An incredible life involves this woman, Amma, in which many see a spiritual guide. Her organization helps millions of needy people in India, a gear she feeds around the world to embrace millions of people. With his hugs he seeks to awaken the love that, he says, "is the way and the answer" to be better.
Amma says that when he hugs he seeks to awaken the innocence within one, the love that transforms him.
Both Amma's work and biography are incredible.
The activities of Math Mata Amritanandamayi (MAM) include education, health and humanitarian aid. His organization has built for the homeless 40, 000 homes in 60 locations in India, has awarded 30, 000 children, has planted one million trees, annually feeds two million people in India and 73, 000 in the United States, donates financial aid to disabled people and widows.
After the 2004 tsunami, it built 6, 200 homes, trained 2, 500 victims and donated 700 fishing boats. When Indian farmers began committing suicide as a result of indebtedness - a wave of deaths estimated at 150, 000 between 1997 and 2005 and that has spread to collectives such as the military -, Amma's organization awarded scholarships to 30, 000 of its children, Professional training for 5, 000 women and created an orphanage for 500 children in Kerala.
MAM has built hospitals, residences for terminally ill people and mobile camps that offer free medical assistance throughout India. It facilitates education for the poor in more than 50 schools and universities that have the highest accreditation of the Government of India to private institutions.
How has this little woman managed to create all this? Embracing 29 million people worldwide. Many of his followers offer their intellect and their hands to collaborate in all causes; Others contribute their money.
His biography - full of miracles and strange events - lives up to his work: the legend of a woman who decided to embrace the world, person to person.
From being the crazy girl who in her trances wallowed through the sand, to hug the president of India ...
Everyone, depending on how you look at it, is crazy, each in its own way. The change that I experienced within me was to realize my own being, realize my infinite capacity, know who I was; but that capacity is within each one of us. When you get off a train in India, there are people who carry suitcases on their head. The head of that person and that of a scientist is the same, but they use it for different things. The first, to load packages; the second, to deepen and investigate the mysteries of the world. I purified myself, and we are all capable of doing it. When I realized I realized that I was not a battery that is spent living, but that I live plugged into the source of divine power.
Some people see her as a messiah, others ... How do you see yourself?
I don't look different from others. If you have a hundred pots full of water, you will see a hundred suns reflected, but they are the reflection of the same sun. In the same way, the universal consciousness is the same. If you hurt yourself in your right hand, the left will give you comfort, that happens because both are part of your body. I see everyone as an extension of myself; I am the others, but not as a camera that records an image but as a mirror. A camera saves some moments, but a mirror is always flowing and representing the present. I identify with the pain and happiness of the people I hug; if they are suffering, I feel their suffering; If they come happy, I share their happiness.
More than 3, 000 people live in your spiritual center willing to do what you say. Wouldn't you rather they thought for themselves?
I do not impose anything, I remain a witness. There are certain rules to follow to live in community, but they come by their own will, because they have a degree of knowledge and awareness of what the nature of the world is, of their suffering, and have chosen to serve others, offer compassion and love. . Actually it is very simple: there are people who have money to buy a clock of 10, 000 euros, but decide to buy one of 10 - which will not matter the time - and use the rest of the money to offer it to those who need it. The change within them occurs spontaneously, I do not impose a way of acting or a religion, I respect the different beliefs and live with them.
But wouldn't it be better for people to follow their own conscience instead of following a guru?
I agree with you, but in this world to learn you need teachers, even to learn how to tie your shoes. And if you want to get a PhD, you must be guided by a teacher who has already passed through it. In the same way to grow, to get out of our childish mentality, it is necessary to put ourselves in the hands of someone who has already left that stage and who helps us to mature
Do you see people as children?
We are often like a carriage provided with four horses, each one pulls in a different direction and the coachman who must guide them is asleep. That is our mind today. When you have already developed a greater consciousness, then yes, follow your heart. But we often think that we are following our hearts and in reality we are following one of those horses, the product of the child's mind.
And how to distinguish an authentic guide from one that is not?
With the experience The supreme truth is that only we can guide ourselves, but when we are beginning the way, until we get to know the world and our interior, we need someone to guide us. For many people, the world of spirituality is an unknown country, and they need a guide.
What is the way to discover who are the people?
Love is the way and love is the answer. More love means more awareness. Consciousness will help us discover who we are.
You say that everyone is love, but man has never been at peace. Don't you think violence is inherent to the human being?
The essential nature of the human being is love and peace. But why has he never been at peace? ... because he has never tried to overcome his ego and selfishness. Have there not been great teachers who have shown the path of love and peace to humanity? By giving us examples of love, compassion and self-sacrifice, they led a life that inspired humanity. Those who followed the path of these teachers found, of course, peace and love, while the others chose the path of violence.
Until now, religion has divided, rather than uniting.
I would not say that religion has divided human beings, rather it has been an incorrect interpretation of religious principles. All religions preach love and compassion. But those who act selfishly interpret religious principles according to their interests. The ability to define, and therefore to create the truth, is power, while the ignorance of how the truth is created and defined is weakness. The problem is that people stay outside the religion, in the shell. To find the fruit, which is spirituality, one has to deepen. One must absorb the spiritual values of sacred books and self-realized teachers. The philosophical aspect of religion is the intellect, and the spiritual act is the heart. Mind and heart should walk hand in hand.
