Introduction
On 05/24/2013, Amma (also known as Mata Amritanandamayi Devi) was visiting Bellevue, Washington as part of her north America tour.
It was the first time for me to go and see her. Many of my acquaintances talk about her, be it acquaintances from France, Belgium or those from where I currently live (in the Seattle area).
They say she has lots of energy and that she can help me in my spiritual path. A quote attributed to her is worthwhile mentioning:
Amma’s hugs and kisses should not be considered ordinary. When Amma embraces or kisses someone, it is a process of purification and inner healing. Amma is transmitting a part of Her pure, vital energy into Her children. It also allows them to experience true, unconditional Love. When Amma holds someone it can help to awaken the dormant spiritual energy within them, which will eventually take them to the ultimate goal of Self-realization. — Amma
She hugs people for free, however during her visit, a 3-days retreat (that costs $290) is offered.
During the retreat, spiritual lectures are given, a proprietary meditation technique called “IAM – Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique®” is offered for free among the other things that are part of the retreat.
I mainly went to the retreat in order to learn the IAM meditation technique and also to get to experience this infamous hug and see how it bestows unconditional love.
The rest of the article will describe my experience from my point of view. Please know that I am not bashing or defaming Amma in any way. This blog post is to share my observations and thoughts with others.
Receiving the token for the Darshan
At around 5 PM, the volunteers started distributing tokens (a number printed on a piece of paper) so that they organize the queue of people wanting to get a hug or what they call a Darshan (which means a blessing).
The queue was too long so I had a chance to observe and also read something useful on my Kindle.
The people around me looked mostly new age hippies (no offense). Many of them were dressed in white, some had long breaded hair, lots of teenagers and lots of toddlers with their parents.
To my surprise the majority were Westerners rather than Indians [though the Seattle area has a large population of Indians, due to IT companies such as Microsoft or Amazon].
After like 40 minutes waiting, it was my turn to receive that little piece of paper with a number on it. Only later I discovered how long it will actually take before my time comes to receive the hug (or Darshan).
Amma enters the hall
It was 7 PM. Shortly before Amma entered the hall, a volunteer came from the kitchen to make a statement that all volunteers working in the kitchen have a “Food handling card”. This was emphasized so that people who eat during the retreat don’t worry about what food they eat [that was very professional and responsible].
At around 7:15 PM, Amma enters the hall. The moment everybody was anticipating (including me). A swami (I forgot his name, sorry I am not good with Indian swami names) came and introduced her. He said that she will speak Malayalam (language mainly spoken in Kerala). He added that she can speak many languages (28 of them) *BUT* she won’t perform this feat today and instead she will just focus on conveying the message.
He continued talking about her in terms that she is the incarnation of the Divine Mother; she is our mother and we are all her children.
Amma started to talk for almost 15 minutes in Malayalam, and then the swami started reading from papers what seems to be the translation of what she said.
Then she spoke again and he translated. This went on for like three rounds.
Essentially, a myriad of helpful and inspirational messages were given [nothing really new if you listen to other teachers or read spiritual books]. Here is a small outline of the messages conveyed:
- Awareness, once awakened, will guide us the same way the sun lights our way
- Lack is emptiness
- Lack of awareness blinds us
- Actions without awareness are bad
- When we see everyone and everything as part of ourselves then there is no more jealousy or hatred. It is our perspective of the things we perceive externally that make us see the difference. When we look inside, we are all connected and all the same/one. [This reminds me of “Seeing with equal heart – reference in the Bhagavad Gita]
- Forgiveness help us on the long term
- Never give up. Persist, be patient and selfless service. Patience help us achieve a lot in life
- Silence the thoughts in the mind so we hear from our own true nature
- If you don’t have love in your heart yet, then do actions with your body. Love will come with selfless service
- Past is history, future is mystery and the present is a present (gift), appreciate it
- The internet is filled with pornography, it cause us to be impure
- Be responsible before making children
- Stop killing trees
- And then she told a shortened and slightly modified version of this story: http://www.zawaj.com/story-30-days-of-carrying-my-wife/
After the discourse they announced that Darshan will start and will end when everybody received a hug.
It was around 8.30 PM and I figured, in a couple of hours I will finally receive the hug.
Waiting for the hug
There were volunteers holding big boards with number ranges so people know they should advance and prepare themselves to go on stage and take a hug.
Meanwhile, I figured I can stretch my legs and walk around the big room where Amma is and see what they have.
At the back of the room, just behind all the chairs, volunteers set up stands to sell various [overpriced] merchandise.
