Awareness: Conversations with the Masters

The book opens with a thought-provoking and amusing little parable about an eagle who thinks he is a chicken because he was reared as a chicken. Basically he is not aware of who he really is. This whole book is about becoming aware of one's authentic self and opening up to the wonderful world of opportunity available to us for growth in our personal inner life whatever the outward circumstances. By becoming aware and losing all the inner chaff that clouds our vision we gain insight into why circumstances are as they are and learn to modify our reactions as a result of self-awareness. An easy read and a simple message for anyone, whatever their spiritual status or tradition, interested in personal growth. In fact you don't have to be interested in spiritual thought at all. Full of humourous short paradoxical stories and parables that illustrate how to awaken awareness of the reality of life and provide insights into ourselves and a glimpse of the mystery of a higher consciousness that pervades all. De Mello's psychological viewpoint is what really captures the reader's attention. He makes the reader stop and reflect on the stories rather than bombarding him/her with set beliefs. De Mello asks you to enquire into your own being and into the reality of life and its quirkiness and to extract the meaning for yourself. Such books should be welcomed as useful stepping stones to an awakened awareness of something beyond ourselves. Such books excite interest in the inner life and often provoke further exploration and reading and even the following of a spiritual path. Such books are beacons of light giving a taste of the potential beauty and depth of the inner life that can lead to a more wholesome view of life in every moment. Worth reading Anthony de Mello's autobiography if you find his many books a thought-provoking read.

Marvellous Anthony de Mello. Superb an entertaining

Anthony De Mello was Jesuit - but from India. His thought has influences from Asian philosophy. He tells how religion can be a barrier to spirituality … perhaps for things like this, the Catholic Church has, distanced itself from him, (he died in the 80s). The book starts simply. It’s written from lectures De Mello gave at a Retreat (Retreat: a Catholic quiet organised spiritual away time) Two things spring to mind: he tells how people don’t want to be cured - what they want is relief. (I’ve just looked - that’s in first chapter - which is short- all chapters are) And De Mello tells the cost of awareness - (perhaps its unconscious knowledge that keeps people from wanting cure …?) “self-condemnation, self-hatred, self-dissatisfaction.’ He tells how to deal with these issues. This book is a constant teacher to me. a source of … wonder. I bought it in 2013. The simple beginning put me off at first. I was too literary. Since I started reading it - four five years ago, it’s been a constant. I find a thought swimming in the head - ‘ah that’s from De Mello’ i said ‘source of wonder’ - yes. Because passages have effectively changed. From the first time I read them - their content which the first time was… words … now i read, and they are easy ideas, a clever ally pointing things out. I had a tendency to gloom and inner resentment at one time. The ideas imbued from this book have taught me the silliness - the waste of an unaware life. That said - there is a problem - which to his credit De Mello says (I paraphrase. This is an edit) ‘Don’t agree with me on all this. If you’re not questioning this as we’re going - you’re not getting awake’ (That De Mello note was a comfort to this one who finds it difficult to stop question) The problem is the possible unfortunate tendency to ubermensch. We’re human. Comparison may be odious but it - is - something we do. This book may be labelled Spirituality’ but a lot would have no problem putting it on the self-help shelf. (Chesterton asked the difference between spirituality and psychology). And there’s the problem. DeMello speaks virtually disparagingly of earthly success. Talks of a company CEO as a monkey pulled by societal strings. De Mello dehumanises him Because of the book being also self-help - because of the general spiritual void - there will be those who read this book who are negatively outlier. Heck - I can feel like that! Sometimes among my peers I have not succeeded. But I know - I’ve been in a place and I wasn’t right for a number of reasons. What I’ve learnt - it has affected my mood, which obviously affects perception. If I didn’t have my, education- if I did think purely subjectively this book - the disparaging talk about earthly success - De Mello doesn’t include a bit where he says ‘Those guys are on *their* thing, you’re on yours….’ (actually he probably would have said ‘guys on journey’ this was 80s and it was newish then’) I saw a TV documentary once its whole premise was John Lennon’s murder should be blamed on ‘Catcher In The Rye’. There was a copy among John Hinckley’s possessions. Uhhm dramatic. Fact is speaking disparagingly of others encourages disparaging thought and talk. Those under the cosh of a conceit -born of peer-failure may infer/translate/take - ‘this message is that I will be *better* than those without it’. A turn on the holier than thou. P.S in this early 21st century, ‘perfect’ means flawless. The meaning has changed. At the time of the writing of the KJV for instance - it meant ‘complete’. (Did get that via Shakespeare.)

