On Amma's speech

[Guest guest]

Brother Avram,

 

There are no substantive differences, IMHO,

between what you have said and what I observed. I

spoke elliptically and you were direct but we

were not talking radically different things. Some

points:

 

1. I doubt that the authors of the supposed

adverse reaction to Amma's original text are from

the 'Global Coalition of Males' or its Indian or

Keralite equivalents. There are no such

organizations. This is not to argue that male

chauvinism and misogyny are non-existent in

society. Indeed, they are very real evils that

exist but these phenomena are distributed rather

than concentrated; they rarely exhibit a single

political face, rather their manifestations occur

by the millions in our homes and daily lives. The

closest thing to a demonstration of male

political power that comes to mind from recent

events is the continuing failure of the Indian

Parliament to enact a law reserving seats for

women, but this is an exception rather than the

rule, of a public issue being framed in explicit

male vs. female terms.

 

2. I think it is far more likely that the

administrators of the web-site took into account

actual or potential negative reaction from other,

more politically organized groups that have been

mentioned in Amma's speech. If you go through the

excerpts from Amma's speech pasted at the end of

this email, it is clear that the Divine Mother

has chosen to be explicit about some of the

'negative' features of specific religions: on the

largely male-oriented Christian theological

concept, on the dowry system - a social ill

largely associated with India and Hinduism and on

the aspects of Islamic theory and practice which

appear in the public mind to be loaded against

women.

 

3. Also, brother Avram, one example of an

application that can generate heat is Amma's

recommendation no. 7 (see below). I am not

suggesting for a moment that I object to Amma's

formulations. May MahaKali decapitate me the day

I manifest such arrogance! I am hinting at the

possibility that there might be folks out there

who would view that in a very hostile way. What I

was originally trying to say, with the theory vs.

application bit, I guess is this: a statement of

theory, for instance, something anodyne like

'Brahman is real', is unlikely to elicit very

much hostile reaction but a statement on specific

social practices followed in the present day by

those who style themselves as Christians or

Hindus or Muslims or whatever is likely to

attract negative attention.

 

4. As brother Nandakumar has pointed out,

censorship, with or without Amma's agency, is one

of the verities that we have to deal with.

Politics is a reality as pressing as any other,

in the world where we see Amma in operation, and

a rational mind should be no more surprised by

the fact that the Avatar (Amma) deals in a

predictably human manner with the political

forces that engage Her or vice versa, than by the

fact that Amma takes a plane on Her world tours

and does not just levitate. An Avatar is the

Divine performing a human role.

 

5. Finally, brother Avram, it is my humble

submission to you that anger, while perfectly

natural and understandable, is probably not the

best way to react to this episode. Anger, after

all, is an externally focussed emotion and Sri

Ramana Maharshi, in common with other great

beings, advises us to look within. Our lives are

the best laboratories for us to conduct 'safe'

experimentation with Amma's teachings.

Experiments with society at large by individuals,

in the form of activism, is fraught with great

risk. Only the Divine Mother knows what She is

doing, when She gets political, if that is what

She is doing. A low worm such as myself cannot

possibly fathom Her moves. All I can do as a

bhakta is to watch with trepidation from behind

Her Sari, like a child, as Amma takes on the

aspect of Kali and proceeds to engage the Demons

of the world with Her Sword of Truth.

 

Brother Avram, if you find this email to be

excessive, please look upon it as the foolish but

well-intentioned attempt of a worm to share a

bird's eye view, and forgive any transgressions.

 

Regards,

 

fg

 

Om Amriteshwaryai Namah

 

Excerpts from Amma's speech below:

==================================

It is commonly believed that the religion that

gives least status to women is Islam. But the

Koran speaks of qualities such as compassion and

wisdom, and of God's essential nature, as

feminine.

In Christianity, the Supreme Being is worshipped

exclusively as the Father in Heaven, the Son, and

the Holy Ghost. The feminine aspect of God is not

so widely recognized. Christ considered men and

women equal.

1. It is high time to amend the social and

religious systems that were formulated in the

past. Not only have many rules and practices

become obsolete-they actually block the progress

of today's women. Religious traditions are

significant. They shouldn't be discarded

completely. Nevertheless, religious leaders

should make every effort to guide their followers

back to the true essence of spirituality, and in

light of this, condemn all types of injustice

towards women. Religious leaders should publicly

speak out against all forms of oppression and

violence against women.

2. The UN should maintain a presence in war zones

and areas of communal strife specifically to

provide safe havens for women and children.

3. Every nation should create special funds for

the education of women and the eradication of

poverty among women.

4. The UN should work to eliminate the dowry

system.

5. All religions and nations should condemn such

shameful practices as female foeticide and

infanticide, and female genital mutilation.

6. The UN and leaders of every nation should

intensify their efforts to stop child trafficking

and the sexual exploitation of young girls. The

legal consequences of such behaviour should be

effective deterrents.

7. The number of rapes taking place all over the

world is astounding. And the fact that in some

countries it is the victims of rape who are

punished is incomprehensible. Can we merely stand

by and watch this?

There should be a concerted, international effort

to educate young men, with the aim of putting an

end to rape.

8. The dignity of women is assailed by

advertisements that treat them as sex objects. We

should not tolerate this exploitation.

9. Religious leaders should encourage their

followers to make selfless service an integral

part of their lives.

10. Amma suggests that, in the wake of this

conference, women spiritual leaders form a

worldwide network. They could exchange ideas, and

inspire and support one another in uplifting

women and in protecting human rights.

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