Some were selling Amma magazines and news. What’s funny is one volunteer told me: “Subscribe and you get to know all Amma’s news and work. If you don’t have time to read then just look at the pictures. At least that’s what I do”
Her sales pitch put a smile on my face. Of course I will not pay for something that I won’t even use just a bit, not to mention the trees cut to make the magazine…
Looking at other stands, I see a lady selling crystals, healing wands and what not.
On another stand they were selling various pictures of Amma (okay, understandable), Jesus [what?! Yes indeed], Krishna, Shiva, Ganesh and what not.
At one stand they were selling various Amma dolls. Yes! Dolls of small size, medium size and big size. What is interesting was the price of the dolls. The big sized doll (if I remember well) was around 105 USD.
One of the ladies at that stand was from France. I was delighted because I get to speak some French. The first thing I asked her in French was: “What’s your name?”. I was expecting a French name but instead she gave me some Indian name.
[Oh! I said to myself and then I remembered, it is not the first time I hear about that. When you join such movements, they give you a new name in an effort to drop your identity and establish a new one. The whole process starts by assigning to you a new name].
- I asked her: “So you came all the way from France?”
- She said: “Sort of, actually, I have been with her since the beginning of the tour”
- Me: “And they pay you for the trip and such?”
- Her: “No, we pay for the trip. It is a privilege to be with her and in her presence”
I thanked the girl, wished her luck and went outside of the room where they sell food items and other services.
Astrology stands: they were offering Western Astrology service and Jyotish.
Snacks and beverages: Various beverages and snacks. At one stand, there was a nice Austrian man. I was delighted to talk to him and German as much as he was surprised to find a German speaking among the crowd.
I went back inside to peek and see if it’s my turn yet. It was already 12AM (the next day). But no, I still had around 40 minutes wait.
There was a girl outside (in her ~23+), looking a bit lonely, perhaps tired. She was reading a book. I approached her and started a conversation with her:
- Me: “Hi, what’s your name?”
- Her: “Mary [not the real name]”
- Me: “What are you reading?”
- Her: “Oh, it is a book by Amma, I read it many times, I love it”
- Me: “How did you meet Amma?”
- Her: “It is my boyfriend. He met her and then insisted that I see her”
- Me: “Is he here now?”
- Her: [replying a bit with frustration] “Yes, he’s inside staring at Amma”
- Me: “And since you met her, what’s your feeling about her?”
- Her: “Oh, she was there for me. I could sense her presence when I needed her. Here, look:” [she produced a medium sized Amma doll from her bag and showed it to me]
- Me: “Nice”
- Her: “Yeah! I talk to her and she listens to me”
- Me: “I see.” [In no means I was mocking her. I listened with open heart trying to connect and see what she feels. After all, I came here with a sincere desire to learn and experience] “So, where do you come from?”
- Her: “San Francisco”
- Me: “Oh nice, I have been there once. It is a big area, what area exactly?”
- Her: [with a bit of hesitation, perhaps disappointment on her face, she finally replied:] “Well, my boyfriend and I live in a car at the moment”
- Me: [again being aware of my self not to emit any judgment or any kind of negative emotions (pity, feeling sorry, etc, etc…)]…I did not say anything back. I did not feel comfortable to continue talking about this subject.
The conversation went on and we shared various spiritual experiences. I thanked the girl and wished her luck, excused myself since it was about time to get the hug.
I felt happy to have spoken with an honest and friendly person like her.
I went inside, sat on a chair waited like 10 minutes before entering the queue to finally get the hug. It was 12:50 AM.
Getting the hug
I stood in line and start walking slowly towards the stage. Finally I was allowed to go on stage where there were like a dozen chairs so people can wait while their turn to take the hug comes.
We kept on shifting chairs as participants got their hug. Just slightly before my turn came, one volunteer came and asked me what’s my mother language and I said “Arabic” then added: “But I understand English” (obviously :P).
A moment later, they told me to come forward and kneel between Amma’s legs.
She hugged me (my head pressed against her chest, slightly beneath her head) and she whispered something totally incomprehensible in my ears a few times.
She kept pressing me for like 15 seconds and then released me. Immediately, the volunteers gave me some sweets (A small Hershey chocolate) and told me to sit (still on the stage) a while to let the effect of the hug settle in.
I sat there looking at other people, trying to be self aware of any minute change within me: be it psychological, emotional or physical. I just felt happy because finally I did what I set about to do since like 5PM the previous day and I could finally retire back home and have some rest [it was 1:30 AM now].
