Bliss on the Rooftop

It’s 7:00 AM and a beautiful morning at Amritapuri. Just finishing Archana and morning tea, three of us are searching for a nice quiet place to practice the “IAM Meditation Technique.” We make our way onto the roof of E building. Upon our arrival we see that we are not alone in our thinking. The roof is peppered with mats and asanas, the occupants doing yoga and meditation. There are also devotees hanging wet laundry to dry, and my mind briefly questions if this was a good idea. However, not wanting to trek all the way back down the stairs to find another location, we plop our mats down and join the crowd.

Not long into the practice, I am completely relaxed and focused. The sound of the ocean waves, laundry flapping in the breeze, and the clean fresh air has contributed to a sense of peace and contentment. With eyes closed, one would never know twenty or so people occupied this roof. Even those doing laundry are silent, and walking softly as not to disturb those meditating.

Over the last week, hundreds of devotees have completed the two-day course in the “IAM Meditation Technique,” a blessed gift from our beloved Amma. This a meditation practice that Amma Herself has prescribed for the spiritual growth of Her children. A sacred gift from the Guru, it is not to be taken lightly. The practice is a commitment, and those of us who took the course agreed to practice every day. Seeing the crowd on the roof, I am humbled by the commitment of those practicing. I imagine that this is most likely the scene on every rooftop in Amritapuri. Then I think about the magnitude of what we are doing – our love for Amma, our minds focused on the Divine, and our desire for peace on this planet. Is that not why we are practicing ultimately? To bring about a transformation within ourselves that will bring about a transformation in others, and eventually the world?

Amma teaches us that we cannot change others, we can only change ourselves, and that our focus should be within. Transformation first happens within the individual, who sets an example for others. The “IAM Meditation Technique” is a recipe for such spiritual transformation, and Amma has given it so freely to us. This precious gift is another example of Her boundless compassion and love for humanity.

Through Amma’s grace, may we all cultivate the peace within necessary to serve the world selflessly.

- by Vimala Rachel Purcell