"The Now"...

Interviewer:
Surrendering to "what is" or "the Now*' seems to be an important aspect of
your teaching. Is there a distinction between "surrendering to what is," and
the use of the popular cliché, "go with the flow of life, where ever it
takes us"?

Eckhart Tolle:
"Surrendering only refers to this moment, whatever "is" at this moment-to
accept unconditionally and fully whatever arises at this moment. "Going with
the flow" is a more general term. For some people it is an excuse for not
taking action and it refers usually to one's life situation. Let's say you
are in a particular job and that is the flow, you stay in it.

Surrender is only in reference to Now. So "going with the flow" is not
necessarily true surrender and may lead to passivity, lethargy and inaction.
Surrender to the Now is something very different because it only concerns
accepting the reality of this moment. Whatever action is needed will then
rise out of that state of complete acceptance. The most powerful state for a
human to be in is the state of embracing completely the reality of what
is-Now. It is to say "Yes" to life, which is now and always now. There is a
vast power in that "Yes," that state of inner non-resistance to what is.
Action arises out of that if it's needed, as a spontaneous response to the
situation.

So surrender to Now never leads to inaction because it only concerns the
reality of this moment and perhaps action is needed. In the book I give the
example of being stuck in the mud. So you wouldn't say, "O.K., I surrender
to this and I'm going to stay here." It simply means, "it is;" there is a
recognition of "it is" and to saying yes to "it is." And there's much
greater power now that arises that will move through you and manifest as
action if it is needed than there could ever be in the state of saying, "no"
to "what is"-and then perhaps taking action that is always contaminated with
negativity. Whenever you say "no" and then action arises because you are
fighting "what is" that is karmic action in Eastern terms, and it leads to
further suffering because it arises out of suffering, which is the
non-acceptance of "what is"-suffering. Action arising out of suffering is
contaminated with suffering and causes further suffering, and that is karma.
Action that arises out of a state of "acceptance" is totally free of karma.
And there is a vast difference."

http://www.inner-growth.info/power_of_now_tolle/eckhart_tolle_interview_parker.h\
tm#11
Excerpted from an interview with Eckhart Tolle,
from a book called Dialogues With Emerging Spiritual Teachers,
by John W. Parker.