I descended the stage, looked around me for a while and noticed there are still lots of people there.
I sat there an additional half an hour, jotting down my thoughts and experience (which you are reading about right now).
I left at 2:00 AM so that the next day I can learn the meditation technique.
The “IAM – Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique®”
Okay, today is the day where they start teaching the meditation technique.
The first thing they did was to explain a bit about it and then they passed us non-disclosure agreement form to sign before they teach the technique.
They stressed that after we sign the form and only so, we will be entitled to stay and learn the technique. We can be sued if we share the method with anyone that did formally learn the technique from them.
I signed the form and learned the technique over two days. An hour or hour and half twice a day and we become certified.
Of course, I will not share the technique with you. If you want to learn it, find instructors in your area.
Having learned various other meditation techniques, I found this technique a blend of various practices from yogic postures to prepare the body, breathing exercises and focus on chakras and finally sitting in silence.
What struck me as really odd is one part of the technique where, as the teacher explained, we are required imagine/visualize the following: “see yourself protruding at the lotus feet of Amma, imagine her beauty, thank her and invite her to bestow her blessings upon you”.
This visualization really irritated me and made me remember idolatry stories from the Bible.
When we got the final lesson, they handed us certification cards that we can present to them in the future (in case we want to refresh our skills and learn it again).
During a Q&A session, I got a chance to ask a swami one question about Amma:
- Me: “Please tell me, I did not feel anything due to the hug. Please don’t tell me I am not sensitive enough or ‘It is my fault’ or ‘I am too negative’. I have been told that many times in the past each time I don’t get a spiritual experience and now I tend to believe it is just a stock answer given to defend the teacher”
- Swami: [He smiled and with an air of confidence replied] “You just wait. You got your hug yesterday and did not feel anything. In fact, one of my relatives had the same experience but he persisted. He kept on coming until after 5 years he felt something. My friend, the seed has been planted. One day, perhaps while driving, you will suddenly feel Amma’s love and know that this is her. Be patient, persevere and don’t lose hope, but most importantly do not put any expectations. The experience you are looking for can flower at any moment”
[Of course, he replied exactly as I was expecting but with nicer words and a future promise of hope that things may happen to me and it will be due to Amma].
When I was in India many years ago, in an Ashram, meeting a Guru, I also had no experience and also received same excuses: “It is my fault or my negativity”, etc, etc…By the way, that Guru and his mocking answers to my sincere questions require a blog post by themselves.
I got used to such answers but to be honest, I don’t buy into Gurus anymore…especially those Gurus that claim divinity.
If one day I am driving and start crying and feel a loving feeling, why should I attribute this feeling to Amma and not to one of the many “Gurus” I met previously?
Is there is a priority queue by which the experiences will unfold in turn based on which Guru has more spiritual power? 🙂
My thoughts
I did not stay longer after I learned the meditation technique and just left.
During my stay in the retreat, I could not help but observe the following:
- People revere her: People, teachers and old time followers of Amma revere her. They consider her as their divine mother
- We are her children: The teachers and swamis keep on saying that we are her children and she is our divine mother. This is so insulting.
- Supernatural powers: They attribute to her divine qualities with no proofs whatsoever.
- People can be made to believe anything: with enough gullibility, despair and feeling lost, the human mind can create all sort of experiences and feelings. Those people can, if they truly believe, really feel whatever the swamis are attributing to Amma. [Dear reader, I advise you to learn a bit about the power of suggestions and hypnotic techniques]
- Fanaticism: I could be wrong, but this is the not first time where I sense people in such gathering have a sense of a fanatic character to them. I question: where is your sense of individuality, questioning and authority?
Anyway, I refuse to follow any body or attribute super natural powers to other humans.
Teachers should teach us how to fish and not give us fish, err…I mean a hug. Besides, if I was given a fish today my hunger will be satisfied…I was given a hug and my hunger was not satisfied. If it was satisfied then that will only be a beginning for me: a flame has been ignited and now it is my duty to keep it alive.
When one meets a teacher or a fraudster alike, what really matters are these questions that I always ask myself:
- How will my life *on earth* be any different?
- How can I be practically a good human being?
- Whether I believe or not, how can I better serve others?
- How can I be a good member of society?
- What can I offer to my family, loved ones and my current country of residence?
The essence is to live life with respect and considerations and utter honesty and integrity towards oneself and others.
