2-All re. Great article about Enlightened Saint Ammagi

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends:

 

Came across this great article, about famous Indian Saint, Ammagi.

 

Here is a great example of one who's intune with her Stars!

 

Jai Guru

 

Mark Kincaid

 

 

 

http://www.consciouschoice.com/2006/06/amma0606.html

 

June 2006

A Hug Above

An Exclusive Interview with

India’s “Hugging Saintâ€

By Rob Sidon

 

on May 2, the Interfaith Center of New York bestowed its fourth Annual

James Parks Morton Interfaith Award on Amma, India’s “Hugging

Saint,†and five other global humanitarians including Noble Peace Prize

Laureate Dr. Mohammed Elbaradei, Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer;

Actor and Healing the Divide Director Richard Gere; Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf

and Daisy Khan, the Executive Director of the American Society for Muslim

Advancement.

 

Mata Amritanandamayi, known simply as “Amma,†is considered a living

saint in her homeland. Born to a poor fishing family in Kerala, Amma

witnessed deep pain and poverty growing up. At a young age, she concluded

that the world’s problems were rooted in a “shortage of love†and

decided to be part of a solution by pledging her life as an offering.

 

Defying traditional Indian mores against women embracing strangers,

Amma’s trademark gesture of compassion became a long, tender motherly

embrace. There is no precedent of a single woman — even a holy woman —

embracing strangers. By conservative estimates, she has embraced more than

26 million times. Over the past 35 years, Amma’s reputation has grown as

a result of her charitable work. She has been compared to Mother Teresa

and Gandhi for her devotion to the poor. Sleeping merely a couple hours

per day, she teaches by the constant example of her own life, emphasizing

selfless social service.

 

Common Ground magazine’s Rob Sidon caught up with Amma for a rare

interview, the day after the award ceremonies. Amma spoke in her native

Malayalam dialect and her responses were translated into English.

 

 

RS: The Interfaith Award has previously been given to Archbishop Desmond

Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton, and many other eminent recipients.

What was your experience?

 

My award is the happiness of people. I did not come only for the award;

devotees wanted me to be present in New York. What Interfaith is doing

really helps to alleviate the conflict and misunderstanding of religion.

There is a deep desire to help bring religions together in unity and

community.

 

RS: After the Awards ceremony, it was quite a sight to see New York’s

elegantly dressed elite lining up to receive your blessing. Why do so many

people seek your embrace?

 

Whether it is in India, Europe or America, people are searching for the

same thing — true love. Love and peace are universal. Wherever you taste

honey, it is sweet. Similarly, fire is always hot.

 

People are born to be loved. They live for love. Yet, a famine of love

plagues the world. When Amma embraces people, it is not just physical

contact that is taking place. The love Amma feels for all of creation

flows towards each person who comes to her. That pure vibration of love

purifies people, and this helps them in their inner awakening and

spiritual growth. It helps both men and women awaken to the qualities

associated with motherhood, which are severely lacking in today’s world.

 

RS: This year, in India, the crowds seeking your blessing seemed to have

leaped from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. I heard of 300,000

people coming to one program. How is this manageable? Were you tired

afterwards?

 

I am used to big crowds. Everyone who is patient enough to wait will get

darshan. Sometimes I will give darshan to around 40,000 people, sitting

for 24 hours straight. Even what is considered a big crowd in America is

like a vacation for me. I am able to do this because I realize that I am

one with the Supreme Self — the main current supply, and therefore I’m

not like a battery that needs to be constantly recharged.

 

As long as I can continue to reach out to those who come to me, as long as

I have the strength to caress people, console them and wipe away their

tears, I will continue to do so. One day, everyone’s body will die. This

is inevitable. Therefore, rather than allowing our body to rust from lack

of use, it is better to wear it out in service to the world. Where there

is true love, there is no feeling of burden. For example, a maid finds the

task of looking after another’s child burdensome, but for the mother it

is not so. The love for the child is natural.

