brief report after Chicago and amazing report from Dallas

[Guest guest]

> Namah Shivaya.

>

> Highlights from the list standpoint in Chicago:

>

> Bala got to see Amma wearing green again for Devi Bhava.

> Fe and I finally met after how many years of meeting on this list.

> Sadly, I didn¹t get to meet Aikya.

> It¹s the first time we haven¹t had a thunder storm on Devi Bhava night in

> Chicago.

> and an amazing report from Dallas:

>

> From the mouth of a child...

July 3, 2005

Dallas, Texas

 

Amma started her program in Dallas today morning. As her children from

Dallas and nearby areas waited expectantly, Amma entered the hall. It was a

poignant moment and many shed tears to see Amma after a year-long wait.

 

Amma was welcomed into the city of Dallas today morning by Mayor Joe Chow

and his fiancé, Che Che Chow. After they garlanded Amma, Mayor Chow spoke to

the crowd and said how excited he was to be in Amma¹s presence. He also

expressed his appreciation for Amma¹s remarkable efforts to help humanity

the world over.

 

Midway through darshan today morning, a 7 1/2year old boy, Vajraang, came up

for darshan with his family. Although seeing Amma for the first time, and

despite his tender age, Vajraang was able to carry on a long and forthright

conversation with Amma. In many ways this is the ideal conversation that

every person would want to have with Amma; that every disciple would want to

have with their Guru. But most of us find this hard to do, since we lack

that simple innocence of our childhood days. We are beset with self-doubt

and often wonder what others will think of us if they heard us have such an

'immature' conversation with Amma. Here are some excerpts of this hour-long

exchange.

 

After Amma hugged him, young Vajraang presented his case. "I have three

questions for you, Amma," he told her, his words measured but fluent, in

Amma's native tongue of Malayalam. As Amma raised her eyebrows in mock

surprise, he asked, "Can I ask them now?" Amma nodded her head.

 

"The first question is, Can I sit on your lap now?" Amma laughed and pulled

him onto her lap. "Ask your other questions," Amma urged him on.

 

"My second question is, Can I come to your ashram in India and be your

disciple? and my third question is, Will you give me a mantra?"

 

Amma hugged him close and laughed again. Then she looked at the people

around, like a proud mother, as though to make sure that everyone heard what

he had to say. "Sit beside me," Amma told the family and Vajraang took up

his hour-long position right next to Amma.

 

Amma: "You want to come to the ashram? What will you do there?"

 

Vajraang: "If I come to the ashram I will not go back. I will stay there

forever. Will you accept me as your disciple?"

 

Amma: "But I am your disciple!"

 

Vajraang: "Oh, no! That will never work! Will you accept me as your

disciple?"

 

Amma continued to hug people lined up for darshan and was silent for a while

and the boy turned to the Swami (monastic disciple of Amma) who was standing

next to him.

 

Vajraang: "Amma is not answering"

 

Swami: "The question is whether you are ready to accept Amma as your Guru."

 

In a little while, Amma turned to him again.

Amma: "Did you eat?"

 

Vajraang: "No, today is Ekadasi. I am on a fast today."

In the Hindu calendar, Ekadasi is a day on which it is considered auspicious

to fast. Everyone was surprised again as growing children in India are

usually discouraged from fasting and if they indeed do so, it is usually

purely by choice.

 

Vajraang: "I fast two days every week".

 

Amma: "No, no. Once a week is good enough. What kinds of food do you like to

eat?"

 

Vajraang: "I like a lot of foods, but my favorite is Oothappam" (a

South-Indian salty crepe with onions on the top).

 

Amma: "If you come to the ashram, you will only get ashram food. You won't

get tasty food like Oothappam at the ashram. What will you do then?"

 

Vajraang: "I will eat the food in the ashram. After all any food there is

your prasad (consecrated offering), Amma".

 

Amma: "Your parents told me that you are fasting too often. My son, you

should go and eat now".

 

Vajrang: "Amma did you eat?"

 

Amma: "No, I usually do not eat in the mornings".

