Fwd: Amritavani # 162 ~ English ~ the eVoice of Amma

[Guest guest]

Note: forwarded message attached.

 

 

 

 

 

Ôm

Amriteswaryai Namah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eVoice:-

nº 162

Mata

Amritanandamayi Math,

Amritapuri, India

1th December 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this Amritavani

Ø- Around Amma: When Amma is not looking

Ø- Amrita TV: Invite Amma to your home

Ø- Tsunami: Before, Then and After

Ø- Mothersite: Amritapuri Updates

Ø- Mahayatra - Itinerary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Around Amma

When

Amma Is Not Looking

 

 

Question & Answer with Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

5 December 2006 — Amritapuri

 

 

Amma's children throughout the world know the bliss

that wells up in their hearts when Amma's eyes find theirs. Gazing into

that infinity of compassion, the mind stops, grows tender as a flower and

one is overcome with love. In that love, the conviction of the

Mother-child bond shines like the sun. The devotee or disciple knows Amma

to be his very own, and he to be hers. Then there are the times when,

regardless of how often one places himself in front of Amma, it is as if

she does not even see him. A feeling of being lost in the crowd creeps in

and, along with it, perhaps doubt in the person's relationship with Amma.

 

 

 

 

One brahmachari, frustrated with this seemingly endless

cycle of love and loss, and desiring to transcend it, put forth the

following questions to Amma last Tuesday: " When I think of the

moments when Amma has talked to me or looked at me, I feel so much of

Amma's love. But when Amma doesn't express her love outwardly to me, I

don't feel any love inside. If my love wavers in this manner, am I not, in

fact, selfishly loving my self. How to develop unconditional

love? "

After reading the questions, Amma began searching the crowd

for its author. Finally her eyes found him: " Hey, you get over

here! " Amma playfully ordered him. The brahmachari got up from his

seat and came before Amma, sitting at her feet. Amma gazed down at him for

some time and then began speaking to all the disciples and devotees

surrounding her: " When Amma isn't looking at him, he is not

remembering the times that Amma has looked at him in the past, " Amma

lamented. She then raised a question: " When we come back home

after praying at a temple, we remember the image of the god installed

there, don't we? So if you can remember what you've seen in the temple,

why can't you remember Amma? Only remembering Amma when she looks at

you—that's not correct. " Amma stopped speaking for a moment and

then asked, " One look of Amma is enough. Isn't it? "

Amma then turned to the question wherein the brahmachari

speculated that in his " loving " and " not loving " Amma

he was really just selfishly loving himself. " Everyone should love

himself—not the body, but the Self. Only when the shell of the ego

is broken, will the tree come forth. Know your Self. "

Amma then quoted some of the maha-vakyas, the

great statements of the Upanishads, like aham brahmasmi [ " I

am Brahman " ] and tat tvam asi [ " That you are " ].

" To know one's Self, we contemplate on such sentences. Then you come

to know Amma as not different from your own Self. In fact, there is

nothing to reject, only to accept. What we need is this attitude of

acceptance. We need to say ‘Yes' to ‘yes' and say ‘No'

to ‘no.' When we say ‘No,' duality appears and we start

rejecting. You should see the good in everything. "

Amma then went on to explain how much life has changed in

recent years. Amma said that until recently, Indian society had many

restrictions in place that, although they may seem severe by today's

standards, were very useful for people desiring to gain mastery over the

senses and mind. " Today's world is like living in a

supermarket, " Amma said. " Everything is available. It is like

putting sugar on the tongue and telling yourself not to salivate. It is

very difficult. Living in the midst of such a world, we are trying to

obtain some amount of vairagya [dispassion]. If we live in a

supermarket, we may have desire for the objects within it. If we don't

have money, we will steal in order to eat. We may have the understanding,

but because of the power of the vasana [mental tendency], we can

slip and fall. "

Amma then said that one method of transcending the

temptations of the world is to sit in solitude and remember the Guru's

words, his actions, his face, his smile, the way he has looked at us,

etc... Amma said that, in fact, this is a shortcut to forgetting one's

body consciousness.

" If we have a friend who is a very good person, we

will naturally begin to imitate him. Likewise, by contemplating on the

Guru, we will begin to imbibe his qualities. When we become purnam

[eternally full and complete] like the Guru, there will no longer be

any distinctions such as ‘inside' and ‘outside.' When you

transcend duality, there is nothing to reject. When you understand that

there is nothing but your own Self everywhere, what is there to reject?

Whatever is inside is the same outside—isn't it? You see your Atma

in everything—isn't it so? The Guru is not dvaitam

[duality]. The Guru is advaitam [non-duality]. The Guru is the

Atma [self]. ''

Amma then began to speak about how essential a Guru is in

the life of a spiritual aspirant. She likened spiritual aspirants to seeds

that need the proper conditions in order to sprout forth. Living under a

Realized Master, Amma said, brings these proper conditions. " Good

qualities are there within us, but we don't have the necessary

circumstances to develop those qualities, " Amma said. " The

conditions in the world are not conducive for our minds to grow. The mind

is traveling outside through our senses. The presence of the Guru is like

getting the proper weather. Even if the seed is good, if the weather is

not appropriate it will not sprout. " Amma said that spiritual

aspirants living in the world without a Guru are like seeds that need

shade trying to sprout under the full heat of the sun.

" The Guru is the ultimate experience, " Amma said.

