Natural Freedom of Mind," or Poonjaji's "The Truth Is." Perhaps after you've digested these respected tomes you will wish to re-read "Stillness Speaks" and reconsider your assessment.

Another Masterpiece By Eckhart Tolle.Just Amazing.
After reading Practising the Power of Now I read this one.It goes more deeper than that.
Author gives us Profund Idea About Stillness.Stillness is our inner space of awareness. Stillness is our essential nature.
Author successfully describes how our egoic self controls our behaviour,Our Action & reactions.The ego need to be in conflict with something, that explains why we are looking for Peace joy & love but cannot tolerate them for very long.
Our daily lives are run by Desire & Fear.Desire is to add something to be what we are (We believe that we must have so many things to be a worthwhile person But its not true.Actully we are seeking for others Approval.) & fear of loosing it.It is just an Illusion.
We are not happy in our relationships because of our 'Ego' which tries to control others Life.
When We are still,We have stepped out of thousands of years of collective human conditioning.
We cannot find ourself in the 'Past' or 'Future' it is in "Now".
That's How "Stillness Speaks".

Enlightened people dispel the darkness around them. They live more prosperously, with less stress, consider every difficulty an opportunity, and are open to new learning. This time of year is the perfect time to look over the past year and ask yourself the important questions: "Did I take time to grow spiritually, bettering myself with reading and stimulating conversations? Am I continuing to answer the questions that really matter? Did I share whatever good things I found with others, to encourage them in their quest?" We are all candles, and sometimes I have felt my flame only softly glowing, instead of brightly radiant.
I am now house-bound and not able to get around. If it wasn't for reading and personal growth, and the ability to share and participate with others through the phone and internet about the things I am learning, I would go nuts! For me, books are a key to happiness. There are many people in my situation who feel life is not worth living anymore. I have seen that spiritual health, and being in service to others in some way (even if just by sharing good information) is the key to balancing whatever else is happening in your life. That's why I am sharing some of my personal favorites with you (I'll try to keep you updated as I read new ones), words that helped me heal and fan my flame bright again! I also placed this particular review under one of the books I have read and appreciated.
1. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (how even the little things we do can affect changes in people's lives, and by doing them, affects ours too)
2. Psychic Gifts in the Christian Life by Tiffany Snow (tools and training to access our God-Spots for supernatural gifts, has great stories about healing, afterlife, NDEs, helping FBI on 9-11, etc)
3. The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp (helps to ease the fears of facing a blank beginning and opening the mind to new possibilities)
4. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (accessing the deepest self by living in the present time)
5. 500 Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender (actually good tasting recipes that will help you keep your physical balance, at least after the holidays!)

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.

Although I expected this book to be like "The Power of Now", it takes a different approach. I do like "The Power of Now" better but Eckhart Tolle uses some very interesting "first & second person" ways to communicate some important messages to the reader in this book. It is refreshing in that way. I recently felt a little saturated with books regarding mindful living and the present moment and have began to search beyond that (though I may have lost the present moment by doing so). To my surprise, I found an excellent book called "The Ever-Transceinding Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is a tremendously enlightening book for those of us who are not completely in the present moment all of the time but are on our way to learning how to get to a stage of life where we are able to stay close to this state for extended periods of time. I would recommend it to everyone seeking further development in this area of life. Good luck in your quest!

It's exceedingly difficult to give this book a "star rating" because it may be the greatest book ever written, or it may be a total crock. Tolle says if you can get past your chattering, discursive mind, you will enter a new place of bliss and stillness. Is this true? I don't know. I can't get past my chattering mind. Sometimes, when I pick this book up, I think it points the way to the salvation of mankind. Other times, it makes me think of what my grandfather used to tell me: "If you don't put your tongue in the place where your old tooth was, you will grow a gold one." This is simply a nasty thing to tell a child -- give them an impossible task, and tell them something cool would have happened if only they had been able to do it.
But both this book and the Power of Now do make one indisputably valid point: we spend too much time in our heads, when we should realize deeply that the present moment is ALL WE EVER HAVE. I have not achieved transcendent bliss since I discovered Tolle, but I do more frequently take notice of the HERE and NOW, and find I am somewhat happier for it.

I agree with other reviewers that this book is even better than Power of Now, a book which definitely had an impact on my life view. The ideas here are presented more compactly and seem to go to a deeper level. For instance, there was a lot about the pain body in PON which didn't always sink in for me but here it is presented more in the context of "you are not your thoughts," which seems more the essential truth rather than someone's conceptualization. Mr. Tolle's ideas are very consistent with the Buddha's teachings but somehow more easily graspable. I highly recommend the audio version of this book. Listening while I'm driving has served as a daily reminder not to get lost in the trance of thought, a habit that takes some effort to overcome.

Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Toll it's all about living in the "NOW." One can find "inner stillness" through Toll's teachings. Toll explains that once you lose the "inner stillness" you will lose touch with yourself thereby losing touch with the world. This book will help you learn how to overcome the fear of death and how to end your suffering.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Are You In Spiritual Darkness Or Are You On The Path To Enlightenment? +++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This book is my contant companion and has been a tremendous help to me.

For reasons I won't go into here, I've had a lifelong struggle with depression, fear, anxiety and an abysmal opinion of myself. As an adult I've been able to live above it and lead a productive life, but I still struggle with it at times.

Eckhart Tolle has always been a big help to me in this area with his constant emphasis on living in the NOW; the present moment. In this book he combines his teachings of living in the present along with the practice of inner stillness. While he does not disparage thinking and sees it as a valuable tool, he emphasises that we live too much in our thoughts. He encourages us to go into the inner stillness which we all have within and discover the wisdom we all have inside of us if we will bother to take time to still our minds.