 

RS: You often say: “Compassion to the poor is our duty to God.†What

is meant by this statement?

 

Just as the sun doesn’t need a candle’s light, so too God doesn’t

need anything from us. But we should come down to the level of the poor

and needy, try to understand their pain and serve them in any way we can.

For me, there is no such thing as a God living up on some throne in

heaven. God is the all-pervading Consciousness that throbs in everyone and

everything. My God is each and every one of you — all the people,

plants, animals, trees, mountains, rivers…. This is Amma’s God.

 

In Sanatana Dharma [Hinduism], the Creator and Creation are not two. The

ocean and its waves are not two. There is water in both the ocean and its

waves. Gold, the golden earring and the golden necklace are not different.

Likewise, we worship everything in Nature, seeing God in everything. Our

prayer is “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu†[“May all beings in all

the worlds be happyâ€]. When we see the entire world as a manifestation

of God, will we allow anyone to go without food, shelter, medicine or

clothing? No, of course not. This is how we should serve the world —

seeing all as embodiments of God.

 

RS: You have launched a vast network of charitable institutions, inspiring

people around the world to volunteer on behalf of the needy. If we are

fundamentally selfish, by what process do people evolve and become

selfless?

 

Our true nature is not one of selfishness, but one of love and compassion.

We just need to realize this, and awaken to that Truth. The problem is not

that people are not really asleep, but only pretending to be asleep. If

they were truly asleep, it would be easy to wake them up. But it is

next-to-impossible to wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep.

 

Our selfishness and the resulting selfish actions that spring from it are

due to our identification with the ego, the sense of “I†and

“mine.†Thinking of our self as a limited, incomplete individual, we

naturally struggle to gain and maintain the things we feel we need to be

happy. In reality, we are the eternal, ever-blissful Self, full and

complete. But currently, our minds are not pure enough to imbibe this

Truth. Divinity is everyone, but it is expressed more in people with pure

hearts. Electricity is the same, but it manifests differently depending on

the capacity of the medium. There are 1000-watt, 50-watt and zero-watt

bulbs. Similarly, the more pure your mind, the more divinity manifests

within you.

 

Spiritual practices such as meditation and selfless service are essential

to purify your mind. It’s like cleaning the vessel before you pour in

the milk. If the vessel is not clean, the milk will spoil.

 

It is not possible for everyone to meditate with one-pointed concentration

all the time. Therefore, I recommend that people spend their extra time

trying to do something beneficial for the world. This way, everyone

benefits. The goal of spiritual life is to understand our fundamental

oneness — both with each and with God. Only when this realization takes

place will we be truly content and happy. But this philosophy should not

be limited to mere words. It should reflect in our actions. It must be

brought into the heart and practiced. If we truly believe everyone to be

one with our own self, then we should reach out to caress the suffering as

quickly as we would apply a bandage to our own injured hand.

 

RS: There is no precedent in world history of an individual expressing

compassion the way you do — embracing over 26 million times. Such a role

seems to befit only a woman; do you agree?

 

First, God is neither male nor female. If anything, God can only be

referred to as “That.†God is the Consciousness that throbs in all

objects and beings. But if you really want to give a gender to God then

God is more of a She than a He because “She†contains “He.†The

need of today is for the awakening of qualities associated with motherhood

— love, compassion, acceptance and patience. I want to awaken such

qualities in humanity. Whoever can manifest genuine compassion and love is

more feminine than masculine. Only a true mother who can love everyone as

her own children can be a true humanitarian and serve the world

selflessly.

 

RS: What are your most compelling current charitable projects?

 

Ever since the tsunami hit, that has been the focus. We are currently

building 6,200 houses in India, Sri Lanka and the Andaman-Nicobar Islands.

So far, we have finished 3,000.

 

There have been so many disasters throughout the world — the earthquake

victims in Kashmir, the flood victims in Mumbai, the hurricane victims in

America…. We have been trying to help everywhere we can.

