America 2019 Archives - Amma, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

When we recognize the goodness in another person, that helps to awaken the goodness in ourselves.

27-30 Nov, Detroit, Michigan – America Yatra 2019

One simple word adorned the backdrop of the stage in the hall – “Love”. It was in front of this word that Amma gave satsang, sang bhajans, and hugged all who had come to attend the public program, Retreat, and Devi Bhava in the Marriott Hotel at the Renaissance Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

It was Thanksgiving break and thousands of people from all over the US had traveled to Michigan through inclement weather including strong winds, snow, and rain to spend the holiday with our beloved Amma.

Michigan State Senator Jim Runestat and Michigan State Representatives Ms. Christine Greig and Ms. Padma Kuppa attended one of the programs.

Senator Jim Runestad first spoke: “Namaste. I can’t tell you how phenomenal I feel. I have heard a number of prayers in my life and I have never felt so impactful a prayer. Hearing about Amma’s background and history – what an amazing individual she is! To make a difference in the lives of all these suffering people around the globe and put that into action to the point where she stays up over 24 a day hugging people to make a difference in their lives.”

Michigan State Representative Christine Greig followed: ” What a great honor to be here and to meet you and to feel the warmth and the love from your hug. Thank you so much. What we have heard today and felt today is the very basic strength and power of love and divine grace, and that can solve a lot of problems.”

Michigan State Representative Padma Kuppa addressed Amma and the crowd: “Namaste. It is a honor to be here in the presence of such an amazing leader as Amma with all of you with her ideals that inspire all of us to selfless service and to care for those in need. Amma comes from my punya bhumi, from my janma bhumi, to this, our karma bhumi. For many of us who are immigrants, she leads us and gives us that inspiration to continue to build peace, to take the concepts of Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti (“Truth is one; sages call it by various names” – Rig Veda), and the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – that all of us are one family, and to have that feeling here in this room today, I am humbled and I am grateful for her embrace, that she embraces the world to a better place. Thank you.”

Amma also received a letter from the The Honorable Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. “On behalf of the state of Michigan, it is my utmost honor and gratitude to welcome you to our great state… What started as your vision to spread the message of love and service is now inspiring thousands of people across the world and making a positive difference in the communities you serve…Your work has ensured the health and well-being of countless people in need and have opened valuable doors of opportunity for them…”

Speaking on the occassion Amma said: Gratitude is the ability to reminisce about all the support and help we have received, with an attitude of humility. It is a state of mind. When we lovingly recognize the goodness in another person, this helps to awaken the goodness in ourselves. When we look back at our life with this attitude, we will realize that we owe so much to thousands of people. It would take lifetimes to pay back these debts, especially towards nature and above all, to God. In fact, gratitude benefits us more than anyone else. The positivity and goodness that awakens within as a result of being #grateful in turn benefits society and the entire world.”

Amma touched upon some beautiful points about cultivating inner strength. “Children, never lose your self-confidence. It is like a booster rocket. It helps us break free from the bondage and impurities of the mind and allows us to soar to the heights of spirituality. It is like fuel giving us the power to forge ahead. We have nothing to lose by trusting the infinite power of the Self, except the bondage of our own ignorance.”

During the second night of the Retreat, there were many cultural performances including traditional Indian dances by devotees of all ages. Local devotees entertained everyone with a play depicting the Devi Mahatmyam where Devi slayed various demons in epic battles. Two talented children from the Chicago Ashram then led everyone in rapping “Inner Peace through World Peace, World Peace through Inner Peace.”

The last night was Devi Bhava which included a prayer for world peace. Amma gave darshan through the night and finished mid morning. Just before departing the stage, Amma again asked everyone to clap their hands and laugh like an innocent three-year-old which lit joyous smiles on their faces.

Amma’s vision is one of forgiveness, mutual understanding and love

21-25 Nov, Los Angeles, California – America Yatra 2019

Amma held two public programs, a Retreat, and Devi Bhava at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood.

At the start of the first program, Rick Nahmias, Founder and Executive Director of Food Forward, a nonprofit in Los Angeles, garlanded Amma.

On behalf of Bill Brand, Honorable Mayor of Redondo Beach, District 1 Council Member, Mr. Nils Nehrenheim spoke to the gathered crowd and presented Amma with a letter of commendation. “We in Redondo Beach are so very grateful to be chosen to have the MA Center in our little beachside community. The building has significant cultural history and could have been something mundane if anyone else had bought it. We thank you every day that you saw the inner beauty to preserve that building. The love and cultivation that you brought bleeds over into the community every day. We notice that.”

