The devil and his friend

On one occasion, the devil went out for a walk with a friend. Suddenly, they saw a man before them who was bent over the ground trying to pick something up.“What is that man looking for?” the friend asked the devil.“A piece of Truth,” replied the devil.“Doesn’t that worry you?” the friend asked again.“Not in the slightest,” replied the devil. “I will let him turn it into a religious belief.”

“A religious belief is like a signpost pointing the way to Truth. But people who stubbornly cling to the signpost are prevented from moving toward Truth, because they have the false sense that they already possess it.”

Anthony de Mello is trying to tell us that religion is a kind of spiritual guide, but we should not cling to it too tightly, as it gives us the false belief that we already possess the truth.

Bibliography:

de Mello, Anthony. «The Song of the Bird».

El diablo y su amigo

En cierta ocasión salió el diablo a pasear con un amigo. De pronto vieron ante ellos a un hombre que estaba inclinado sobre el suelo tratando de recoger algo.«¿Qué busca ese hombre?», le preguntó al diablo su amigo.«Un trozo de Verdad», respondió el diablo.«¿Y eso no te inquieta?», volvió a preguntar el amigo.«Ni lo más mínimo», respondió el diablo. «Le permitiré que haga de ello una creencia religiosa».

«Una creencia religiosa es como un poste indicador que señala el camino hacia la Verdad. Pero las personas que se obstinan en adherirse al indicador se ven impedidas de avanzar hacia la Verdad, porque tienen la falsa sensación de que ya la poseen.»

Anthony de Mello nos intenta decir que la religión es una especie de guía espiritual, pero que no hay que apegarse a ella demasiado debido a que nos da la falsa creencia de que ya se posee la verdad.

Bibliografía:

de Mello, Anthony. «El canto del pájaro».

What are you saying?

The Master imprints his wisdom on the hearts of his disciples, not on the pages of a book. The disciple must carry this wisdom hidden in his heart for thirty or forty years, until he finds someone capable of receiving it. Such was the tradition of Zen. The Zen Master Mu-nan knew that he had only one successor: his disciple Shoju. One day he summoned him and said: “I am already old, Shoju, and it is you who must carry on these teachings. Here is a book that has been passed from Master to Master for seven generations. I myself have added some notes to the book that will be useful to you. Here it is. Keep it as a sign that you are my successor.” “You would do better to keep the book to yourself,” Shoju replied. “You transmitted Zen to me without the need for written words, and I will be very happy to preserve it in this way.”“I know, I know…” Mu-nan said patiently. “But even so, the book has served seven generations and it may also be useful to you. So take it and keep it.”

The two were talking by the fire. At the moment Shoju’s fingers touched the book, he threw it into the fire. He had no desire for written words. Mu-nan, whom no one had ever seen angry, shouted: “What nonsense are you doing?”And Shoju replied: “What nonsense are you saying?”

“The Guru speaks with authority about what he himself has experienced. He never quotes a book.”

Anthony de Mello tells us about the importance of teachings, which should be shared directly from the master and his experience, not through words taken from a sacred text or any other text. Anthony emphasizes that the teaching must reside in the heart.

Bibliography:

de Mello, Anthony. The Song of the Bird.

¿Qué estás diciendo?

El Maestro imprime su sabiduría en el corazón de sus discípulos, no en las páginas de un libro. El discípulo habrá de llevar oculta en su corazón esta sabiduría durante treinta o cuarenta años, hasta encontrar a alguien capaz de recibirla. Tal era la tradición del Zen. El Maestro Zen Mu-nan sabía que no tenía más que un sucesor: su discípulo Shoju. Un día le hizo llamar y le dijo: «Yo ya soy un viejo, Shoju, y eres tú quien debe proseguir estas enseñanzas. Aquí tienes un libro que hasido transmitido de Maestro a Maestro durante siete generaciones. Yo mismo he añadido al libro algunas notas que te serán de utilidad. Aquí lo tienes. Consérvalo como señal de que eres mi sucesor».«Harías mejor en guardarte el libro», replicó Shoju. «Tú me transmitiste el Zen sin necesidad de palabras escritas y seré muy dichoso de conservarlo de este modo». «Lo sé, lo sé …» dijo con paciencia Mu-nan.«Pero aun así el libro ha servido a siete generaciones y también puede ser útil para ti. De modo que tómalo y consérvalo».

