Book Review: Power of Light by Rabeel Qureshi

Writer: Rabeel Qureshi | Dec 13 | 3 min read

Power of Light by Rabeel Qureshi is a succinct, meditative exploration of presence, awareness, and the nature of suffering. Structured as a series of short, accessible chapters, the book serves as an invitation to shift attention from the constant commentary of the mind back to the quiet reality of the present moment.

The core message revolves around the distinction between awareness and thought.

Key Concepts

Awareness vs. Thinking: Awareness is not produced by thinking; rather, thinking—recalling, predicting, evaluating—appears within awareness. Problems arise when we mistake the voice of thought for the self, instead of recognizing ourselves as the space in which the voice appears.

The Present Moment: The present is the only reality. The past exists as memory and the future as imagination, both appearing in the present. The mind often lives in "psychological time," treating the present as merely a thin line on the way to something else.

Suffering as Resistance: Suffering is defined not by what happens, but by the argument with what happens. Resistance manifests as thoughts like, "This should be different" or "I should be further along." Acceptance is not passivity, but the clarity of recognizing what is present without adding a mental fight.

Emotion and the Body: Emotions are moving energy—sensations in the body such as tightness, warmth, or pressure—before the mind attaches a story. The body is the most reliable doorway into presence; attention anchored in the body interrupts compulsive thinking.

The Simplicity of Stillness: Stillness is what remains when unnecessary mental movement ends. It is not created but simply observed—the quiet background that supports sound and thought without being disturbed.

Summary of Chapters

Chapter	Central Teaching
The Quiet Fact of This Moment	You are the awareness that notices thought; thinking appears within this awareness.
The Habit of Becoming	Stop living as a rehearsal for a future that never arrives. What you seek is already here.
The Voice That Claims You	You are the listening, not the voice. The voice is an object of awareness, not the source.
Emotion as Moving Energy	Feel emotions as pure sensation in the body without rushing to assign a narrative.
Resistance and the Shape of Suffering	Suffering comes from arguing with reality; acceptance is recognizing what is present now.
The Simplicity of Stillness	Stillness is the space that remains when attention stops clinging to noise.
Relating/Work Without the Burden of Self	Presence in daily life means responding from clarity rather than reacting from the past.
The Subtle Return of Ego	Ego can adapt into "spiritual identity." Awareness is the continual willingness to see what is true now without comparison.

Conclusion

Power of Light offers a gentle, practical, and non-dogmatic approach to non-dual awareness. The text’s repetition serves as an ongoing meditation, reminding the reader to notice "what has never left." It is not a book for intellectual understanding alone, but one designed to be felt and directly observed in experience.