" The external Guru has become the Guru through direct experience of

the Divine. So what we are following is not the external form but the

experience in which the Guru is eternally established. The Guru is like an

astronaut who has actually visited the moon, as apposed to someone who has

merely studied about the moon. The Guru shares his experience and we

experience it through him. We attain many lifetimes of progress just by

sitting at the feet of the Guru. In his presence we are able to do this

without going through those many years of spiritual practices. Then in

just one lifetime we can attain [the totality of his experience].

Amma then said that in order to awaken the inner Guru, we

need to follow the guidance of the outer Guru. " The presence of a

Guru, his guidance and the proper climactic conditions are necessary for a

spiritual aspirant, " Amma said. " We need to contemplate on the

experiences we gain being in the Guru's presence. The Guru is the

scripture. The Guru is a jnani [ " one who knows, " i.e. a

Realized Master]. Anything less is just book knowledge. It is like the

difference between hearing about someone playing a drum and really

listening to someone play a drum. The book is talking about beating the

drum. The Guru is really beating the drum—isn't it? The Guru is

someone living advaita; so follow him. "

Amma said that if one only loves the Guru when the Guru is

looking at him or talking to him, then he, indeed, is merely loving his

own ego. " Real love is when you make the bond with the Atma, "

Amma said. " You may say, ‘Amma, you are my mother, you are my

mother,' but then when a situation comes, you start saying, ‘Oh,

Amma is like this.... Amma is like that… Why is she not looking at

me? Why is she not talking to me?' " With a mischievously smile on her

face, Amma then said, " If I give you a test, then everyone's true

face will emerge. "

Amma stressed the importance of overcoming one's likes and

dislikes, mentioning how the brahmachari who asked the question had agreed

to do seva outside Amritapuri even though his heart is ever

longing to be with Amma. " We are here to overcome our likes and

dislikes, " Amma said. " Then, there will be no individuality. The

Bhagavad-Gita says the same thing. Amma may ask you to

do something that you don't like, but often you only do what you like. You

will come back to me and say, ‘I can't do it!' or ‘I can only

do the other thing.' So, ultimately, you end up only doing what

you like. The likes and dislike are not transcended, nor one's

individuality. "

Pointing down at the brahmachari who had asked the

question, Amma said, " When he goes outside, he is always thinking of

Amma. Like a fish out of water, he wants to come back to Amritapuri. Such

should be our craving to know God. That much yearning is required. "

Amma then told everyone that the reason she wasn't showing the brahmachari

love was so that he would think it was better to be outside the Ashram,

where Amma had sent him.

It was the compassion of the mother bird, pecking the

fledgling out of the nest.

Amma concluded by telling everyone that they should become

brave like a lions, but with hearts as soft as butter. " You should

have soft words and nice interactions with people, " she said.

Indeed, Amma said, in loving Amma her disciples and

devotees are simply loving their own Atma, their own Self. " You are

that Self even now, but currently you are in a state of forgetfulness. You

are gaining awareness. The abilities are there within you. You just need

the right weather conditions for those qualities to bloom. He [the

Brahmachari who asked the question] says, when Amma is not looking at him

he doesn't feel love. That type of love Amma doesn't want. It shouldn't be

‘I love you,' but ‘I am love.' Everything has to

become sweet. When a fly falls into jaggery [liquid palm-leaf sugar], it

also becomes sweet. When there is love, everything becomes sweet.

Everywhere one looks, one sees sweetness, sweetness, sweetness. "

—Sakshi

 

 

 

 

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Amrita TV

Invite

Amma to Your Home

 

 

 

 

Imagine having Amma, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi

Devi in your own house, giving satsang and singing bhajans twice a week.

Picture traveling across India with Amma on her Bharata Yatra, without

ever getting off the couch.

Sound impossible?

It’s not.

Amrita TV has weekly programs featuring all of the

above.

To get an online subscription to Amrita TV to watch

on your computer, go to JumpTV.com.

Amrita TV is also available via satellite and cable

worldwide, including in India, UK, Europe, USA, the Middle East, Australia

and Canada. For details, visit www.amritatv.com.

 

 

 

 

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Tsunami

Before

- Then & After

 

 

 

 

20 December 2006, Amritapuri

Below is a photo history of the backwaters

before, during, and after the tsunami. All the photos were taken from the

top of the flats.

The first photo is from 2002. You can see AICT

(Amrita Institute of Computer Technology) on the mainland side.

The swirls in the water in the second photo are

the effects of the tsunami rushing into the backwaters (taken 26 December

2004). The Ashram boat had been spun around by the force. At the time,

no one knew what had happened. In the background are the rising

buildings for Amrita University's new Engineering campus.

The last photo, from 19 December 2006, shows the

newly completed Amrita Setu - connecting the Alappad island with the

mainland and standing as a testament to Amma's love and compassion for the

local villagers.

 

 

--Kannadi

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mothersite

 

 

Amritapuri.org

Updates

 

 

 

 

New Bridge, New

Hopes

Before - Then &

After Tsunami

Thanks For

Fulfilling The Dream

Amrita Setu photos

Schedule of

events

Amma doing

seva: 3 Photos

President Kalam to

Inaugurate Amrita Setu

Invite Amma to

Your Home

Amma's Tamil Nadu

programs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mahayatra

Itinerary of Amma

 

 

Amma is now in Amritapuri.

For details of Kerala, Tamil Nadu programmes, please visit

Mahayatra

 

 

 

 

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Ôm Namah

Shivaya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eDharma

Mothersite

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