You have somehow said to yourself, ‘The well-being of ‘I,’ almost the existence of ‘I,’ is tied up with this desire. As a matter of fact, I haven’t quite finished it, but it’s due at the library and I’m taking it back. Psychology and spirituality (as we generally understand it) transfer the bomb from your lap to under your seat.

It is not from lack of religion in the ordinary sense of the word that the world is suffering, it is from lack of love, lack of awareness. I'm an ex-marketing executive turned self-education entrepreneur after an existential crisis in 2015. I think it will take me forever to process everything I read in the book, and, probably, forever would not be enough. How are you to form close relationships with family and loved ones if you don't participate in the human connection? And living doesn’t mean working in government, or being a big businessman, or performing great acts of charity.

Consequently, it seems that those who loved and worked with him have gathered every scrap of wisdom, every utterance he left behind, and captured them for posterity. Unfortunately, all the emphasis is concentrated on changing the world and very little emphasis is given to waking up.

First, can you pick up the desire under that suffering, that there’s something you desire very keenly or else you wouldn’t be suffering. Suffering is given to you that you might open your eyes to the truth, that you might understand that there’s falsehood somewhere, just as physical pain is given to you so you will understand that there is disease or illness somewhere. de Mello combines Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and New Age worldviews mixed with a dose of radical individualism to create a spirituality devoid of any significant beliefs except for the fact that we don't need other people if we are aware of ourselves.

You cannot change by an effort of the will; you cannot change through ideals; you cannot change through building up new habits.

The reading this most recent time in an effort to better understand the culture of India, where I am now working with several of their citizens. A guru once attempted to explain to a crowd how human beings react to words, feed on words, live on words, rather than on reality. But it’s been immensely productive for my thinking, especially about concepts like spirituality, identity, and self-awareness. If you could get one second’s experience of that, you’d be breaking through your prison and getting a glimpse of the sky.

He wasn't concerned with getting their recognition or gratitude; he was concerned about their well-being. Look closely in my eyes, though, because before you have the chance to ask me what that key is, and why I'm not explaining it properly to you, I'm going to slam a little cute story in your face that is going to distract you from the fact that I have actually just told you nothing at all”. he knew all the facts about the situation but he could never quit until one day he wakes up lying in a gutter under a slight drizzle and he realizes the dangerous situation and becomes “aware” and from that day he never goes back to drinking”.

You feel pretty strongly about certain things, and you think it is you who are feeling strongly about them, but are you really? Made asses of themselves because they drained all their energy getting something that was worthless. And if you examine what you have added, there is always an illusion there, there’s a demand, an expectation, a craving. But overall, I found this book to be compelling, thought provoking, and an enjoyable read that did effectively expand my Awareness in this world.I would thoroughly recommend has many practical enlightening suggestions and the author pear t a his ideas with real accessibility and humour. You know, I had all the information I needed; I knew that alcohol was killing me, and, believe me, nothing changes an alcoholic—not even the love of his wife or his kids. To wake up, the one thing you need the most is not energy, or strength, or youthfulness, or even great intelligence.