Anthony Demello

[JD]

Well spotted!

[NoordZee]

Great stuff! I watched three videos of his and am very impressed. Once again, the subject always seems to touch upon 'awareness'. Anthony speaks clearly and convincingly.

[weichen]

Thanks for sharing the link. This guy is great!

[ninjin]

New videos up. Sound is in the grayzone.
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=% ... lo%22+life

[TolleFan]

I am reading Awareness and it is great stuff.

It actually started out quite slowly for me but now I am loving it. His style, iconoclastic, is quite entertaining. He does not pull punches, good for him!

[suraj]

I have finished reading 'Awareness' and vow! what a book it is ..
This guy is something !

[Seancho]

Awareness, Awareness Awareness...

Have you heard the audio version yet?

[suraj]

Ya, the book 'Awareness' is a verbatim recording of the New York lectures given in 1986-87 , I guess. I have listened to the audio version as well. What's extra in the audio version is the audience questions , to which de Mello's replies are very funny.

[TolleFan]

Cool, thanks for the tip on that recording.

[D'ray]

I got the Wake up to life audiobook and really recommend it to all. It's great!

He even mentions a little story about Finland! I was thrilled but after a few tapes he said that don't label yourself as your country. My ego was crushed.

[Adahy]

(~.~)

[Sighclone]

I love de Mello. Forum members should be aware that his materials were not approved by the Catholic church (from EWTN, the Global Catholic Network webpage, in 1998):

NOTIFICATION CONCERNING THE WRITINGS OF
FR. ANTHONY DE MELLO, SJ
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Indian Jesuit priest, Father Anthony de Mello (1931-1987) is well known due to his numerous publications which, translated into various languages, have been widely circulated in many countries of the world, though not all of these texts were authorized by him for publication. His works, which almost always take the form of brief stories, contain some valid elements of oriental wisdom. These can be helpful in achieving self-mastery, in breaking the bonds and feelings that keep us from being free, and in approaching with serenity the various vicissitudes of life. Especially in his early writings, Father de Mello, while revealing the influence of Buddhist and Taoist spiritual currents, remained within the lines of Christian spirituality. In these books, he treats the different kinds of prayer: petition, intercession and praise, as well as contemplation of the mysteries of the life of Christ, etc.
But already in certain passages in these early works and to a greater degree in his later publications, one notices a progressive distancing from the essential contents of the Christian faith. In place of the revelation which has come in the person of Jesus Christ, he substitutes an intuition of God without form or image, to the point of speaking of God as a pure void. To see God it is enough to look directly at the world. Nothing can be said about God; the only knowing is unknowing. To pose the question of his existence is already nonsense. This radical apophaticism leads even to a denial that the Bible contains valid statements about God. The words of Scripture are indications which serve only to lead a person to silence. In other passages, the judgment on sacred religious texts, not excluding the Bible, becomes even more severe: they are said to prevent people from following their own common sense and cause them to become obtuse and cruel. Religions, including Christianity, are one of the major obstacles to the discovery of truth. This truth, however, is never defined by the author in its precise contents. For him, to think that the God of one's own religion is the only one is simply fanaticism. "God" is considered as a cosmic reality, vague and omnipresent; the personal nature of God is ignored and in practice denied.

Father de Mello demonstrates an appreciation for Jesus, of whom he declares himself to be a "disciple." But he considers Jesus as a master alongside others. The only difference from other men is that Jesus is "awake" and fully free, while others are not. Jesus is not recognized as the Son of God, but simply as the one who teaches us that all people are children of God. In addition, the author's statements on the final destiny of man give rise to perplexity. At one point, he speaks of a "dissolving" into the impersonal God, as salt dissolves in water. On various occasions, the question of destiny after death is declared to be irrelevant; only the present life should be of interest. With respect to this life, since evil is simply ignorance, there are no objective rules of morality. Good and evil are simply mental evaluations imposed upon reality.

Consistent with what has been presented, one can understand how, according to the author, any belief or profession of faith whether in God or in Christ cannot but impede one's personal access to truth. The Church, making the word of God in Holy Scripture into an idol, has ended up banishing God from the temple. She has consequently lost the authority to teach in the name of Christ.

With the present Notification, in order to protect the good of the Christian faithful, this Congregation declares that the above-mentioned positions are incompatible with the Catholic faith and can cause grave harm.

Namaste, Andy

[Webwanderer]

Thanks for the quote Andy:

Ya gotta hand it to the Congregation, they seem to have given a pretty fair depiction of de Mello's positions. It makes one wonder how it is they could come to the conclusion that his teachings could cause "grave harm". I guess the harm they refer to is that caused to the established Religious Faith; sort of like the harm one might cause a benevolent, but misguided, dictator.

[CCBCPA]

Thank you thank you thank you.

I would never have decided to read Anthony Demello Awareness until someone mentioned it was on the recommended reading list of Eckart Tolle.

I would never have decided to read a Catholic Jesuit priest's book if not for the comments on this forum.

I am half way through Awareness and it is "spot on". Can't believe that Catholics were actually listening to this in 1986 and 1987.

So close to what Eckart says in so many ways as well.

I need to get the audio, because I always get so much out of hearing Eckart's audios and I know I will get more out of the Anthony Demello audio as well.

Awareness is a fast fun read, but it does leave you pretty much stripped down to one goal Awareness Awareness Awareness Awake and stop following all the lunatics in this world. I love this!

CCB

[erict]

I need to get the audio, because I always get so much out of hearing Eckart's audios and I know I will get more out of the Anthony Demello audio as well.

I think the audio version great and definitely a must for anyone who likes Eckhart.