This book was tough. It was tough to keep reading. First, because Tolle has the propensity at times to get too abstract and second, because of the core message of the book which is --- EGO EGO EGO. Essentially this book is an exposition on the EGO. Tolle exposes the ego from all angles. What it's about, how it operates, how to spot it in others and in your own thinking or actions, how it works to keep us unhappy and how to try to take control to overcome the ego.
The actual prescription Tolle gives us to combat the Ego is "be conscious of your Breathing" and "Always Embrace the Present Moment," simple sounding but difficult to actually achieve. I doubt for most an immediate change will follow upon reading this book, but it does stay with you. What really registered for me, and still keeps coming to the forefront of my awareness a month after I have finished reading this work, is how to spot the ego in yourself. You know that ego is active whenever you identify with anything experiencing pride through it. Literally. When we think"I did this" or "I have that" or "I own this" and feel a sense of pride, this is temporary satisfaction that feeds the ego that is actually a false foundation for a sense of self. In the longterm such identification always robs us of joy. I don't want to go into much more detail beyond this and certainly there are other powerful lessons in the book. I don't particularly enjoy Tolle's writing but he is indeed at the forefront of our collective transformation of human consciousness.
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