This little gem goes with me everywhere. It is small, easy to carry, and will fit not only my briefcase sized bag but also my smaller purse. It is great to read from cover to cover and also to read in small portions -- it is set up that way.

This book is an investment in spiritual peace. It is one book purchase where you can't go wrong.

When I attended a flower show at the mall a few months ago, I had one of those mystical insights that sometimes come out of nowhere. As I stood there immersed in the beauty of roses of all colors and descriptions in a total state of peace and calm, it occurred to me that I was hearing the language of flowers, that they were communicating something so deep and still and profound it could not be put into words.
Imagine my delight a few weeks later to see the title of Tolle's new book "Stillness Speaks" and to read these passages from the chapter on Nature: "Notice how present a flower is, how surrendered to life...Have you noticed how deeply peaceful it is? How it is surrounded by a field of stillness? The moment you become aware of a plant's emanation..that plant becomes your teacher." Reading this was, as the saying goes, a case of deja vu all over again. Or rather for me another case of deja vu for a similar experience had occurred before I read "The Power of Now." Here once again was Eckhart, the master of spiritual language perfectly describing what had happened to me.
Needless to say I am a huge fan of Eckhart Tolle. His books articulate those mystical experiences and so much more in a way that draws you into them and opens up endless possibilities in your life. If you are patient and give consciousness time to work, subtle and miraculous changes take place in your life. They happen so quietly you hardly realize it until one day you find yourself wondering, like waking from a dream, Whatever happened to that old "me" and the way I used to be?
I suspect reviewers who found fault with this book either didn't read the introduction carefully or aren't yet ready to live in the state of consciousness it describes. This book with its short, compact sayings says so much in so few words you have to be receptive to the message in order to get it. It is like those other spiritual volumes, Tao Te Ching and The Gospel of Thomas, powerful in expressing the deepest spiritual truths, but puzzling to anyone still too ego-bound and mind-centered to be open to those truths. Like those works it is also a book to read and re-read. To savor and meditate on and let it grow in you.
If you have been curious enough to read these reviews, the deeper part of you that is your True Self knows what this book is about and wants you to be aware of it.

Be open as you read it. Let the miracles happen.

By reading a book such as this one we can at least get an insight into how we can achieve what Tolle says he has achieved. Imagine living in the world with no past baggage hindering our present moment and no future baggage influencing our present moment! Yes then we can live in stillness. This can be achieved in a meditative state, but the art is to carry it into our every day lives. Imagine if we all did! What a wonderful world it would be! So let us keep working with what Tolle has offered us.
Dr Gunta Krumins-Caldwell author of On Silver Wings

If you are new to Eckhart Tolle, I would suggest 'The Power of Now' and the wonderful 'Realizing the Power of Now' as introductions to this amazing material.
Personally, after studying Mr Tolle's work for several years I got to a point where no more explanation was really necessary. I think he would say that it's essentially a simple message, but it can be difficult for it to get through our years of habitual and continual mental chatter.
Once you finally find that quiet place, a wonderful little handbook of 'signposts' like 'Stillness Speaks' is really all you need to help get back in that quiet place when you lose it.
I highly recommend this book to those who have experienced for themselves the stillness that Eckhart tries to help us find in ourselves.
Great stuff!

I am just getting into the book, but so far its exactly waht i was hoping for. Since this place of stillness cant be summed up with out limited vocabulary and "sign posts," this book aims to point the way as best as it can. Personally the short paragraphs have done a wonderful job or ringing true for me and assisting me in finding this place. I have been meditating for a long time now, and had a kundalini awakening a few years back. I have been really searching for methods to bring upon self realization. Since reading all his books, and now this one my progress has sped up very quickly. I find that his techniques work for me. Of course words and sentences will bring about different meanings and mental pictures for each individual. But for me, this is exactly what i have been searching for. I also am hopeful that there may be a chnance for everyone to wake up, and have true peace across the globe. My entire life i always had my doubts that humanity will survive itself, but the shift in my own conciousness has been so profound. If i can transform, anyone can, why not. I find that focusing on the silence or my naked awareness that i feel a deep sense of peace and connectedness, and i hope that other readers get as much out of it as I did.

I also like how contemporary it is. I know a lot of orthadox type religious folk that would surley turn there head at anything outside there belifs, but i think many of those type will not be able to deny how much Toles words make sense and ring true.

I would say its not for everybody, not to say that those who enjoyed it are better. Its just a matter of where the reader is in his or her journey. 5 years ago, my review would have been different, but it just happend that this book fell in my lap at the right time.

I'm a fan of Tolle - I consider his previous book a masterpiece. In my humble opinion, It's the best rendering of unitary/enlightened/samadhi consciousness humanity could ever hope for.

When I started reading this book I became irritated at first. Again with the repetitions? Wasn't the theory explained already? Until I let myself go and tried to accept what Tolle is trying to do.

THIS IS NOT A BOOK IN THE ORDINARY SENSE!!! Tolle is explicitly stating the reader should spend more time experiencing the content than reading (careful: thinking is not experiencing). I was wrong to dismiss this instruction and when I did figure it out I was BLOWN AWAY.

I can't believe Tolle has actually managed to top himself. While "The Power of Now" is where you should start, this book is a perfect follow-up. A profound METHOD (not really a BOOK in the classic sense) to stir the profound and by all accounts EXTREMELY COOL form of existence you could be having, hidden from you by experiencing existence as a continuous stream of thought and by the involuntary and habitual identification with that stream ("thought-identification"). Although difficult to do in everyday life, the basic truth in the thought dis-identification premise is easy to verify in meditation: even as a beginner, your thoughts go away for all of 2 seconds yet you are still you. So you are in fact THE AWARENESS THAT EXPERIENCES THOUGHT. Get it?

