Neither an Amma story or a not-Amma story

[Guest guest]

28 years ago when I was 29, I heard the guru's call, or more

accurately, I read some enlightened words that opened up my heart and

suddenly I felt really alive for the first time. And I read them over

and over until I realized that I had to meet this man whose words had

such power. That man was Stephen Gaskin and in many ways, he is

exactly like Amma. He had a sudden awakening all by himself, without

the benefit of a living guru. And he set up charities, gave food

away, gave health care away, ran a free ambulance service, offered

his community to women seeking abortions to NOT have abortions, come

have their children birthed for free and the community couples would

raise them for them and give them back if/when they wanted. This last

part was the last straw as far as my heart staying closed. That

gesture wrecked me, it just broke it wide open. And this is how Amma

is, she is love, the heart and that is the simplicity of it. I asked

him the other day if he had heard of her and I told her a little (not

much, I didn't want to set him up) and he told me that no, he hadn't

heard of her and that yes, hugging can transmit good energy. But

then, he hadn't heard of her, somehow. He also told me that he sought

not enlightenment nor stayed where none persists.