I don’t care anymore whether I get an experience or not, for I know that the quest is a personal one and my thirst can be quenched by my own hard work, realization and efforts.
A week later, I met an acquaintance who frequently visits Amma, when she’s around, each year and takes his children to be blessed by her. I told him my thoughts about my first time experience visiting her and he said:
- Amma never meant to be followed [oh yeah? well, then stop amassing crowds and making tours around the world]
- People follow and revere her. For you or me, take the lessons, look at her as an example of generosity and giving without asking anything in return. [really? she is indeed generous, giving part of what people donate and not her own fortune…]
- Who can sit for 10 hours straight and keep on hugging people and be with and for the people? [hmm…what’s the point in that? if she stops hugging will people still hang around? I doubt it]
- Look at the schools, hospitals and housing she provides. This is selfless service. [hmm again, yeah, we should be grateful for the donated money, the people’s hard earned money is spent on the people….but hey, why not donate to some other charities instead of donating to a hugging “Saint” ?]
- Whether you get an experience from the hug or not, just always remember the essence of the hug and her actions. [I would rather remember real saints, real philanthropists that spend from their own fortune and hard earned money]
His words were wise of course but for every thought he provided I added counter arguments.
Conclusion
Here we come to the end of my report, thoughts and experience. I hope this write-up makes you think and reflect about your life among others here and now on earth.
No need to wait until you die to get a reward in a heaven that may or may not exist. Do not wait for anybody for your salvation, learn and find truth on your own. Teachers are welcome to learn from but not to follow.
I end this by quoting Matthew from the Bible:
Matthew 6:34(NIV)
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Please feel free to comment and share your experience or thoughts with politeness and responsibility.
Dear friend,
Although I am sure you meant no malice or harm in writing this article, I believe that the mindset of trying to pass judgement on people/organizations simply due to our perceptions or the negative emotions they breed within us is a very wrong way to approach the issue. Please do not take offence to what I have written below, it is merely my reply to certain arguments/statements made in the article above.
– “Look at the schools, hospitals and housing she provides. This is selfless service. [hmm again, yeah, we should be grateful for the donated money, the people’s hard earned money is spent on the people….but hey, why not donate to some other charities instead of donating to a hugging “Saint” ?”
– “Whether you get an experience from the hug or not, just always remember the essence of the hug and her actions. [I would rather remember real saints, real philanthropists that spend from their own fortune and hard earned money”
My question to you is this – what have we all accomplished in our lifetime to cast judgement upon Mata Amritanandamayi? Have you helped feed thousands of poor children? Have you participated in the mass education of children? Have you helped empower countless women is situations too unbearable to even contemplate? Sure, you may not agree with some things, and you may think some aspects of her organization are qualities you would rather not inculcate in your day-today life, but this does not give one the right to feel superior. If you are really so outraged by these issues, go out in the world and make a difference through charity of your own, on a scale similar to what Mataji does, and then you would have every right to pass judgement. Furthermore, I notice that on your site, you have asked for donations to keep this blog running. So you mean to say that donating to this site, a venture which I personally cannot see as having any specific impact on the poor and needy, is better that donating to a charity like Mata Amritanandamayi’s organization?
-On another stand they were selling various pictures of Amma (okay, understandable), Jesus [what?! Yes indeed], Krishna, Shiva, Ganesh and what not.
Even a cursory glance at the civilization of the subcontinent should reveal it to you as one of the most inclusive and pluralistic in the entire world. A place where mystics following traditions of hinduism, buddhism, jainism, zoroastrianism, sikhism, islam, christianity, judaism and many more have coexisted not merely in a spirit of ‘tolerance’, but in a spirit of mutual appreciation and acceptance of all messengers of the divine. The very essence of Hindusim, in fact, lies in this verse of the Rig Veda – ekam sat vipra bahuda vadanti, “The truth is one, but the wise speak of it in innumerable ways.”
In the ancient mystical traditions of India, the very manifestation of femininity is seen as the Divine Mother. Quite apart from saints or philosophers, we believe that the light of the Divine Mother shines through every mother, daughter, sister and grandmother, particularly when the divine feminine virtues of tolerance, forgiveness, affection and selfless service come to the fore.
Equally important, however, is the Holy Father, who is manifest in the good brothers, fathers and sons of this world, who are willing to sacrifice their very livelihood for the sake of their near and dear ones, who suffer great personal pain in the fulfillment of justice, and who strive for equality.
