Sayings of Amma Anasuya Devi from Kathy..

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

I am sorry I have been away for awhile. Lots of frustration trying

to deal with this account. If any one has emailed me and not

rec'd a reply back, please do try again as I think some of my emails

never got out even when I replied because of problems. I cannot

remember if it was this group or the that I had

previously posted info on Amma Anasuya Devi. If any one out there

wishes to email me privately, please feel free to do. Here are some

of the sayings by Amma Anasuya Devi, who was known as the

Jillellamudi Mother, from a book entitled "MOTHER OF ALL" by Richard

Schiffman (this book is available from The Blue Dove Foundation,

email add: bdp):

 

"Be like the ocean, whose mighty calm remains unperturbed though it

receives every stream and river into itself. Do not let the stormy

waves of life toss you here and there. Keep the rudder steady and

calmly face into the storm.

Thinking that He who gives everything gives us these hardships too,

and experiencing everything with contentment is the way to

salvation. When accepted with joy and good humor, suffering ceases

to be suffering." (p. 352)

 

"Happiness is not having children or lots of money or perfect

health. A millionaire may not be able to find joy at his well-

appointed dining table, whereas a poor man with some watery soup may

be perfectly happy. Happiness comes from the mind, not from

possessions. It is the mind that thinks "I have" or "I lack." It is

the mind which wants, and, likewise, the mind which feels satisfied

with whatever is available. A mind which thinks, "This is my due, it

is sufficient," is happy and contented. To want anything that is not

available is sorrow. Contentment is the greatest happiness." (p.

35l)

 

"When your legs walk, you believe that you are walking. You never

think about the force that allows them to move in the first place.

Because you feel that your hands are your own, you think that the

acts performed by those hands are "your" acts. But, in truth, both

the hands and the actions of those hands are His alone." (p. 348)

 

"When the Oneness of everything is perceived, _maya_ (illusion) does

not appear at all. When you see the One everywhere, there can be no

more doubts. _Maya_ is seeing the duality of creation without

feeling its Oneness. That is where all problems arise." (p. 348)

 

"Spiritual" is heads, and "worldly" is tails. Both are valid, both

are true. How can that be so? Consider a newspaper. It has both a

front page and a back page. Opened out, they appear to be one page;

folded, they appear to be two. So according to your point of view,

you see either the front page or the back page. One fellow thinks

that Reality is beyond "this world." Another thinks that this world

is all there is. Both views are equal to me. When they say that

there are two, I unfold it and say that there is One alone. If you

take this creation to be real, then it is real; if you take it to be

unreal, then it is unreal. Problems arise only if you have two

thoughts about it, when you are not sure whether it is real or

unreal." (p. 349-350)

 

"Whatever spiritual practice you do, perform it without

expectations. Meditate for the sake of meditation. If you hanker

for results in your meditation, this very thought will hamper your

meditation." (p. 346)

 

"I say all religions are one...the Gita, the Bible, the Koran--I

agree with them all. All appear the same to the one who practices,

but different to the one who pounds tables and argues. Doesn't every

religion tell its practitioners, "Love all"?" (p. 346)

 

 

Kathy

Celestial_Saraswati

[Guest guest]

Welcome back Kathy and thank you for those wonderful excerpts.

 

>>Happiness comes from the mind, not from possessions. <<

This reminds me of one of Ramana Maharshi's teachings.

 

Maharshi : If happiness is due to one's possessions, then it should

increase and decrease proportionately to their increase and decrease,

and becomes nil if one has nothing to possess. But is this true?

Does experience bear this out?

In deep sleep one is devoid of possessions, including one's

own body; yet one then is supremely happy. Every one desires sound

sleep. The conclusion is that happiness is inherent in one's own

self and is not due to external causes. One must realise his self in

order to open for oneself the store of unalloyed happiness.

 

Note : The happiness of sleep is patent to all. We call it rest,

which is another word for comfort, for peace, notwithstanding the

fact that we are then completely denuded of all possessions,

including our body. This bliss of sleep is the most precious

heritage of life : man, animal or plant, which have no property or

wealth of any king. It is a bliss which does not come from any

external circumstance or condition, but from within oneself - one's

own being. This truth is open to every thoughtful person to verify

for himself, and does not require much strain to arrive at.

 

Hari Aum !!!

[Guest guest]

Dear Friend,

 

Thank you for your response. I made another post into

about more sayings by Amma, and will try to continue here also if

there is the demand for hearing more of Her words.

 

Thank you for your sharing about Ramana Maharshi, etc. I have one

book that is entitled, "AMMA - MAHARSHI" which illustrates how many

of Anasuya Devi's sayings were so similar to Ramana Maharshi's.

 

Here are some excerpts:

 

"AMMA: Snakes are better than us. They harm only those who harm

them, but we (human beings) harm those who are not even known

(innocent).

 

MAHARSHI: Monkeys pluck only one fruit each at a time. We human

beings pluck all fruits available at a time. (p. 31)

 

 

AMMA: Be angry on the anger itself.

 

MAHARISHI: It is appropriate to get angry over the anger.(p. 32)

 

 

AMMA: "Body is not reckoned as Atma. But the body does not exist

without becoming Atma.

 

MAHARSHI: After attaining Atmadarshan (knowing supreme soul), body &

world does not appear different from Atma to the Jnani. for him, the

world, body etc...is Atma itself." (p. 38)

 

 

AMMA: To be active is not in your hands.

 

MAHARSHI: To act or to be lazy is not in your hands. Whatever is to

be done in this birth had been predetermiined for you. Whether it is

to your likeing or not, those acts (Karma) will be got performed

through you." (p. 39)

 

 

AMMA: Thoughts are given (originate) by God only.

 

MAHARSHI: Find out where from "I" takes birth (originates), thoughts

get harmonised there alone. (p.40)

 

 

AMMA: Is it super-mind? - that which makes to go up and (gain) also

makes to get down (lose).

 

MAHARSHI: Is it said that the bright light in the head (brain) is to

be lowered to the heart? How is it possible to move the Atma from

one place to another, when it is existing all over." (p. 40)

 

 

Kathy

-

-- In , s_v_c_s <no_reply> wrote:

>

> Welcome back Kathy and thank you for those wonderful excerpts.

>

> >>Happiness comes from the mind, not from possessions. <<

> This reminds me of one of Ramana Maharshi's teachings.

>

> Maharshi : If happiness is due to one's possessions, then it should

> increase and decrease proportionately to their increase and

decrease,

> and becomes nil if one has nothing to possess. But is this true?

> Does experience bear this out?

> In deep sleep one is devoid of possessions, including one's

> own body; yet one then is supremely happy. Every one desires sound

> sleep. The conclusion is that happiness is inherent in one's own

> self and is not due to external causes. One must realise his self

in

> order to open for oneself the store of unalloyed happiness.

>

> Note : The happiness of sleep is patent to all. We call it rest,

> which is another word for comfort, for peace, notwithstanding the

> fact that we are then completely denuded of all possessions,

> including our body. This bliss of sleep is the most precious

> heritage of life : man, animal or plant, which have no property or

> wealth of any king. It is a bliss which does not come from any

> external circumstance or condition, but from within oneself - one's

> own being. This truth is open to every thoughtful person to verify

> for himself, and does not require much strain to arrive at.

>

> Hari Aum !!!