It woke me up from ‘existing’ as a human to ‘living’ a life that I am excited, proud, and most of all, grateful to have. De Mello’s comprehensive course on the spiritual life is collected here for the first time as he presented it. I would try to let go of my fears and live life by what I value and believe in even more than I do now. And in his famous commentary on Boethius’ De Sancta Trinitate he says there are three ways of knowing God: (1) in the creation, (2) in God’s actions through history, and (3) in the highest form of the knowledge of God—to know God tamquam ignotum (to know God as the unknown). He notes that there are only two paths for those whose world-view is completely shattered: they become insane, or they become mystics.

The religion that makes people good makes people bad, but the religion known as freedom makes all people good, for it destroys the (inner) conflict that makes people devils. 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.Or to repeat that lovely Arab saying: ‘The nature of the rain is the same and yet it produces thorns in the marsh and flowers in the garden. When I’m listening to you, it’s infinitely more important for me to listen to me than to listen to you.

They regretted not having lived life fully, that they worked too much, that they wondered what could have been had they chased their dreams, that they should’ve spent more time with their loved ones. And you’re willing to let this cloud come in, because the more you fight it, the more power you give it. Our parents, family, friends, teachers, governments, religion, everyone dictates us how we are supposed to live our life. Unfortunately, when sleeping people swing into action, they simply substitute one cruelty for another, one injustice for another. He wasn't concerned with getting their recognition or gratitude; he was concerned about their well-being.This audio book is a recording of the author giving a series of lectures on awareness so you can hear the reaction of the audience (mostly laughter) and it feels more authentic than some audiobooks of the same topics. It’s like people who are busy planning their vacation; they spend months planning it, and they get to the spot, and they’re all anxious about their reservations for flying back. When you’re living for nothing, you’ve got all your skills, you’ve got all your energy, you’re relaxed, you don’t care, it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose. But when you’re hell-bent on getting this or that thing, you become ruthless, hard, and insensitive.

I am told that the Catholic Chuch, under the writings of future Pope Benedict, issued a notification questioning if de Mello went too far in his belief system. A taste of the destructive powers of drugs, a taste of the human bodies insatiable need for approval, appreciation, attention and then a treatment on the nourishment of life.Anthony de Mello: “If you really enjoy life and the simple pleasures of the senses, you’d be amazed. It’s refreshing that he steers clear of politics or personal struggles and moves to the struggles that we must all go through. Tell them how miserably they are leading their lives, what scoundrels and idiots they have been all through. What I liked even better are the concepts introduced on the last pages, beginning with the Chapter “Saying Nothing About Love”. I am now at a place in my life where I am 100% comfortable in my own skin and have the space to share my happiness with someone, if that’s in the cards.

He doesn’t need you; he’s not threatened by your criticism; he doesn’t care what you think of him or what you say about him. How essential it is for the human being not just to observe himself or herself, but to watch all of reality. Trying to mend what was already too broken, trying to avoid feeling like a failure in the eyes of ‘everyone’. If you’d know that you’d die in one month, you will probably do everything in your power to make the most of it. As a matter of fact, some of these mystics tell us that we begin first with things, with an awareness of things; then we move on to an awareness of thoughts (that’s the ‘me’); and finally we get to awareness of the thinker.One understands one’s personal worth when one no longer identifies or defines one’s self in terms of these transient things. What I really enjoy is not you; it's something that I discovered, a kind of symphony, a kind of orchestra that plays one melody in your presence, but when you depart, the orchestra doesn't stop. You don’t need conscience when you have consciousness; you don’t need conscience when you have sensitivity.