The first two public programs went well into the night with Amma finishing after midnight. At the end of each program, Amma sang a few bhajans and then requested everyone to clap their hands and laugh like a three-year-old. The crowd responded back with great laughter and joy.

In her Satsang, Amma reiterated the importance of expanding one’s heart. “Amma’s vision is one of forgiveness, mutual understanding and love. Only action based on such an expansive vision can carry humankind to both spiritual and material heights.”

During the retreat, there were many cultural programs from various satsangs from northern and southern California. Children of San Ramon’s Bala Kendra group sang bhajans, followed by a dance medly by AYUDH and Bay Area devotees. Then, in a brief ceremony perfectly fitting for Hollywood, members of the LA satsang presented Amma with their own special Academy Award for ‘Mother of the Universe.’

Devi Bhava was held on the last evening and included a special prayer for world peace.

-Tulasi

Amma’s Europe & North American Yatra 2019

Amma will start her Europe Yatra on October 11. She will visit 9 countries and will hold programs in 11 different cities which will include Satsang, Bhajan, Meditation and Darshan.

October 11-13: M.A Center, Germany
October 15-16: Houten, Netherlands
October 18-20: Winterthur, Switzerland
October 22-23: Copenhagen, Denmark
October 25-27: Chalons, France
October 29-30: Munich, Germany
November 01-02: London, UK
November 04-06: Marseille, France
November 09-11: Milan, Italy
November 13-14: Helsinki, Finland
November 16-18: Granollers, Spain

Visit here for more details.

Amma’s North American Yatra 2019 Dates

Los Angeles:
Thursday, Nov 21 – Friday, Nov 22: Public Programs
Saturday, Nov 23 – Monday, Nov 25: Retreat

Michigan:
Wednesday, Nov 27: Public Program
Thursday, Nov 28 – Saturday, Nov 30: Retreat

Stay tuned for details

The quest for the “Truth of Life” and learning the way to maintain “work-life balance”

22-24 July, Tokyo – Japan Yatra 2019

Ambassador Sanjay Kumar Verma of the Indian Consulate in Japan welcomed Amma to Tokyo. He spoke about the greatness of the Indian culture and values that emphasized the importance of peace, harmony, selfless service and non violence. ‘When it comes to humanity, Indian society traditionally believes in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – World is a family. Living in peaceful coexistence with fellow human beings and environment is a part of the Indian culture. In Indian context, peace is not only the absence of war. Peace is seen as an eco-system to further prosperity and happiness of mankind.

“Today’s life is full of different kind of Stresses. We cannot completely remove stress from our lives. Nor we can avoid stressful situations. However, we can cope with it and manage it with effective and intelligent strategies and Spirituality, Yoga including breathing exercises & Meditation are few among them.

He warmly welcomed Amma to Japan and said, “I believe Amma who comes every year to Japan to deliver spiritual talks must be contributing to the quest of our Japanese friends to know the “Truth of Life” as well as to ease out the stresses of life and well as learning the way to maintain “work-life balance”.

The Japanese people warmly welcomed Amma with traditional Japanese dance and music. On the first day of the three days of programs in Japan, students from ten colleges in Tokyo performed an entertaining traditional dance. These students are also a part of IVUSA who regularly participate in the Housing Project.

It was wonderful to see traditional Indian style bhajans sung by the local Satsang groups with drums, electric guitar, keyboard, pro-custom, saxophone accompanied by young children on chorus. They also sang bhajans in Japanese. They rendered it in Soprano classical music style. It was followed by a graceful Japanese dance.

On all the 3 days Amma gave satsang, darshan and sang bhajans. The last day, the program concluded with a peace prayer and puja for world peace.
With this Amma concluded her 8 week long 11 city Yatra to Amrerica – Canada – Japan and returned to Amritapuri.

