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JAICO PUBLISHING HOUSE
Ahmedabad Bangalore Bhopal Chennai Delhi Hyderabad Kolkata Mumbai
Editor Janine Canan
MESSAGESfrom
AMMAIn the Language of the Heart
First Jaico Impression: 2009
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Printed byRashmi Graphics
#3, Amrutwel CHS Ltd., C.S. #50/74Ganesh Galli, Lalbaug, Mumbai-400 012
E-mail: [email protected]
MESSAGES FROM AMMAISBN 978-81-7992-987-2
Published in arrangement withPhilip Wood Inc DBA Ten Speed Press/Celestial Arts
999 Harrison Street, BerkeleyCalifornia 94710 USA
© Janine Canan
For more information visit www.amma.org
Published by Jaico Publishing HouseA-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road
Fort, Mumbai - 400 [email protected]
www.jaicobooks.com
Offered at the feet
of the
Divine Mother
for all her children
p
Contents
Introduction viii
Love, the Cure 1
Divine Mother 13
Nature without Error 25
Spiritual Education 35
Opening the Heart 45
Surrendering the Ego 63
A Guiding Light 79
Practicing Remembrance 95
Seeing the Good 109
Entering the Stream of Grace 125
The Blissful Self 137
One Truth 151
viii
Introduction
Children, read Mothers, words not withyour intellect but with your heart.
— Amma
The divinely beautiful, dark Indian holy woman lovinglyknown by millions around the world as Amma, the HuggingSaint, Mother of Compassion, and Mata Amritanandamayi, Motherof Immortal Bliss, is one of the most extraordinary forceshealing our planet today.
Born in 1953 in a poor fishing village on the tropical coastof Kerala, south India, Amma’s first sound is said to havebeen not a cry but a laugh. She was an intensely spiritualchild who spontaneously meditated and composed songs toGod. Though remarkably gifted, she had to leave school atage nine when her mother became ill, and she took over thecare of the family. Joyful and energetic, Sudhamani, as shewas called, worked from dawn till midnight to feed and clotheher brothers and sisters and care for the animals. At nightshe poured out her heart in prayer and song and dance.
Introduction
ix
Unable to bear seeing old people and children go hungry, shegave away family food and possessions — for which she washarshly reprimanded and beaten. But her acts of compassioncontinued, until finally her family threw her out of the house.
Under the coconut palms, Sudhamani lived in ecstasy,conversing with Mother Sea, hugging the trees, kissing theflowers, and rarely sleeping, eating only the milk brought bya cow, the rice delivered by a dog, and the fish dropped intoher lap by an eagle. At age twenty-two, she experienced abrilliantly luminous, spinning red globe approaching her; outof it emerged the glorious form of the Divine Mother,crowned and smiling with love. The young woman’s wholebeing rushed toward Her vibrating with the mantra Amma,Amma, Amma (Mother, Mother, Mother). From this time on, Ammasaw everything as divine. Eventually, the Goddess reappearedand, dazzling like a thousand suns, merged into her totally,revealing the purpose of her life: to worship God in thehearts of all beings, and to relieve the suffering of humanity.
Today Amma devotes every moment to loving and servingothers. Several times a week, in cities. Several times a week,in cities around the world, she receives people for darshan,wearing a simple white sari, or on special occasions,dressedas the Divine Mother in a gorgeous colorful sari and crown.All day and all night, Amma receives people by the thousands— sometimes tens of thousands — hugging and blessingeach one individually, answering their questions and wipingaway their tears. Regardless of a person’s race, health, wealth,education, religion or lack of it — each is accepted with thesame fierce motherly tenderness. So far, she has embracedover thirty million people.
Introduction
x
Out of her compassion Amma has created a vast network ofcharitable activities for the poor and suffering. In India shehas established many innovative temples with female as wellas male priests, and dozens of schools to further the integraldevelopment of creativity, academics, and character. The HolyMother has created colleges of medicine, pharmacology,engineering, management, and computer science, as well asan outstanding vocational training center. Hospitals andclinics have been built, along with cancer and AIDS hospices,orphanages, and residences for the elderly. Amma and herfoundation have established legal support for the poor,housing projects for the homeless, earthquake reconstructionfor devastated villages, pensions for destitute women,rehabilitation for prostitutes, and large-scale food andclothing programs. She has inspired the creation of the MataAmritanandamayi University, the Amrita Arts and CulturalCenter, the internationally renowned Amrita Institute ofMedical Sciences and Research, giving state-of-the arttreatment to the very poor, as well as the Amrita AyurvedicResearch Center, specializing in traditional Indian medicine.She has inaugurated a spiritually oriented television stationand numerous spiritual centers around the world that teachthe principles and practice of Universal Love, or UniversalMotherhood.
