Anthony De Mello Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist

Anthony de Mello was a Jesuit priest from India. He was the director of the Sadhana Institute of Pastoral Counselling in Puna, India, and a member of the Jesuit province of Bombay.

Early Life and Background
Anthony de Mello (1931–1987) was an Indian Jesuit priest, psychotherapist, and spiritual teacher who brought together insights from East and West. Trained in theology and psychology, he sought to make spirituality experiential rather than doctrinal, encouraging people to find freedom through awareness rather than belief.

Teaching and Influence
De Mello became known for his accessible yet profound talks, later collected in books such as Awareness and The Way to Love. Blending humour, parable, and sharp observation, he challenged listeners to wake up from the illusions and conditioning that shape their lives. His approach drew from Christian mysticism but also echoed Buddhist mindfulness and psychological insight.

Enduring Message
At the heart of de Mello’s teaching is a simple but transformative idea: awakening begins with awareness. To see clearly, without judgment or self-deception, is to discover freedom and love already present within.

Spirituality means waking up.

Most people, even though they don't know it, are asleep.

They're born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up.

They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence.

Credit: Anthony de Mello