ANXIETY

Posted on December 17, 2010 by

A woman said that she had been on the spiritual path for several years. At times she was filled with the terror of the consequences of the path she was walking.

“For the first time I am seeing that my husband and I are not on the same wavelength. I am seeing that our marriage is based on an illusion. I am terrified at the prospects of our relationship breaking down, or us drifting apart from each other.”

“Anxiety is looking at the future with the eyes of the past,” said the sage. “But understand this: if you live in the present, you have all the resources to face whatever happens now. That way you don’t have to suffer the future now.”

(THE OCEAN IN THE DEWDROP – Awakening the Sage within, de Mello Publications, 2010, pg. 97)

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RESISTANCE

Posted on November 30, 2010 by

“How is it that many people react with anger and resistance to the message of sages?” a visitor asked.

“When you’re in deep sleep and someone attempts to wake you up, you’re quite likely to be rather annoyed,” the sage answered.

“Many people, after years of contact with you, still seem to have such difficulty understanding you,” he said.

“When people’s comfort and security depend on not understanding, they won’t,” the sage explained.

(THE OCEAN IN THE DEWDROP – Awakening the Sage within, de Mello Publications, 2010. pg. 7)

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ANSWERS

Posted on November 10, 2010 by

One day there was an animated discussion about the religious preacher who was on television, newspapers, radio, everywhere. One of the visitors said he was amazed at how the preacher had an answer for every question, an advice for every person and was never at a loss for words.

In response, the sage told them a story. “As a king passed a village, he suspected that there was an extraordinary marksman there because of the numerous arrows on village walls each one right in the centre of little circles. A young man was brought before the king who asked him, ‘Are you the one who shoots so well?’

“The young man said, ‘Your majesty, I first shoot at the wall, and then I draw the circles.’

“So our man first has his readymade answers, and he is waiting for the questions that fit them,” concluded the sage.

(Francis J Padinjarekara: The Ocean in the Dewdrop, de Mello Publications, 2010.)

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WHAT AM I GETTING OUT OF THIS?

Posted on October 25, 2010 by

A 55 year old social worker complained bitterly about the way she was being exploited by nearly everyone she encountered – friends, husband, children, several people at her work place, and extended family members. She spent nearly all her time and most of the money she earned on other people. At work others dumped extra work on her because “you’re so kind!” At home her neighbours dumped their chores and stories because “you’re so helpful.” Some friends needing her advice would call her as late as midnight because “you’re always there for us.”

Many people saw are as a saint who lived entirely for other people. For herself the moment of truth came when she was hospitalised for a stress related illness followed by an extended period of convalescence. When support from family and friends was far less than she had expected, and when few of the people who came to her for help thought of visiting or calling her, she was devastated. She had to confront her own resentment and bitterness.

The illness induced crisis was to be a turning point for her. She began to ask herself insistently a question she had never asked herself: “What am I getting out of this?”

The question was one of great awareness as she began to submit to an honest examination of the way she lived, especially her helpfulness. She began to see how she was motivated by her need for people’s praise, her fear of displeasing them and her inability to say no even when that was the honest response she would have liked to give. She had believed she was this selfless giver who did everything for the love of people. Now she realized that behind it was her love for herself and what she was getting out of helping people.

What am I getting out of this? In many situations of life, this is a difficult question to ask but a necessary one if we have to be more aware of ourselves.

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LOVE AND FEAR

Posted on October 7, 2010 by

One of the abiding mysteries of human relationships is how people who can hardly stand each other still remain married or in some such relationships. There may be abuse, discord, and distance leading to suffering to one or both parties. Yet the relationship seems to withstand it all. Here is a story that may throw some light on this.

A woman spoke about the frustrations in her marriage. “My husband and I have little in common. If we had children we could talk about them. We speak of nothing personal or intimate to each other. In fact, we don’t even share our bed any longer,” she said.

“What keeps you together then?” the sage asked.

“I guess both of us are scared to face the facts,” she said. “Both of us are afraid to be lonely.”

The sage said, “Fear is known to hold people together long after love has failed.” (Francis J Padinjarekara: A Dewdrop in the Ocean. Mumbai: Awareness Arc, 2009)

Posted in A Dewdrop in the Ocean, Awareness, Fear, Love, Padinjarekara, Relationship, Sage | 1 Comment

BOOK LAUNCH IN DUBLIN

Posted on September 11, 2010 by

The Ocean in the Dewdrop by Francis J Padinjarekara was launched by Fr Peter McVerry S.J., at Avila Centre, Donnybrook, Dublin on Sept 2. There was a large gathering of more than 150 guests who came from all over Ireland and outside.

Introducing Liz Dillon, the facilitator for the evening, Fran O’Reilly spoke about the two great passions of Liz – the wellbeing of children and the teaching of Awareness. Liz spoke about her own life journey and how it was transformed by contact with Anthony de Mello’s teachings. From the time Paddy McMahon, the well known spiritual teacher and author, introduced her to Tony’s work in 1994, life was filled with many changes and challenges. It was awareness that helped her traverse these difficult phases of life in becoming a parent as well as teacher who makes a difference in the lives of children. And it was this personal quest and discovery that brought her and Francis on a spiritual journey and mission.

Our guest of honour, Fr Peter McVerry gave a most inspiring speech in which he observed how Francis’ book is relevant for our time. In the Celtic Tiger years we lost our way forgetting who we are and acted in foolish ways and lost our soul as a nation. We are confronted with the spectre of serious unemployment, home repossessions, loss of financial security, and even the possibility of civil unrest. It is necessary for a healing of the soul of this nation. And for this Francis book is most timely and helpful.

Francis spoke about his own spiritual quest and the way he had found his own freedom through awareness. Contact with Tony de Mello had brought about profound transformations that involved the letting go of the world he had known – religious faith, community, family, friends, financial security, and community. This intense and unrelenting process had taken more than two decades. It was as a result of this that the two books could be written.  He ended with the this story from the book:

Demand

The sage was not a champion of prayers. One day he told his listeners a story. After her geography exam, a little girl was heard adding at the end of her evening prayers, ‘Oh God, please make New York the capital of America.’”

“Does that mean our prayers bear no fruit?”

“To ask that reality be different from the way it is, is madness not prayer,” the sage replied.

In response to the questions of his listeners, he continued, “Accepting what is, is the best prayer you can make. It is always answered.”

“How?”

“You’re always at peace no matter what happens.” (pg. 120)

Posted in Anthony de Mello, Awareness, Ocean in the Dewdrop, Padinjarekara, Transformation | 1 Comment

SCHOLARSHIP

Posted on August 23, 2010 by

A religious leader emphasised that the accurate formulation of religious teaching was absolutely necessary for clarity of thought and uniformity of practice. Himself a scholar of the scriptures, he said he had devoted his entire life to their study and critical analysis.

“You have mastered the art of analysing the words of the joke, but you have forgotten the delight of laughter,” the sage said. “You can never hope to understand the monsoon by analysing raindrops.”

(Francis J Padinjarekara: The Ocean in the Dewdrop, de Mello Publications, 2010.)

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