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.)

Posted in Awareness, Laughter, Mindfulness, Ocean in the Dewdrop, Religion, Sage, Scholarship | Leave a comment

SINCERITY

Posted on August 13, 2010 by

A religious leader who had lived his life in strict accordance with his teachings and principles was intolerant of other people and their failures. He was convinced that there was no saving grace in other religions and even for the ‘renegades’ in his own. He would make outrageous statements about those he condemned.

“I can’t help admiring his sincerity and commitment,” a visitor said.

“Fanatics are seldom wanting in sincerity and commitment,” the sage said. “It is in honesty and openness that they fall short.”

Listen to this story, as read by the author. More…

(Francis J Padinjarekara: The Ocean in the Dewdrop, de Mello Publications, 2010. pg. 25)

Posted in Awareness, Mindfulness, Ocean in the Dewdrop, Padinjarekara | Leave a comment

AWARENESS AND BOREDOM

Posted on July 31, 2010 by

Summer time and children are out of schools. Many parents face a frequent plaint from their kids , “I’m bored!” Both the parents and the children seem to believe that it is the former’s job to keep them stimulated at all times. And many parents engage in various pirouettes and performances to keep them entertained.

While this is quite obvious about children, most grownups too feel bored and seem to look for objects and people that would offer them some form of stimulation. There is a never ending dependence on external factors to keep them excited.

There is a basic misunderstanding here. Is the capacity for excitement and holding interest the quality of objects? Is the ability to stimulate or entertain the attribute of the people we encounter? Is not excitement more our own quality than of the things and people outside of us? She is interesting , or he is a boring, are more statements about ourselves than of those we seek to describe.

Children who are curious about the world outside of them, and adults who dare to explore the inner world, are not bored. Our capacity for wonder and excitement are more important than finding exciting things to see and do. For anyone who has such a quality, there is no state called boredom.

So instead of complaining about the lack of interesting people around us, it is more rewarding to be  interesting ourselves.  Instead of sitting back and expecting the world to entertain us, it is more creative and beneficial to be interested and curious ourselves. We will never be bored if we can be present to ourselves and whatever is before us. For essentially boredom comes from a lack of contact with reality which we need.

Posted in Awareness, Creativity, Presence | Leave a comment

Book Launch in India

Posted on July 24, 2010 by

Francis’ second book, The Ocean in the Dewdrop, was released in Bombay at Granth Bookshop on July 9 by Dr. Francis X. D’Sa, S.J. , the preeminent Indologist and scholar of cross-cultural studies, and the founder/director of the Institute for the Study of Religions, Pune.

The author was delighted to have his friend and former professor to be the guest of honour. In acknowledgment of a life-long friendship, the book is dedicated to him.

Dr. D’Sa noted how this book, which is made up of stories and parables, does not aim at providing information on various topics but effecting transformation.

Liz Dillon spoke about her own journey of transformation that happened thanks to her experience of Tony de Mello’s teaching and how the teaching awareness had become her passion. The author read a some stories from the book and answered a few questions regarding his own experience of awareness.

The event was organised by Yogesh Sharma of Zen Publications who is also distributor of the book in India. In his brief speech, Yogesh spoke of the relevance of awareness for our living. He noted how the two books were merely aspects of the same divine reality. Sometimes it is the Dewdrops, sometimes it is the Ocean.

Posted in Anthony de Mello, Awareness, Ocean in the Dewdrop, Padinjarekara, Sage, Transformation | Leave a comment

DISCLOSURE

Posted on July 21, 2010 by

DISCLOSURE

Some of the visitors found the sage’s teaching on God and

human identity powerfully inspiring, deeply challenging and

rationally contradictory. One day, as they discussed the role of

a sage, a visitor said, “A sage is someone who shows what

human beings are capable of becoming, isn’t he?”

The sage was quick to correct him. “You don’t become what

you are not,” the sage said. “A sage is someone who wakens

you to who you already are.”

(F. J. Padinjarekara: The Ocean in the Dewdrop, De Mello Publications. page 293)

The most important lessons in life cannot be taught, they have to be learnt. These relate to the vital aspects of living – the art of making contact, of loving, making peace, finding one’s place in the world, or discovering a vision for one’s life.

Likewise, the most beautiful things are invisible but need to be seen. The depth-dimension of life cannot be told, yet it has to be understood. At that level, our ordinary language of information and rational discourse which we use to describe, analyse, argue or prove something, fails to communicate what is most essential in life. Those who attempt to convey their experience or understanding of the divine, the meaning of enlightenment, or even of human identity and destiny,  acknowledge that they come up against the inability of our day to day language to express what is beyond its grasp.

That is why mystics and sages have used the language of transformation with its metaphors, parables, and stories to teach what cannot be taught and to show what is invisible to the eyes.

The function of the sages is to point beyond themselves to the truth of who we are and to wake us up to our own identity. Those who convey to us what is difficult to grasp and those who reveal to us the wisdom of life, do us a great service. But they serve us best who disclose to us the truth of who we really are.

Posted in A Dewdrop in the Ocean, Awareness, Padinjarekara, Reality, Sage, Waking Up

THE OCEAN IN THE DEWDROP

Posted on June 30, 2010 by

Francis’ second book is being launched in Mumbai, India in early July. Published by de Mello Publications, the book is a companion volume to his first one, A Dewdrop in the Ocean – Wisdom Stories for Turbulent Times, which was published last year.

While the first book dealt with the themes of Awareness in daily living such as relationships, emotions, suffering, judgments, conditioning and so on, this volume carries other spiritual themes such as enlightenment, God, forgiveness, happiness, dying, our identity and so on.

Stories and parables have the power to convey the deepest truths in ways that our ordinary discourse cannot do. That is why they are the most powerful agents of transformation.

That is why the author has chosen to communicate some essential truths about life and spirituality through the medium of simple stories and parables which are short, light and easy to understand.

“This book is not for those who need the comfort and consolation of the known,” writes Peter McVerry, S.J., lifelong pioneer among the homeless and the author of  - The Meaning is in the Shadows, Jesus – Social Revolutionary? “The stories invite us to move outside our familiar mindsets, to see beyond the limitations imposed on our thinking by tradition, society and religion, and move to a higher level of awareness. It is there that we find the freedom that we all unconsciously seek. To those who accept the challenge to move out of complacency a beautiful new landscape is revealed.”

The book is distributed by Zen Publications, Mumbai and available in leading books shops in India. The launch of the book in the first week of July. It will be soon available in other countries. It is due to be released in Ireland on September 2.

Posted in Anthony de Mello, Awareness, Ocean in the Dewdrop, Padinjarekara, Sage, Transformation, Waking Up