One Minute Nonsense (Campion Book) [Paperback]

Anthony de Mello (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Loyola Press; Canadian edition (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0829407421
• ISBN-13: 978-0829407426
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #486,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trusting the power of story, September 2, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Minute Nonsense (Campion Book) (Paperback)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Song of a Bird, March 12, 2005

By 

Michael Colley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Minute Nonsense (Campion Book) (Paperback)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Religious Wisdom from the East, August 18, 2001

By 

Xavier Thelakkatt (Dayton, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Minute Nonsense (Campion Book) (Paperback)

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.