Like Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, Dyer’s most recent book focuses frequently on moving out of the ego-mind, the striving for more things, more dominance, more control. Change your Thoughts, Change your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao by Wayne W. DyerThe basis for the book is the Tao Te Ching, the Chinese spiritual guide written in the 5th Century BC. Dyer spent a week focused on each of the 87 verses and then wrote a short commentary on each. At a time when people are busier, materially wealthier (at least in western countries), yet more stressed and anxious than ever, the wisdom of the ancient prophet Lao Tze and the contemporary Tolle and Dyer (among many others) suggests a very different path. They create a conscious awareness of the present moment that paradoxically provides a respite from time and hurry. They guide us to be attentive and alert in the present moment and to trust in the flow of life. When we access that inner calm, we get in touch with what we need to live: air, water, simple nourishment, and connection to others. And we can release ourselves from the frantic race for more “stuff.”
As many look for ways of life and understanding that can lessen our damage to the planet, these simple verses, enhanced by Dyer’s observations, are helpful centering practices. Like his earlier Power of Intention, this book is a powerful extended meditation that will reward close reading.