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Amma’s name was entered into the United States congressional record

11-13 July, Chicago – America Yatra 2019

During Amma’s Chicago programs, United States Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi honored Amma with a congressional commendation recognizing her humanitarian initiatives and conservation efforts across the globe. Congressman Krishnamoorthi said that the congressional commendation was entered into the United States congressional record to ensure that people today and throughout history know who Amma is and what she has done. The commendation will remain a permanent part of the official congressional record.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi presenting the congressional commendation

Reading from the commendation, Rep. Krishnamoorthi said, “Amma continues to share her vision of peace, understanding and love through speaking programs, meditation retreats and her willingness to embrace all in need of blessing. Madam Speaker, I want to recognize Amma’s selfless and compassionate devotion to all people, the work of her charities to relieve poverty and provide health care and education, her outspoken advocacy against human trafficking, and her efforts to encourage sustainable practices and protect our shared ecosystem.”

After reading the congressional commendation, Congressman Krishnamoorthi said in closing, “We need more of her blessings now more than ever.” His words drew enthusiastic applause from the thousands assembled for Amma’s evening program.

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Give even a moment of happiness to another being

15-18 July, Toronto, Canada – America Yatra 2019

Four days of blissful programs resounded the Delta Hotel Toronto Airport & Conference Centre. During the Question and Answer session at the retreat, Amma shared some heartfelt advice after asking everyone in the hall to laugh together. “If you can give even a moment of happiness to another being, that itself makes a difference in the world. When we come to know our true nature, we understand that all of creation is interconnected and that the whole world is one family. This is the way to share bliss with society.”

The volunteering tour staff traveling with Amma performed a dance during the retreat which brought joy and happiness to the entire crowd.

Gurupurnima was also celebrated with Amma into the early morning hours of the first day of public programs. (read Amma’s message here)

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The disciple first must awaken the guru within

16 July, Toronto, Canada – America Yatra 2019
-from Amma’s Guru Purnima message

From the moment of our birth on this earth, through all the various phases of life that we travel through, up to the very moment of our death, there is always a guru there to impart us knowledge. Our journey into the world of knowledge begins at home where we receive our first lessons from our mother and father. After that, throughout our life, we have so many gurus.

Knowledge is light; ignorance is darkness. The day that we remember with humility and gratitude all the gurus that held our hand and led us from the world of darkness into the world of light is Guru Purnima. But most of the gurus in this category are those give their students information regarding the ever-changing world and its objects. They don’t have the ability to give their students true knowledge about the world or the real nature of the Self.

Attaining knowledge about the external world is merely gathering information. On the other hand, knowledge of the true essence of the world and our Self is knowledge born of discernment; that is the rise of true knowledge. The first type of knowledge continuously changes. The second type is the permanent and eternal truth. As disciples, the guru holds our hand and guides us into the world of that knowledge that is the source of all other knowledge.

The guru-disciple relationship exists in all spheres of life. But the spiritual guru-disciple relationship is incomparable. It is the greatest and purest of all relationships. It is the disciple’s love, devotion and faith in the guru that maintains that purity and greatness. The spiritual guru is detached and ever liberated—devoid of ego and likes and dislikes. Yet, the guru is also the embodiment of limitless compassion and patience. This compassion and patience keep the disciple close to the guru. This doesn’t mean that the guru will forgive all the disciple’s indiscretions.

A self-realized being has two facets—that of a mother and that of a guru. In this Kali Yuga, they are forced to stick to their mother aspect over that of the guru. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to uplift the disciple. This is why Amma often says, “Here, there are no disciples, only a mother and her children.” The guru is within the disciple. But in order for the disciple to awaken the guru, the disciple first must awaken the guru within the realized being. But in Kali Yuga, if the guru truly manifests, only those with sincere dispassion and intent of the goal will be able to hold on. This is why Amma gives more importance to the mother aspect. It is like giving anesthesia before surgery. Only a mother can compassionately forgive and tolerate all her children’s mistakes. This may not be possible for the guru. Just as Nature requires us to abide by her laws, certain rules and traditions need to be followed in the presence a guru. Mother Nature forgives all her children’s mistakes. But after a certain limit, she starts warning man’s ego by sending strong warnings.

When the guru tries to break the hard shell of the disciple’s ego, it can be painful. The disciple has fallen in love with his ego, nurturing it, thinking, “This is the truth.” But the guru knows the real truth—the truth that there is an enormous tree hiding within the shell of the small seed. In order for the tree to break free, the shell of the ego must break open. But for this to happen, the disciple must cooperate. If a patient kicks and screams, how can any surgery be done? And even if a surgery is attempted, it will never succeed. This is why the doctor administers anesthesia. Similarly, the guru’s love and affection are the anesthesia given prior to the surgery for saving us from samsara—the disease of the delusion that we are separate from God.

