Guest guest Posted April 17, 2002 Report Share Posted April 17, 2002 Sorry I can't help you with this but I am curious how you did your thesis on Amma's activities. Is it really so important how many people get hugged each year? Is that a valid indicator of a spiritual movement? It certainly reflects the inner yearning for peace, love and the world within in a more and more restless, demanding world. But how many of this hugged people try to practice the offered teachings and live according to the given philosophy? I am curious how you wrapped up the whole Amma story in such a manner that a Professor can accept it How did you portray the initiator of this movement? How did you present Amma the woman beyond mind to the intellectual community who consider reason as the perfect tool to deal with reality? I asked Amma one time: What is the role of the intellect in your path? It should be quiet, she replied. Even one of her own leading swamis after being 20 years with her proclaims (in the latest issue of her magazine. Matruvani) that he has no clue what makes her tick and he'll most probably also not get a clue after 20 more years in her company. Isn't it strange or even dangerous to follow such a person who can't bring even her closest disciples to a state where they can understand her ways? How come that people in good positions give up their lives to work without payment to the limit of their capacity and beyond for a fishermen's daughter from a far corner of the world? Have you given space to such themes in your thesis too? Lutz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2002 Report Share Posted April 18, 2002 Aikya, Perhaps you can send your question directly to the MA center or Amritapuri, if anyone they would know. rohini --- aikya <aikya wrote: > Has anyone actually counted how many devotees in the > U.S. Ammachi > has? Or, has anyone compared how many darshan > tickets are > distributed from one year to the next? Or how many > people attend > retreat from one year to the next? > > I made a statement in my thesis that the spiritual > practice of > singing the songs in the Bhajanamrita collection > represents a growing > dynamic new spiritual movement in the U.S. and my > professor want > numbers. I suspect it might be a bit early in the > history of things, > but maybe not. > > Any help would be appreciated. > > Aikya > > Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2002 Report Share Posted April 18, 2002 Blessedly, I didn't try anything so vast as your discussion suggests. My thesis deals with how singing the bhajans in the BHAJANAMRITA collection as part of a spiritual practice affected people. I wrote about the collection itself -- how beautiful are many of the songs, and how the content presents both mysticism and concern for social justice. I gave examples of each of these ideas. I personally expected that singing the songs would nourish an increase in compassion. I tried to keep that thought to myself while interviewing three US born and raised devotees and frequent attendees at Saturday satsangs at the MA Center. I also attended satsang and classes at the M.a. Center and wrote a journal telling how I was affected by the songs, etc. Since I knew what I expected, I was able to track specific changes that related to compassion and service. I used a new research methodology called "organic research" which requires that all aspects of one's research be treated as sacred. All participants in the research are treated as Co-researchers and not research subjects. Thus they can review and correct their interviews, read what the others said, ask me about my experiences, etc. Aspects of heuristic research were also used. That methodology requires that the subject of the research already be part of the researchers personal life experience. It treats the personal experience of co-researchers as authoritative and gives a disciplined way to focus and describe that experience. The heuristic method enables researchers to explore aspects of human experience not accessible by quantitative study. Of course, it is impossible to ignore Amma. She wrote some of the songs, and inspired most of the rest. The focus, however, was on the songs and how the four of us were changed by them. After interviewees reviewed their interviews and read those of the others, we discussed whether they agreed that singing THESE songs increased compassion. You know how people can easily miss what Mother is doing, how powerful and amazing she is? In some ways it's very subtle. We must stay nearby for some time before we understand what a profound transformation she is quietly making. Just so, I nearly missed the live demonstration of one of my co-researchers that my original suspicion was correct. It was a wonderful project. The resulting thesis is inspiring to read. When it is finished, I'll put a couple of copies in the M.A. Center library because it seems all of you ought to have a chance to delight in it, another story of Amma at work in people's lives. It will also be registered with UMI so people from far away will be able to get a copy. A little side project of mine might be to track down the theses and dissertations written about Amma to get them in the UMI database. We think there is one by a student at California Institute of Integral Studies and another by a student at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology. They ought to be easily available. I made the glib comment somewhere in the thesis that the singing of the Bhajanamrita collection represented a growing spiritual movement in the U.S. and my prof wanted something to back that up, other than my optimistic point of view. Thus the quest for numbers. Aikya Ammachi, "hermes1008" <berlinertraum@c...> wrote: > Sorry I can't help you with this but I am curious how you did your > thesis on Amma's activities. > Is it really so important how many people get hugged each year? > Is that a valid indicator of a spiritual movement? > It certainly reflects the inner yearning for peace, love and the > world within in a more and more restless, demanding world. > But how many of this hugged people try to practice the offered > teachings and live according to the given philosophy? > > I am curious how you wrapped up the whole Amma story in such a manner > that a Professor can accept it > How did you portray the initiator of this movement? > How did you present Amma the woman beyond mind to the intellectual > community who consider reason as the perfect tool to deal with > reality? > I asked Amma one time: What is the role of the intellect in your > path? It should be quiet, she replied. > Even one of her own leading swamis after being 20 years with her > proclaims (in the latest issue of her magazine. Matruvani) that he > has no clue what makes her tick and he'll most probably also not > get > a clue after 20 more years in her company. > Isn't it strange or even dangerous to follow such a person who > can't > bring even her closest disciples to a state where they can understand > her ways? > How come that people in good positions give up their lives to work > without payment to the limit of their capacity and beyond for a > fishermen's daughter from a far corner of the world? > Have you given space to such themes in your thesis too? > > Lutz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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