Thoughts on Anthony de Mello?

I stumbled upon this guy, and he’s actually making some really great points!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vmTSdxxnTw

His book "Awareness" was a total game-changer for me. Honestly, he’s got some great jokes in there too!

I actually have his little book sitting right here on my shelf; a friend gave it to me as a gift during a rough patch back in the day.
It’s called BIRD SONG.
Honestly, it's a great read—super insightful stuff.☕

And the frog prayer... even better!!!

I absolutely need to get my hands on this book about awareness!

It’s also used in American English—you could call it the awakening of consciousness or just pure awareness.

Alex Walker5 said:His book "Awareness" was a total game-changer for me. Honestly, he’s got some great jokes in there too!

It really does change your life. I haven't heard anyone else explain these concepts as directly or simply as he does. Those YouTube videos alone are worth their weight in gold. Why would we choose to inflict suffering on ourselves? It’s hard to believe how simple the answer actually is.

Heh, he was my first "spiritual mentor"... I was maybe 13 or 14 at the time. Looking back now, it all seems pretty naive.

Elizabeth Sanchez2 said:Heh, he was my first "spiritual mentor"... I was maybe 13 or 14 at the time. Looking back now, it all seems pretty naive.

You probably still haven't quite grasped what he's getting at. He uses simple, almost childlike language just to make things easier to digest, but he isn't talking nonsense—he's sharing incredibly practical, profound, and essential truths.

Looking back at it now, nothing about it really jumps out at me—nothing special, really. I just don't see any authenticity there... though maybe I'm wrong.

Elizabeth Sanchez2 said:Looking back at it now, nothing about it really jumps out at me—nothing special, really. I just don't see any authenticity there... though maybe I'm wrong.

He is incredibly authentic. In fact, he’s so authentic that he managed to pull millions of people onto "thin ice," convincing them to buy a book based on his talks—turning it into a massive bestseller even if 99% of those readers didn't actually grasp what he was saying.

Back in the late '70s and early '80s, he delivered his message in a way that was accessible and clear, which is inherently authentic. It’s just a waste of time if the listener doesn't understand the core of his message.

Truth is Truth. What he discusses are spiritual phenomena that aren't like sci-fi movies; they don't rely on high production values or "fresh" concepts just to stay relevant. You could argue that newer authors teaching the exact same things are actually less authentic than he is. He was unique because he found a way to make deep spiritual concepts relatable to the "average Joe" at a time when spirituality in the West wasn't even on the radar, let alone widely accepted. (And honestly, it's debatable how many people are truly spiritually inclined even today, though thanks to the internet and other shifts, there are definitely more than before.) He reached people who had zero interest in spirituality and those who just viewed it as a trendy version of modern psychology.

It’s true. Even my sister—along with several others who harbor certain prejudices against spirituality and view it as something disconnected from a higher truth—actually owns one of his books. His approach is incredibly radical and profound. I recall Michael Gonzalez77 mentioning that most people aren't even prepared to listen to such concepts, let alone actually follow them. If anyone wants to test the waters, they should look up his "Awareness" program online; I believe it's even free. They can try practicing it themselves, and then we'll see if it really is just superficial.

Found this:

Besides—the 70s and 80s were basically the golden era for the New Age movement. You had all these Eastern teachers, including the well-known Osho, making huge waves in the West. So, I really don't buy the idea that people weren't interested back then. If anything, it was a total craze...

Elizabeth Sanchez2 said:Found this:

Besides—the 70s and 80s were basically the golden era for the New Age movement. You had all these Eastern teachers, including the well-known Osho, making huge waves in the West. So, I really don't buy the idea that people weren't interested back then. If anything, it was a total craze...

Of course you aren't going to see eye-to-eye with us if you haven't actually grasped what de Mello is getting at. 🙂

Sure, interest levels were lower than they are today. Sri Chinmoy started becoming active in the US around that time, and Meher baba was even visiting the States as far back as the 30s. But that doesn't change the fact that today, way more people are looking for something different—not just Eastern spirituality, but any kind of alternative paradigm or discourse.

And that still doesn't change the point: de Mello explained the essence of how to think correctly in a way that’s attractive, simple, and easy to grasp—even if you seem to have missed his core message. 🤷

The hippies were the big thing back then, but that’s separate from the actual substance de Mello was sharing. He became popular everywhere he traveled, not just here in the US, otherwise people wouldn't have been reading him years ago like you mentioned. My advice? Take those books you own and read them again. Don't just skim them once; go through them once, then come back to them a few months later. Spirituality isn't something you just "get" instantly. His messages can be incredibly practical and inspiring, provided you aren't just looking for "warm water"—because if you're looking for comfort without understanding what's already been said, you're going to struggle to understand anything at all.

I've got other authors I prefer...

Elizabeth Sanchez2 said:I've got other authors I prefer...

That’s fair, but just because someone doesn't "get" an author doesn't mean that writer isn't being authentic. 🙂

In my book, it’s not really about WHAT someone is saying. You meet people who sound incredibly smart and rational—but honestly? That’s often just an ego mask hiding a consciousness that doesn't actually align with their words. It would be great if I could just read someone's aura to instantly spot if they're being authentic, but hey, that’s just sci-fi.

Elizabeth Sanchez2 said:In my book, it’s not really about WHAT someone is saying. You meet people who sound incredibly smart and rational—but honestly? That’s often just an ego mask hiding a consciousness that doesn't actually align with their words. It would be great if I could just read someone's aura to instantly spot if they're being authentic, but hey, that’s just sci-fi.

I honestly don't see how what you're saying connects to our actual topic. If you're suggesting he's just spinning psychological tales instead of sharing the simple Truth, then I think you're mistaken. As for his ability to shine a light through his stories—using anecdotes to pull the essence of spirituality out of others—you don't need to see an aura for that. You just need personal spiritual insight and experience. I say you haven't truly grasped him because you're judging him based on how you felt when you read his book "back in the day." Honestly? Pick it up again today. Since some time has passed, you might find you understand him much better without those old preconceptions hanging over you. You might actually find his depth fascinating; the man isn't just a great spiritual guide, he's a brilliant teacher.

Whether he's enlightened or not isn't the point. What matters is that he communicates his experience and his understanding of it in a way that is genuine, not fake. It’s easy to spot from a mile away when someone is just acting "smart"—using intellectualism to spout knowledge without having any actual spiritual experience behind it. That isn't the case with de Mello. So, my point stands: you don't need to see an aura (which, let's face it, you can't do anyway, regardless of what you've read) to see the truth here.

Elizabeth Sanchez2 said:I've got other authors I prefer...

Would you mind sharing—and totally fine if you'd rather keep it private—who those other authors are that you prefer?

p.s. ...for me personally, I find Anthony de Mello to be such an original thinker and just a really great teacher.👍

I used to be all about Oshoa, but then I stumbled upon some stuff regarding his behavior—which is why I made that comment earlier (basically, "looks polished on the outside, total wreck on the inside"). His way of expressing things is incredibly impactful, and honestly, his books really hit home for me. But if we’re talking about who actually embodies an authentic spiritual being, Eckhart Tolle takes the top spot for me—*The Power of Now* is pretty much my manual for how to live. For the intellectual side of things, Ken Wilber is brilliant; his book *Doctors Without Borders* offers such a killer deep dive into consciousness theory. I've read plenty of other stuff too, but I can't recall it all right now... I'm not exactly a spring chicken anymore. 🙂
Fine, I won't even bring up Buddha... he's in a league of his own and paved the way for everything else.