On the 15th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast I am joined by Benjamin Western, who is the Founder at The Shining Light Project, a trustee at Hope & Aid Direct, and Head of Sustainability at LRQA.
This episode is different from the others, as this is more a conversation than an interview, and we are focussing on the teachings of Anthony De Mello.
Anthony De Mello was an Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist. A spiritual teacher and author of several spiritual books, two of which, Awareness and The Way to Love, have had a huge impact on both mine and Benjamin's lives.
In this episode we explore and reflect on the core teachings of De Mello, essentially that our attachments in life are making us suffer. We explore where we as humans are most attached, to possessions, caring what people think of us, achievement, habits, our beliefs, and our proclivity to chase thrills and excitement rather than what brings us real happiness.
I loved discussing these themes with Benjamin, who is a wise and thoughtful soul, and it will give you plenty to contemplate in terms of your present attachments in life.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for daily clips and weekly reflections.
Running Order:
01:34 Podcast begins
02:09 Discovering the work of Anthony De Mello
07:07 Attachments are the source of our misery
10:04 Our happiness is contingent on so many things
12:19 Do you realise what you are attached to?
15:14 The hardest thing to accept in his teachings
20:24 Exploring an attachment to life
25:22 Unhealthy attachments that are normalised
28:34 Awareness of attachments
31:34 Letting go doesn’t mean renunciation
33:46 Do you accept yourself or others as they are?
37:54 Being who you were meant to be
41:04 What lens do you view the world through?
44:34 Be wary of the labels you apply to others
46:18 World feelings v Soul feelings
52:14 Joy in difficult circumstances
55:34 Explore your attachments playfully
58:49 Humour in the human predicament
1:02:04 What is a good life for Benjamin?
For further content and information check out the following:
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
- Benjamin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwestern/