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Teachings of
Mata
Amritanandamayi
(Ammachi)
Please visit
Ammachi's Website
at www.ammachi.org
General Thoughts on Spirituality
Not the Limited Self but the Infinite Atman
Rituals, Karma (Action) and Jnana (Wisdom)
General Thoughts on SpiritualityOur Bodies Are Precious and TemporaryChildren, these bodies of ours are not eternal. They can perish at any moment. We are born as human beings after countless other births. If we waste this life living like animals, we will have to be born again as animals before attaining another human birth. Today there are only desires in us. There is no use working hard to fulfill them. In the end, when we are unable to achieve them, we'll waste our time grieving and lose our health. Peace of mind is what we needPeace of mind is what we need. That is the greatest wealth. Children, do not think that peace of mind can be gained from worldly wealth. Don't people build air-conditioned houses and commit suicide in them? In the Western countries, there is great material wealth and all kinds of physical comforts. Yet even then people don't have a moment's peace. Happiness and sorrow depend on our minds, not on external things. Heaven and hell are here on this earth. If we understand the role and the utility of each material thing in our lives and live accordingly, we will have no cause for grief. |
Spiritual knowledge teaches us how to liveThe knowledge that teaches us how to live on this earth, how to lead contented lives in the face of obstacles, is spiritual knowledge, the mind's knowledge. That is what we should acquire first. Knowing the good and the bad sides of everything in our lives, we will have to choose the path that gives us everlasting joy. Only by striving for Self-Realization can we enjoy everlasting bliss. Do not think that our parents or children or relatives will be with us forever. At most they will be with us only until the moment of death. Yet realize our lives don't end just by our spending sixty or eighty years here. We have many more lives still to be lived. Accumulate spiritual wealthJust as we save money in a bank for life's material needs, we should accumulate eternal wealth while we are physically and mentally fit. This we can do by chanting God's name and performing righteous actions. We may do a hundred things right, but for one wrong act people disown us. Yet even after a hundred wrongs, God accepts us for one right action. Therefore, children, be bound only to God. Dedicate all to Him. Once children are grown up, married and able to be independent, parents should lead their lives thinking of God and engaged in devout activities. When possible, the parents may spend the rest of their lives in an ashram. If we continue to worry about our children, neither we nor the children benefit. On the other hand, if we spend our days remembering God and chanting His name, then our families up to seven succeeding generations will benefit from it. Taking refuge in God brings prosperityChildren, we should pray to God in total surrender, and live knowing Him. If we take refuge in God, we will attain Him and everything we need. We will not be lacking in anything. If we befriend the storekeeper at the palace kitchen, we may get a pumpkin. If we please the king instead, all the wealth in the treasury will be ours. If we get milk, we can have yogurt, buttermilk and butter as well. Likewise, if we take refuge in God, He will meet both our spiritual and material needs. Devotion to God will bring prosperity to us, to our families and to society. Spiritual growth comes through effortChildren, life should have order and discipline. Only then will we enjoy the bliss within us without depending on external things. Think how much we toil to pass a test or to get a job! Yet, for everlasting bliss, we have not tried until now to know ourselves. At least our remaining time should be spent for that purpose. Children, chant your mantra constantly. Do sadhana (spiritual practice) daily in solitude at a fixed time. Go to an ashram occasionally and spend some time there in silent japa and meditation. Do as much selfless service for the good of the world as time and circumstances permit. This world has its existence in loveThis world has its existence in love. If we lose our rhythm, nature will lose its rhythm. The atmosphere will be poisoned. It will not be conducive for seeds to sprout, for trees and animals to grow. Crops will fail. Diseases will multiply. Rainfall will decrease. There will be droughts. Therefore, children, love each other! Impart righteousness, love and other good qualities to nature. Do not harbor anger and jealousy toward anyone. See good in everyone. Never speak ill of others. See all others as children of