 

We are currently building 100,000 houses for the homeless throughout India

and providing welfare for widows and handicapped people. Now we are

focused on the tsunami, but when we’ve finished our commitments with it,

I want to look into ways to uplift women who have turned to prostitution

due to poverty or coercion in Calcutta and Mumbai. I also want to start a

program to help people who have become suicidal due to overwhelming debts.

Such a thing is becoming a big problem in India.

 

RS: Are you optimistic, or pessimistic about the future?

 

We should never fall victim to pessimism. Patience, optimistic faith and

enthusiasm are essential in life, and we must always strive to cultivate

these qualities and keep them alive in our hearts. In many ways, people

are becoming more and more aware of the need for a spiritual way of

living. Spirituality is the very essence of all religions and, in its

essence, it is the path of love and compassion.

 

If there is a one-word solution for all the problems in today’s world,

it is “compassion.†Only love and compassion can solve the problem of

terrorism and bloodshed.

 

Most people today are blinded by their ego. There are two types of ego.

One is the ego of power and money. But the second type is more

destructive. That is the ego that says: “My religion and viewpoint alone

are correct. All others are wrong. I will not tolerate anything else.â€

This is like saying: “My mother is good; yours is a whore!†Unless we

eradicate these two types of ego, it will be difficult to bring about

peace in the world.

 

The willingness to listen to others, the ability to understand them and

the broad-mindedness to accept even those who disagree with us — these

are the signs of true spiritual culture. Unfortunately, these qualities

are exactly what are missing from the world today.

 

The greatest enemy the world faces is poverty. Prostitution, terrorism and

much of the other violence are, to a great extent, caused by poverty.

There are two types of poverty: the lack of food, clothing and shelter,

and the lack of love and compassion. If we can eliminate the later, the

former will automatically be taken care of. For when people have love and

compassion in their hearts, they will spontaneously and wholeheartedly

reach out to help those without food, clothing and shelter.

 

RS: Is there any message you would like to give to our readers?

 

Know your Self and practice love and compassion. I would also like to say

that if all the people in the world were to work for just a half an hour

more than they do now and were to dedicate that money to helping the

suffering, there would be no starvation and all people would be healthy.

The heart of selfless service is the state of forgetting one’s

individuality and seeing the pain and suffering of others as one’s own.

When we love others, seeing ourselves in them, there will be no place for

hatred or fear. May God’s grace guide all.

 

The complete transcript of this interview is available online at

commongroundmag.com.

 

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http://www.consciouschoice.com/2006/06/amma0606.htmlJune 2006A Hug AboveAn Exclusive Interview withIndia’s “Hugging Saintâ€By Rob Sidonon May 2, the Interfaith Center of New York bestowed its fourth Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Award on Amma, India’s “Hugging Saint,†and five other global humanitarians including Noble Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Mohammed Elbaradei, Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer; Actor and Healing the Divide Director Richard Gere; Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Daisy Khan, the Executive Director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement.Mata Amritanandamayi, known simply as “Amma,†is considered a living saint in her homeland. Born to a poor fishing family in Kerala, Amma witnessed deep pain and poverty growing up. At a young age, she concluded that the world’s problems were rooted in a “shortage of love†and decided to be part of a solution by pledging her life as an

offering.Defying traditional Indian mores against women embracing strangers, Amma’s trademark gesture of compassion became a long, tender motherly embrace. There is no precedent of a single woman — even a holy woman — embracing strangers. By conservative estimates, she has embraced more than 26 million times. Over the past 35 years, Amma’s reputation has grown as a result of her charitable work. She has been compared to Mother Teresa and Gandhi for her devotion to the poor. Sleeping merely a couple hours per day, she teaches by the constant example of her own life, emphasizing selfless social service.Common Ground magazine’s Rob Sidon caught up with Amma for a rare interview, the day after the award ceremonies. Amma spoke in her native Malayalam dialect and her responses were translated into English.RS: The Interfaith Award has previously been given to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton, and many other eminent

