The first time I enter the concert hall I am greeted by an explosion of sensory input, Indian music fills the room, hundreds of people are milling about and there is a small marketplace at the back of the hall with devotees selling a wide variety of spiritual products to eager buyers. All the activity reminds me of the fabulous chaos of India and for a moment I forget I am actually at the Manhattan Center in the middle of NYC. Everyone is gathered for one purpose, to have a chance to be in the in the presence of what many consider a living saint.
I find myself once again visiting the "hugging saint" Amritanandamayi, Ammachi or Amma as she is also called. Being familiar with the environment I feel at home but I am curious as to what my friend Bill, who I brought for the first time and who is not familiar with anything similar to this, will experience.
The evening starts with a simple program. Amma speaks of the virtues of unconditional love and generosity, leads a group with the chanting of bhajans or devotional songs and guides us for a short meditation. The hall is surprisingly quiet considering it is a full house, but it is not to last for long. Once the program ends, darshan is announced. The Sanskrit word darshan means, "to see" and it is most commonly used as having the vision of the divine. In this case darshan includes the practice of patience, a lot of it, since most people will wait for several hours to embrace Amma. I am told that around 3000 people will get a hug that night since there are a limited number of tickets distributed. The following night is a special night called Devi bhava where no one is turned down, and more than 4000 people are expected to attend. A small crowd compared to darshans in India where gatherings of over 25,000 are not uncommon.
I wonder how it is possible for a human being to greet so many people. I walk towards the front of the hall to watch. There is a lot of activity around Amma and it is hard to see, but I occasionally get glimpses of her smiling and hugging each person that comes forward. She seems full of energy and greets every individual with utmost attention and care, with a wide smile. There are no rests, no restroom breaks, for many hours on end. Where does her energy come from? I wonder.
Mata Amritanandamayi was born in South India on 1953 with the name Sudhamani. Biographers describe her early life as challenging but stress Sudhamani’s remarkable ability to remain at ease, joyful and generous no matter what the situation was. Since her teens she would enter trance like states for hours at a time. As a young woman she would spend sleepless nights after a full days work to chant and meditate. In time villagers began to take notice that there was something special in the young woman and her popularity began to spread. Within a few years, Amritanandamayi went from servant of her own modest family in South India to one of the most recognized and prominent saints of India today.
While waiting for darshan, videos on the big screens recount some of the philanthropic work Ammachi has established. The scope of her charitable work is impressive. Some of the projects, mostly in India, include three hospitals, orphanages, a hospice, a University, and GreenFriends--an organization to protect the environment.
Along with other contemporary women saints in India, Ammachi has led a revolution in equality. Being a woman is still not easy in conservative India and the spiritual leader drew criticism in the beginning by embracing everyone who came to her, including men of all ages. Amma was the first to consecrate female priests in India, and her teachings stress the equality of all human beings.
In her address to the United Nations in 2002 she said: "Which eye is more important, the left or the right? Both are equally important. It is the same with the status of men and women in society... Men and women have to support one another. Only in this way can we maintain the harmony of the world."
It is 3 a.m. We have been waiting for over seven hours and it is finally our turn to meet Amma for a hug. I am filled with anticipation and can’t believe my friend Bill patiently waited for so long. What will he experience I wonder? After getting his embrace ahead of me, his face looks flushed and a little disoriented though beaming with a smile. As I approach, my mind is racing: Should I say something? How long should the embrace last? Then she hugs me firmly, I feel my face on her chest and my hands around her waist. My mind is still racing. Embarrassed, I ask myself: Is this appropriate? When is a good moment to pull back? And suddenly as Amma rocks me with brisk but gentle movements and whispers to my ear, MA, MA, MA, my mind stops. I feel at peace as I am being enveloped by.... nothingness, It is like holding a vast vessel of emptiness but paradoxically it is completely alive, loving and vibrant.
As I sit down, feeling little euphoric and energized, Bill narrates his experience, which is uncannily similar to what I felt. And over time I sense the meeting touched my friend and myself deeply, and was a catalyst to some clear and wonderful transformation. The mystical wisdom reminds us how we are all interconnected and like a pebble hitting a pond, every action one takes ripples out and affects everyone around us. It is estimated that Amma has hugged over 12 million people all over the world; thinking of this I am humbled and awed, and I feel such respect for her, her people and everyone else who through their being and actions are making this world a divine place to be.
The following excerpts of Amma's words are from the book Awaken Children! volume VIII by Ammachi publications.
On the art of relaxation:
"Children, learn to be relaxed in all circumstances. Whatever you do and wherever you are, relax and you will see how powerful it is. The art of relaxation brings out the power that exists within you; through relaxation you can experience you infinite capacities. It is the art of making your mind still, and of focusing all your energy on the work you are doing, whatever it may be. Thus you will be able to bring out all your potential. Once you learn this art, everything happens spontaneously and effortlessly. For example, you want to memorize a speech or a poem; so you sit down and relax, dropping everything else form your mind, and you go through the subject just once—not a hundred times while forgoing food and sleep—and you get it, once and for all. It stays with you forever. Within the human mind infinite capacities lie hidden. It can accommodate the entire universe and all the knowledge in it. But we haven’t learned the art of tapping into that infinite power of the mind."
About blaming circumstances
"The natural tendency in human beings is to find fault with the situations in life. We always complain about the circumstances, blaming the world for our sorrows, suffering and fear. This habit of ours to complain and find fault with the outside world, and the circumstances it creates, is due to our ignorance of our true being, that we are the Self (Atman). The Atman is beyond all limitations, untouched by anything that happens to us, whether good or bad."
On love and freedom
"So, children, love and freedom are interdependent. Complete freedom from the bondage of mind and ego will create a flow of love within. People are bound by the past and the future; that is why it is so difficult to find true love in the world. In order to really be able to love, both the past and the future must dissolve and disappear. You will then experience the present moment as it is; and living this moment in a state of total openness, you then pass on to the next moment, remaining in that same state. When you live in the moment, you are completely here—the next moment doesn’t matter at all, it never enters your mind. You do not worry about anything, you have no fears of preconceived ideas. Similarly, as you continue on to the next moment you let go of the previous one. The past doesn’t matter to you anymore; you forget it. Nothing can bind you—you are ever free. To truly be able to love, you need to be free of everything. But at the same time, if you are to be completely free, you must have love within…Only when you learn to love everyone and everything can we truly be free. Only then will the night of ignorance come to an end and the day of Supreme Realization begin."
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For more information on Amma and her work, please visit the official website: Amma.org .
