Anthony de Mello in “Awareness”
“Suffering is given to you that you might open your eyes to the truth, that you might understand that there’s a falsehood somwhere, just as a physical pain is given to you so that you will understand that there is a disease or illness somewhere.”
16 Nov“Japanese Zen master’s say, ‘Don’t seek the truth; just drop your opinions.’ – Truth isn’t somthing you search for. If you stopped being opinionated, you would know.”
16 NovAnthony de Mello in “Awareness”
“What you are aware of you are in control of; what you are not aware of is in control of you. You are always a slave to what you’re not aware of.”
16 NovAnthony de Mello in “Awareness”
“There’s only one evil in the world, fear. There’s only one good in the world, love. – Think of the last time you were angry and search for the fear behind it.”
16 NovAnthony de Mello in “Awareness”
“There’s only one reason why you’re not experiening bliss at this present moment, and it’s because you’re thinking or focusing on what you don’t have. – Right now you have everything you need to be in bliss.”
16 NovAnthony de Mello in “Awareness”
I think I discovered a part of my life’s purpose tonight….
13 NovThere are but a few times in your life that such beautiful insight and guidance comes along. Tonight was one of those nights.
Growing up, when the question was asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up,” I’d reply, “Be an Olympian… and an amazing wife and badass mom.” Because – that was real; I really wanted to be a great mom and wife.
But what about professionally, and creatively? What, outside of the mom and wife, do I want to do? Well, tonight, after years of searching and subsequent months of stillness and patience, I think I know:
I want to build magical spaces for people.
That’s it. Ahh… a little clarity of self. Such a nice, and relieving feeling.
A few other things that have become clear:
1) I want to work with great people with incredible integrity
2) I want to feel good about my work, and that it builds a world and a personal body of work that I believe in.
3) I want more cohesion, professionally, amongst myself and other people who seek truth and understanding. I believe it is possible that you don’t have to play “the game” in life, but it starts by disillusioned, non-game-players getting together and creating a new and different game. Note: one way I’d like to do this is by giving a portion of any company I start to “people who’s body of work I believe, and who are fearless in their honesty and pursuit of their truth” (whatever that means). It also means doing business with these people, and it means doing business to connect these people.
“You can be happy in your anxiety. You can be happy in your depression. But you can’t have the wrong notion of happiness. Did you think happiness was excitement or thrills? That’s what causes depression. – How can I make it last? That’s not happiness, that’s addiction.”
11 NovAnthony de Mello in “Awareness” on P. 60 about happiness and not identifying the “I” with the “me”.
More on P. 60 “Don’t look down your nose at the alcoholics and the drug addicts; maybe you’re just as addicted as they are. The first time I got a glimpse of this new world, it was terrifying. I understood what it meant to be alone, with nowhere to rest your head, to leave everyone free and be free yourself, to be special to no one and love everyone – because love does that. It shines on good and bad alike; it makes rain fall on saints and sinners. Is it possible for the rose to say, ‘I will give my fragrance to the food people who smell me, but I will withhold it from the bad”?
“Before enlightenment, I used to be depressed: after enlightenment, I continue to be depressed.’ But there’s a difference: I don’t identify with it anymore. Do you know what a big difference that is?”
11 NovAnthony de Mello in “Awareness” about identifying “I” with “me” on P. 59.
“Get rid of your fear of failure, your tensions about succeeding, you will be yourself. Relaxed. You wouldn’t be driving with your brakes on. That’s what would happen.”
11 NovAnthony de Mello in “Awareness”
More in a fable on P.58 “There’s a lovely saying of Tranxu, a great Chinese sage, that I took the trouble to learn by heart. It goes: ‘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. His skill has not changed, but the prize divides him. He cares! He things more of winning than of shooting, and the need to win drains him of power.”
On understanding who “I” is: “You’ll never be the same again, never. Nothing will ever be able to touch you and no one will ever be able to hurt you again. You will fear no one and you will fear nothing. – You fear no one because you’re perfectly content to be nobody.”
11 NovAnthony de Mello in “Awareness”
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