In the beginning he worshiped Krishna and then Devi. Was it beyond these images?
Yes, all forms disappeared and dissolved in the supreme formless consciousness.
What fundamental teaching must be transmitted to the children so that they become free and complete?
The teaching that will allow them to be good human beings; the teaching that will help them relate to other beings compassionately. The teaching of love and compassion. But for this to happen, parents should be an example for their children. In fact, we should all become good models because, whether we know it or not, there is always someone watching us and looking for inspiration. We are all a source of inspiration.
What is the cause of the lack of understanding between men and women?
From the highest point of view, everything is consciousness. It is the lack of authentic love and a deep understanding that creates the distance between man and woman. Where there is true love, there is understanding and faith, and if love is lacking there will be no understanding or faith. Just as the body needs food to grow, the soul needs love to grow and develop.
His mother being a great devotee of God, mistreatment and contempt
Of course, Damayanti Amma was very strict. But I wouldn't say he mistreated me. He taught me many things and, thanks to her, I learned valuable lessons for life.
It allowed your family members to take advantage of you, it's something that seems common in India. What should women do about it?
My situation was totally different from what the common woman has to endure in India. The trials and tribulations I experienced were mainly due to the spiritual ignorance of my parents, my relatives and neighbors. However, the main cause of the problems that women in India have to face is the dowry system. Women must wake up and fight against this injustice, having great faith in the inherent strength of their own motherhood.
Do men also have that potential?
I believe in the potential of both men and women. For me, they are like two wings of the same bird. Both can play a vital role in producing positive change in today's world. At the same time, I am against the exploitation of women by men, or by groups of men in power. And I don't fear pointing my finger when I see that women are being mistreated, or when I see female infanticide that occurs in some countries, which is simply cruel and inhuman.
Power is written in masculine.
In general, men in the world think they are superior to women. This is an incorrect attitude. The woman must wake up and develop her inner potential. And men must not only prepare the ground for the woman to wake up and get up, but to move away and not create obstacles for that advance. And while women enter into all spheres of society, men should rely firmly on motherhood, because it is also intrinsic to them. All women must have a firm faith in the power of motherhood. Actions deprived of that motherhood, carried out in any social sphere, will not help the progress of women, but rather weaken it.
How does your hug transform people, is it temporary or permanent?
It is love that transforms. Only love can transform. There is a child within each of us. With these hugs I try to awaken the innocence and motherhood within each one. If this permanently transforms them or not, it will depend on the attitude and receptivity of the person receiving the hug. To conceive love, we need to develop a special matrix. The womb that can conceive of love is an innocent and humble heart.
What do you get from people when you hug them?
I believe in giving, not drinking. It is really an encounter, not only an encounter of bodies, but of hearts.
Lack of faith is not a choice. What message would you give to atheists and agnostics?
Just have faith in yourself. It doesn't matter if one is an atheist or agnostic, what matters is doing good, being a benefactor to the world. Having faith in love and compassion, that's enough. For me, God is not an individual who sits high on a golden throne, punishing the bad and blessing the good. God is the pure consciousness that permeates everything.
Jesus Christ transformed water into wine, and Amma, water into milk. What is the purpose of such miracles?
Miracles help instill faith to some extent. They are an inspiration. However, the continuous realization of miracles and the desire to see them constitute obstacles in the spiritual path. Only what already exists can be created by miracle, isn't it?
A miracle covers everything, doesn't it?
Can someone create something new? No. Faith should not be based on the miracles that happen to one in life. It should be based on love and devotion to God. The spiritual path implies the control of desires, and miracles can ignite our greed so that more and more desires are fulfilled. The power to perform miracles will manifest itself at a certain moment of spiritual practice, but the aspirant must have the discernment and mental strength to move forward without feeling obsessed with that power, since the truth transcends all that.
People come to you seeking relief from your problems. How can this cycle of need be broken?
Most of the people who come to see me have a spiritual goal, they really want to selflessly serve the most disadvantaged sectors of our society. In programs outside India, not only adults, but also children perform selfless services with great enthusiasm. They save the small amounts their parents give them on their birthdays or other special occasions and use that money to serve poor children. When I am giving my hugs, you will see even children selling flowers and small handicrafts to help those in need. It is true that people have various problems and come to share them with me. I listen to your problems and suggest solutions. But that does not mean that they are selfish and are here just to drink.
It is understood.
But in general, in today's world, there is more interest in taking than in giving. Human beings exercise low control over their ego and their desires; and as long as they don't realize the burden of their ego, no change will occur. Each action, however simple, affects the others. We are not isolated beings, we are part of the universal chain of life. It won't help to wait for others to change first. Rather we should be the ones to change first. Once we do, the others will change automatically. Here, my role is to show me as an example. If you offer a correct model, others will be inspired and will do everything they can to help society.
During the time he lived on the street he only accepted the care and food that the animals brought him. Were the offerings of animals purer than those of people? How did animals know what you needed?
I would say that animals and birds understood me better. Ultimately, everything is impregnated by pure consciousness. When you become a unit with universal consciousness, communication occurs through the heart. The heart knows the heart. Love knows love.
You say that God is love. Is love action?
Yes. When your heart is full of love, it expresses itself as selfless action.