So this "book" goes over from theory and touches the actual practice. But meditation still seems to be the effective way for calming down, combined with the lifestyle additions that support it by reducing stress in our nervous system: trigger point therapy followed by a steady yoga practice (trigger points are best explained in "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" - you wouldn't believe the amount of pain in your body of which you are not aware! unlikely you are brave enough to work it out by yourself, so give the book to a massage therapist!), and a diet as free of stimulatnts as possible: nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, garlic, aerated drinks etc.

Although most yoga teachers are unaware of it, the deepest yogic meditative state of Samadhi meditation - letting go of thoughts WITHOUT concetrating on an object as in "ordinary" yogic meditation - can be learned directly, without 20+ years of yoga practice. It's easy to learn, but you need to practice for a few months for the full effect. Example: [...] (mostly India-based org, courses in English are conducted in Pune, near Bombay).

(note: Samadhi consciousness, or the consciousness component in enlightenment, is the result of the continuous practice of Samadhi meditation)

After reading The Power of Now & New Earth, one would only be ready to read this small but concise & comprehensive book.

Divided into 200 small entry , Tolle has managed to , artistically , using the combination of few words in each entry , to get the reader into the state of Mindfulness. Reading an entry is like practicing 10 minutes meditation in the morning as suddenly you are mindful & enlightened.

Need not to read more than one or two entry each day.

No exaggeration , but this could be one of the quickest fix books I have ever read, to create a sense of peace. Well done Mr.Tolle

This books is excellent and inspiring. It's different from the Power of Now or A New Earth in that it's not so much a cohesive work with a reasoned argument but more of a collection of short insights and aphorisms. It's the kind of book you can just pick up and open at any page at any moment - and whatever you read, it's guaranteed to give you wisdom and a glimmer of enlightenment, since all of the words in it come from the spiritual ground of all reality. Eckhart is a conduit from that spiritual source and everything in this book is pervaded with it. Eckhart's work has led me to several other excellent books which are recommended on his website, such as De Mello's and most of all The Fall by Steve Taylor The Fall: The Evidence for a Golden Age, 6,000 years of Insanity and the Dawning of a New Era

When I bought 'Stillness Speaks' from my local bookstore, I was not prepared for what I would be getting in return. I have not yet read 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle but did know that he was in my hometown last year for a brief seminar. Now I feel what a great opportunity I missed out on as I could not make it to the same.
'Stillness Speaks' does not ask you or teach you any dogmas or religious practices. Instead it directly leads you to the answer we are all searching for. I like this book especially because Mr. Tolle does not seem to be a loquacious writer yet very beautifully manages to convey the message. I have often felt tempted to put away these kind of books because there is no connection from one part to another. But this book has captured and retained my interest since I laid my hands on it.
There are several distinct entries in this book labeled 'Stillness & Silence' and 'Beyond the Thinking Mind' to "Suffering & the End of Suffering.' Each word in this book is mesmerizing and Real. When I hold a book in my hand, I like to think how the writer must have felt while writing it. I like to visualize the writer's feelings and emotions while I read a book.
This book has given me profound peace and a clearer view of what I am looking for. All though I have still not found what I am looking for, this book surely did help in making me more confident that I am on the right track.
These days my grandma's health is not keeping up with the radiant and beautiful personality that she is; I read to her a few lines from this book and I instantly knew that she felt peace and found great comfort in Mr. Tolle's words. Thank you Eckhart Tolle for this marvellous book and for bringing comfort, calm and peace to my grandma. Without question, this book will always find a special place in my heart and my bookshelf.

A wondrous book that continues to point the way to our inner stillness. These 'teachings' very simply say and show one how to be still and to Be with this stillness. Reminding us of the Golden Thread the connects all of the original Teachings from throughout the ages, the words are arranged in short paragraphs that impact our Being beyond the mind, allowing more Stillness to emerge.
Even as some people, perhaps through the ego, have expected this book to have more words and new messages, Stillness Speaks reminds us of true simplicity and purpose of a Conscious Life. Simply by holding this book, one might feel the energy of the book, the teachings, the consciousness emanating from within it.
If anyone has disliked or loved any of Eckhardt Tolle's books, tapes, or videos; its important to listen and to read the words and pointers over and over again. Each time a new 'understanding' will come through for each of us. Sometimes it seems like reading a 'new' book ... same 'words', yet a greater and deeper knowing.
There is nothing to anticipate with this work or this material, simply to Be with it, and to Be with What Is.
With gratitude to Eckhardt.

From the author of "The Power of Now," Eckhart Tolle offers us a gem of quietude that in and of itself can allow a radiant shift in consciousness. Once again, he encourages to get out of our minds and into the heart to realize harmony and peace. This is a shift out of time into timelessness and in this book, we do so in a manner that is similar to the ancient sutras of India. Instead of reading this book from cover to cover, enjoy a short selection each day. You soon will begin discovering that Stillness Speaks. Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

From the author of "The Power of Now," Eckhart Tolle offers us a gem of quietude that in and of itself can allow a radiant shift in consciousness. Once again, he encourages to get out of our minds and into the heart to realize harmony and peace. This is a shift out of time into timelessness and in this book, we do so in a manner that is similar to the ancient sutras of India. Instead of reading this book from cover to cover, enjoy a short selection each day. You soon will begin discovering that Stillness Speaks. Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

Stillness Speaks is a quiet book. It's small, filled with empty spaces and words that are succinct and point in a certain direction -- towards stillness and silence.
Those who are looking for concepts and ideas to give them "MORE", or to fill up their minds, will not find it here.
Many reviewers on this site sound annoyed and feel they didn't get something worth their money - that they read it quickly and felt nothing afterwards.
If you're ready, this book will speak to you. When I first read "The Power of Now", my reaction was something like, "Yeah, yeah, we're supposed to be in the present moment. Now what?" I felt frustrated by the book. But when I read it several months later, it was a completely different experience.
Stillness Speaks takes you into an even quieter place, if you let it and if you are ready.

"Stillness Speaks" is a surprisingly good follow up to "The Power of Now". The message of being present and liberating oneself from the imprisonment of thought is largely the same, but the format of this book is more compact and accessible and also places Tolle's message in more specific contexts.

In "Stillness Speaks", Eckhart Tolle replaces the Q&A format found in "The Power of Now" with a direct and pithy narrative style modeled on Sutras. The first chapter essentially provides the book's entire message while subsequent ones place that message in more specific contexts such as how to bring stillness, awareness, and compassion to work or relationships.

This book, like its predecessor contains much truth. It is the kind of truth that you don't really have to think about because either you'll recognize it intuitively or you won't. While I found both "Stillness Speaks" and "The Power of Now" to be useful, powerful books, I was also a little put off by the author's subtle tone of righteous arrogance. A small but significant amount of the "energy" in each book is directed toward establishing Tolle's credentials as a guru. This, along with the intense sales and marketing found on his home page, seems wasteful, contradictory, and unnecessary.

Despite, these misgivings, I highly recommend this book for its invaluable teachings. The message has always bee here regardless of who continues to bring it or how it arrives. I understand that Tolle's next book is about bringing consciousness to one's flatulent behavior and that its title will be "Stillness Squeaks".

I have just read 'The Power of Now', and had actually read 'Stillness Speaks' before that. I would recommend buying 'The Power of Now' first if mindfulness is fairly new to you. The Power of Now provides more of a foundation for the mind, before going beyond mind and into presence. 'Stillness Speaks', on the other hand, is condensed snippets that are like immediate portals into stillness and sanity for those who have some familiarity with mindfulness/meditation already, as I did. That said, I found 'Stillness Speaks' an immediate and refreshing facilitator of stillness/presence/being for me....and it continues to be this each time I pick it up. A homecoming to 'sanity'. It cuts through mental noisiness, reminds me of my depths and that life is here and now.

In 'Power of Now' Tolle suggests we listen with more than the mind, almost like listening with the body when we read. I instantly recognised in this description my primary mode of reading spiritual texts, and you may too; and I find Tolle's writing very nourishing when read in this subtle way. If my mind is too dominant and I'm in resistance to the moment, however, his writing appears to lack depth or interest, and the way appears barred to me! This suggests to me that his writing does indeed come from a place of being, and not from an egoic, mental level. While I'll read others for more mind-food, I'll continue to dip into Tolle for soul-food and instant peace.

This is another great gift from the delightful Mr. Tolle, a soul who has done the nearly impossible: achieved stillness in a human incarnation.
I have called the Power of Now the best self-help book ever and have listened to it over a hundred times. I always hear something new because my ego feels threatened and doesn't want me to learn this stuff.
My ego almost fooled me once again when I first listened to Stillness Speaks. It said to me "Eckhart is just rehashing stuff in aphorisms". But soon I found that there is much richness and wisdom to be mined here and if I can just take the principles to heart and start practicing them I might very well achieve inner peace in this lifetime. The deeper truth about this work is that it is divinely inspired and is of incredible depth and value.
What we do with this priceless gift is up to us.

Stillness speaks was a book that really changed the way I look at my thoughts and my behaviors. I still read it over from time to time to refresh myself. Learning to Drive Into the Now: PRND

Mr. Tolle once again utilizes a present-state awareness to draw the reader into a similar depth. It isn't so much what this book says, as how it says it. Many of the ideas expressed are more or less recaps of his, and other, teachings. But it is reflective of the meditative awareness produced by reading such works as A Course in Miracles, and hence its appeal extends far beyond most teachings. Along with The Power of Now, it should rank as one of the major spiritual classics of the century. There is a great power in stillness, lying deep and dormant within everyone. When the mind is stilled, it returns naturally to an awareness of its--and Life's--original state, unleashing all kinds of unimaginable effects. This state is accessible through the present moment, which is where this book focuses the reader.

Although the book Stillness Speaks doesn't tell anything more than The Power of Now,it has some good points. Firstly it is written in the Sutra style. So it offers pointers towards the "thing" beyond words. Sutra style of writing is very handy in our busy lives. Dividing the Sutras in various subjects is also helpful for clarity. However, one certaily is left with a feeling of dissatisfaction after reading a book written by the author of The Power of Now.Power of Now made a history and it seems history doesn't repeat.
One can read this book with some benifit once or twice. But it certainly can not replace The Power of Now from our book shelves.

I like "The Power of Now" better but Eckhart Tolle uses some very interesting ways to communicate some important messages to the reader in this book. It is refreshing in that way. I recently felt a little overwhelmed with books regarding mindful living and the present moment and have began to search beyond that. I found an excellent book called "The Ever-Transceinding Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is an enlightening book for those of us who are not completely in the present moment all of the time but are on our way to learning how to get to a stage of life where we are able to stay close to this state for extended periods of time. I would recommend it to everyone seeking further development in this area of life.

I read a lot as I imagine quite a few people here do. That being said, this is probably the most important book I've read in a decade or more. This book helped me work through some spiritual struggles I've been involved in for some time. It really can point you away from concepts, beliefs, etc. to a true and solid spirituality that actually works in your life.
Having become disillusioned with the many belief-based spiritual paths available today, I began a search for something much more vital and experiential several years ago. In the process, I've done both a lot of reading and a lot of experimenting. I think Eckhart Tolle is able to articulate ideas that are literally "mind-blowing" better than any author I've read.
We all need our mind "blown" on a regular basis. By that I simply mean we need to be pointed beyond the mind of concepts and beliefs. It is my humble opinion that real spirituality cannot be reduced to words, beliefs, and concepts. That's my ego trying to hold on to control and predictability. Eckhart does a masterful job in gently guiding us away from all those conceptual dead-ends.
Get it. Then read it, then re-read it, then re-read it, etc. etc.
I give it 2,344,277,797.5 stars

Fabulous book, "nothing is personal in all this... it is not who they are..." Surrender is the message and he is the man to tell us.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Sunita Sehmi
Walk The Talk - Executive Coaching I Training I Facilitation I Consulting

With very few words, in a sutra style (spiritual one-liners) Eckhart captures the essence of his "Power of Now" philosophy and carries it further with little power blurbs that leave your conditioned mind spinning, causing it to run for cover of silence. Woah!
Good for little "peace breaks" throughout the day - keep it at your side and dip in often.
Drink deeply and ponder!

