The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

In The Power of Now, Tolle writes for a broad audience; while anyone could understand his work, it holds the most appeal for people who are open-minded and individualistic about spirituality. Readers who are familiar with some aspects of Eastern religion and philosophy, such as yoga, tai chi, Taoism, and Buddhism, will readily understand many of Tolle’s terms and references. Indeed, The Power of Now caters especially to Westerners who are curious about Eastern philosophies and religions and how they can enhance their lives with Eastern teachings. America’s counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s embraced, appropriated, and popularized various aspects of Buddhism and Hinduism, disseminating some of their ideas and aesthetics into the broader culture. In many ways, Tolle’s book is a continuation of that tradition, as it synthesizes many Buddhist and Taoist teachings and views Buddha and Lao Tse as spiritual authorities but fuses their ideas with Western religion. Tolle’s deep respect for ancient religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Taoism may help make his arguments more palatable to readers of different faith backgrounds. However, his penchant for equating myriad faiths as ideologies that offer the same teaching will appeal mostly to secular people who want to embrace aspects of different faiths or spiritual figures without engaging in traditional, organized religion.