Guest guest Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 I am also interested in how people have had one-on-one conversations with Mother. I've been told that if I need anything, if I need to talk to her, I can simply pray to her and I will get an answer. I believe that's true, but I'd also love the opportunity to talk to her in person. Dixie - I went to a retreat and there was a Question line next to the darshan line where a few people could line up with their question for Amma written on a card. I've also heard from a friend here in Austin that sometimes Amma will just say something to you out of the blue during darshan, but it is what you needed to hear or it answers a question. --- Dixie Lou Thacker <dixielou wrote: > > - > Rachel Barrett Gallop > Ammachi > Cc: sprose1 > Friday, August 15, 2003 11:23 PM > Apples from Amma > > Rachel and group, > > I LOVED the quote at the end of your message: If > you don't hear the music the dancer must look crazy! > I am certainly encountering this with a very dear > Christian friend who seems to think I have consigned > myself to Hell by associating with ANY Hidnu and by > accepting Amma as an avatar and as my personal guru. > There is no talking to my friend about this as she > does not feel "God" offers us anyone besides Christ > and I can no longer accept that-surely we are all > loved equally and many paths can lead to That. > > I am amazed thru this group that so many of you > have had actual conversations with Mother and am > delighted to hear of your experiences-I met Her for > the first time in Iowa this summer and did not get > to speak with Her as an individual. Have you been > to the retreats? Anyone else? > I would love to attend one next year but will have > to see how things go. > > While life has been difficult recently, I did get > the new teaching post I had hoped for and will be in > a much better situation this year. I think Mother > heard my prayers on this as I certainly needed the > change. > > Love to all, > > Dixie > > > > Jai Ma, Avram! What a good thread. It's always > fun to see Mother giving > prasad. Amazing, really. > > The first few times my husband and I went together > for darshan Amma gave > us back fruit - strawberries the first time and > limes several times > thereafter. In New York one time I brought her a > Nestle Crunch bar that > had a funny picture of the basketball player > Shaquille O'Neill grinning, > that reminded me of a shakti attack (or Shaque > Attack) I experienced > around Mother. Amma said, in Her inimitable > voice, "Chocolate? For > me??," touched the offering and returned it to us. > We brought it home to > the apartment where my sixteen year old stepson > was doing his computer > thing, decidedly NOT interested in visiting with > "some saint." He had > gladly eaten the hershey's kisses prasad, but took > a bite of this > chocolate bar and prounounced that "it tasted > weird." In fact it did -- > it had changed flavor into this strange minty > taste, not at all what one > would expect from a packaged Nestle Crisp bar. > Perhaps something you might > come to accept from the environment around Amma, > however. Ah the > rationalizing and debating that went on in our > bedroom that night about > the funky chocolate freak! > > Anyway, now my stepson is almost 17, and again > this summer we debated > bringing him to see Amma. I went alone to the > D.C. programs while my > husband worked and his son attended his classes, > and at Devi Bhava I asked > Mother about bringing Jai (the teen) to see Her in > NYC at the Hammerstein > Ballroom of the Manhattan Center. "Don't force > him," She replied with > Geetha translating, and went on to explain some > key observations -- "It's > his age. You are extroverted, he is introverted. > Don't worry." She > always tells me that and I NEVER listen! Urgh. > Anyway, somewhere in all > the glory -- stepmothering is my personal hell > relationship on earth right > now, a verrry challenging drama of ego and heart > and whatnot -- Amma > handed me an apple and an extra chocolate. I was > so surprised! And > touched. And humbled. For me? For him? For > them? For us? Stunned and > silenced, I moved away. > > My husband could scarcely believe it when I told > him on the phone what > Mother had said. He didn't believe she would know > these kinds of details > about what Jai is like or put her finger so > precisely on the relationship > drama. But he certainly wanted the kid to eat the > apple! Subterfuge > didn't work. Truth didn't work. Guiltrips didn't > work. It might as well > have been the poison apple being offered to Snow > White! So after a few > days of this, after Amma left New York and my > husband was missing Her, > *he* ate the apple. Or rather, about 2/3 of it, > and then I ended up with > the rest. There were three seeds -- one for each > of us in this chaotic > family -- which I saved and am hoping for a good > place to plant. > > Significance? I dunno. Mother's love? > Decidedly. Aren't you her son, I > asked my husband in response to his incredulity. > Learning what that means > seems like such an arduous process at times! > > xo Prashanti > > "To one who doesn't hear the music the dancers > look crazy." Sufi proverb > > Sponsor > > > > > > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! > > Ammachi > > > > Terms of Service. > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 6, 2003 Report Share Posted November 6, 2003 That is very helpful, Ravi. I wondered because some have told me you "need" to be able to ask questions of your guru. I haven't felt like I need to see Amma in person to ask her a question or get guidance. (Although I have felt like I need to see her just to bathe in her divinity). I've heard others tell me the same thing, that they get a distinct answer in their heart, or from someone else. I will try to open myself up for that. For