Eckhart Tolle's second book has been awaited for a while by those who found the wisdom and grace of the first to be an extraordinary experience. This book is smaller on content and perhaps more complex in profundity. The Power of Now operated at all levels; it was one of those rare books which could actually get people to begin a spiritual practice with some seriousness, while those already in the swim found it to be a valuable guide. Stillness Speaks tilts a bit towards the already serious spiritual practitioner. Not that a beginner would not profit from it but my guess is that people who have done their processes and transformed themselves are likely to extract the most from this tight little spiritual classic.
Stillness Speaks has some of the feel of an Upanishad. A master discourses on important spiritual issues and you access the level you are capable of. When you come back to it, you find that the book has changed too, speaking to you at a depth you might not have suspected even existed - in you! Tolle is evolving towards an aphoristic style of communication; anything longer would tend to be false to the essence of being in the Now which is his difficult/simple message. It is a book that triggers rumination in you even more powerfully than The Power of Now. My personal favorite, something that set off a liberating snort of laughter, is the conclusion to Chapter Six -"Leave Life alone. Let it be."
I feel that not learning from this book would be a blunder.

A wonderful little book full of simple truths written with a clarity that resonates profoundly even after the book is put down.

A powerful tool for anyone trying to break free from years of habitual behaviour and a fresh breeze for anyone stifled by too much over-intellectualizing about the human condition.

Not a book to guzzle in one sitting but rather to dip into and be refreshed a drop at at time.

This book can bring simple joy and meaning back to everyday life.

Thank you Eckhart.

Eckhart ends Chapter 1 with these questions
"Do you need more knowledge"?
"Is more imformation going to save the world, or faster computers, more scientific or intellectual analysis"?
"Is it not wisdom that humanity needs most at this time"?
But what is wisdom and where is it to be found?
He then answers..............
"Wisdom comes with the ability to be still. Just look and just listen. No more is needed. Being still, looking, and listening activates the non-conceptual intelligence within you. Let stillness direct your words and actions."
These few words from Eckart Tolle sum up the essence of what he is continuing to convey to the world. That is ...
True Freedom will be ours if we choose to "be still and just look and just listen" and APPLY the Wisdom which is speaking out from the stillness within each of us. It is the same stillness from which his words continue to emmanate out of and remind us, during those moments when we get lost back in mind, of the 'I Am' of our being-ness beyond name and form.
Thank You Eckhart
Ed Schulte

The content is essentially the same as that in "The Power of Now," but repackaged into bite-size contemplative nuggets. If you like opening a book at random, reading a few lines, and meditating upon it, then this is for you. Here's one of my favorite thought-bites: "Surrender to this moment, not to a story through which you interpret the moment and then try to resign yourself to it."

If you believe in meditation you'll like this book. It can assist you in tapping into quietness, stillness, so you can truly reach a place a peacefulness. I really enjoyed it. It was an easy read, not as difficult to follow as a few of the other books he's written.

Another diamond in the rough of transcendental literature.
Ekhart readers please note - if you read to gather facts & data as in an academic research approach, you'll find nothing new here. If, on the other hand, you appreciate the value of constantly exercising your dormant 'spirituality muscles' on a routine basis, then you'll find E. Tolle has put himself into the position of exercise coach in a beautifull & constantly uplifting manner in this book.
Just open the book & 60 seconds later you've got that nudge; changing the direction, focus & content of your awareness. If you like to be constantly nudged out of programmed mind patterns, you'll find this book (at the price of 2 beers) to be an indispensible investment.

This book is very good. As good as The Power of Now. Other books of Eckhart Tolle I'm not that crazy about. Very well written. The book is basically a compilation of short sayings to contemplate. I would recommend it. I find it effective.

this book will change your life let go don't fight live in the living moment and be what you are an infinite potential with the ability to make change for the better in your own and other lives ,peaceful mind peaceful heart a peaceful warrior the true warrior of humanity.
Great read keep it by the side of your bed to top you up and keep you present till it is second nature to you excellence is a habit to be practised daily moment to moment understanding X

All of Eckhart Tolle's books are the same. Message is the same, and it is inspiring. For those who have given it a chance, I'm sure their lives have changed for the better. There is no better spiritual teacher than Eckhart. However, I'd recommend reading "A New Earth" for those who are not familiar with Tolle's books. The best of the best.

If you haven't read The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, start there. But then? Pick up Stillness Speaks. Have it with you. Keep it near. It is the boiled down essence. The core of the teachings. Tiny little pieces of enormous wisdom.

I read chapter one several times, over the course of a few hours before a really important job interview & spent a lot of time in between passages trying to center myself and practice mindfulness. Instead of being a clammy, nervous wreck, I was perhaps almost too relaxed when speaking with the HR people:)

It doesn't feel right giving four out of five stars to a masterpiece, which is what Stilness Speaks is. But that's because I do think his first book is better, and is the one people should (first) read. Stilness Speaks is a condensed version of The Power of Now, and people may not find it compelling enough, and consequently, may discard the ideas. Also, there are some key concepts that I remember from The Power of Now that are missing here. I know that Tolle warns that concepts should not be taken literally, but still, I doubt that if I had read this book first it would have made such a positive impact on me as did The Power of Now. But, because Tolle's ideas are so important, both books should probably be read (by everyone).

