Good Luck? Bad Luck? Who Knows?
A Love Letter to the Beloved, Inspired by Anthony DeMello
This morning, wisdom arrived not through effort, but through listening.
A book opened itself — quite unconsciously — to a particular page. A familiar story revealed itself anew. And as if waiting patiently for the right moment, a quiet blessing emerged from between the pages.
The book is Mastering Sadhana, a collection of reflections on the teachings of Anthony DeMello, lovingly gathered and edited by Carlos G. Valles, S.J..
DeMello was a Jesuit priest, mystic, and teacher — but more than that, he was a lover of freedom. His teachings don’t burden the heart or inflate the mind. They liberate. They smile. They invite us to wake up — not by escaping life, but by fully inhabiting it.
The chapter I read in today’s podcast episode is titled “Good Luck? Bad Luck?”
You may recognize the ancient Chinese farmer story it explores — a story that appears across cultures, traditions, and centuries. But DeMello’s gift is not in retelling the story — it’s in where he points us.
Not toward certainty.
Not toward moral perfection.
But toward humility, presence, and a light heart.
Again and again, he reminds us:
We do not actually know what is good or bad in the long arc of things.
We do not know what will help or harm.
We do not even know what will ultimately serve us.
And somehow — this not-knowing is not frightening.
It is freeing.
From this humility arises a very simple orientation for living:
Don’t harm anyone.
Help where you can.
Not as a rigid rule — but as a gentle compass.
One that allows us to act sincerely, responsibly, and lovingly without carrying the unbearable weight of needing to control outcomes.
Perhaps the line that touched me most — and feels especially alive right now — is this invitation to live with a light heart:
To do what seems most appropriate in each moment, without a weight on the mind or a worry in the heart.
This teaching feels profoundly timely.
So many of us are carrying too much — responsibility, self-judgment, fear of getting it wrong, fear of not doing enough. DeMello offers something quietly radical:
freedom without collapse, responsibility without punishment, action without anxiety.
In today’s episode, I read directly from this chapter — from the beginning through the story — and I close with a line that feels like a blessing for our time:
“All manner of things will be well.”
If these words touch something in you, I wholeheartedly encourage you to explore Mastering Sadhana — or any of Anthony DeMello’s books. They are not meant to be studied so much as received.
May this listening lighten your heart.
May it soften your grip.
May it remind you that the Beloved is not found elsewhere —
but right here, in the living moment that is already unfolding.
May All Beings Be Free. May All Beings Be Loved. May All Beings Be at Peace!