Se hallaban los dos hablando junto al fuego. En el momento en que los dedos de Shoju tocaron el libro, lo arrojó al fuego. No le apetecían nada las palabras escritas. Mu-nan; a quien nadie había visto jamás enfadado, gritó: «¿Qué disparate estás haciendo?».Y Shoju le replicó: «¿Qué disparate estás diciendo?».

«El Guru habla con autoridad de lo que él mismo ha experimentado. Nunca cita un libro.»

Anthony de Mello nos habla de la importancia de las enseñanzas, las cuales deben de ser compartidas directamente del maestro y su experiencia y no por palabras sacado de un texto sagrado o no. Anthony recalca que la enseñanza debe recidir en el corazón.

Bibliografía:

de Mello, Anthony. «El canto del pájaro».

A word of wisdom

No one knew what became of Kakua after he left the Emperor’s presence. He simply disappeared.

Here is the story: Kakua was the first Japanese person to study Zen in China. He did not travel at all. The only thing he did was meditate diligently. When people found him and asked him to preach, he would say a few words and then move to another place in the forest, somewhere more difficult to find.When Kakua returned to Japan, the Emperor heard about him and sent word of his desire that Kakua preach Zen before him and his entire court. Kakua came and stood in silence before the Emperor. Then he took a flute from the folds of his robe and played a brief note. After that, he made a deep bow to the Emperor and disappeared.

Confucius said: “Not to teach a man who is ready to learn is to waste a man. To teach someone who is not ready to learn is to waste words.”

That is why Kakua did not teach; he knew that his words would fall on deaf ears. It would be a waste of words before people who were not willing to learn.

Bibliography:

de Mello, Anthony. “The Song of the Bird.”

Una nota de sabiduría

Nadie supo lo que fue de Kakua después de que éste abandonara la presencia del Emperador.

Sencillamente,desapareció.He aquí la historia:Kakua fue el primer japonés que estudió Zen en China. No viajaba en absoluto. Lo único que hacía era meditar asiduamente. Cuando la gente le encontraba y le pedía que predicara, él decía unas cuantas palabras y se marchaba a otro lugar del bosque, donde resultara más difícil encontrarle. Cuando Kakua regresó al Japón, el Emperador oyó hablar de él y le hizo llegar su deseo de que predicara Zenante él y toda su corte. Kakua acudió y se quedó en silencio frente al Emperador. Entonces sacó una flauta de entre los pliegues de su vestido y emitió con ella una breve nota. Después hizo una profunda inclinación ante el rey y desapareció.

Dice Confucio: «No enseñar a un hombre que está dispuesto a aprender es desaprovechar a un hombre. Enseñar a quien no está dispuesto a aprender es malgastar las palabras».

Por eso Kakua no enseñaba, sabía que sus palabras irían a caer en saco roto, sería malgastar las palabras ante personas que no estaban dispuestas a aprender.

Bibliografía:

de Mello, Anthony. «El canto del pájaro».

The Ninth Revelation (The Celestine Prophecy)

The book “The Ninth Revelation (The Celestine Prophecy)” is a novel written by James Redfield in which a new way of looking at the world is proposed. The plot unfolds through the discovery of nine revelations by the protagonist, who comes across an ancient manuscript in Peru that describes them and explains how the Peruvian government and the Catholic Church attempt to discredit it under the false belief that these revelations would undermine the foundations of religion and society.

With the First Revelation, the protagonist becomes attentive to the way his life unfolds. With the Second, he realizes that culture as a whole also felt that same mystery and that “we were in the process of building a new vision of the world.” The Third and Fourth reveal to him that the universe is actually a vast system of energy and that human conflict was due to a lack of energy and manipulation in order to obtain it. The Fifth Revelation shows the protagonist that this conflict can be ended by receiving a higher level of energy (God?). The Sixth introduces the idea that we can clarify our old and repetitive dramas and find our true self. The Seventh sets in motion the evolution of that true “self” through questioning, intuition about what to do, and response. “Remaining in that magical flow was truly the secret of happiness.” The Eighth teaches that knowing how to relate to others in a different way, offering them the best of ourselves, is the key to keeping the mystery alive and ensuring that answers continue to appear. The Ninth, finally found, establishes the creation of a new future in society in which each individual will reach a higher level of energy, although at this point the narrative becomes somewhat esoteric, allowing for a spiritually integrated society.

Bibliography:

Redfield, James. “The Ninth Revelation (The Celestine Prophecy).”