In this Age of Doubt, the miraculous life of Amma is aheartrendingly inspirational example of real love, beauty,sacrifice, and consciousness. “The radiant smile and totalsincerity in Amma’s interaction with every single person,continuously for hours,” wrote one of many stunnedreporters, “is astounding; the experiences of this day willremain forever etched in my memory.” So moved was thepresident of India by Amma’s work that he donated most of
Introduction
xi
Come quickly,
darling children,
whose essence is divinity.
Leave behind sorrow becoming adorable,
and merge in the Light.
Though you stumble,
my children, Mother walks beside you,
revealing the Way.
Remember in your hearts that
the Supreme Being is Love,
and meditating on its living form
you will become that Love.
xii
his annual salary. Several North American cities have honoredher with special commendations. She has been invited toaddress the Parliament of World Religions, and interfaithcelebrations in honor of the United Nations’ fiftiethAnniversary. At the United Nations she addressed theMillennium World Peace Summit of World ReligiousLeaders, and the Global Peace Initiative of Women Religiousand Spiritual Leaders, where she received the Gandhi-KingAward for Non-Violence.
When Amma speaks — whether in public talks, interviewswith the press, dialogues with students, personal letters, orhymns to God — it is generally in Malayalam, the beautifulmother tongue of the traditionally matriarchal Land ofKerala. Her words are transcribed and translated into English(as well as many other languages) by a variety of devotedfollowers, most frequently Swami Amritaswarupananda, theeditor of a nine-volume series entitled Awaken, Children!Dialogues with Sri Mata Amritanandamayi. From his books andothers, from the M.A. Center magazine, Immortal Bliss, as wellas the biographical video, River of Love, are derived thequotations in this book. Passages have been selected torepresent Amma’s core teachings, retranslated from theoriginal translations, organized for accessibility, and arrangedfor daily contemplation.
Like her love, Amma’s words flow directly from the heart.Her speech is direct; and just as she wastes not a momentwhen she acts, she wastes not a word when she speaks. Herwords are profound, often piercing, and sometimesdeceptively simple. A short passage may contain truthsufficient for a lifetime. In this confused and turbulent worldof ours, agitated by fear and animosity, marked by self-
The Divine Is Present
xiii
centeredness and violence, and starved for the all-embracingwisdom of the Mother, Amma’s words come as a healingbalm. Speaking directly to each of us as our own mother, asour teacher, and as the voice of our own higher Self, herwords have the power to awaken, nurture, and guide ustoward that truth which already lives within us all. “Love isthe supreme Reality,” she writes, “this is the message Mothersends you in the language of the heart.”
Offered here with humility are the inspired teachings of amodern-day saint who will undoubtedly come to be knownas one of the truly great spiritual leaders of all time, awoman whose life is the very incarnation of compassion.As Amma mothers the world, may we all learn to followher extraordinary example of Love and Service.
—Janine Canan, M.D.
Introduction
1
Love, the Curep p p p p p p p p p p p p p p
2
Pure Love
As the body needs food to survive
and grow, the soul needs love.
Love instills a strength and vitality
that even mother’s milk cannot provide.
All of us live and long for real love.
We are born and die searching for such love.
Children, love each other and unite in pure love.
Pure Love
3
The Universal Remedy
All of us are burdened
by the sorrow and pain of past experiences.
All of us have numerous festering wounds.
The cure for these wounds is
love and compassion for others.
Love is the universal remedy.
The Universal Remedy
4
Love Sustains
Love sustains
everything.
Love is the foundation
of the universe.
Love Sustains
5
Never-Ending Stream
Things, whether money
or other objects, are gone forever
when you give them away.
But not love! The more you give,
the more your heart is filled.
Love is a never-ending stream.
Never-Ending Stream
6
When Love Flows
Now our hearts are closed buds
that harbor anger, jealousy, and selfishness.
But when Love flows
and washes away the impurities,
our hearts will flower and bless the world.
When Love Flows
7
Your Heart Is a Temple
Your heart is the temple
where God should be enshrined.
Your good thoughts are the flowers,
your good words the hymns,
your good deeds the rituals.
And love is the offering.
Your Heart Is a Temple
8
The True Self
Pure love is simply
emptying the mind of all fears,
tearing off all masks
and revealing the Self as It truly is.
p
Love is the face
of God.
The True Self
9
Feeling Life
Love is seeing and feeling life everywhere.
When your heart is full of love,
you sense life pulsating through all creation.
p
You do not grow tired
when there is love.
p
Love is the natural attitude of the soul;
it expresses the heart’s longing for Divinity.
p
You can only feel love
by expressing it.
Feeling Life
10
Selfless Love
Human love arises our of selfishness.
When our desires are thwarted, it is withdrawn.
Selfless love comes only from God,
who is the embodiment of Love.
Know this and realize God.
Selfless Love
11
The Source of Love
Children, go directly
to the source of Love
and drink to your heart’s content
from that Ocean.
The Source of Love
