Anthony de Mello, a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist, is well known for his writings and spiritual conferences. Born on 4th September 1931, in Bombay, India, he traveled to many states and countries to study and pursue his career. De Mello showed the way of authentic living through his stories and lectures. His spiritual insight and thorough understanding of humanity was well reflected in his teachings. This depth of understanding fetched him world wide recognition. Anthony de Mello served as the director of Sadhana Institute of Pastoral Counseling in Poona, India, until his demise on 2nd June 1987, in New York. He was also a member of the Jesuit province of Bombay.
His Belief
The meditation techniques taught by De Mello were a combination of Eastern religious thought, modern psychology and the spiritual exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit religious order. He advised that most people live their lives as if asleep. However people can awaken from this sleep and experience what is really inside and outside of themselves.
As An Orator
Anthony de Mello organized numerous workshops, which were attended by thousands of people. They considered him a marvellous public speaker. De Mello engaged himself in counseling people that the worries and stresses of everyday life can be set aside, to enjoy life to the fullest. He conveyed this message through his workshops and books.
As An Author
Anthony de Mello authored many books in his lifetime. The topics that he dealt with, in his books, included Christian spirituality, Buddhist parables, Hindu breathing exercises and psychological insight about life. Some of his most popular books include 'Awareness', 'The Song of the Bird', 'Sadhana: A Way to God', 'Wellsprings', 'Walking on Water', 'The Way to Love', 'Contact with God' and 'Heart of the Enlightened'. Some of his writings have been translated to Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Bengali and Thai.
A number of support services have been established based on the principles and teachings espoused by Anthony DeMello, one of which is the DeMello Institute service based in Dublin(www.demelloinstitute.org).