the same mother and love them as sisters and brothers. Surrender all actions to God and let His will prevail in everything. Develop the strength to speak honestlyChildren, if someone asks about our life-style, our reply should be: "Doesn't each of us act for his or her own peace and happiness? We see mental peace in this life-style. Why should you question our basic values? You seek happiness far and wide. See how much money you spend on luxuries, on intoxicants and on things you don't really need! Why should you feel upset if we go to our ashram or show interest in spiritual matters?" We should develop the strength to speak openly like that. Don't be timid. Be bold. We should lead our lives nurturing our spiritual heritage within us. It is not necessary to have any shame about our life-style; shame brings only a sense of loss. Say openly: "We have chosen this path for our spiritual peace. But for our peace, don't we still build houses, get married and work at various jobs? We achieve peace through our path. Our aim is mental peace, not liberation or a heaven that we get after death. Do you feel peaceful?" Once we get on a boat or a bus, we need not continue carrying our loads on our heads. Children, surrender everything to Him. If we lead our lives with this attitude of surrender, we will be free from sorrow. He will always guard and protect us. |
Not the Limited Self but the Infinite Atman(Excerpted from Awaken Children VII, Chapter One)How is it possible for Mother to transform so many lives?How is it possible for Mother to transform the lives of so many people, especially young people who have not yet enjoyed the pleasures of life? This is a question asked by many, both believers and non-believers. |
Mother gives us a glimpse of our real SelfThe answer is simple: When we are in Mother's presence and when we look into Her eyes, we are given a glimpse of our real Self. Mother's eyes reflect infinity. Her whole being gives us a glimpse of the state of being beyond the mind, the state of total egolessness. In Mother we behold our own purity, the purity of taintless love, the purity of the Self (Atman). Suppose we have been eating junk food all our lives. Then one day we happen to eat a very nutritious meal for the first time, and it's delicious. Having tasted this delicious, wholesome meal, and if such food is readily available, will we still crave junk food? No, we will begin to crave good, nutritious food. We discover bliss beyond ordinary enjoymentLikewise, in Mother's presence, through Her every glance, touch, word and deed, we experience the ambrosia of immortality. We get a taste of it, and we sense that therein lies our real nature, the Atman. We also discover that what we have experienced up till now, in the name of enjoyment, is absolutely nothing compared to this blissful experience. It is our first exposure to the knowledge that we are not just the body, or small, limited self, but the all-powerful, infinite Self, or Atman (God). As Mother puts it, "We come to realise that we are not a meek lamb, but a mighty lion." Mother tells a story: the Eagle that grew up with the chickens.The eaglet grows up with the chicks"A hen once lay brooding on an eagle's egg which happened to be lying among its own eggs. After a period of time, the eggs hatched and the chicks came out. The eaglet grew up with the chickens, scratching and searching for worms in the soil. He was completely unaware of his true nature - that he was a mighty eagle. As the days and months went by, all the chickens developed into fully grown birds. The eagle identifies with the chickensBut still, the eagle continued to live with the hens, believing himself to be one of them. He was completely deluded, identified with his existence as an ordinary farmyard cock. One day, another eagle who was soaring up in the sky happened to see our 'cock-eagle,' who was busy scratching and pecking worms with the group of hens. The eagle in the sky was amazed at what he saw. The Sky-Eagle decides to helpHe decided to save Cock-Eagle by bringing him out of his delusion, and he waited for an opportunity to meet him. One day when Cock-Eagle happened to be alone, Sky-Eagle flew down and approached him. When Cock-Eagle saw the great eagle descend from the sky, he became very frightened and began to crow like a cock. In no time, all the hens came running to Cock-Eagle to protect him. Thus, without succeeding in his mission that day, Sky-Eagle had to fly away. But soon thereafter, Cock-Eagle happened to stray quite far from his friends and Sky-Eagle found another opportunity to meet him. |
Rituals, Karma (Action) and Jnana (Wisdom)Excerpted from Awaken Children IX, Chapter One |
