"Only in the depth of pure silence can we hear God's voice."

"God is compassion. He is waiting at the door of every heart. He is
an uninvited guest everywhere, because whether you call Him or not,
He is there. Whether you are a believer or a nonbeliever, He is
within you uninvited. Behind every form, behind everything, God is
hiding. He beautifies things and makes them what they are. He is the
hidden formula of life. But He won't reveal Himself to you. You won't
feel Him unless you call Him. Prayer is the invitation. You must
invoke Him through prayer and meditation. Chanting, singing and
repeating the mantra are invitations, asking God to reveal Himself."

"God is not confined to a particular body or place. There is not even
an atom of space where He is not. Do not think that Amma is only in
Vallickavu and is only this body. When you pray sincerely thinking of
Amma definitely that vibration will reach Amma and reflect on Her
mind. Your prayers and your pure and innocent sankalpa will bring
Amma to you. Then you will feel Amma's presence and peace."
"Just give your mind to God; take refuge in Him, and you won't lack
anything in life. You will be given whatever you need. Your problems
will be solved, in some way, and you will find peace. Those who pray
to God and meditate on Him sincerely will not feel a shortage of
anything that is essential. That is God's resolve. It is Amma's own
experience. If nothing else, chant the Lalita Sahasranama (1,000
Names of the Divine Mother) daily with love and devotion. Then you
won't lack anything."

What is Real Prayer?

"A real prayer will never contain any suggestions, instructions or
demands. The sincere devotee will simply say, `O Lord, I do not know
what is good or what is bad for me. I am nobody, nothing. You know
everything. I know whatever you do must be for the best; therefore,
do as you wish.' In real prayer you bow down, surrender and declare
your helplessness to the Lord."

"To remember God, you have to forget. To be really focused on God is
to be fully and absolutely in the present moment, forgetting the past
and the future. That alone is real prayer."
How Should We Pray?

"Having closed the door, one should imagine that one's beloved deity
is standing everywhere in the room. Then one should pray thus, 'O
Lord, are You not seeing me? O God, please take me on Your lap. I am
Your child. I have no one but You as my refuge. Do not abandon me but
always dwell in my heart.' "

"Contemplate on God as your creator, protector and the final abode to
where you will return. Try to feel God with your heart; try to feel
God's presence, grace, compassion and love. Open your heart and
pray, 'O Lord, my creator, protector, and final resting place, guide
me to Your light and love. Fill my heart with Your presence. I've
been told that I am Your child, but I am totally ignorant of my
existence in You. My most beloved Lord, I do not know how to worship
You, or how to please You or meditate on Your form. I have not
studied the scriptures; I know not how to glorify You. O
Compassionate One, show me the right path so that I can return to my
real abode which is nothing but You.' "

"Night is the best time to pray. Nature is quiet. No one will disturb
you."

"No matter who causes you grief, take your complaints to the puja
room where your real friend is. Go to the puja room and
complain, 'Why did You let him treat me like that? Weren't You with
me?' Open your heart and tell God everything. Then it becomes a
satsang."

"Children, try to pray until your heart melts and flows down as
tears. It is said that the water of the Ganges purifies whoever takes
a dip it. The tears that fill the eyes while one is remembering God
have tremendous power to purify one's mind. These tears are more
powerful than meditation. Such tears are verily the Ganges."

What Should We Pray For?

"A true devotee realises that his Lord is within and without, that He
is all-knowing and all-powerful — omnipresent, omniscient and
omnipotent. Understanding this, the devotee simply tries to express
his total helplessness to the Lord and accepts Him as the sole
protector and guide. In such sincere and open-hearted prayer, the
devotee confesses the uselessness and the burden of his ego. Why
should one keep a useless thing? Therefore, he prays to the Lord to
remove it, to destroy it. This kind of prayer is real meditation, and
it will definitely take one to the goal."

"Praying for the fulfilment of petty desires is being stuck in your
mind and all its attachments and aversions. Not only that, it is
adding more to the existing vasanas. New worlds are created. Along
with that, you lengthen the chain of your anger, lust, greed,
jealously, delusion and all other negative traits. Each desire brings
with it those negative emotions. Unfulfilled desires result in anger."

"Pray for a contented mind in all circumstances. Prayer becomes
genuine only when you pray for a peaceful and contented mind, no
matter what you get."

Remember God in Happiness and Sorrow

"Children, now that you are happy and joyful, do not forget God.
Remember God and pray to God even in times of happiness. Usually
people remember God and pray only when they are in pain, as if God
were only a painkiller. Do not be that way. Let prayer and
remembrance of God become part of your daily life. Amma is with you."

"Nowadays, people pray to God only during times of distress. If you
pray to God in times of both happiness and sadness, you will no
longer have to experience any suffering. Even if some suffering
should come to you, it won't appear as suffering. God will look after
you. If you can pray to Him with an open heart and shed a few tears
out of love for Him, then you are saved."

The Power of Group Prayer

"Group chanting and prayer is very powerful. It can change anything.
The lost harmony of the human mind can be restored only through a
selfless attitude supported by prayer, meditation and chanting of
mantras."

Crying for God

"Children, pray and shed tears as you think of God. That is the
greatest sadhana. No other sadhana will give you the bliss of divine
love as effectively as sincere prayer."

"If you can't cry at first, say the words again and again and make
yourself cry. A child will pester his mother to make her buy what he
wants. He'll keep following her around and he won't stop crying until
he has the desired object in his hand. We have to pester the Divine
Mother like that. We have to sit there and cry. Don't give Her a
moment of peace! We should cry out, 'Show yourself to me! Show
yourself!' When you say that you can't cry, it means that you have no
real yearning. Anyone will cry when that longing comes to them. If
you can't cry, make yourself cry, even if it takes some effort."

"Say that you are hungry but you don't have any food or money. You
will go somewhere or do something to get food, won't you? Cry out to
the Divine Mother and say, 'Why aren't you giving me tears?' Ask
Her, 'Why don't you make me cry? Does it mean that you don't love me?
How can I live if you don't love me?' Then She will give you
strength, and you will be able to cry. Children, that is what Amma
used to do. You can do the same."

"Such tears are not tears of sorrow. They are a form of inner bliss.
Those tears will flow when the jivatman (individual soul) merges with
the Paramatman (Supreme Self). Our tears mark a moment of oneness
with God. Those who are watching us may interpret it as sorrow. For
us, however, it is bliss."

~ from www.amritapuri.org