In the olden days, when disciples would live with the guru during their schooling, the scriptures would be taught to them in detail. So, spiritual life wasn’t so difficult for them. Before jumping in those waters, they already knew the basics of swimming. Thus, the guru would only have to watch them from a distance. One only really knows swimming, when they can stay afloat in deep water. If we don’t how, we can drown. The disciples of the past would already know how to swim—just not how to stay afloat in deep water. So, the guru would just have to be like a lifeguard, making sure they didn’t drown.

Surrender helps us discover both our inner and outer gems. No spiritual seeker has ever died of starvation. Through surrender, we will attain everything we need. We should try to develop this surrender. Many people go to see the ocean. Some enjoy the vast blue sky and the beauty of the ocean. Others catch fish and satisfy their hunger. Yet others enjoy the sea breeze on their face. But very few dive deep into the ocean and collect the pearls. Similarly, many people approach a sadguru for various reasons. But very few truly understand the principle of the guru and surrender, thereby discovering their True Self. May divine grace help all of Amma’s children develop such courage, power and surrender.

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Amma – a beacon of light to guide people

8-9 July Boston, New England, Marlborough – America Yatra 2019

As Amma entered the hall of the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center, delegates from the Chappiquidic tribe as well as Our Lady of All Nations Church welcomed her in their traditional way with a beautiful song of prayer of humility, love, and peace for all.

Their prayer set the stage for a night of celebration for all different religions, races, and types of people coming together in the name of world peace and selfless service. In a traditional song, the group exclaimed: “For this day we give so much. We give especially great thanks for Amma to be here as a beacon of light to guide people. We pray for all people everywhere- the elderly, children as we walk this sacred road, this sacred night, we pray to come together in the message of love. In this day we acknowledge Amma for her blessings. We are all related.”

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Self-confidence is nothing but courage, control and mental balance

4-6 July, New York – America Yatra 2019

For three days Amma held public programs of darshan, satsang, bhajan in the heart of Manhattan at the Grand Hyatt which drew huge crowds from all over the country. Amma spoke about the importance of having faith in ourselves. “If you don’t have faith in yourself, then there is not much to gain even if you believe in God. Faith in God is to strengthen your faith in you, the faith in your own Self. This is, in other words, called Self-confidence–– confidence in your own Self. If that is not there you cannot succeed in life, whatever your field may be. Self-confidence is nothing but mental balance, courage and control over your own mind to confront the problems of life.”

The final program, being a Saturday night, went all night until mid-morning, upon which Amma and the tour group travelled further up the East Coast for the next stop on the summer tour in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

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Amma’s humanitarian work surpasses that of many governments – Dorothy Bush

1-2 July, Washington, DC – America Yatra 2019

Amma held a two-day program at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in the Washington DC area. On the first day, Dorothy Bush Koch— daughter of 41st President of the United States George H.W. Bush and sister of 43rd President George W. Bush— officially welcomed Amma to the nation’s capital city. “Doro” and her sister-in-law, Patricia Reilly Koch, garlanded Amma, received her blessings and offered a few words.

Doro explained that she had become aware of Amma and her humanitarian endeavours when Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, designed the “Amrita Learning App,” a mobile application designed to tackle the problem of low-literacy in the United States. Ultimately Dorothy’s family’s charity, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Adult Literacy, would honour Amrita for the app as one of the winners of its 2018 Adult Literacy XPRIZE Contest.

“We are living right now through a time of deep division and discord—not only in our country but across the world,” said Doro. “Amma is here to show us that another path is possible—the path of love and compassion.”

“It is no exaggeration to say that Amma’s humanitarian work surpasses that of many governments,” she added. “In addition to Amma’s darshan and other charitable efforts, Amma is harnessing the power of science and technology to improve people’s lives and create a more equitable world, and we are so excited to be partnering with her on this new frontier.”

Amrita has been working with literacy in rural communities for more than 20 years. In 2008, it received the UNESCO National Literacy Mission Award from the President of India for Adult Education. It also provides tablet-enhanced literacy in more than 100 villages in 21 Indian states.

Amrita has offered the Amrita Learning App free of cost, and it is being used by thousands of learners and by large communities in the U.S., such as World Education, Proliteracy, NAHMA (the National Affordable Housing Management Association), Literacy Services of Wisconsin, Lit Fit Neo, Milwaukee Knowledge Exchange, and the Literacy Council of Central Alabama.