 

Vajraang: "But if you don¹t eat, Amma, I will not eat either. After all, the

sishya (disciple) is supposed to follow what the Guru does.²

Very often Amma goes on for days eating nothing or close to nothing. For

those who constantly find it hard to bear Amma¹s continuous fast, this

verbal joust seemed amusingly appropriate.

 

Amma: "But what if I go on for days without eating, like I usually do? You

will find it very hard to keep up with that".

 

Vajraang: "I am used to fasting. But certainly I will not be able to keep up

with you."

 

Amma: "Will you have the same innocence and when you grow up?"

Amma usually says that when children are young, they have the innocence and

curiosity of a beginner, and hence their minds are wide open to learning. As

children grow from childhood to adulthood, the individual ego sets in and

their minds narrow down. This is why Amma says that one of the first steps

towards God is to have the childlike innocence of a beginner at all times.

 

Vajraang: (spontaneously) "If you remain my Guru, Amma, then how can I not

remain the same? Amma, you have not eaten anything, aren't you hungry?"

 

Amma: (gesturing towards the people waiting in line for darshan) "I am

eating love. How will I be hungry?"

 

Vajrang: "Eating love? What does that mean? I don¹t understand."

 

Amma: "However much food someone gives you, if it is not given without love,

will you feel satisfied eating it?"

 

Vajrang: "What do you mean by this?"

 

Amma: "What if some one gives you food without love and carelessly? Even if

your stomach gets filled, will your heart get filled?"

 

Vajrang: "No"

 

Amma; "So it is the love with which we offer our food matters. Without this

love, no food that we eat seems complete. It is like the story of Ganapathy

whose huge appetite was satiated by a single handful of parched rice. Why do

you think his huge appetite was satisfied?"**

 

Vajraang: (in response to Amma¹s question)"Because the food was given with

love?"

 

Amma: (nodding) "Aa..haa!"

 

Vajraang: (like it just occurred to him) "Oh, so love is your food, right?"

 

Amma nods, beaming. Vajraang stands silently for some time watching Amma

hugs person after person.

 

Vajraang: "Amma, don't you getting tired of hugging and hugging people".

 

Amma: "How will I get tired of hugging and hugging people? Tell me, does

your mother ever get tired of hugging you? Does the sun ever get tired of

giving light?"

When asked this question, Amma often answers thus, usually adding, "Does the

river ever gets tired of flowing? Does the wind ever get tired of blowing?"

 

Vajraang: "Doesn't it hurt you?"

Amma does not answer.

 

Vajraang: "Why does it not hurt you?"

 

Amma: "Because they come to me with love in their hearts."

 

By now the darshan line had come to an end and Amma was getting ready to get

up.

 

Vajraang: (In a serious tone) "I will do all the seva you want, Amma, but

take me to the ashram with you. I have to go there. Please..."

 

Amma: (as she walks out towards the door) "It looks like he will eat me

up!!"

 

Amma often says that for a true disciple, the Guru is food and drink. The

disciple should be ready to eat up the Guru. By this, Amma means that a true

disciple has an insatiable appetite for true knowledge. This hunger can be

appeased only by a Guru's presence and guidance. For such a disciple,

everything that the Guru represents is food and drink - the Guru's

teachings, ready to be assimilated into the disciple's everyday life.

 

"Was this what Amma meant by her parting comment? Is Vajraang a true

disciple?" those who have heard the conversation wonder.

 

Someday, time will tell.

 

** The story goes thus: Once Lord Shiva, father of Ganapathy, the auspicious

God of all beginnings, asks Ganapathy to attend a feast thrown by Kubera,

the God of wealth. To curb Kubera's pride in his wealth, Ganapathy eats

everything at the feast and yet his hunger is unappeased. After eating

everything in sight, Ganapathy finally chases Kubera. The humbled Kubera

rushes to Lord Shiva and seeks refuge from Ganapathy's voracious appetite.

Lord Shiva gives Ganapathy a handful of parched rice. Ganapathy immediately

becomes calm and his hunger is appeased. Here Lord Shiva represents pure

divine love, love untainted by any material desires.