Good addition to Tolle's works. Even though I have read The Power of Now and A New Earth I absolutely enjoyed this book. If you need to refresh your self with his teachings or need a little Zen this book will do it. You can open it to any page and bring Peace and Stillness back into your life!

If you have ever read other books by Mr. Tolle or are just starting out - this is a wonderful little book. You can pick it up and open it any where and have a quick read - or start from beginning and work your way through. I leave it up to you to decide if the words in the book ring true for you - they certainly do for me.

Once again Eckhart Tolle brings us a gift of enlightenment that speaks to our soul. I read this book from cover to cover, enthralled by the simplicity of the messages and their important application to my life. What I love about this book is how wonderful it is to go back to and re-read even a simple sentence, and how much of a difference that sentence makes when our ego has us caught in appearances, rather than in simply Being.
Thank you Eckhart Tolle for adding much needed Light to our world. This book is a classic, a wonderful contribution, and will certainly raise the peacefulness within the consciousness of humanity for all who are wise to take in the messages you brought us. Highly recommended.

Barbara Rose, Ph.D. author of Know Yourself: A Woman's Guide to Wholeness, Radiance & Supreme Confidence and Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE

After reading "The Power of Now," there`s not a lot more the author can say, but for those of us who find comfort in his words, this is another thing to pick up and read.
If you didn`t get much out of it or found it to be a little hard to understand and haven`t read TPON, please read TPON!
Peaceful and good for us all.

This is a book to read quietly, pausing to think - or not think too much, about the art of Being. Best not to try
and understand it, just let it seep into you - the message is important, crucial, I would say. An important read.
Thank you, Mr Tolle for writing this book.

Once again Eckhart has graciously given us pristine gems of reflective wisdom that go right to the core of our being. This small yet powerful book greets us with straight-talk about the graceful importance of allowing life to arise without the chattering mind and various emotional states compulsively commenting on, dominating, and coloring what otherwise can be directly realized as the naked suchness of life. Anyone who has met Eckhart in person readily recognizes that he embodies the title of his book.

I love having this book on the coffee table for a quick hit of stillness. It is especially helpful when my mind starts realing and I need to calm down. Anything that Ekhart Tolle has to say has such power to soothe and bring a person back down to earth!

There are countless sources available for daily meditation and life skills coaching. Eckhart Tolle's STILLNESS SPEAKS is one of the most eloquent, impressive and engagingly simple that I have used. I found that it was a wonderful addition to my existing daily reflection. Reading one or two paragraphs at a sitting, like a brief prayer, can have a deep impact on one's outlook and attitude. I have "practiced the presence" for most of my life, and Tolle's writings in this little volume have become a valued contribution to my spiritual life. I had read THE POWER OF NOW prior to this, and it was the source of my admiration for Tolle's insights and contributions to living a life on purpose. I highly recommend his writings.

Eckart Tolle's "Stillness Speaks" is a master work. The transformative power of the meaning behind the words is a testament to where it all comes from.
If everyone would take the time to read this our world would be greatly improved.
A great introduction or continuance to Eckhart Tolle's work.

It is understandable to see 75 readers ranked this book 5 stars, while 27 ranked 1 star. The gap lies in expectation. After one read the book "The Power of Now," one may expect "Stillness Speaks" to be written in the same manner. It is very different in format, yet its effect can be as profound. I found the best way to enjoy this book is to listen to the audio book in the car. Do this whenever you feel like and as often as you wish, it may transform your day and life.

I love the simplicity of this book. There's a lot that gives insight into what inner stillness is, so that ego can take a back seat, and inner calm even amid external chaos can take the place of the chattering mind that usually sends us into inner chaos.

The wisdom of Tolle is rare, and this is one of the few books that I've read that reached me in a manner that made a difference. I also suggest this book with Tolle's "Practicing the Poewer of Now" they make a great pair!

This book was such a blessing to me. Just reading one page would take me to a better place. If you are looking for a better understanding of this crazy world, or just a little break from it, try this book. Actually, it's not so much about an intellectual understanding of your issues. It's more about opening a little window to a place away from the crazy ego chatter and to a memory of an ancient idea of connection and peace.

I participated in Oprah's A New Earth last year and found Tolle's insights into Jesus profound. When I saw that he had a book between it and The Power of Now I ordered and it did not disappoint. I am being still with it and savoring the words and taking them into stillness. Eckerd speaks to those with many different religious beliefs and provides a wonderful and reverent spirituality.

"I am not my thoughts, emotions, sense perceptions, and experiences. I am not the content of my life.... I am consciousness."

In the introduction to his succinct yet powerful book Stillness Speaks, Eckhart Tolle advises the reader that the essence of its message is expounded in the first chapter, and may be all that some require to assimilate. However, it is the foregoing dictum from the fourth chapter which, in my opinion, has the power to singlehandedly transform the life of the reader ravenous enough to forsake everything in order to pursue it.

The decision to explicate this potentially transformative book grew from a personal resolve to carve a path to enlightenment for the empirical mind. Unlike Tolle and other enlightened figures, my awakening occurred in the trail of a methodical albeit manic inquisition into the scientific soul of mankind. While I do not doubt that Tolle and other neo-Buddhist teachers have inspired many people through their books and seminars, there is much in many modern teachings that leaves the rationally inclined high and dry.

With so many books that promise spiritual transformation, I believe it is difficult for many modern readers to follow a single philosophy on faith. That is not to say that Stillness Speaks or others like it have no logic to their guiding light, but it is often found, and Tolle's books are no exception, that the light is somewhat dimmed by unfounded yet emphatic platitudes which shut the skeptic's door to the life-changing truths glinting in the midst.

