Heart of the Enlightened: A Book of Story Meditations

by Anthony de Mello

Book Overview

"Said the river to the seeker: 'Does one really have to fret about enlightenment? No matter which way I turn, I'm homeward bound.'" --Anthony de Mello

We are like bears pacing in a cage, Anthony de Mello says. Even if the cage is removed, we keep pacing in the same timid limits. We are afraid to get out. And we think that the only way out is by endless striving and thinking.

But this profound healer and spiritual master shows...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385421281
• ISBN13: 9780385421287
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

WONDERFUL Like De Mello's LIVE CONFERENCE On CDs

To begin, this is the companion to "Taking Flight" ++filled with Marvelous, possibly Life-Changing Stories. In India, these are called "The Prayer of the Frog" Volumes 1 and 2. Next, De Mello's "Wake Up to Life" is a Live Conference; the only full-length Conference he ever allowed to be recorded. It is incredibly Powerful, possibly Life-Changing. He is with a Live Audience and telling many, many stories; so that is another Recommendation.... Blessings

Growth and Entertaining

For those interested in opening their heart, this is a very good book which gets you to look at things with your heart and not your mind. For those just looking for a good and entertaining read, this is also very good.

Irresistible Stories for Life

Anthony DeMello is a master of story telling. Here are more than two hundred of his stories belonging to various cultures, countries and centuries. They are classified under seven heads of Spirituality, Education, Authority, Human Nature, Relationships, Service and Enlightenment. The author takes credit for only stringing them together. They are highly thought provoking and illuminating. Nobody can resist a story and sometimes a story can change one's life. Anthony DeMello was one of the great spiritual masters of our time. He was a Catholic priest of the Jesuit order, hailing from India. He died in New York on June 2nd, 1987. He has left behind a body of literature, which will continue to influence the world profoundly in the years to come.

Stories with a purpose that is trusted

Anthony de Mello's books generally fall into three groups - guided meditations; cross-cultural, interreligious, traditional teaching tales; and sayings of the Master in context. This book falls into the second category - traditional teaching tales. Fr. de Mello has categorized the stories into seven chapters: spirituality, education, authority, human nature, relationships, service and enlightment. Most of the stories are told without any "editorial" comments i.e. the author trusts the power of story. The selection is excellent coming from a wide variety of traditions and ages, including modern jokes such as "where do you plug it in?" when faced with a piano.You can read the book straight through and get a lot of laughs or you can read it as intended, pondering the stories and risking having your life changed. The latter is the intend of the author.