Guest guest Posted June 28, 2008 Report Share Posted June 28, 2008 Been doing alot of thinking lately, and while I'm not unhappy Amma has changed her focus to charity over the years, I don't find it fulfilling like before. She's not the Amma I was attracted. That aside from the overall darshan events being more like a trip to Six Flags or someplace, and her not correcting people in her org (especially disciples), the pathetic satsangs I've been to, etc. Depending on how I feel after this year's darshan, I may be taking down all my Amma vids. I just can't honestly serve or support something that's deceptive, in any spirituality or otherwise. And what I continue to see is people being deluded into thinking they're practicing spirituality, getting Amma's graces, etc. and they're not. I mean, sure, suffering is purifying. But more so when you look at people who experience preventable suffering, people who make mountains out of molehills or have unstable emotions, or restless minds. Then surely suffering is purifying if they bear with it. Other than that, it's just karma. With all the serious impending problems (gas prices, war, economy), I would think she'd be more earnest about preparing people on a practical level. Go ahead plant a garden and raise your own food. Not everyone has a green thumb, and trying to do it in an environmentally-responsible way may not be so simple. For example, using fungicides is essential because of the humidity here on the East Coast, but get some vegan anti-establishment type and you might waste a year of effort in learning that. You'd have to can what you grow to make the most of it, but eating preserved stuff is Tamasic. And here in the States, not every state is on the equator or the West Coast, so the growing season is limited. I remember when the regular darshan was so quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2008 Report Share Posted June 28, 2008 Considering that Ananthasree isn't even here, maybe you should leave too. P. Ammachi , " tom " <tomgull wrote: > > Been doing alot of thinking lately, and while I'm not unhappy Amma has > changed her focus to charity over the years, I don't find it > fulfilling like before. She's not the Amma I was attracted. That > aside from the overall darshan events being more like a trip to Six > Flags or someplace, and her not correcting people in her org > (especially disciples), the pathetic satsangs I've been to, etc. > > Depending on how I feel after this year's darshan, I may be taking > down all my Amma vids. I just can't honestly serve or support > something that's deceptive, in any spirituality or otherwise. And > what I continue to see is people being deluded into thinking they're > practicing spirituality, getting Amma's graces, etc. and they're not. > > I mean, sure, suffering is purifying. But more so when you look at > people who experience preventable suffering, people who make mountains > out of molehills or have unstable emotions, or restless minds. Then > surely suffering is purifying if they bear with it. Other than that, > it's just karma. > > With all the serious impending problems (gas prices, war, economy), I > would think she'd be more earnest about preparing people on a > practical level. Go ahead plant a garden and raise your own food. > Not everyone has a green thumb, and trying to do it in an > environmentally-responsible way may not be so simple. For example, > using fungicides is essential because of the humidity here on the East > Coast, but get some vegan anti-establishment type and you might waste > a year of effort in learning that. > > You'd have to can what you grow to make the most of it, but eating > preserved stuff is Tamasic. And here in the States, not every state > is on the equator or the West Coast, so the growing season is limited. > > I remember when the regular darshan was so quiet. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2008 Report Share Posted June 29, 2008 Om Amriteswaryai Namah! This is how we respond to a brother who expresses pain and doubt? Amma does not reject people for feeling doubts. Amma's compassion is not only for those who believe in Her completely. (Do any of us have perfect faith in Amma? Is it possible to have perfect faith in Amma before realization?) I feel that we are dishonouring Her to say " you should leave " to anyone, especially someone who has worked hard to serve Her. Haven't most devotees gone through testing times where our faith seems to be pushed to the limit, or ebbing away? Where we perceive a dissonance between what we think Amma should be doing for us, and what we think Amma is doing for us? I thought that was a pretty common - perhaps essential - experience on the path. Dissonance rises, mental pain increases until, somehow, surrender happens or we get an " a-ha " moment. (I've learned not to bank on getting an " a-ha " to break me through whatever's going on. The more common route is that I surrender and THEN an " a-ha " comes). After that, the question dissolves into silence in the face of the truth, and we shed another old mental construct and keep on moving forward. Am I way off here? Tom, I hope you'll stick around - in the group, and as a devotee. There's no point in my trying to address your doubts, because I've come to feel that no answers to this sort of thing are heard until they come spontaneously from within (or they're spoken by a mahatma). Until then, of course the mind will find ways to say " that's wrong " or " that doesn't apply to me " . But I think you will find your truth again. Jai Ma, Pranada Ammachi , " parzival35 " <parzival2 wrote: > > Considering that Ananthasree isn't even here, maybe you should leave too. > > P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2008 Report Share Posted June 29, 2008 Maybe the videos need to come down; maybe it's time for something new to arise, that has new energy for you. This may be a healthy move, this could be Life awakening you from a slumber. When I saw Amma in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago, I bought several organic raw chocolate hearts that had the amma.org label on them. I bought them first to eat, then, on second thought, to share with others, and I had Amma bless them after someone suggested I could do that - I didn't know that, and was really pleased about it Then I shared the hearts as Amma's prasad. Before I distributed the hearts, though, a devotee onlooker who observed my enthusiastic purchase and enjoyment of the chocolates (I came back for a second batch) said: " We crave what keeps us off-balance. " (Curmudgeon! Spoil-sport!) I looked at him and said, " Well, maybe that isn't true. " He allowed as how it might not be true after all, which I appreciated. I have since realized that my craving the chocolates was to make myself feel better because I was off-balance (and have been advised not to eat sugar; the chocolate had agave nectar in it, and I thought that would be okay; it wasn't, per my health care professional whom I later consulted). But I wasn't craving chocolate to keep me off-balance. I was trying to make me feel better, and purchasing the chocolates was a contribution to Amma's charities. This, we could say that Amma's charities were benefiting by my imbalance, but in fact, the whole of my life, the chocolates being there, input I received from the devotee, the fact that I am working with a chiropractor to address my imbalance, all of these things brought me back into balance - well, I keep wobbling and that's part of learning balance, and balancing Ammachi , " tom " <tomgull wrote: > > Been doing alot of thinking lately... I just can't honestly serve or support > something that's deceptive, in any spirituality or otherwise. And > what I continue to see is people being deluded into thinking they're > practicing spirituality, getting Amma's graces, etc. and they're not. .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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