To a disciple who depended overmuch on books, the Master said:
“A man came to the market with a shopping list and lost it. When to his great joy he found it again, he read it eagerly, held on to it till he had done his shopping — then threw it away as a useless scrap of paper.”
Anthony de Mello
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Anthony de Mello (1931-1987) was an Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist. A spiritual teacher, writer and public speaker, De Mello wrote several books on spirituality and hosted numerous spiritual retreats and conferences. He continues to be known for his storytelling, which drew from the various mystical traditions of both East and West.
Image: A postage stamp issued by Japan in 2009 features the statue of the Great Buddha Vairochana in Todai-ji, Nara. The Great Buddha Hall is the largest wooden structure in the world. Built first in the Nara period (710-784 AD), it has been destroyed twice by fire in 1180 and again in 1567. The Daibutsu (or ‘giant Buddha’ often used informally for large statues of Buddha) is known as Vairochana Buddha, ‘the light of whose knowledge and compassion illumines widely.’ Courtesy https://www.buddhiststamp.com/