The Song of the Bird
THE LITTLE FISH “Excuse me,“ said an ocean fish. “You are older than I, so can you tell me where to find this thing they call the ocean?” “The ocean,” said the older fish, “is the thing you are in now.” “Oh, this? But this is water. What I’m seeking is the ocean,” said the disappointed fish as he swam away to search elsewhere.
Anthony De Mello • The Song of the Bird
The words of the scholar are to be understood. The words of the master are not to be understood. They are to be listened to as one listens to the wind in the trees and the sound of the river and the song of the bird. They will awaken something within the heart that is beyond all knowledge.
Anthony De Mello • The Song of the Bird
Scholar vs master for the student is akin to [[Wisdom vs Knowledge]]I wish to be more of a master than a scholar
Stop searching, little fish. There isn’t anything to look for. All you have to do is look.
Anthony De Mello • The Song of the Bird
you more fish and more money. Soon you would have enough money to own two boats…maybe even a fleet of boats. Then you would be a rich man like me.” “What would I do then?” “Then you could really enjoy life.” “What do you think I am doing right now?”
Anthony De Mello • The Song of the Bird
THE SONG OF THE BIRD The disciples were full of questions about God. Said the master, “God is the Unknown and the Unknowable. Every statement about him, every answer to your questions, is a distortion of the truth.” The disciples were bewildered. “Then why do you speak about him at all?” “Why does the bird sing?” said the master.
Anthony De Mello • The Song of the Bird
.c1The Way that can be spoken is not the true Way (Dao)And yet! We must try to speak anywayBut also… the bird sings to find mates 😅
A mother could not get her son to come home before sunset. So she told him that the road to their house was haunted by ghosts who came out after dusk. By the time the boy grew up he was so afraid of ghosts that he refused to run errands at night. So she gave him a medal and taught him that it would protect him. Bad religion gives him faith in the m
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Two persons walked into religion. One came alive, the other drowned.
Anthony De Mello • The Song of the Bird
Maybe a different me needs a different angle of religion
Not because it has a statement, but because it has a song.
Anthony De Mello • The Song of the Bird
.c2Ah, it is not why it opens its mouth, but rather why it chooses to sing.
When neurotics come to you for help, they seldom seek to be healed, for healing is painful. What they really want is to be made comfortable in their neuroses. Or, best of all, they yearn for a miracle that will heal them painlessly.