In essence, we believe the Holy Father and the Divine Mother are but one and the same, the interdependent force of Shiva-Shakti, which is itself a tangible manifestation of the eternal truth which underlies this entire creation of physical, mental and spiritual realms which is known by many names – God, Truth, Nirvana, Supreme Knowledge etc. And we believe that just as many rivers, whether straight or winding, deep or shallow, eventually merge at the river delta to merge into the ocean, so to do the paths of all humans, irrespective of their path/religion, flow inexorably to the Ultimate Truth, whether that destination be reached in this lifetime or after many more lifetimes.
Kind regards,
Abhi
Dear Abhi,
Thanks for your comment.
*
“My question to you is this – what have we all accomplished in our lifetime to cast judgement upon Mata Amritanandamayi?”
I am empowering others around me within my capacity. I do not claim to be a divine father neither I collect money from others based on that claim.
My whole article is about the fact that people give divinity to other humans.
A flock of humans following one leader. This is my point.
If we drop the divinity thing, will people still follow?
I do not criticize what she does but the claims she lives by.
Instead of aspiring everyone to be a divine mother and a divine father, we are asked instead to continue to “prostrate” upon her feat, to revere and respect her.
I have no problem with respect but I have problems with respecting one person and not the other or others.
*
“Furthermore, I notice that on your site, you have asked for donations to keep this blog running. So you mean to say that donating to this site, a venture which I personally cannot see as having any specific impact on the poor and needy, is better that donating to a charity like Mata Amritanandamayi’s organization?”
I never claimed that my donation is to help the poor. The donations on this website goes to my efforts and time into writing articles and sharing knowledge with others.
I teach them how to fish and I don’t give them a hug or a fish. They come, read, learn and leave empowered. As a token of their gratitude, they may leave a donation.
*
As for selling items in the meeting places. I am not against selling idols for various gods from various religions, but I am opposed to selling in a gathering place where people come in hope to improve themselves.
Do you know the story in the Bible when Jesus was angry at people selling and trading in the temple?
*
“In the ancient mystical traditions of India, the very manifestation of femininity is seen as the Divine Mother. Quite apart from saints or philosophers, we believe that the light of the Divine Mother shines through every mother, daughter, sister and grandmother, particularly when the divine feminine virtues of tolerance, forgiveness, affection and selfless service come to the fore.
Equally important, however, is the Holy Father, who is manifest in the good brothers, fathers and sons of this world, who are willing to sacrifice their very livelihood for the sake of their near and dear ones, who suffer great personal pain in the fulfillment of justice, and who strive for equality.
”
I respect your believe.
Again, I am just against converging towards one human being and giving labels such as “Divine” and such. If I bring my own mother to the stage, would people accept to call her “Divine mother”? No.
We need to indoctrinate them first, feed them claims, stories, have them believe some stuff, donate money, make my mom reach and famous and then she earns that title.
All the best.
It is a cult. End of story! Your posting very much reminded me of the rolling stone article from 2012. And yes, God needs money! 😀
Hi doubter,
For a second I thought it was a comment to defend her….
Yes, I agree with you something fishy about this.
Which article exactly?
Thanks
People need to understand that Amma has had bad press about the many dead bodies found outside her ashram and she is a outstanding religious member with the UN. working towards their agenda 21, her hospitals turn away the poor if they have no money and will not treat them. Read the book from a disciple who escaped..wake up. http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Hell-Memoir-Devotion-Madness/dp/0989679403
Our world is going through a tremendous transformation and we need everyone on this earth to focus on the love in their own hearts, because we have forgotten that we are all source energy of light, that’s it. When we can do that and stop being distracted from these cult leaders, then the world will change for the better.
Hello Blaine,
Thanks for your message.
I observed un-loving behavior from just one visit, as this article says.
In all cases, where do you draw your claims from? It would be helpful for readers to have some links and so they read more for themselves…or is it solely from the book you mentioned?
Thank you.
Did you by any chance meet Amma again or was it a closed chapter?
I may see her once again, depending on circumstances. Why you ask? What was your experience?
Thanks for writing this article, and also for linking to my website, Zawaj.com – http://www.zawaj.com
My feeling is that the worship of another human being is foolish and misguided. And anyone who allows herself to be worshiped by others, and even encourages it, is a spiritual oppressor. The reality is that she has not supernatural powers, she is not a divine figure, and to let people think so is fraud. This is the definition of a cult – someone who deified himself / herself for gain, whether that gain comes in the form of wealth, power or influence.
