Question and Answer at June '06 San Ramon Retreat

[Guest guest]

Om Amriteswarye NamahL

 

Dear Amma Children:

 

My time is getting restricted so I cannot post as

often as I desire.

 

Was blessed to attend the San Ramon June '06 Retreat.

On the second day Amma had a question and answer

session outdoors in the lush Castro Valley

countryside. The atmosphere being outdoors with Amma

is beyond my verbal capacity.

 

Here is the first question asked on that magnificent

Spring late afternoon with 1000 or so devotees seated

on the rough grass in front of Amma's platform.

 

RETREATANT: Despite all the love you shower we still

do not have faith in you. Please tell us how to

develop total faith

 

MOTHER: The nature of the mind is to keep changing

and to doubt. Today we see someone is a good person

and tomorrow we see he is a bad person. Every moment

there are changes. We always look at people with a

limited perspective. With the same mind we try to

understand the Sadguru. This is dumb. Only with

direct experience can we understand the Guru. The

scriptures are there for this reason. Scriptural

statements will give us strength to move forward in

life. Perfect faith is Self Realization. Adjusting

and adapting to spiritual life is not easy. It is

like an Indian moving to the West. Spiritual life is

a strange world. It takes time to adjust. Like in

America they drive on the left hand side and in India

they drive on the right hand side. For a long time we

were non-spiritual and now there is a shift, so we

have to reflect on the scriptures (blank in my notes)

The mind is constantly changing. Amma has heard an

example. A Bridegroom hired a Painter to paint a

portrait of his Bride. Upon completion the Bridegroom

said you did a magnificent job but I request a slight

change to the brass plate on the frame. The painter

(a little perturbed) The place? No. The time? No.

The date? No. Then what is it? It is the bride’s name

(Retreatants laugh)

 

The biggest fear is death. God is our Mother and

Father. We are approaching our Real Mother our Real

Father, so why should we fear? Death will come today

or tomorrow. There is no guarantee for our next

breath. A butterfly has only a seven day life span

but it is so happy. Why fear? Only a thief has to be

afraid of a policeperson. Are we thieves? We should

have no fear of God. Why? Because He accepts

everything. The great Mahatma Valmiki renounced

thievery and became a Sage. We can never go to the

Doctor once the disease is over. We go to the Doctor

to cure disease. Only in water can we learn swimming

not on the land. You cannot go to land and then swim.

So be courageous and move forward in life! Perfect

Master’s never consider our past. It’s a cancelled

check as far as they are concerned. So be strong!