One Minute Nonsense

Everyone loves a story. Anyone would enjoy this book. I read it an have given away 12 copies and everyone I gave it to enjoied it.

Anthony deMello is a unique type of spiritual teacher. He teaches not with long theological treatises but with simple stories. The present book published after his death, belongs to the category of books like 'One Minute Wisdom', 'Prayer of the Frog', 'Song of the Bird' etc. The present one is entitled 'One minute Nonsense' which is an appropriate title. Some of the anecdotes can be misunderstood and dismissed as nonsensical. Indeed, DeMello was misunderstood. It is a Master who tells the anecdotes and he could be a Hindu Guru, a Jewish Rabbi, a Muslim Mullah or a Christian Priest. His message transcending all manmade boundaries, sometimes sounds nonsensical and contradictory because he is trying to 'express the inexpressible'. People with an open mind with regard to the truth of God, would love this book and cherish the anecdotes.

Anthony de Mello's books generally fall into three groups - guided meditations; cross-cultural, interreligious, traditional teaching tales; and sayings of the Master in context. This book falls into the second category - traditional teaching tales. Fr. de Mello has categorized the stories into seven chapters: spirituality, education, authority, human nature, relationships, service and enlightment. Most of the stories are told without any "editorial" comments i.e. the author trusts the power of story. The selection is excellent coming from a wide variety of traditions and ages.My favorite, having studied Sanskrit for several years in graduate school: "Enthralled at hearing the Master chant Sanskrit verses in a melodious voice, a Sanskrit scholar said: 'I have always known that there is no language on earth like Sanskrit for the expression of things divine.' 'Don't be an ass,' said the Mster. 'The language of the divine isn't Sanskrit. It is silence.'"You can read the book straight through and get a lot of laughs or you can read it as intended, pondering the stories and risking having your life changed. The latter is the intend of the author.

DeMello's book, One Minute Nonense serves as a primer for everyday meditation. One who is looking for dense text with long theological discourses should look elsewhere. What one will find is a collection of very short dialogues (usually between a master and a disciple). I seemed to have come across many of these somewhere in the past, and no doubt some are from a common pool of wisdom. They have a distinctly eastern feel to them; zen qualities abound. However, one can feel confident that an orthodox christian will find true wisdom in his words.I have personally used the book much like a flip calender with quotes; they can be chewed upon mentally throughout the day without much effort in terms of memorization. However, they bear fruit. They challenge you to become Aware. To Wake Up. Even if for a moment this book can help one to break out of the normal perspective so often we are entranced in. I highly recommend the book. And by the way, I consider myself a catholic in good standing. Peace!