[edited by the moderator to add some line breaks and paragraphs. contents not changed]
First of all, I would say, Respect is a healthy attitude when it comes to other people and how they live their lives and what they believe. As adults we have choices, of course, and if we look at anyone’s life we’ll see that they believe in something about which we always COULD heartily disapprove IF we are DETERMINED to be in judgment and, dare I say, feel we have the RIGHT to stand in judgment…as in people in circumstances such as an undermining (or worse) life partner, a shady business partner, a questionable spiritual group or religion (which could be ANY of them, depending on who is doing the finger pointing), unreliable friends or family members that continually take advantage emotionally, financially or otherwise, etc.
That being said, I believe that ‘seeking’ is a natural state for humans. Seeking love, understanding and fulfillment on any/many levels, including the spiritual and furthering sense of self in whatever way we define that for ourselves. Just because however many thousands have had true awakenings (or have been opened spiritually or choose whatever description for the positive you like) and the teacher or leader turns out to be flawed, it doesn’t mean the experience is null and void!
To me, it is the heart and mind and INTENTION of the seeker that largely determines the experience…and yes, it is helpful, and indeed, WONDERFUL if all of the trappings are in place…if the teacher is well intentioned and sincere, filled with Light and Divinity, that those around them are as well and that their organization is perfect and to everyone’s liking. But I have been a seeker all of my long life and I have had some experiences I’ve done a LOT of bitching about, I can tell you, for various reasons.
In restrospect, I can see that I did still get something pretty significant out of those experiences, however, AND that what I got was less than it might have been? because of my resistance due to the particulars that got on my nerves at the time although I was right in some cases to be upset about some stuff and the way it was handled for the group (like the teacher at the retreat that decided that leading up to a ritual he was going to conduct, we should all be de-caffeinated for two days unbeknown to us as we were all sick as dogs for that two days—the Bastard, which is the nicest insult I can publish! He just couldn’t be sure to make enough of an impact on his own, the pathetic d*^k with the ritual without making people deliberately sick withdrawing from caffeine.
But before I forget, let me point out another thing about Amma. For us Westerners, the culture of Divinity, as in the Indian saints, is a completely foreign concept and so I feel I can see your lip curl perhaps at the idea of it but, again, it is something that in our Western minds is not easily assimilated hence the conversation and tone of your unspoken replies to your friend who takes his kids to see Amma.
I’ll bet his kids really take to her and see her for what she is….Loving…the personification of Love and without the complications!
Now, for the sake of argument, let’s just pretend for a moment that they don’t have great aunts or uncles or grandparents to provide that extra sweet love or, let’s say that the relationships with both sets of grandparents are difficult for one reason or another, then Amma is an outlet once in a while for the children to come and just experience something unconditional and loving just a little bit like the love of those wonderful aunts, uncles or grandparents some of us get to have, the ones that think we can do (almost) no wrong, in a sense.
Children would take that at face value, they just know they get a hug, a Hershey’s kiss, feel the energy, take it for whatever it is for them and don’t over intellectualize since they’re children! At least not past whatever the parent might indoctrinate, they’re immune more or less to the atmosphere of the hangers on, sellers of whatever, the cheerleaders, the foreign bits, with the possible exception of the music….again, past whatever the parent might set up….
Let me use as an example, and not meaning to be critical towards you but your statement that it didn’t seem correct (and your mention of biblical times?) for items to be sold at Amma’s gathering, I seem to recall. Well, I am not an Amma devotee per se but I am one that respects all Religions and I feel that ‘all paths lead to the same place’.
I would point out that every single religious event I have ever attended in person or seen on TV or on the internet has some kind of thing about a purchase: making a contribution by passing the collection plate (that’s the same as selling something) selling a copy of the service on tape/CD/data file, a brochure, pamphlet, books, classes, items from the bookstore, store, etc. there’s always something and that doesn’t include auxiliary activities associated with the religion or spiritual entity in question! Every….Single….Time….except when I went to a Friends/Quaker meeting, that would be the one exception.
Now think about the fact that so many Catholics worship the Pope as a Divine figure…and would be thrilled to touch him, be near him, or even just see him from a distance in the procession at the Vatican, have an item that he has touched and blessed. I know for a fact that many, many items are for sale at the Vatican that have been blessed by the Pope. And we all know of the unfortunate incidences of horrible abuse in the Catholic church and that the church covered up those abuses. But does that invalidate the entire church and its members and the Pope for faithful Catholics?
NO! Does that mean that the Pope and every other GOOD priest is also worthless and condemned and the entire religion is condemned? And every Catholic citizen as well?
