Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

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Amma in Bodh Gaya

17 March, Bodh Gaya, Bihar – Bharata Yatra 2010

On her way from Delhi to Durgapur, Amma and the travelling group stopped for an overnight rest at Bodh Gaya, the holy place where  Buddha attained enlightenment.

Amma stayed at the  Mahabodhi Society of India  monastery. She was hosted by the monks of the monastery to whom she gave darshan and satsang to their greatest delight. Answering  their questions Amma advised them to be steadfast in their practice, stressing on the necessity to maintain faith and a strong conviction when facing challenging circumstances.

Bhanteji Veri P Seewalee Thera, the Secretary of the  Mahabodhi Society invited Amma to visit the Bodhi Tree in the premises of Mahabodhi Mahavihara temple. Accepting their prayer, Amma paid a visit to the place before proceeding to Durgapur.

The Bodhi Tree is the peepal tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment 2500 years ago. The present tree is grafted from the original one that is no more.

– Kannadi

May the Christ take birth in your heart

Christmas in Amritapuri

December 24, 2008 — Amritapuri

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day both fell on darshan days in Amritapuri, and Amma was still giving darshan when the midnight hour struck on the 25th. While Amma continued to embrace her children, she had Swami Amritaswarupananda read out a message she had prepared.

In Amma’s message she said that if we look back on the teachings of all mahatmas—be they Christ, Krishna or Buddha—we will see that their main teachings were love and faith. “All the mahatmas have stressed these two things,” Amma said. “The rest is commentary.”

Amma went on to explain the significance of Christ both referring to himself as “the son of man” as well as “the son of God.” She said that a devotee with love and faith would not see these two statements as a contradiction, but instead would understand that Christ meant he was both the body, which exists in time, and the Atma, which is beyond time. “He meant that he was both a human being, as well as God,” Amma said. “He meant ‘I am this [the world] and I am that [consciousness].'”

“On Christmas Day, Christian children exchange gifts and kind words and wish one another Merry Christmas. This really reflects a sense of brotherhood. But amidst our celebrations, we should also remember the life and teachings of Christ. Christmas is also a day for taking a vow to put Christ’s teachings into action. May the Christ child take birth in the hearts of all my children. May our lives be full of love and the spirit of sacrifice. May my children become examples for others to emulate” Amma concluded.

Before Amma’s message, there were Christmas carols in German, Russian, Spanish and Finnish languages by the devotees from the west. There were also traditional Flamenco and Opera dances, which added spirit to the celebrations of Christmas in Amritapuri.

—Kannadi

Watch Christmas celebration photos here