I do not wish to dwell upon the unsubstantiated tenets of Tolle's books; rather I am anxious to emphasize and vindicate those gems laden with the profound yet simple secret to inner peace. I will merely state that the over-averred and under-demonstrated concepts are the ones which stroke our egos and assuage our fears, by telling us, for example, that the world is on the verge of a new spiritual era, or that death is an illusion (though I confidently assure you that it is misconceived and fallaciously feared). It isn't that these ideas aren't pleasant to believe, but they are irrelevant to finding true inner peace, and because of their groundlessness and their enticement to the susceptible mind, they may even serve as an obstinate diversion on the path to spiritual freedom.

Although I experienced an awakening akin to Tolle's, nothing in my philosophy or aspired teachings is grounded in faith. There is a rational, atheistic path to enlightenment, and I will attempt to delineate it through a sequence of passages from his book:

"Stillness is the only thing in this world that has no form. But then, it is not really a thing, and it is not of this world."

Tolle uses words like "stillness" and "Being" which are abstruse and awkward for the rational mind to translate. Scientifically speaking, what Tolle and every other spiritual teacher is referring to as the essence beyond our thoughts, bodies, and experiences is simply consciousness. Consciousness is the only thing in this world without form. And it is not really a thing. But, contrary to Tolle's adage, it is of this world.

Every phenomenon in this world can be scientifically reduced to physical processes. The words which I type in this moment arise from a convoluted and determined chain of physical atoms acting by physical laws. From the conceptualization in my brain, down to the movement of my fingers on the keyboard, to the circuits and signals which convey letters to the screen: everything is physics. But what about the consciousness which enables me to witness this process unfold? There is no doubt in the minds of neuroscientists that consciousness arises from tangible, albeit undeciphered, neuronal processes, analogous to those which beget our thoughts, emotions, and behavior. But unlike these other phenomena, consciousness is a subjective realm, which no amount of physical reductionism can desecrate. No matter how much we explain consciousness in material terms, we will continue to be subjective witnesses of a physically unfolding universe. Thus, though of the physical world, consciousness rises above it, to become a sacred kingdom of its own.

"The Now is as it is because it cannot be otherwise. What Buddhists have always known, physicists now confirm: there are no isolated things or events. Underneath the surface appearance, all things are interconnected, are part of the totality of the cosmos that has brought about the form that this moment takes."

We live in a deterministic universe. Though initially a difficult pill to swallow, it is a principle intrinsic to the Buddhist doctrine, however implicit, and an essential concession on the path to true enlightenment. To accept that this moment, in all its forms, is the destiny of physical Existence, and that our bodies and minds are merely constituents of that destiny, is the secret to enlightenment.

"As you go about your life can you be aware of yourself as the awareness in which the entire content of your life unfolds?"

If your thoughts, feelings, actions, and circumstances in every moment are inevitable manifestations of the eternally unfolding physical Universe, then what is left for you to identify with? What is left for you to be?

"Nothing that comes or goes is you....You are the knowing, not the condition that is known."

You are Consciousness. You are the eyes behind Existence. Though a product of physics, and a component of the Universe, Consciousness prevails as a distinctive and mystical domain. It is as if the Universe evolved an entity with the intention of becoming witness to its own evolution! Of course there is no way to substantiate this, and consciousness is almost certainly a product of natural selection in the evolution of life. Nevertheless, it is a miracle, and identifying ourselves with it opens up our minds like a spring blossom, and beauty, peace, and compassion shine steadily into our lives.

"If you can recognize...the thoughts that go through your mind as simply thoughts, if you can witness your own mental-emotional reactive patterns as they happen..."

...then you are on the miraculous path to spiritual freedom. When you learn to embrace a deterministic universe, and concede that your body and mind are physical entities entirely beyond your will to control, you understand that you are not your thoughts, feelings, appearances, or actions--you are, by default, the awareness which dwells ever beneath them. It is out of this transformative confession that you learn to "accept whatever arises in the Now--within and without" (emphasis added).

"By knowing yourself as the awareness in which phenomenal existence happens, you become free of dependency on phenomena and free of self-seeking in situations, places, and conditions. In other words: what happens or doesn't happen is not that important anymore. Things lose their heaviness, their seriousness. A playfulness comes into your life. You recognize this world as a cosmic dance, the dance of form--no more and no less."

Acknowledging yourself as nothing more than a witness to the world unfolding within and without your body and mind, implants a small but unimaginably potent seed of acceptance into your brain. From this pivotal moment forward, nothing unfortunate will occur in your life that you will not soon recover from, and every negative event that has happened in your past will begin to heal. No matter how chaotic or restless your world becomes, you will always possess an air of serene and stoic resignation. You learn to surrender to what is in every moment, not only on the outside, but to what you feel and think within. Slowly but surely your resistance will wither, and a sense of harmony and compassion will envelop your being.

"When you say `yes' to the `isness' of life, when you accept this moment as it is, you can feel a sense of spaciousness within you that is deeply peaceful. On the surface, you may still be happy when it's sunny and not so happy when it's rainy; you may be happy at winning a million dollars and unhappy at losing all your possessions. Neither happiness nor unhappiness, however, go all that deep anymore. They are ripples on the surface of your Being. The background peace within you remains undisturbed regardless of the nature of the outside condition. The `yes' to what is reveals a dimension of depth within you that is dependent neither on external conditions nor on the internal conditions of constantly fluctuating thoughts and emotions."

Dependent on nothing to sustain a deep sense of self, or a profound connection with the world, you will be composed in the face of any trial or tragedy. Even when you do lose your head--for enlightenment is not synonymous with dispassion--you will never lose your sense of self, and you will always be at home in your heart. As Tolle so eloquently and sagely extends it:

"Even within the seemingly most unacceptable and painful situation is concealed a deeper good, and within every disaster is contained the seed of grace."