 

This unappeasable hunger of Lord Ganesha also symbolizes the intense longing

of a disciple to attain true Jnana or pure knowledge, which a Satguru alone

can bestow. The parched rice that Lord Shiva gives to His son represents a

mind that is devoid of thoughts and ego. Just as a parched seed doesn¹t

sprout, a mind that is completely destroyed cannot generate anymore

thoughts. Without thoughts the mind is no-mind.

 

The mind through the sense organs flows out into the objects of the world

outside, which in turn creates further thoughts and desires in the mind.

This is an endless circle. Destruction of the mind through spiritual

practices brings an absolute halt to this cycle. In that state, one becomes

fully established in the state of pure knowledge.

 

>

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Om Namah Shivaya: Kenna

 

Am happy to see you post after a long absence.

Your input is invaluable. Why so infrequent?

 

The report from Dallas (from Ammachi.org) on the seven and a half

year old boy was wondrous.

 

I have noticed that when Amma requests that someone sit by Her side

for hours it is often an indication that She is pleased with them.

Duh:???

 

I realize I am stating the obvious.

 

This may be the way Amma instructs bystanders with dim spiritual

bulbs please pay attention to this particular devotees dialogue!!

 

Whatever the hour after hour "sit next to me" devotees say or do is a

hint to the rest of us. Perform like this to please Me (Ammachi).

 

The boy seemingly embodied more than child-like innocence. He was an

old soul, apparently an Adept, who expressed dead earnest

renunciation.

 

With Love,

 

GeorgeSon

 

P.S. Amma melts in the presence of sincere renunciation.

 

> > Namah Shivaya.

> >

> > Highlights from the list standpoint in Chicago:

> >

> > Bala got to see Amma wearing green again for Devi Bhava.

> > Fe and I finally met after how many years of meeting on this list.

> > Sadly, I didn¹t get to meet Aikya.

> > It¹s the first time we haven¹t had a thunder storm on Devi

Bhava

night in

> > Chicago.

> > and an amazing report from Dallas:

> >

> > From the mouth of a child...

> July 3, 2005

> Dallas, Texas

>

> Amma started her program in Dallas today morning. As her children

from

> Dallas and nearby areas waited expectantly, Amma entered the hall.

It was a

> poignant moment and many shed tears to see Amma after a year-long

wait.

>

> Amma was welcomed into the city of Dallas today morning by Mayor

Joe Chow

> and his fiancé, Che Che Chow. After they garlanded Amma, Mayor

Chow

spoke to

> the crowd and said how excited he was to be in Amma¹s presence.

He

also

> expressed his appreciation for Amma¹s remarkable efforts to help

humanity

> the world over.

>

> Midway through darshan today morning, a 7 1/2year old boy,

Vajraang, came up

> for darshan with his family. Although seeing Amma for the first

time, and

> despite his tender age, Vajraang was able to carry on a long and

forthright

> conversation with Amma. In many ways this is the ideal conversation

that

> every person would want to have with Amma; that every disciple

would want to

> have with their Guru. But most of us find this hard to do, since we

lack

> that simple innocence of our childhood days. We are beset with self-

doubt

> and often wonder what others will think of us if they heard us have

such an

> 'immature' conversation with Amma. Here are some excerpts of this

hour-long

> exchange.

>

> After Amma hugged him, young Vajraang presented his case. "I have

three

> questions for you, Amma," he told her, his words measured but

fluent, in

> Amma's native tongue of Malayalam. As Amma raised her eyebrows in

mock

> surprise, he asked, "Can I ask them now?" Amma nodded her head.

>

> "The first question is, Can I sit on your lap now?" Amma laughed

and pulled

> him onto her lap. "Ask your other questions," Amma urged him on.

>

> "My second question is, Can I come to your ashram in India and be

your

> disciple? and my third question is, Will you give me a mantra?"

>

> Amma hugged him close and laughed again. Then she looked at the

people

> around, like a proud mother, as though to make sure that everyone

heard what

> he had to say. "Sit beside me," Amma told the family and Vajraang

took up

> his hour-long position right next to Amma.

