Amma Doll

[Guest guest]

I recently earned my master's degree in Women's Spirituality from New

College of California in SF. My thesis was about whether the songs

in the Bhajanamritam collection transform people and make them more

compassionate. A copy of my thesis and I went on a retreat at a

lodge near Ben Lomond. The retreat involved alumnae, recent grads

like me and new students from our program.

 

I also brought my Amma doll. I told the attendees that she came in

case anybody needed a hug and I passed the Amma doll around the

circle so that each person could have a hug if they wanted to. I

told them that the doll represented Ammachi, a saint from India who

shows unconditional love for everyone by giving hugs to all who come

to her. By the end of the weekend, several people made comments

like "Wow, that doll is really something. I could feel my heart

opening up when I hugged her."

 

One woman was particularly affected. She is Sheri, a wonderful poet

who has just "discovered" the Goddess. Her poetry largely involves

dialogues with the goddess or praise of the goddess in some way.

This woman asked if I would make the doll available because, when she

hugged her, she started crying. She realized that there was

SOMETHING THERE, something she needed. I said sure, that I would

leave the Amma doll near the theses and she could hold her whenever

she wanted.

 

"I don't know what it is about that doll," Sheri said and looked off

into the distance. Suddenly she turned back to me and said with

urgency, "Yes, I do! I DO know what it is. SHE'S there. She's

THERE in the doll!"

 

On Saturday evening I was very tired. The group had given me a

healing and I left the lodge to go to bed before all the activities

were over. When I got to my cabin, I realized that I had left the

Amma doll. I always put her to bed at night with her little devotee

doll (a Disney Corporation "Indian" which doesn't look like any real

person from India ever seen...like an American devotee of an Indian

religious group...) on guard. I felt bad about forgetting the doll

and I hoped that Sheri would take her back to her cabin.

 

That's just what happened. On the way back to her cabin in the dark,

Sheri slipped and fell, clutching the Amma doll. She was sure she

had seriously damaged the doll and was very upset about it. An Amma

devotee from Washington, DC, who just happened to be her room mate,

told her that the dolls were very expensive. Sheri was very upset

thinking that she had done some awful, irreparable damage. As a

result of her dismay, all the women in the cabin heard about who Amma

is and about the doll.

 

The doll looks fine to me. I had already decided that I should get

her a new outfit so that she would always be wearing clean clothes. I

consoled Sheri by telling her that devotees would have fixed the doll

for free if she had been damaged. I think that the Amma doll helped

make sure Sheri didn't hurt herself when she fell and then introduced

herself (Amma) to the other women in the cabin. (Our Amma gets

around in all sorts of ways!)

 

Several times over the weekend I got to tell women about Amma's visit

to the Bay Area in November, all thanks to the Amma doll. When

people would exclaim about the doll, I'd tell them they could see the

real person in November.

 

Aikya

[Guest guest]

> I also brought my Amma doll. I told the attendees

> that she came in

> case anybody needed a hug and I passed the Amma doll

> around the

> circle so that each person could have a hug if they

> wanted to.

 

I'm reluctant to take my Amma doll to non-Amma events,

though I could use her to introduce Amma to people as

you did. I took her to the Ashtanga retreat with Baba

Hari Dass (an annual Labor day weekend event in the

Toronto area). The doll mostly stayed in my cabin,

except on the last day of the retreat. There were a

couple of Amma devotees at this retreat, who knew that

I owned a doll. Almost anyone who sees me with the

Amma doll can tell that there is a special bond

between me and the doll, and that it's no ordinary

doll.

 

>

> That's just what happened. On the way back to her

> cabin in the dark,

> Sheri slipped and fell, clutching the Amma doll.

> She was sure she

> had seriously damaged the doll and was very upset

> about it. An Amma

> devotee from Washington, DC, who just happened to be

> her room mate,

> told her that the dolls were very expensive. Sheri

> was very upset

> thinking that she had done some awful, irreparable

> damage.

 

The doll is quite rugged. She doesn't even mind being

stuffed into my backpack and getting bounced around.

But I would keep her away from the cat, unless it's

been de-clawed. The cat that is, not the doll

 

I didn't yet have the doll last year on 9/11. But I

took her to the ground zero site when I was in NYC for

Amma's darshan.

 

 

Keval

 

 

- We Remember

9-11: A tribute to the more than 3,000 lives lost

http://dir.remember./tribute