thoughts on various current threads

[Guest guest]

Prajna, Thank you!! For your wonderful summary of the thread, and at least

for me, to remind me of things that I was starting to forget in general as

these threads degraded into name calling and hurt feelings.

-Katie

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

I feel inspired less and less these days to comment on the dialogue

in the Amma groups, but I would like to throw two cents in on some of

the current threads. Not to anyone in particular, as I cannot keep

track of who said what at this point, these are just some thoughts.

 

A newcomer went for darshan at the end of an evening program in New

Mexico a few years ago and when he got into her arms, she called for

a microphone and began to practice a new bhajan. For those who have

witnessed this late night (usually around 3-4am) scene it is very

sweet and intimate. She held him for about ten minutes as she sang

very softly with the girl who wrote the song at her side. After Amma

left the hall I couldn't resist approaching the man. " Wow, what a

blessing! " I said to him. " Are you kidding? " the man said, " She

didn't even look at me or speak to me once! "

 

It is unfortunate that people (especially those who are new to Amma)

sometimes judge her by the behavior of those around her. There is

often the expectation that because people are gathered for spiritual

reasons that they will on the whole behave according to spiritual

principles. I wish this were true, but its not. I see the same thing

at many other gatherings around other masters as well; Mother Meera,

Karunamayi, Vishwananda, etc. One of the differences is that Amma is

much more well known at this point and the crowds are much larger and

require a HUGE volunteer effort to coordinate. During the tours I

volunteer as a host and part of that job is greeting people

(especially newcomers) and answering their questions. There is a very

specific training process for these kinds of sevas and it heavily

emphasizes the necessity of being kind, compassionate, patient, sweet

and gentle with all attendees. Unfortunately when the tour starts,

many scheduled hosts (and other seva positions) do not show up for

their shifts and two things happen. One, many of us end up working

four, six, eight hours straight, and two, well-meaning individuals

who have not been trained jump in to help. This summer several people

complained to me personally about rude, impatient, snappy or

unhelpful behavior from hosts, line/lap assistants, etc. I don't

know why people volunteer for such public sevas if they are unable to

control their emotions or simply behave in a professional manner, if

not a friendly and compassionate one. I am also concerned about this

ongoing issue, and while we can do nothing about the behavior of some

of the general public who show up and bring a bad attitude, I am very

interested in working to refine the demeanor of the sevites who work

with the public. Hopefully, those who have trouble with their anger

or irritation will find more enjoyment in other sevas.

 

On the other hand, maybe this would be considered suppressing their

anger, and we should encourage everyone to freely take out their

negativity on the nearest person. Since we are all THAT anyway, I'm

sure no one will take it personally and have their feelings hurt...

 

Hhmm, drugs.... I had my experimental days and then some. At the time

I felt a lot of significance in my experiences and considered them to

be spiritual in nature. Now that many years have passed I feel

differently about the value of such things, but I cannot pass

judgement on those who choose that path. Many people come to Amma's

programs on drugs, she doesn't treat them any differently from the

most pristine devotee in white. A friend of my husband and I once

asked her about the use of psychadelics for spiritual purposes. She

said, " Two men were rowing a boat all night long. When the sun rose,

they saw that the boat was still tethered to the dock. "

 

Does Amma get angry? I don't think so. She does put on a good show

sometimes though, and I have been on the receiving end of it. It was

very good for my ego, I will always be grateful for that day.

 

Sometimes Amma " makes claims, " yes. That is such poor terminology,

and so irrelevent. She is so humble and simple, sleeps on the floor

and flies coach everywhere she goes. She bows down to us before

apeaking to us. She hardly sleeps or eats and lives to serve us. We

have to understand the cultural context of a lot of what happens

around her (pada pujas, dolls, etc.) and accept that these things

have a deep significance to some, in the same way that a photograph

of a beloved family member will evoke tender feelings from you and

remembrance of their special place in your heart. In India, children

touch their parents feet as a sign of respect and love. If it does

not make sense to you, you do not have to embrace it, but try to

understand that these things may hold immeasurable value for some

that you cannot understand by a surface glance. For example, when I

met Amma I was in a very dark place, depressed and substance abusing.

Having Amma's pictures in my room served as a constant reminder to me

that there are people who are selfless and inherently good, and that

it was worth the healing process. You do not know the extent that she

has helped so many people. Many of us feel that we owe our very lives

to her, but you would have to inquire and look deeper than this

shallow, suspicious glance to understand why so many of us make the

claims we do.

 

No amount of self-effort can make us more of what we already are,

true. But Hitler was THAT, Bin Laden, Mussolini... we do not consider

these individuals the peak of spiritual perfection. A light bulb

covered in mud still has a light inside it. The same light, in fact,

as any other bulb, but there is a difference. We cannot begin to

embody the Truths we speak of unless we strive to align our thoughts,

words and actions with THAT Truth, which takes constant, unrelenting

vigilence. Until then we are just parrots repeating whatever we have

heard.

 

What is the difference between Amma and us? Amma never forgets who

she is.

 

love,

Prajna

[Guest guest]

Thank you Prajna, That was just beautiful. Love, mare

 

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:15:58 -0000 " Prajna " <prajnaji writes:

> I feel inspired less and less these days to comment on the dialogue

> in the Amma groups, but I would like to throw two cents in on some

> of the current threads. Not to anyone in particular, as I cannot keep

> track of who said what at this point, these are just some thoughts.

> A newcomer went for darshan at the end of an evening program in New

> Mexico a few years ago and when he got into her arms, she called for

> a microphone and began to practice a new bhajan. For those who have

> witnessed this late night (usually around 3-4am) scene it is very

> sweet and intimate. She held him for about ten minutes as she sang

> very softly with the girl who wrote the song at her side. After Amma

> left the hall I couldn't resist approaching the man. " Wow, what a

> blessing! " I said to him. " Are you kidding? " the man said, " She

> didn't even look at me or speak to me once! "