recipients. What was your experience?My award is the happiness of people. I did not come only for the award; devotees wanted me to be present in New York. What Interfaith is doing really helps to alleviate the conflict and misunderstanding of religion. There is a deep desire to help bring religions together in unity and community.RS: After the Awards ceremony, it was quite a sight to see New York’s elegantly dressed elite lining up to receive your blessing. Why do so many people seek your embrace?Whether it is in India, Europe or America, people are searching for the same thing — true love. Love and peace are universal. Wherever you taste honey, it is sweet. Similarly, fire is always hot.People are born to be loved. They live for love. Yet, a famine of love plagues the world. When Amma embraces people, it is not just physical contact that is taking place. The love Amma feels for all of creation flows towards each person who comes to her.

That pure vibration of love purifies people, and this helps them in their inner awakening and spiritual growth. It helps both men and women awaken to the qualities associated with motherhood, which are severely lacking in today’s world.RS: This year, in India, the crowds seeking your blessing seemed to have leaped from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. I heard of 300,000 people coming to one program. How is this manageable? Were you tired afterwards?I am used to big crowds. Everyone who is patient enough to wait will get darshan. Sometimes I will give darshan to around 40,000 people, sitting for 24 hours straight. Even what is considered a big crowd in America is like a vacation for me. I am able to do this because I realize that I am one with the Supreme Self — the main current supply, and therefore I’m not like a battery that needs to be constantly recharged.As long as I can continue to reach out to those who come to me, as long as

I have the strength to caress people, console them and wipe away their tears, I will continue to do so. One day, everyone’s body will die. This is inevitable. Therefore, rather than allowing our body to rust from lack of use, it is better to wear it out in service to the world. Where there is true love, there is no feeling of burden. For example, a maid finds the task of looking after another’s child burdensome, but for the mother it is not so. The love for the child is natural.RS: You often say: “Compassion to the poor is our duty to God.†What is meant by this statement?Just as the sun doesn’t need a candle’s light, so too God doesn’t need anything from us. But we should come down to the level of the poor and needy, try to understand their pain and serve them in any way we can. For me, there is no such thing as a God living up on some throne in heaven. God is the all-pervading Consciousness that throbs in everyone and everything. My God is

each and every one of you — all the people, plants, animals, trees, mountains, rivers…. This is Amma’s God.In Sanatana Dharma [Hinduism], the Creator and Creation are not two. The ocean and its waves are not two. There is water in both the ocean and its waves. Gold, the golden earring and the golden necklace are not different. Likewise, we worship everything in Nature, seeing God in everything. Our prayer is “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu†[“May all beings in all the worlds be happyâ€]. When we see the entire world as a manifestation of God, will we allow anyone to go without food, shelter, medicine or clothing? No, of course not. This is how we should serve the world — seeing all as embodiments of God.RS: You have launched a vast network of charitable institutions, inspiring people around the world to volunteer on behalf of the needy. If we are fundamentally selfish, by what process do people evolve and become selfless?Our true

nature is not one of selfishness, but one of love and compassion. We just need to realize this, and awaken to that Truth. The problem is not that people are not really asleep, but only pretending to be asleep. If they were truly asleep, it would be easy to wake them up. But it is next-to-impossible to wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep.Our selfishness and the resulting selfish actions that spring from it are due to our identification with the ego, the sense of “I†and “mine.†Thinking of our self as a limited, incomplete individual, we naturally struggle to gain and maintain the things we feel we need to be happy. In reality, we are the eternal, ever-blissful Self, full and complete. But currently, our minds are not pure enough to imbibe this Truth. Divinity is everyone, but it is expressed more in people with pure hearts. Electricity is the same, but it manifests differently depending on the capacity of the medium. There are 1000-watt, 50-watt