Understanding the purpose of ritual"There are many rituals prescribed in the Vedas. People have a tendency to become too attached to those rituals, rather than understanding their inner significance and thereby transcending them. The Vedic rituals, and the mantras which form a part of them, purify the atmosphere and benefit mankind. Of course they do much good-but they can't be compared to the immeasurable benefit humanity receives from a person who has attained realization. Strive to go beyond rituals to experience TruthNo matter how important and valuable the rituals are, the practitioner should strive to go beyond them and to experience the ultimate Truth within himself. That is the very purpose of religion: to realize that there is no God or Goddess existing separately from our own innermost Self. This supreme experience of oneness with the Truth is the foundation of all religious teachings. The purpose of all spiritual practice is to achieve OnenessWhat, then, is the point of practicing spirituality or Vedic rituals if it doesn't lead to that oneness? The mere presence, breath, touch, look, and word of a Self-realized soul has the power to purify and uplift those who come into contact with him. Even the wind that caresses his body, and his saliva, has this power. Rituals should lead one to the Truth"It's inadvisable to give too much importance to rituals, and to become too attached to them, forgetting their real purpose, which is to lead the aspirant to the inner experience of the Truth. This is probably what Sri Krishna meant. Amma doesn't claim to know anything about the Bhagavad Gita, but She believes this is the reason for the Lord's criticism of the section on the Karma Kanda in the Vedas. In those days people were probably too attached to the ritualistic aspect of the Vedas, while the section on jnana was ignored. "If Krishna were to be born in this age, He would undoubtedly criticize the so-called jnanis who simply talk about Vedanta without experiencing or practicing even a bit of it. He would, however, praise the Vedic rituals. Do you know why? Because we have forgotten those rituals that could be of such great benefit to the world. Mental purification leads us to experience the Supreme Truth"Not only Vedic rituals, but any karma (action) that we do, is meant to help us attain a certain amount of mental purification. But this is only possible if we have the right attitude. Once the mind and the senses have been purified, we are meant to renounce all action and turn inward in search of the Truth. Having attained that purity, the quest to know the truth of existence will intensify and we will automatically turn within. That longing will eventually help us to experience the Supreme Truth. In the state of oneness there are no Vedas, and no gods or goddesses other than our own Self. Everything is experienced as one and the same Self. The experience of the Supreme Truth is the goal of all religions"The scriptures say that for a person who has attained Supreme Knowledge-the state of Jivan Mukti, the realization that everything is the Atman-the Vedas cease to be the Vedas, and the gods cease to be gods. "The experience of oneness with the inner Truth is the goal of all religions. Why would there be any religions at all if that realization couldn't be attained? Awaken to the true knowledge that God is not separate from usEverybody-the people of all nations, from rich to poor, from the illiterate to the highly educated-are of the impression that God is different and separate from them. What is the use of religion or spiritual principles if the so-called teachers and practitioners remain ignorant of the Truth? It is not incorrect to criticize such people as long as they continue to ignore the inner reality. That must have been what Krishna meant by what he said in the Gita, for he came to the world with the purpose of awakening people to true knowledge. Knowledge without direct experience is of no value"Today the situation is different. People boast of being jnanis without knowing, that is, without directly experiencing, jnana itself. They are of the opinion that a jnani is someone who carries a lot of intellectual concepts in his head. They don't realize that they are simply carrying around a big burden without getting anywhere. Karma and jnana are interdependent"Karma and jnana are interdependent. You cannot say you are a jnani without first having acquired the necessary mental purification, through the performance of certain actions mentioned in the scriptures (Vedas). It isn't possible to simply take a big leap to the state of jnana; it is a question of slow and steady evolution. It is like the development of a child. You can't expect a child to grow up in just a day or two. The child has to go through several stages in order to grow up; it doesn't happen in a moment. |