AND continuing on the subject of ‘trappings’…. at any and every Catholic church, I’m sure you know, there is Holy Water! Divine, Holy Water used to bless yourself and others, used in rituals…which then leads us to the grossest ritual of all…COMMUNION!
The Body and Blood of Christ! Imagine being a foreigner and how absolutely disgusting, inhumane and unthinkable that would be to a person unfamiliar with our culture and Christianity.
Yet we, here in the United States, having been cultured as we have, understand and easily accept the Metaphor of Communion. And if we were generous, kind, compassionate, humane people we would look upon other cultures and make an attempt to see the bigger picture and get an understanding of the whole, which would, in turn, make the Deity worship more understandable and how Amma’s ministry came to be like so many other gurus, quite natural for the culture and the way they understand things.
In the West, we mostly don’t grasp the guru path for all of the obvious reasons, stated and not. I don’t mind this having special items for sale or all ‘joining the club’, dressing the same, etc. because I think when you go somewhere, bowling, to the YMCA, Community College, the Library, anywhere, that entity/company/organization feels it is safe to assume that you MIGHT be interested in related activities and items, even if there is a charge for those items!
Good grief, everywhere in the Universe practically has a Tshirt for sale! Customized bowling balls or shirts that might be thought by some to be spectacularly lucky because they’re made by or approved by (advertising) trophy winners, Olympic bowlers, as people can be superstitious or in other cases people might feel that even mass produced bowling league shirts for a team makes them more likely to win because they are all dressed alike! Don’t laugh! people DO very often feel that way AND they are entitled to feel that way and NOT be ridiculed….this by way of just one example of what happens every day all over the place in every strata and just as likely and reasonable a belief, and occurrence, as becoming a devotee of Amma (which would be much less strange in India since the culture of devotion is natural in their society)…or the belief that a gun bought from a renowned marksman being a better gun than the identical item bought from a box store, both brand new and never fired, just the PERCEPTION of where and from whom it was purchased being the difference but making all the difference in the world to some people and those people paying a much higher price for the same item from the marksman, again, due to the perception/prejudice/superstition!
And I hear a tone of disrespect, and I DO hope I am wrong, about those who believe in and follow Amma…as if they’re dupes, maybe lacking in intelligence or at the very least, discrimination. So that would mean that ANYONE who believes in ANYTHING, really, is a dupe, right?
To believe in the Pope? To believe in Christianity? In God? Jesus? The Holy Ghost? Ghandi? Martin Luther King? Any Leader in any country that was changing things for the better? Is that or was that stupid, too?
To believe in GOOD people that are also flawed in their ways because of course they are human? Please tell me that isn’t the case, I want to think it isn’t!
You see, that is what IS the very, SO very strong selling point of Amma, the very ACCEPTANCE and RESPECT that SHE offers to EVERYONE, no matter who, old, young, sweaty, sweet smelling, toothless, dirty, clean, beautiful, ugly, fat, thin, homely, feeling stuck, unloveable, absolutely EVERYONE, NO personality involved, nothing to prove.
Again, I am not a Devotee` of hers, I have not seen her. I do know a number (a large number) of people who have seen her, some once, some multiple times. With Amma, you can go and see her, and between you and her, JUST you and her, there is nothing but hugging her, NOTHING ELSE. All of the rest of it is up to you to participate in or ignore, allow your monkey mind to engage with or pass by just like everything else in the world that beckons to your monkey mind (I’m sure you’ve heard that term from treatises about meditation from just about anywhere) and the very thing that keeps you from having any peace or downtime.
I know the disappointment of signing up for an audience with a spiritual ‘great’ and leaving with nothing or a meditation retreat or camp and leaving empty or with less than I wanted.
But I also know the feeling of doing the same and leaving with anything between something and what felt was like ‘Everything!’ and I have to say that at the time and looking back it was because of where I was in my journey… my own state of mind at the time, my open-ness, or lack thereof, where I was in my ebb and flow with my life long journey and the part of that journey that has been with depression…and everything else in life that we all have, jobs, marriages, finances, other conundrums common to every person…and always, always that crazy monkey mind we all have that wants to run things!
And I sincerely believe that we all have one or more controlling ‘parts’ besides the basic monkey mind that want to get in there and control every experience in advance so that nothing surprises us or takes us unawares…and that is the real experience killer. There are so very many sayings and stories and idioms about how people are afraid to change…..It takes time, practice, intention and determination to overcome that/those ‘controllers’ in our head to really be present and neutral and open for experiences and let them happen, at least for me and for my students.
