San Ramon, June 9, 2005 Wednesday

[Guest guest]

It was raining steadily in Castro Valley/San Ramon for the June 9,

2005 program, Amma's second day at the MA Center. It was a fine

mist so you didn't think it was much until you stood out in it for a

while and found yourself drenched. There were accidents on the

roads as people tried to drive as though it was sunny and dry. I

had the day off.

 

In the morning one woman with a bright yellow fold-up umbrella was

standing waiting for Amma's car to arrive. One of the staff asked

her to please hold her umbrella up to shelter Amma from the rain.

The woman blushed and looked completely thrilled. Another devotee

remembered out loud that she had a fancy decorated umbrella in her

car – a parasol really--- to hold over Amma. I was glad that that

parasol wasn't any closer than a distant parking lot. I rooted for

the woman with the fold-up bright yellow umbrella to shelter Amma

from the rain.

 

Amma had a leisurely second day at the MA Center in Castro

Valley/San Ramon. In the early part of the program—10 to 11 AM--

people got looooong hugs as She answered an endless stream of

questions while holding on to one or another of her children (of all

ages). She'd be chatting away in Malayalam over her shoulder to Big

Swamiji (Swami Amritaswarupananda) in answer to someone's question

which he had just translated. Meanwhile someone's head was on her

shoulder and she was rubbing the person's back. She hugged 1100

people—including me—with her usual sweetness in the morning session

which went from 10 AM until 2:30 PM.

 

As I made my way up the darshan line to get my hug, I felt like a

Storytelling Doll with has dozens of little people clinging to her

arms and shoulders. In my mind I brought with me all the Circle of

Love Inside letter recipients…Michael, Carolyn, Antonio, LaVonne,

Joel, Erick, Jesse, Art, Flocco, Mike, Juan, Nora, Hawk, Ellen,

Teresa, Renee, Linda Elizabeth, Chet, Allen, Larry Joseph, Patricia,

Benajmin, Nichole, Maritte, and more. It was crowded. There are

70+ Circle of Love Inside letter recipients now.

 

I was able to give the English prayer book to Big Swamiji yesterday

morning. Afterward I find many faults with the packet. I'll give

him a revision!

 

There were lots of reporters and TV cameras there July 8 morning.

They were taking lots of still photos and video and interviewing

Dayanrita and Big Swamiji, maybe others too. Does anyone know if

Amma was on TV or in the Chronicle? The Religion Editor for the

Chronicle was there. I passed by as Dayamrita was being introduced

to him.

 

Meanwhile I did prasaad seva and got on the list to do lap seva

but the program ended before that time came up. Prasdad seva

requires your kneeling or usually standing near Amma and handing her

whatever she will give the person she is hugging. Prasaad means

something God gives. In Hindu ritual things like food or flowers

are offered to God and then distributed to the people as prasaad, a

gift coming to you from God. Prasaad seva on Wednesday 6/9 was the

nicest experience I've ever had doing that. Usually I'm all spaced

out when I get close to Amma plus there are usually two people

hissing that I'm doing it wrong, one on each side. Totally not

bliss! This time it was seamless with Adarsha's support. All I had

to do was watch Amma's hand and put the prasaad items in it when she

reached for them.

 

It was a fairly big deal even to be asked to do lap seva. It

involves sitting on your knees next to Amma and directing the hands

of the person getting a hug to the chair on the side of Amma, rather

than grabbing Amma, which everyone wants to do. I'm not sure that

my knees would last for that job but it was an honor to be asked.

 

I had nice connections with devotees, including a woman who came

down from usually dry Seattle hoping to camp out with her husband

only to find that it's raining here in California. Campgrounds are a

swamp. Usually it's very hot and dry. The Center was a sea of mud.

It was more like November.

 

I had lunch with a lovely Indian woman from New Delhi named Renu.

She said that she always dreamed of coming to the MA Center, just

seeing it, and she used to pray to Amma that she would be able to

see Amma here at our center. I was doing prasaad seva when Renu got

her hug and I noticed that she burst into tears afterward. She said

it was the fulfillment of a dream. She works in one of Amma's

schools in New Delhi which is expanding each year as its first class

advances. It's up to 7th grade (or 7th standard, they call it) from

nursery school. Amma's schools include spirituality and values in

their programs. The kids all learn yoga, meditation, Sanskrit

chanting, and the traditional dances and songs from their area.

Renu and I laughed at how I was eating the Indian meal and she was

enjoying the Western meal. She commented that she was given way too

much food, however, and that next time she would ask for small

portions.

 

Janine Canaan and I had several wonderful chats. Her book of Amma

quotations called Messages from Amma is new this year. It won an

award for the best spiritual book from Yoga Journal. Of course every

word in it is Amma speaking. Janine is giving one of the evening

talks while Amma is here, a huge honor, and a mixed blessing.

Apparently, they don't tell you which night you will be speaking

until the last minute. When she found out that this year I was part

of getting VIPs invited, she got all excited about who should come

to meet Amma, started making lists, talking about how the person

should be approached. She forgot all about being nervous about

giving an evening talk. She was saying, "Bill Clinton. You know

he's in charge of tsunami relief. If we get him and Amma working

together...."

 

I had tea with three women who have been with Amma since the mid-

eighties, when there were no crowds. It was fun listening to their

stories about how Amma taught them lessons. One told about being a

big fussbudget about getting anything on her white sari when she

went to the airport to meet Amma. There was a baby there who really

took to her and she didn't want to touch the baby or hold the baby

because it might mess up her perfect attire. Finally she gave in

and picked up the baby but she held it away from her. Amma came off

the plane at that moment, snatched the baby and lavished it with

lots of love. To the fussbudget she gave a dirty look.

 

Another one of the three of them, Viraja, had just been in India

around the time of the tsunami and traveled around helping. She

described how they never knew what was going on; they just went

along and did …..whatever. They would be awakened and told to board

the bus. Nobody said where they were going. When they stopped,

nobody told them where to go or what to do. They'd just decide on a

direction and walk until they saw something or other that they knew

to do. If they met someone with piles of bags of rice, they'd help

distribute them. If they saw someone building a house, they'd

help. If Amma came with them, they'd follow her. She'd usually go

into the corner of a kavu or sacred grove. The crowds of people in

need would line up to approach her. The helpers from the bus would

position themselves outside the kavu's walls and pass needed donated

items over the wall to the brahmacharis or brahmacharinis on either

side of Amma. The items included items like new clothing, hygiene

kits, food, pots, etc. The people had lost everything and were

grateful for Amma's help. Amma didn't come with news photographers

to take everyone's picture and make herself famous either as did

other "helpers." The woman telling the story said that the

Brahmacharinis would tease them. One said one time "Do you want to

hear the latest rumour?" Sure! "We're going to 15 more relief

camps today!" and everyone would laugh.

 

Visiting with the people who come to see Amma is like reading a good

spiritual book.

 

Aikya