BLINKERS "If you make me your authority," said the Master to a starry-eyed disciple, "you harm yourself because you refuse to see things for yourself." And,...
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May 5, 2006 1:22 pm
HUMILITY To a visitor who described himself as a seeker after Truth the Master said, "If what you seek is Truth, there is one thing you must have above all...
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May 9, 2006 4:02 am
REPRESSION The Master had been on his deathbed in a coma for weeks. One day he suddenly opened his eyes to find his favorite disciple there. "You never leave...
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May 14, 2006 6:45 pm
EXPANSION The Master sat in rapt attention as the renowned economist explained his blueprint for development. "Should growth be the only consideration in an...
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May 19, 2006 6:56 pm
ACCEPTANCE "How can I be a great man?like you?" "Why be a great man?" said the Master. "Being a man is a great enough achievement." Anthony de Mello, SJ ...
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May 23, 2006 4:25 pm
CHALLENGE An easygoing disciple complained that he had never experienced the Silence that the Master frequently commended. Said the Master, "Silence only comes...
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May 26, 2006 5:08 pm
IRRELEVANCE All questions at the public meeting that day were about life beyond the grave. The Master only laughed and did not give a single answer. To his...
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May 30, 2006 7:41 am
VIOLENCE The Master was always teaching that guilt is an evil emotion to be avoided like the very devil -- all guilt. "But are we not to hate our sins?" a...
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Jun 3, 2006 12:34 am
IDEOLOGY A group of political activists were attempting to show the Master how their ideology would change the world. The Master listened carefully. The...
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Jun 5, 2006 6:38 pm
MORALITY The disciples would frequently be absorbed in questions of right and wrong. Sometimes the answer would be evident enough. Sometimes it was elusive. ...
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Jun 9, 2006 6:01 am
FANTASY "What is the greatest enemy of Enlightenment?" "Fear." "And where does fear come from?" "Delusion." "And what is delusion?" "To think that the flowers...
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Jun 12, 2006 5:40 am
REMOTE CONTROL To a shy disciple who wanted to become self-confident the Master said, "You look for certainty in the eyes of others and you think that is...
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Jun 17, 2006 4:28 am
INVESTMENT "How shall I rid myself of fear?" "How can you rid yourself of what you cling to?" "You mean I actually cling to my fears? I cannot agree to that."...
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Jun 19, 2006 10:13 pm
AWARENESS "Is salvation obtained through action or through meditation?" "Through neither. Salvation comes from seeing." "Seeing what?" "That the gold necklace ...
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Jun 24, 2006 2:16 am
SLEEPWALKING The Master's expansive mood emboldened his disciples to say, "Tell us what you got from Enlightenment. Did you become divine?" "No." "Did you...
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Jun 26, 2006 2:45 pm
DETACHMENT It intrigued the disciples that the Master who lived so simply would not condemn his wealthy followers. "It is rare but not impossible for someone...
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Jun 30, 2006 3:52 pm
DISTINCTION The Master was strolling with some of his disciples along the bank of a river. He said, "See how the fish keep darting about wherever they please....
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Jul 3, 2006 8:22 pm
CREATION The Master was known to side with the revolutionaries, even at the risk of incurring the displeasure of the government. When someone asked him why he...
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Jul 7, 2006 12:20 am
PERSPECTIVE The Master was in a mellow mood and the disciples were inquisitive. Did he ever feel depressed? they asked. He did. Wasn't it also true that he was...
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Jul 11, 2006 6:57 am
CHANGE The visiting historian was disposed to be argumentative. "Do not our efforts change the course of human history?" he demanded. "Oh yes, they do," said...
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Jul 14, 2006 10:05 pm
RECOGNITION As the Master grew old and infirm, the disciples begged him not to die. Said the Master, "If I did not go, how would you ever see?" "What is it we...
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Jul 17, 2006 9:38 pm
INSIGHT The disciples were involved in a heated discussion on the cause of human suffering. Some said it came from selfishness. Others, from delusion. Yet...
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Jul 22, 2006 3:58 am
AUTONOMY The Master seemed quite impervious to what people thought of him. When the disciples asked how he had attained this stage of inner freedom, he laughed...
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Jul 25, 2006 5:20 pm
AUTHENTICITY The Master was never impressed by diplomas or degrees. He scrutinized the person, not the certificate. He was once heard to say, "When you have...
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Jul 28, 2006 5:59 am
IMMUNIZATION To everyone's surprise the Master seemed un-enthusiastic about religious education for the young. When asked why, he said, "Inoculate them when...
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Jul 31, 2006 8:02 pm
SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS The Master loved ordinary people and was suspicious of those who stood out for their holiness. To a disciple who consulted him on marriage...
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Aug 4, 2006 10:00 pm
ENTHUSIASM To the woman who complained that riches hadn't made her happy the Master said, "You speak as if luxury and comfort were ingredients of happiness; ...
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Aug 7, 2006 5:46 pm
PREJUDICE "Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so," the Master said. When asked to explain he said, "A man cheerfully observed a religious fast seven...
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Aug 13, 2006 9:18 pm
TOTALITARIANISM To the disciples' embarrassment the Master once told a bishop that religious people have a natural bent for cruelty. "Why?" demanded the...
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Aug 18, 2006 11:02 pm
SELFLESSNESS An affluent industrialist said to the Master, "What do you do for a profession?" "Nothing," said the Master. The industrialist laughed scornfully....