I am also very sensitive to any sort of coercion, having had way more than my share of it and I’ve also become aware of how very easily people are influenced in teaching and healing situations, so it’s always been hard for me to charge at all or charge enough (by some people’s estimation) over the years for my teaching and services but that has its own problems and false sense of reality, too, because there’s a converse factor, too, in our country, at least, in that we, in general, oftentimes don’t value what we not only don’t pay for but what we don’t pay Enough for.
It’s the craziest thing! And a peculiarity for us here. And one more thing about India. In India, when you have a music teacher, for example, he doesn’t just teach you about music, he teaches you about the sacredness of music, about the breath and how it is not just about music but about health and he teaches you about diet, meditation, concentration, attitudes and life in every way. And so you become a disciple of your music teacher. And, your music teacher nearly always has to his credit a lineage in his family and/or through his teacher of musicians and teachers.
I was thinking of you just today while I was taking a class at work about Medicare Abuse and the part of it that is about Cultural Competency and Sensitivity speaking about how we who are in all of the many, many fields that come into contact with Medicare and Medicaid patients (and should be anyone in the world, child, woman, man and not just Medicare and Medicaid patients!) and the training goes on to say that this competency includes Values, Language, Standards, Beliefs, Religion, Behavioral Norms, Communication Styles and much more shared by a group of people.
Understanding that what is called for is to be Respectful and Sensitive to others’ belief systems, decisions and the actions of the group. For individuals to take the Responsibility to become culturally knowledgeable, competent in this knowledge, comfortable learning about other cultures, accepting of the differences, acknowledging ethnicity and religion seriously just as others must accept us. Cultivating and committing to the importance of being open minded and realizing that Different is OK and Interesting!
Hello and thank you for your thoughtful message. I took the time to read it. I edited it a bit to add line breaks and paragraphs, makes it easy for reading.
Background: I am not from the West. I do understand the Indian mentality of devotion. I was raised Christian and also Christians are not without their faults…especially the institution of the church…don’t get me started about the church and how much I hate its institution.
I disagree with that. If children are lacking a loving figure, taking them to Amma, waiting in line with grown-ups (who have different needs / hopes) is not healthy.
Lacking a loving figure is a sign of a bigger problem in that family.
Children no matter how innocent they are will learn to partition their love to a figure that is the most popular (as in the case with Amma and its crowds in that event).
No, I don’t disrespect those who believe in things. I simply dislike those who like “false prophets” so to say. Remember Elijah from the Bible? He was always challenging those who worship false gods.
To me, a belief should empower you and not lead you to be dependent on the figure of adoration. Amma in this case.
Amma does not empower, she simply gathers big followings. That’s what I hate. Her immediate followers attribute to her lots of “supernatural powers”. That is the worse!
There is no empowering here and I hate that. That’s what triggered and caused me to write this article.
It is sad to feel like a sheep among others. We are divine beings and we are each to learn how to be empowered so we help each other on a daily basis and not on occasions when Amma is in town.
I am curious, what do you teach?
That is true. That is understandable. I am for charging people for the exchange of energy. In rare cases, a good teacher would ask for commitment to the teachings instead of money (if the student does not have money).
Yes, we live in an age of abundance. We can have so much which lead us to actually have nothing at all.
How sad it is when we can buy so many things in bundles or sometimes get things for free and then we don’t have time to even learn a single skill.
This age of information is detrimental to our wellbeing in my opinion.
Scarcity breads resourcefulness they say. I agree with that.
I remember in the 1990s, when I had minimal access to information, I was a better learner.
The thing is, I know about this “disease” of affluenza that hit us all.
That is the best. I would do the same if I had something to impart and a dedicated student.
I loved how back in the old times, all knowledge was connected and not partitioned.
Philosophy, Mathematics, etc. all are complimentary.
If I ever open my own school some day, it will be an integrative and practical school. We cannot and should not separate / partition knowledge.
Everything is connected.
If you ask how a blog works? There won’t be enough pages to cover the answer that will go from information technology, computer science, electrical engineering, chemistry, logic, mathematics, philosophy and what not.
Life is too big for us to follow a single person no matter who is that person. When that person empowers us (teaches us how to fish and not give us hugs, I mean fish) then that person is worthy of respect and nothing else.
We, human beings, have been given a chance to make a difference in the world and to improve our lives and the lives of others. It is sad how we spend most of our lives sleeping and chasing things that do not benefit humanity overall.
Thank you again for your comment