Tolle's insight is that the rationalizing mind, which is basically a box that generates logical, verbal explanations (for internal and external phenomena that a

Tolle's insight is that the rationalizing mind, which is basically a box that generates logical, verbal explanations (for internal and external phenomena that are not inherently logical), should not be allowed to direct our attention. This belief is shared by many mindfulness practitioners: that there is an epidemic of overusing the rational mind to distract ourselves from what we are thinking and feeling. We have a thought, then a feeling, and then what Tolle calls "the mind" kicks in primarily to distract us and make us feel better, not to extract new insight (though it does that too sometimes). The word "thought" here really means something we intuit, by our main mode of non-rational thinking, which typically strives for accuracy based on past experiences. Rational thinking, on the other hand, can take us very far from reality, which is what makes it so dangerous, especially since it can be fueled by motivations like obscuring reality! Awareness is yet a third function. If you are "observing the machinery" then you are successfully disidentified with it, which is a big part of Power of Now -- to realize the "mind" is not us, meaning we don't control it and we don't have to agree with it or act on it. What we can control (ultimately) is our attention.