I am trying to learn more about Amma, the hugging saint. Anybody have anything to share about Her? peace Delfynasa
She sounds pretty cool, except for the rather tacky commercialism of selling things things she has used like toothbrushes, nighties and sheets. Wouldn't mind one of her Amma dolls though! silly me....
She has alot of good followers. I am friends with many. I know the people in Fairfield Iowa who help her out. I once raised 14,000.00 dollars for Katrina victims through her and she donated a million dollars to Clinton Bush foundation which was used to rebuild libraries in New Orleans. She has done good. I have never met her. I do not know anything about her techniques. I sort of doubt that beyond the bhakti and seva that there's much that will keep your interest beyond her lifespan. I know that sounds maybe cynical but when you place all your devotion in one cult and then it dies you find that you have to rethink your whole way of life. I have been there. For spiritual progress the tried and true is best. There is also very much to choose from now which does work. If Ammachi does give techniques then there is little follow up, just as for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Very little follow up.
she is wonderful. you can feel the love coming off of her. if you get the chance to see and hug her.. do it! :love:
I get what you're saying, but I wonder - because beings such as Buddha, Jesus and others departed the physical world, but their 'cults' live on. Maybe it depends on the level of the teacher. Probably, what people get from saints like Amma is also depedent on their own level. If She is really giving Bhakti, then I can't see how any follow up would be needed. Anyway, I heven't met Her or had Her darshan, but certainly She seems ok from what I've seen and heard.
Exactly. The desire to merge oneself in the religion or cult, is inherent. But often, after the cult leader dies the cult scizms and then one is left feeling torn apart. I was into Transcendental Meditation and ten years before Maharishi died he started to be fairly whacky. Then after his death his movement reformed and basically kicked out all those who were in the higher echelon who weren't down with the new governing body. What that meant for me was that here was a new Transcendental Meditation organization. One I couldn't stand. One I couldn't sell to others. I was left with an intensely personal knowledge but one which I couldn't share with others. And couldn't invite others into in good faith. So I am torn. I love the type of meditation. I love much of the Vedic knowledge. I just wish that TM was integrated with the Sanatana Dharma at large, so that one could embrace the whole package or merge with it. This conflict I have resolved for myself. I went to Buddhist Dzogchen because it's an old system which will be here in my next life, and it has good gurus. So I just always ask others if their teaching is part of an acceptable larger wholeness, one which will be around for your next life.
There are many pitfalls along the path, and I can sympathize with your position viz a viz TM. Definitely one has to follow that with which one is comfortable, and I think that varies enormously from person to person. One thing I would say is that what suits a being in one incarnation may not be right necessarily for the next life. One may have ascended one or several rungs of the ladder, so one is starting from a different place. In my case, I feel closely connected to Sanatana Dharma is a wide sense. I also feel this has been with me from a past life and gradually it has re-emerged over years, although perhaps in a different form. Anyway, I wish you success in your chosen path. Gone way off topic here, so let's leave this thread for discussion of Amma.
There is a tradition that the ones mentioned have followed. It has no doctrine other than the evidence of self. Mystic. The tradition of the mystic is the mystics path itself, which begins by a journey into the wilderness, forsaking all the efforts of man to civilize himself. Jesus goes into the wilderness, to be tempted, that temptation exposes the truth of himself. The buddha leaves his position of civilized comfort to unravel suffering. It is from this position giving up all visible means of support other than the offering of life itself, that they emerge with truth. What tradition does over time is trade away essence for ritual and that is why organizations fracture. The essence is immovable. Traditions effort is to mold a life of illusion. Whereas essence simply dispels the illusion. Now my comments on mystic tradition arose because I happened upon a description of my own journey. Until that time, I had found myself in the role of a heretical christian. After I understood I was a disciple of christ.
You have hit on it. Guru is a racket. Knowledge flows freely into an open mind. We become convinced that the guru offers truth and that is what gives him or her, marketing power. There are good teachers in the world, but the purpose of a good teacher is to be no longer needed.
Not to appear a naysayer, but I would point out that warm hugs are uplifting whether you give them or someone gives them to you. Maybe that is the core of her teaching.
I have only experienced something during the hug of one person. She was a woman. I felt love and warmth. I have never experienced something even close to that from any other hug. I'd like to know what is going on here? I mean, what's the science behind this type of hug? Or simply, what's your explanation for this very rare phenomenon?
"Why do I think it's a rare phenomenon?" Because I've hugged hundreds of people and only once experienced real warmth and love- and she was not a lover, just a person I chanced on hugging(I've never hugged Ama; I'm talking about a woman named Esther Bobbit). So I'm interested in knowing more about what happened during that hug and why it didn't happen to all the others. I'd just like some raw feedback from people- just say the first thing that comes to mind like: "Yes, there's a doctoral dissertation from South East North Dakota State University that explains..." or anything else.
I've seen her a few times. She seems like a nice lady. The first time I received her darshan (aka, the hug), my reaction was "meh". There didn't seem to be anything dramatic about it. There were some chicks who started crying after they got it, but I figured some chicks will just get emotional about just about anything. The second time I received her darshan, my reaction was also "meh". However, the next morning when I woke up, I was exploding with energy, and I was like that for about a week (maybe more like 5 days). I don't know of any reasonable explanation for why I would have such a sudden and dramatic experience, other than that she's got "the power". There's other people out there who have also got "the power" to varying degrees, but she's one of them, in my experience. Also, I found there was something magnetic and energizing about being at her events in general. Part of that may be the large crowds that usually accompany her events, but in any case, I found myself spending a lot of time at her events. She hugs a lot of people. The darshan line usually runs all night, at least during Devi Bhava. That in itself is an indication that she is extraordinarily energetic. I've been doing her meditation practice for a little over a month now on a daily basis, and it's been good so far. There's a gift shop at her events. I was a little put off by it at first. She apparently gives away a lot of money to charity...so as long as the money raised from the gift shop is going to worthy causes, I don't have any objection. She's been given awards by the UN, and generally seems to have the appearance of a legit humanitarian leader.
her people are becoming major spammers at this forum - that always tells me something like hari krishnas begging for money lying saying their car broke down and shit
I made a thread about her European tour, then posted on this existing thread. Later I posted about 2 additional US tour stops that only came out later. But you weren't talking about me were you...
not fair to lump three liner jesus with 50 year teacher who's huge body of very well explicated beliefs exist pure 300 years later - you study buddha you have the purity of almost talking to him - you study jesus you have lots of blood and murder and a few dollars of charity (usually coming via the basket after the bak patting and admonishmennts - i used to do the same thing to get more allowance) darshan is no seeing a guru but an idol at a ceremony - seeing the guru if you can talk to them is smriti bhakti? anyone here ever been in love - i couldn't care less if ammachi farted pink clouds of bubblicious - you people mostly be dopes