>

> Amma: "You want to come to the ashram? What will you do there?"

>

> Vajraang: "If I come to the ashram I will not go back. I will stay

there

> forever. Will you accept me as your disciple?"

>

> Amma: "But I am your disciple!"

>

> Vajraang: "Oh, no! That will never work! Will you accept me as your

> disciple?"

>

> Amma continued to hug people lined up for darshan and was silent

for a while

> and the boy turned to the Swami (monastic disciple of Amma) who was

standing

> next to him.

>

> Vajraang: "Amma is not answering"

>

> Swami: "The question is whether you are ready to accept Amma as

your Guru."

>

> In a little while, Amma turned to him again.

> Amma: "Did you eat?"

>

> Vajraang: "No, today is Ekadasi. I am on a fast today."

> In the Hindu calendar, Ekadasi is a day on which it is considered

auspicious

> to fast. Everyone was surprised again as growing children in India

are

> usually discouraged from fasting and if they indeed do so, it is

usually

> purely by choice.

>

> Vajraang: "I fast two days every week".

>

> Amma: "No, no. Once a week is good enough. What kinds of food do

you like to

> eat?"

>

> Vajraang: "I like a lot of foods, but my favorite is Oothappam" (a

> South-Indian salty crepe with onions on the top).

>

> Amma: "If you come to the ashram, you will only get ashram food.

You won't

> get tasty food like Oothappam at the ashram. What will you do then?"

>

> Vajraang: "I will eat the food in the ashram. After all any food

there is

> your prasad (consecrated offering), Amma".

>

> Amma: "Your parents told me that you are fasting too often. My son,

you

> should go and eat now".

>

> Vajrang: "Amma did you eat?"

>

> Amma: "No, I usually do not eat in the mornings".

>

> Vajraang: "But if you don¹t eat, Amma, I will not eat either.

After

all, the

> sishya (disciple) is supposed to follow what the Guru does.²

> Very often Amma goes on for days eating nothing or close to

nothing. For

> those who constantly find it hard to bear Amma¹s continuous

fast,

this

> verbal joust seemed amusingly appropriate.

>

> Amma: "But what if I go on for days without eating, like I usually

do? You

> will find it very hard to keep up with that".

>

> Vajraang: "I am used to fasting. But certainly I will not be able

to keep up

> with you."

>

> Amma: "Will you have the same innocence and when you grow up?"

> Amma usually says that when children are young, they have the

innocence and

> curiosity of a beginner, and hence their minds are wide open to

learning. As

> children grow from childhood to adulthood, the individual ego sets

in and

> their minds narrow down. This is why Amma says that one of the

first steps

> towards God is to have the childlike innocence of a beginner at all

times.

>

> Vajraang: (spontaneously) "If you remain my Guru, Amma, then how

can I not

> remain the same? Amma, you have not eaten anything, aren't you

hungry?"

>

> Amma: (gesturing towards the people waiting in line for darshan) "I

am

> eating love. How will I be hungry?"

>

> Vajrang: "Eating love? What does that mean? I don¹t understand."

>

> Amma: "However much food someone gives you, if it is not given

without love,

> will you feel satisfied eating it?"

>

> Vajrang: "What do you mean by this?"

>

> Amma: "What if some one gives you food without love and carelessly?

Even if

> your stomach gets filled, will your heart get filled?"

>

> Vajrang: "No"

>

> Amma; "So it is the love with which we offer our food matters.

Without this

> love, no food that we eat seems complete. It is like the story of

Ganapathy

> whose huge appetite was satiated by a single handful of parched

rice. Why do

> you think his huge appetite was satisfied?"**

>

> Vajraang: (in response to Amma¹s question)"Because the food was

given with

> love?"

>

> Amma: (nodding) "Aa..haa!"

>

> Vajraang: (like it just occurred to him) "Oh, so love is your food,

right?"

>

> Amma nods, beaming. Vajraang stands silently for some time watching

Amma

> hugs person after person.

>

> Vajraang: "Amma, don't you getting tired of hugging and hugging

people".