now I've just been reading the texts which help very much. Like I said, it seems like many answers are already written down. Namah Shivaya, Gabriela --- Ravishankar Krishnan <ravkris wrote: > Namah Shivaya Gabriela, > > Here's my method: > > "Amma, both you and I are stuck with each other. I > won't leave you and I know you can't leave me > either. > Ok, I dont do my sadhana at the exact same time > every > day. Ok, I forget to chant mantra sometimes. Ok, I > am > enslaved by the senses. But, do you think I should > be > that way, forever? No? > Then, lets just work together and you show me how to > handle this. If you dont show me the way, nobody > will." > > More often than not, the answer comes either as a > distinct thought from within, or as words from > someone > else's mouth, during the next few days. In cases > where > there are no 'answers', I take it that no action is > required at this time. > > I take a lot of liberty in my conversations with > Amma. > Some here would rather have a more 'Guru' oriented > approach and might find this offensive. To them, I > offer my apologies. > > Jai Ma! > Ravi > > > --- Miranda Soliz <msoliz2000 wrote: > > And yet some are enlightened by the touch of their > > guru, suddenly awakened to the Truth of who they > > are.... like Swami Vivekenanda (is that right?)... > > > So, we have to have faith that our guru knows what > > we > > need when we need it. > > > > If I need Amma to answer a question, I look it up > in > > one of the Awaken Children books, or one of her > > official websites. Unless she tells me something > > directly, I will take what she has told us all as > my > > advice. Does anyone have other methods? > > > > Gabriela > > > > > > --- childofdevi <childofdevi wrote: > > > Snehalata-ji, > > > > > > I for one believe that you have to work very > hard > > to > > > be worthy of > > > being graced. In other words, if you lie on your > > bed > > > all day long > > > hoping for grace to fall on you, that aint gonna > > > happen- God nor any > > > spiritual master rewards laziness. > > > > > > If you make a resolve to do japa at a certain > > time, > > > then regardless > > > of whatever(of course use some common sense), > you > > > stick to that > > > resolve, irrespective of whether you did not > sleep > > > well the previous > > > night or you missed the previous meal or you are > > > having a sore > > > throat... a broken resolve is nothing more than > an > > > admission of weak > > > willpower. So does that mean I have kept all my > > > resolutions?? far > > > from it, I have probably kept 1% of my > > resolutions, > > > but every time I > > > do keep it, it impels me to keep a harder task. > > > > > > I recall a comment by Yogananda that we are > > > embodiments of the divine > > > and as such our willpower is limitless; while we > > > cannot build our > > > reservoir of willpower overnight, it can be > build > > > little by little by > > > stretching ourselves to do more than we can in > the > > > little things in > > > life. By the yard its hard, but inch by inch, > > > everythings' a cinch!!! > > > > > > But sometimes when things do not go well inspite > > of > > > our best efforts > > > (keyword- best effort!!), then the master comes > > > forward and bestows > > > grace. > > > > > > I recall Amma herself saying that when you are > > > beaten down, you get > > > up and try to succeed again, and again and ... > > > again, SHE never said > > > ok take a break now and goto the Guru and have > > > him/her get the task > > > accomplised. > > > > > > Has anyone ever experienced what it is like when > > you > > > accomplish > > > something that is normally very hard to do- it > is > > a > > > rush of joy, a > > > feeling of fulfillment, a glorious revelation > that > > > we underperform > > > most of the time. > > > > > > My humble and maybe ignorant 2c :-) > > > yogaman > > > > > > > > > Ammachi, "Dixie Thacker" > > > <dixielou@s...> wrote: > > > > > > > > - > > > > Kenna > > > > Ammachi ; Ammachi list > > > > Wednesday, November 05, 2003 10:46 AM > > > > Grace and effort > > > > > > > > Namaha Shivaya, > > > > > > > > Kenna, thank you so much for posting this. > My > > > best friend is a > > > Daoist and much more spiritually "advanced" than > > I, > > > and we had a > > > discussion along this same thread just a couple > of > > > evenings ago. I, > > > like many on the list recently, have hit a > period > > of > > > feeling somewhat > > > disconnected, and was lamenting to my friend > that > > I > > > seem to be making > > > no "progress" whatsoever towards > self-realization. > > > > > (which follows > > > another thread we've had that I had already been > > > worrying about: > > > where are our discussions of our paths towards > > > enlightenment? Are we > > > really seeing what Amma is hoping to make > apparent > > > to us?) > > > > > > > > Anyway, my Daoist friend continues to pound > it > > > into my head > > > (metaphorically speaking!) that "efforting" is, > > > indeed an act of ego > > > and an effort to control outcomes-that, in fact, > > we > > > only achieve > > > awareness when we stop struggling and the monkey > > > mind simply gives up > > > its effort to convince us that more japas, more > > > prayers, more chants, > > > etc will bring us closer to our goals. Only > when > > > the brain gives up > > > the crown can the atman follow the guiding light > > of > > > the guru back to > > > its holy and rightful throne (metaphorically > > > speaking). > > > > > > > > I can be hard headed and continued to ask my > > > friend why I > > > couldn't work towards my own > enlightenment...i.e., > > > step willingly and > === message truncated === Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard http://antispam./whatsnewfree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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