Guest guest Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 At the end of Devi Bhava an announcement was made that we all have many memorable memories of Amma that we can contemplate during the year, and that Amma expects us to live out the lessons she is bringing to us. Here are a few of my memorable experiences: I came to the retreat in Boston utterly exhausted, literally by bus and down to my last dollars, without money to even pay for the retreat, because a client had refused to pay their bill for two months of my physical labor. I was angry and bone weary tired. Without even asking, someone paid for my retreat, and a day later, a friend repaid me thousands of dollars. Within a few hours, I absorbed the lesson in Amma's presence that anger, even in extreme situations is never appropriate. I need to breathe into life's pleasant and unpleasnat experience's and remember Devi's unending stream of peace. Needless to say my problems were resolved without any effort. Vanished. Whooosshh. The lesson Im learning in life now is to put more faith into the Guru ( spiritual immortality), and less into money and the "security" offered by the world...(temporary). Later the next day, I was scheduled to honor Amma as she entered the hall with a garland. My wife would wash her feet. I had sort of forgotten about this honor, and someone had told me that I was scheduled to do it. I couldn't afford the special flowers for the hand made garland at that point, but no one asked for money. It was an incredible experience. Amma greeted me like her long lost pal. It struck me that here I was barely able to buy a clean pair of pants for darshan, and a member of Amma's tiniest and least known small town satsang group (3 people are regulars) and around Amma, I become thrust into this position of honoring her into the program! Well, she is my best friend, too. This is the way Amma works though...she has no hierarchy around her. It is amazing. At the Toronto retreat, at the end of Devi bhava, We had to clear everyone off the stage...several women would move momentarily,and then turned around and came back to Amma. They had tears in their eyes and were getting on their knees and bowing and prostrating. The devotion and longing was heart rendering. how can you ask them to leave Amma's side? At the end of an evening in Boston, All the staff and devotees were gathering around Amma, I went for a darshan and the view of four levels of people surrounding Amma, rows and rows of heads.....it was a scene out of a hindu painting of the god Vishnu..it gave me chills At the end of my final darshan, Amma gave me an extra hershey's kiss, just like all the other years we go. Why? its for my mother who last went to see Amma about nine years ago. At the end of Devi Bhava in Boston, I chased Amma's car back to the hotel from the trade center to make sure that Amma's entrance went smoothly. I sprinted, but was too late, I was following in her wake. A few of us jumped into the elevator next to her and followed her to her room. As she approached her room, a devotee had a laptop set up with a remote camera to Amritapuri. Amma looked in and everyone could suddenly hear a huge uproar come out of the computer "AAAMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAA!!!!!!" "AAAAAMMMMMMMMAAAAAAA!!!" "AAAAAAMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" it must have been quite a crowd because it was a rolling wave of children's voices. The crowd also shouted for Big Swami and the Swamini. The swamini hid, too shy to get all that attention. It was a small glimpse into the immensity of Amma's life. In Toronto, Eknath, a special needs boy, kept up an ecstatic dance that lasted through out the retreat that would humble even chaitanya himself. His shakti infused jumping was exactly to the beat of the bhajans, and when the pace would increase his arms and head would gyrate wildly. It was mesmerizing and really funny. He would also spread his mouth into a smile with his fingers,a gesture designed to get the crowd to smile. It was so interesting to experience the crowd gathering for the Devi Bhava Toronto public program. I sat in the hall and could feel the relaxed excitement of people waiting for Dhevi Bhava. The miracle was that Amma's strong devi shakti permeated the gathering transforming traffic and life weary devotees into smiling saints in a matter of minutes. Everyone was kind and happy. I talked with a very kind older Indian doctor who showed some of us some gentle yoga psotures to relieve back pain. He was new to Amma since last year and was very excited to be there. When I explained to him about how Amma wanted us to stay up all night and then get her flower blessing in the morning, as a tapas and in respect for the effort Amma makes all year, he became very enthusiastic. I didn't know this! He exclaimed. Thank you so much for telling me. Later, late in the evening he brought me a candy bar, and we exchanged names. His name was Kaly, pronounced like Kali. At the end of the program as Amma showered the blessing flower petals on the crowd, Kaly walked by his face and eyes beaming at me and his arms raised in a victory posture...he had made it through the night! In Toronto, they showed a new video of Amma singing a prayer for world peace. It is intensely devotional and Amma does not open her eyes while singing. Amma was giving darshan as they showed the film. She looked back at herself and began laughing while slapping herself on the head, like she was saying: boy, do i look stupid in that video. It was hilarious. Amma, if you can bring this peace to everyone who comes for Devi Bhava, could you also do this for rest of the world? That is my most fervent prayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Ckeniley... Thank you... It is all these little moments that add up, reminders of how many different ways there are to see and perceive and respond to everything that is going on around us. Thank goodness so many of us are "hitting it" on so many different levels at different times, because the grace of one person's steadfast determination to do right has made up for my own lack of discrimination or unthinking fear too many times for it just to be coincidence. "We will pull each other through..." You mentioned this video --In Toronto, they showed a new video of Amma singing a prayer for world peace. It is intensely devotional and Amma does not open her eyes while singing." and I wonder if it is available for distribution? Someone in our apartment complexis practicing their flute. I keep hearing it meandering through the hot afternoon of chirping birds and find it inspiring to have the notes echoing against your sharing. Amma, if you can bring this peace to everyone who comes for Devi > Bhava, could you also do this for rest of the world? That is my most > fervent prayer. > AND thank you especially for reminding me today of this prayer. It is so easy to wish for mundane things, for peace of mind, for relief from worry about bills or career, for all sorts of relatively unimportant things. When what we need is peace, harmony, love, gentleness, comfort, and grace. OM lokah samistah sukhino bhavantu.... loveprashanti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 oh i so appreciate hearing your experiences with Mother. thank you for sharing in such nice detail! ckeniley2003 wrote: > > At the end of Devi Bhava an announcement was made that we all have > many memorable memories of Amma that we can contemplate during the > year, and that Amma expects us to live out the lessons she is > bringing to us. > -- "Naan Amme Snehikkunnu" Be Love, Nischala http://www.ammasgirl.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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