He’s a fascinating guy, this Eckhart Tolle. At the age of 29, having spent most of his adult life plagued by depression, he awoke one night, his feelings of sadness “almost unbearable.” For many sufferers of depression, a night such as that turns out to be their last night.

Alone and utterly desperate, Eckhart experienced an “inner transformation.” Feeling that he could no longer live with himself, he asked, “What is the self?”