from Awareness by Anthony DeMello . . . All mystics – whether Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindus, Taoists, or Shamans – no matter what their theology, no matter what their religion, they are unanimous on one thing. That all is well. All the mystics tell us that even though everything is a mess, all is well. It’s a strange paradox, to be sure, but it is nonetheless true. Tragically, most people never get to see that…
from Awareness by Anthony DeMello . . . The reason you suffer from your depression and your anxieties is that you identify with them. You say, “I’m depressed.” But that is false. You are not your depression. If you want to be accurate, you might say, “I am experiencing a depression right now.” But you can hardly say, “I am depressed.” That is but a strange kind of trick of the mind, a strange kind…
from Awareness by Anthony DeMello . . . There’s a lovely saying of Tranxu, a great Chinese sage, that I took the trouble to learn by heart. It goes like this: When the archer shoots for no particular prize, he has all his skills; when he shoots to win a brass buckle, he is already nervous; when he shoots for a gold prize, he goes blind, sees two targets, and is out of his mind….
from Awareness by Anthony DeMello . . . We’re always bothered by the problem of evil. There’s a powerful story about a little boy walking along the bank of a river. He sees a crocodile who is trapped in a net. The crocodile says, “Would you have pity on me and release me? I may look ugly, but it isn’t my fault, you know. I was made this way. But whatever my external appearance, I…
from Awareness by Anthony DeMello . . . Life is a banquet and the tragedy is that most people are starving to death. That’s what I’m really talking about. There’s a story about some people who were adrift on a raft off the coast of Brazil perishing from thirst. It turned out that the river streaming out to the sea was flowing with such force that its fresh water extended out a couple of miles,…
from Awareness by Anthony DeMello . . . The three most difficult things for a human being are not athletic feats or intellectual achievements. The three are: First, returning love for hate; Second, including the excluded; And third, admitting that you are wrong.
from The Way to Love by Anthony DeMello . . . Imagine you are in a situation or with a person that you find unpleasant and that you would ordinarily avoid. Now try this: Observe how your brain instinctively becomes active, insisting that you avoid this person or situation or try to change them or it. If you stay on there and refuse to change the situation, observe how the brain insists that you experience…
from Awareness by Anthony DeMello . . . A young man came to complain that his girlfriend had let him down, that she had played false. What are you complaining about? I said. Did you expect any better? Expect the worst, you’re dealing with selfish people. You’re the fool — you glorified her, didn’t you? You thought she was a princess, you thought people were nice. They’re not! They’re asleep like you. They seek their…
from Awareness by Anthony DeMello . . . Happiness is our natural state. Happiness is the natural state of little children, to whom the kingdom belongs until they have been polluted and contaminated by the stupidity of society and culture. To acquire happiness you don’t have to do anything, because happiness cannot be acquired. Does anybody know why? Because we have it already. How can you acquire what you already have? Then why don’t you…
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