and zero-watt bulbs. Similarly, the more pure your mind, the more divinity manifests within you.Spiritual practices such as meditation and selfless service are essential to purify your mind. It’s like cleaning the vessel before you pour in the milk. If the vessel is not clean, the milk will spoil.It is not possible for everyone to meditate with one-pointed concentration all the time. Therefore, I recommend that people spend their extra time trying to do something beneficial for the world. This way, everyone benefits. The goal of spiritual life is to understand our fundamental oneness — both with each and with God. Only when this realization takes place will we be truly content and happy. But this philosophy should not be limited to mere words. It should reflect in our actions. It must be brought into the heart and practiced. If we truly believe everyone to be one with our own self, then we should reach out to caress the suffering as quickly as we would

apply a bandage to our own injured hand.RS: There is no precedent in world history of an individual expressing compassion the way you do — embracing over 26 million times. Such a role seems to befit only a woman; do you agree?First, God is neither male nor female. If anything, God can only be referred to as “That.†God is the Consciousness that throbs in all objects and beings. But if you really want to give a gender to God then God is more of a She than a He because “She†contains “He.†The need of today is for the awakening of qualities associated with motherhood — love, compassion, acceptance and patience. I want to awaken such qualities in humanity. Whoever can manifest genuine compassion and love is more feminine than masculine. Only a true mother who can love everyone as her own children can be a true humanitarian and serve the world selflessly.RS: What are your most compelling current charitable projects?Ever since the

tsunami hit, that has been the focus. We are currently building 6,200 houses in India, Sri Lanka and the Andaman-Nicobar Islands. So far, we have finished 3,000.There have been so many disasters throughout the world — the earthquake victims in Kashmir, the flood victims in Mumbai, the hurricane victims in America…. We have been trying to help everywhere we can.We are currently building 100,000 houses for the homeless throughout India and providing welfare for widows and handicapped people. Now we are focused on the tsunami, but when we’ve finished our commitments with it, I want to look into ways to uplift women who have turned to prostitution due to poverty or coercion in Calcutta and Mumbai. I also want to start a program to help people who have become suicidal due to overwhelming debts. Such a thing is becoming a big problem in India.RS: Are you optimistic, or pessimistic about the future?We should never fall victim to pessimism.

Patience, optimistic faith and enthusiasm are essential in life, and we must always strive to cultivate these qualities and keep them alive in our hearts. In many ways, people are becoming more and more aware of the need for a spiritual way of living. Spirituality is the very essence of all religions and, in its essence, it is the path of love and compassion.If there is a one-word solution for all the problems in today’s world, it is “compassion.†Only love and compassion can solve the problem of terrorism and bloodshed.Most people today are blinded by their ego. There are two types of ego. One is the ego of power and money. But the second type is more destructive. That is the ego that says: “My religion and viewpoint alone are correct. All others are wrong. I will not tolerate anything else.†This is like saying: “My mother is good; yours is a whore!†Unless we eradicate these two types of ego, it will be difficult to bring about peace in the

world.The willingness to listen to others, the ability to understand them and the broad-mindedness to accept even those who disagree with us — these are the signs of true spiritual culture. Unfortunately, these qualities are exactly what are missing from the world today.The greatest enemy the world faces is poverty. Prostitution, terrorism and much of the other violence are, to a great extent, caused by poverty. There are two types of poverty: the lack of food, clothing and shelter, and the lack of love and compassion. If we can eliminate the later, the former will automatically be taken care of. For when people have love and compassion in their hearts, they will spontaneously and wholeheartedly reach out to help those without food, clothing and shelter.RS: Is there any message you would like to give to our readers?Know your Self and practice love and compassion. I would also like to say that if all the people in the world were to work for

just a half an hour more than they do now and were to dedicate that money to helping the suffering, there would be no starvation and all people would be healthy. The heart of selfless service is the state of forgetting one’s individuality and seeing the pain and suffering of others as one’s own. When we love others, seeing ourselves in them, there will be no place for hatred or fear. May God’s grace guide all.The complete transcript of this interview is available online at commongroundmag.com.Send this page to a friend Recommend this page to a friend