This book wasn't written by Tony de Mello as a book. It is edited from one of his spirituality conferences, hence the very direct conversational style. Some regard the tone as a bit hectoring but it just sounds mischievous in the original conference footage (which can be found on Youtube). I say it is a book to keep coming back to because although it trips along most readably it actually contains profundities that bear revisiting. It's a bit like the lad who complimented his dad on how much he seemed to have learnt during the time his son was at college. This book seems to get smarter in that way too. When I first read it I was all excitement, and kept seeing Gurdjieff in it. Later I concluded that it was essentially Buddhism. Now I bracket it with Advaita/Non-duality. It is all these things and lots more besides. Apparently Tony de Mello had the same view of much of this stuff, and was in the habit of repeating the Chinese Farmer story rather often, to people he must have known he'd told it too often enough, as if to say "Have you REALLY squeezed all the juice out of this one yet? Or is there more? Have you maybe still missed the main point?" So if you love this book, and reckon you've got its message, return to it and maybe get even more, and more... Recommend? Well yes, clearly!

I wish I could give this 4.5 stars. The general theme of this book is to help the reader find unconditional joy (ie awareness, pleasure in existence that does not depend on any other external factors being fulfilled). A necessary a recurring sub-theme is that of non-attachment (ie not letting your happiness depend on anything external to yourself). It is a very easy and engaging read, one of the best books of this type of genre I have read (and I have read lots of 'em! - suggests that none of them quite completely help given that I keep buying more, but...). Although de Mello was actually a Jesuit, he does not come across as a proselytising Christian - despite the name, he seems to be Indian, and is equally (or perhaps more) influenced by Eastern religions. One reservation I have about these kinds of books though is that they never seem to take our basic biology into account. Yes, it's great if you can be happy regardless of your environmental conditions - but it also seems not quite human. We get hungry because we need to eat, we shiver to generate more heat because we are cold, we are driven to groom to reduce risk of infection, etc - and similarly it seems to me that humans are social animals, so we have learned to depend on others as part of our biology. Humans even have entire hormone systems which are designed to enhance our sense of attachment to others (oxytocin for women and vasopressin in men), so the idea that you can just use your thoughts or force of will to overcome your basic biology seems a bit unrealistic to me... still, that said, I don't think he is necessary promoting complete detachment so much as non-attachment (ie that you can enjoy things without being dependent on them). I think there is a truth in there that is helpful, if applied as best fits the individual.

So insightful, life changing if you take the author at his word. This was a book to chew over, reflect on and then decide if you want to be aware, be awake. I purchased it for a few friends/ family. When something is that good you want to share it.

Worth a read for sure. I’ve read it quite a number of times. One of the best books I’ve ever read!

life changing, please read it.

After having read all of the positive reviews before buying this book, I was looking forward to an advanced book that would give me another step up in my lifelong spritual and psychological journey. Nearly all of the reviewers reported that this was a 'life changing' book or that it would be read on an annual basis in order to learn its enclosed teachings. And, admittedly, such would have been the case for myself if I had initially read this book a number of decades ago. These teachings are no longer that; teachings. They became simply a way of life nearly thirty years ago. To me this has been how I have lived for most of my adult years and, being so, I can state that if you do put these ideals into practice, yes, you will lead a life of awareness and an ever closer feeling of being in tune with life itself. Yes, you will become quite different from those around you and the things you have in common with others will become less and less. Aloneness will be something that is treasured and no longer feared. Tasks and activities will be done for the joy of doing them and not as a means of receiving accolades from others. Life, regardless of your social standing, will have joy contained in it. You will no longer base your sense of worth on the opinions of others but, rather, rely solely on your inner spirit for the value and worth you have about yourself. And, when in doubt about what to do in any given situation, always do the 'hard thing'. It is only by doing this do we grow as a person and come to understand ourselves more. The 'easy way' is what you have done in the past and if you wish to grow, you must do the thing that is different, the thing that is hard. The author clearly states that one must get out of one own's personal prejudices, one own's cultural brain-washed ideas and one own's family taught traditions and shortcomings. Each one of us has all of the answers of life locked up inside of us and it only takes the energy necessary to unlearn all the useless trivia that we have been burdened with and to simply start all over again. It really is that simple! God never meant it to be hard. We are the ones who have made it so.

Full of stories, analogies, metaphors. Beautiful, simple and elegant words to talk about Real Love Reality A life worth living The origin of unhappiness (and how simple is to be happy) I recommended it to friends and loved ones already. Thank you Anthony 🙏🏽

This book is filled with awesome reminders of daily life, on consciousness, perception, behaviourism, mindfulness. I really love this book. Many AHA! moments as I read through, and the humour and some sarcasm is always appreciated, especially in spiritual books :) light-hearted and awakening.

Excelente libro, se convirtió en mi favorito.

Èxcellent book, no mincing of words. Anthony DeMello speaks to the point and his wisdom can be applied to any situation. Also, the language is simple. The book is not a long one, but it took me a long time to read, because after every chapter, one is left thinking and reflecting. I started hightlighting text, but almost every statement can be highlighted. Whether you are conservative or liberal, you will find value in this book.