>

> Amma: "How will I get tired of hugging and hugging people? Tell me,

does

> your mother ever get tired of hugging you? Does the sun ever get

tired of

> giving light?"

> When asked this question, Amma often answers thus, usually

adding, "Does the

> river ever gets tired of flowing? Does the wind ever get tired of

blowing?"

>

> Vajraang: "Doesn't it hurt you?"

> Amma does not answer.

>

> Vajraang: "Why does it not hurt you?"

>

> Amma: "Because they come to me with love in their hearts."

>

> By now the darshan line had come to an end and Amma was getting

ready to get

> up.

>

> Vajraang: (In a serious tone) "I will do all the seva you want,

Amma, but

> take me to the ashram with you. I have to go there. Please..."

>

> Amma: (as she walks out towards the door) "It looks like he will

eat me

> up!!"

>

> Amma often says that for a true disciple, the Guru is food and

drink. The

> disciple should be ready to eat up the Guru. By this, Amma means

that a true

> disciple has an insatiable appetite for true knowledge. This hunger

can be

> appeased only by a Guru's presence and guidance. For such a

disciple,

> everything that the Guru represents is food and drink - the Guru's

> teachings, ready to be assimilated into the disciple's everyday

life.

>

> "Was this what Amma meant by her parting comment? Is Vajraang a true

> disciple?" those who have heard the conversation wonder.

>

> Someday, time will tell.

>

> ** The story goes thus: Once Lord Shiva, father of Ganapathy, the

auspicious

> God of all beginnings, asks Ganapathy to attend a feast thrown by

Kubera,

> the God of wealth. To curb Kubera's pride in his wealth, Ganapathy

eats

> everything at the feast and yet his hunger is unappeased. After

eating

> everything in sight, Ganapathy finally chases Kubera. The humbled

Kubera

> rushes to Lord Shiva and seeks refuge from Ganapathy's voracious

appetite.

> Lord Shiva gives Ganapathy a handful of parched rice. Ganapathy

immediately

> becomes calm and his hunger is appeased. Here Lord Shiva represents

pure

> divine love, love untainted by any material desires.

>

> This unappeasable hunger of Lord Ganesha also symbolizes the

intense longing

> of a disciple to attain true Jnana or pure knowledge, which a

Satguru alone

> can bestow. The parched rice that Lord Shiva gives to His son

represents a

> mind that is devoid of thoughts and ego. Just as a parched seed

doesn¹t

> sprout, a mind that is completely destroyed cannot generate anymore

> thoughts. Without thoughts the mind is no-mind.

>

> The mind through the sense organs flows out into the objects of the

world

> outside, which in turn creates further thoughts and desires in the

mind.

> This is an endless circle. Destruction of the mind through spiritual

> practices brings an absolute halt to this cycle. In that state, one

becomes

> fully established in the state of pure knowledge.

>

> >

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

wow! i would love to have heard this conversation! how delightful!

 

On 7/11/05, leokomor <leokomor wrote:

> Om Namah Shivaya: Kenna

>

> Am happy to see you post after a long absence.

> Your input is invaluable. Why so infrequent?

>

> The report from Dallas (from Ammachi.org) on the seven and a half

> year old boy was wondrous.

>

> I have noticed that when Amma requests that someone sit by Her side

> for hours it is often an indication that She is pleased with them.

> Duh:???

>

> I realize I am stating the obvious.

>

> This may be the way Amma instructs bystanders with dim spiritual

> bulbs please pay attention to this particular devotees dialogue!!

>

> Whatever the hour after hour "sit next to me" devotees say or do is a

> hint to the rest of us. Perform like this to please Me (Ammachi).

>

> The boy seemingly embodied more than child-like innocence. He was an

> old soul, apparently an Adept, who expressed dead earnest

> renunciation.

>

> With Love,

>

> GeorgeSon

>

> P.S. Amma melts in the presence of sincere renunciation.

>

> > > Namah Shivaya.

[snip]

> Bhava

> night in

> > > Chicago.

> > > and an amazing report from Dallas:

> > >

> > > From the mouth of a child...

 

--

"...love is all you need." ~ the beatles