Guardians of Being: Spiritual Teachings from Our Dogs and Cats

This wonderfully unique collaboration brings together two masters of their fields, joining original words by spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle with delightful illustrations by Patrick McDonnell, the creator of the acclaimed comic strip MUTTS. Every heartwarming page provokes thought, insight, and smiling reverence for all beings and each moment.

More than a collection of witty and charming drawings, the marriage of Patrick McDonnell's art and Eckhart Tolle's words conveys a profound love of nature, of animals, of humans, of all life-forms. Guardians of Being celebrates and reminds us of not only the oneness of all life but also the wonder and joy to be found in the present moment, amid the beauty we sometimes forget to notice all around us.

 (73 customer reviews)

"Dogs emanate a goodness that people respond to. One of the joys of walking your dog is that often people come up to you and immediately their hearts open. They are not interested in you, of course. They want to pat your dog." - Eckhart Tolle, from the book Guardians of Being

In a delightful collaboration between spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle and Mutts comic strip creator Patrick McDonnell, the book Guardians of Being combines the Now-centric words of Tolle with the whimsical drawings of McDonnell, illustrating the oneness of all life, the joy found in simplicity, and the profound truths conveyed by our furry friends.

Frankly, I dare anyone to read this book and not have at least one belly laugh at best or several wide grins at worst (as if that's really a "worst"!). I read Guardians of Being yesterday, and I can honestly say that joy and stillness overflowed from within. My 10-year-old son wanted to know what I was chuckling about, so after I was done reading...Read more

I just loved this book!
Patrick McDonnell and Eckhart Tolle make a great partnership of minds.

This tiny, extraordinary book absolutely captures the essence of Tolle's work illustrating his profound concepts using the example of animals, for whom 'being in the moment' is purely instinctual.

I looked at my cat after I read this amazing book and it occurred to me, wow! he lives ONLY in this moment of now! And I do not mean to sound trite here. Literally, he doesn't work on himself, he doesn't work on his parents, his kittenhood, which was spent roughing it on the street, does not exist for him anymore, nor does the future. When he was sick, he was just sick, not worried about the future, not resisting it, not comparing himself, not feeling sorry for himself.

Sunlight on his face, chasing a fly, curled up...I believe, far from trite, this is EXACTLY Tolle's point to us all. It is what living in the moment actually looks like - from a being that is...Read more

Guardians of Being is another delightful collaboration between spiritual teacher, Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell, the creator of the Mutts cartoon characters. Despite the cartoon illustrations, unless your child is a little Buddha, this is really a book for an adult's inner child.

The charm and quirky humor of McDonnell's cartoons marries perfectly with the deep peace and serenity of Tolle's words, lifting the combination to a new plane and calling you into the moment like an irresistable siren song. It is the perfect book for the bedside, coffee table or "Throne Room," and would make a wonderfully subversive gift for Type A personalities.