- Akira Sieben / www.SatoriWitness.org

Stillness Speaks is easy to read and the short phrases and paragraphs encourage the reader to stop and consider the power of stillness even in the middle of the daily din. One can enjoy this little gem without being familiar with Tolle's work. Reasonably priced in hardback, it can be opened again and again.

That all evasive present moment ,the now,is hard to lock in .I keep chasing it because its the moment I am free.But to keep there is an ongoing discipline.In his book Stillness Speaks,Eckhart Tolle shows you in a very direct way.

This guy writes as if he's lecturing using ambiguous multi-sylable words in circular, incomplete thoughts. He must have been paid by the number of words and not for a pragmatic delivery of his concepts. His books are strictly for academia; not for everyday people with the average 8th grade vocabulary. Imagine my surprise since I have a Bachelor's Degree in Science with a 3.8 GPA. After scanning three of his books, I donated them to charity. I plan to never follow O's reading advice on self help books. In my opinion, Oprah should stick to sponsoring novels, or books that entertain. After all, Oprah is queen in the entertainment industry...bar none.

I found this book handy to dip into occasionally as it is a lot shorter than his main book "the power of now". All of the excerpts in this book are taken directly from his first book. I like the fact that he has watered it down to the best bits, at least I can read the most important points without sifting through a whole book again!

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.

This gem is best savored by those comfortable with the work of Eckhart Tolle. Less words, more reminders to be present and fully conscious. Not to be read through but to use as a book of meditations to reduce thoughts and interrupt the ego's incessant chatter. This is the best work of this gifted teacher...

Stillness Speaks is a powerful book for those who want to come to a place of true inner peace, no matter what is happening on the outside. It is written with depth and simplicity, it is a sure guide for inner tranquility that teaches you how to come to that place within to discover your own genuine presence, and inner calm amid the chaos that may be going on around you. This book is packed with wisdom, and will certainly make a difference in your life if you really take it in.

This is simply brilliant! Eckhart Tolle has indeed done a modern version of the 'Sutras' of Ancient India, and here is a book where less is more. Providing what we need most today - breathing space! For those familiar with The Power of Now, this book provides a deepening of the teaching. Thank you Eckhart. You have proved that we don't need tomes of heavy spiritual literature to get pointers to the Truth. Your book roars with Stillness.

Stillness Speaks is a profound book that has taught me how to go within, where inner peace dwells, and the clamor of outside influences can now be as they are, without my getting caught in the midst of the outer turmoil. I learned a great deal from this book, and I thank Mr. Tolle for bringing it out.

Some of the reviews here, defending the book, are interesting.
Some reviewers would have us believe that those who do not appreciate the book are somehow less than enlightened. Implying, of course, that these reviewers themselves ARE somehow enlightened, and therefore entitled to judge.
And these comments often come from the same people who will fulminate about "Don't trust your ego!!"
Well, my friends, your ego has slipped in through the back door and bitten you on the behind. You are guilty of the old fashioned sin of pride!
So, as always, the self-proclaimed "enlightened" ones have a lot more work to do. At least the people who dislike the book are honest about it.
This book is a waste of time and money. Buy "The Power of Now" instead. It is a far superior book, with much the same content.
The point is not to continuously buy books about these things. The point is to DO them!

The negative posts here tell far more about the reviewers than about Eckhart Tolle's Stillness Speaks.
Perhaps his wondrous words are written in a style so simple and elegant it far exceeds their level of understanding?

When reading Stillness Speaks, I found that Tolle discusses abstract concepts such as 'the Now' and 'the One Life', but doesn't write much about how his ideas apply to regular peoples' everyday lives. While his writing style is exquisite and the book is pleasurable to read, the actual content is vague and unrealistic. I recently experienced the death of a loved one and got the impression that Tolle is a religious/spiritual scholar, but has never suffered hardship. His writing is very pretty, but the book is not especially meaningful or useful.

this book is very good but is not original.he quotes jesus.buddha,zen etc.
also everything he says except what is,conditioning,live in the now etc,has all been said befofe by jiddu krishnamurti long before mr e.tolle was writing.there seems to be many writers like this now making a fortune out of other people.

Tolle has managed to pull together the thoughts of the writers of present living and non duality and made the subject into his own. A good book for the beginner in this field. Anyone who has read widely will see it as just another self help book of which there are millions on the market. How do i know this book is useless. It made no difference to me. I have read this stuff years ago in a beginners guide to relaxation. As I say however it is a good start for beginners.

This is the worst I've seen from Tolle yet. Nothing more than a collection of tautologies and scribbles from a man with way too much time on his hands. In fact, I am quite certain this work was plagiarized from a collection of fortune cookies stolen from a cheap chinese buffet.
RM

I doubt it! How can you be in the now while you're writing? Writing involves organizing thoughts and viewing them through the lens of memory and experience. And ironically, thoughts according to Tolle take you away from the NOW. So how can you be in the "NOW" when you are engaged in regurgitating so many word in so little thought :)
Is Tolle a enlightened individual as he portrays himself to be - in the very portraying he unwittingly reveals he's not. However, I do agree that he sure is realizing decent chunks of royalty payments from all his books. It would have been nice to see him credit to ancient Indian scriptures from where he borrowed his ideas by referencing appropriately. But there are so many spiritually starved individuals that they would drink shoddy spiritual gossip and drink it as if it was eternal nectar - that would qualify them for a free ride

I mistakeningly ordered a few of his books. Worst books ever. I normally donate my books when I'm done reading them, these I just threw out. Don't even bother.

The publisher should be ashamed of themselves.