Amma Doll

09-09-2002, 10:33 AM

I recently earned my master's degree in Women's Spirituality from New
College of California in SF. My thesis was about whether the songs
in the Bhajanamritam collection transform people and make them more
compassionate. A copy of my thesis and I went on a retreat at a
lodge near Ben Lomond. The retreat involved alumnae, recent grads
like me and new students from our program.

I also brought my Amma doll. I told the attendees that she came in
case anybody needed a hug and I passed the Amma doll around the
circle so that each person could have a hug if they wanted to. I
told them that the doll represented Ammachi, a saint from India who
shows unconditional love for everyone by giving hugs to all who come
to her. By the end of the weekend, several people made comments
like "Wow, that doll is really something. I could feel my heart
opening up when I hugged her."

One woman was particularly affected. She is Sheri, a wonderful poet
who has just "discovered" the Goddess. Her poetry largely involves
dialogues with the goddess or praise of the goddess in some way.
This woman asked if I would make the doll available because, when she
hugged her, she started crying. She realized that there was
SOMETHING THERE, something she needed. I said sure, that I would
leave the Amma doll near the theses and she could hold her whenever
she wanted.

"I don't know what it is about that doll," Sheri said and looked off
into the distance. Suddenly she turned back to me and said with
urgency, "Yes, I do! I DO know what it is. SHE'S there. She's
THERE in the doll!"

On Saturday evening I was very tired. The group had given me a
healing and I left the lodge to go to bed before all the activities
were over. When I got to my cabin, I realized that I had left the
Amma doll. I always put her to bed at night with her little devotee
doll (a Disney Corporation "Indian" which doesn't look like any real
person from India ever seen...like an American devotee of an Indian
religious group...) on guard. I felt bad about forgetting the doll
and I hoped that Sheri would take her back to her cabin.

That's just what happened. On the way back to her cabin in the dark,
Sheri slipped and fell, clutching the Amma doll. She was sure she
had seriously damaged the doll and was very upset about it. An Amma
devotee from Washington, DC, who just happened to be her room mate,
told her that the dolls were very expensive. Sheri was very upset
thinking that she had done some awful, irreparable damage. As a
result of her dismay, all the women in the cabin heard about who Amma
is and about the doll.

The doll looks fine to me. I had already decided that I should get
her a new outfit so that she would always be wearing clean clothes. I
consoled Sheri by telling her that devotees would have fixed the doll
for free if she had been damaged. I think that the Amma doll helped
make sure Sheri didn't hurt herself when she fell and then introduced
herself (Amma) to the other women in the cabin. (Our Amma gets
around in all sorts of ways!)

Several times over the weekend I got to tell women about Amma's visit
to the Bay Area in November, all thanks to the Amma doll. When
people would exclaim about the doll, I'd tell them they could see the
real person in November.

Aikya

09-10-2002, 05:57 AM

> I also brought my Amma doll. I told the attendees
> that she came in
> case anybody needed a hug and I passed the Amma doll
> around the
> circle so that each person could have a hug if they
> wanted to.

I'm reluctant to take my Amma doll to non-Amma events,
though I could use her to introduce Amma to people as
you did. I took her to the Ashtanga retreat with Baba
Hari Dass (an annual Labor day weekend event in the
Toronto area). The doll mostly stayed in my cabin,
except on the last day of the retreat. There were a
couple of Amma devotees at this retreat, who knew that
I owned a doll. Almost anyone who sees me with the
Amma doll can tell that there is a special bond
between me and the doll, and that it's no ordinary
doll.

>
> That's just what happened. On the way back to her
> cabin in the dark,
> Sheri slipped and fell, clutching the Amma doll.
> She was sure she
> had seriously damaged the doll and was very upset
> about it. An Amma
> devotee from Washington, DC, who just happened to be
> her room mate,
> told her that the dolls were very expensive. Sheri
> was very upset
> thinking that she had done some awful, irreparable
> damage.

The doll is quite rugged. She doesn't even mind being
stuffed into my backpack and getting bounced around.
But I would keep her away from the cat, unless it's
been de-clawed. The cat that is, not the doll

I didn't yet have the doll last year on 9/11. But I
took her to the ground zero site when I was in NYC for
Amma's darshan.

Keval

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