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A Living Saint from India, Amma Combines Unlimited
Love and Selfless Service

This month's column is about a living saint named Mata Amritanandamayi who has been visiting the United States and was in Chicago in early July. She is sometimes called the "hugging saint" because of her emphasis on the combination of love and good works.

My introduction to Amma was via an email from a friend who knows that my Ph.D. research is focusing on the new scientific scholarship on unlimited love and other regarding virtues. He sent me a link to an article posted by KRON-Channel 4 in the San Francisco Bay area (www.kron4.com/global/story.asp?s=807849). The article stated that people were traveling many miles and waiting in long lines for a brief visit with this tiny woman that many see as a modern saint. The article pointed out that many believe that Amma is a physical manifestation of unconditional love. I was intrigued, so I went to Google.com, plugged in "The Hugging Saint" and found a link to Amma's U.S. website (www. Ammachi.org). What I found there impressed me.

"Saint" is often viewed as a primarily Western and Christian concept. However, it really is a synonym for a very holy person (unless you're from the Vatican where a rigorous set of rules and restrictions apply). Amma is Hindu, but if the reports about her are true--and they seem to be--then she certainly qualifies as a living saint. The name Mata Amritanandmayi translates into "Mother of Immortal Bliss." She is most often called Amma or "Mother." The Ammachi.org web site provides a thorough understanding of Amma and her mission on earth.

In the section "Amma," you find out that she was born in 1953, the daughter of a poor fisherman and had to leave school at the age of nine in order to assume family duties. She never had a spiritual mentor or guru, nor was she exposed to philosophical books. Yet, she states, "From childhood I had an intense love of the divine name. I would repeat the Lord's name incessantly with every breath, and a constant flow of divine thoughts was kept up in my mind." Her family and neighbors did not understand her. She would do things like portion off some of her own family's food grains and discreetly give the rest away to the poor. She witnessed much lack and suffering and sought an answer because she reasoned that for every problem there must be a solution. Her conclusion was that human suffering stemmed almost fully from a "lack of love." She resolved to be part of the solution and was condemned for her unconventional behavior, yet she persisted and began to attract large gatherings of people who wanted to be in her presence and receive her blessings.

Today, Amma's blessings and her extensive network of charities extend throughout India and are beginning to spread throughout the world. On the page "Amma>Darshan Programs," you discover that Amma broke with the old darshan ("audience with a saint or sage") tradition by combining her blessing with a long, tender, healing embrace. She makes herself available to all who wish her blessing, day after day. During her U.S. visits, hundreds come to receive her blessings and hugs. In India, it is not uncommon for Amma to sit for 20 hours at a stretch and she has been known to individually hug over 18,000 people in one day.

Under the "Teachings" section, you discover a primary emphasis on selfless service. She urges people to set apart at least one hour every day to some service for others. "While the food we eat nurtures our bodies," she says, "it is what we give in charity that nurtures our souls " compassion to the poor is our duty towards God. Children, expand your heart and embrace all by doing selfless activities. What is more important than to use this precious time to make this brief sojourn a journey of love?" This teaching is carried out by numerous charities, most of them in India, but some in the West, including the U.S. In India, those charities include orphanages, care homes for the aged, educational institutions, free housing, pensions, food for the destitute and a state-of-the-art hospital that helps the sick regardless of their monetary means. In the West, Amma encourages devotees to serve selflessly in their own communities. In the U.S., for example, the "Mother's Kitchen" program serves vegetarian meals to the homeless.

The "Teachings" section at Ammachi.org is extensive and in-depth. It has information about her teachings on spirituality, meditation, singing (bhajans), chanting and puja, satsang (spiritual gathering group), and family life. Unlike some sites that require registration and a membership fee, this one does not badger visitors for donations or book and product sales. Amma herself is said to be very humble, sleeping and eating sparingly and living in one simple room. Her teachings include the following:

Spirituality: The essence of spirituality, according to Amma, is that spiritual knowledge is that which teaches us how to live, how to lead contented lives in the face of obstacles. Forgiveness, humility and surrender are emphasized. "The man of courage," states Amma, "is one who can forgive even when anger rises uncontrollably."

Love: Love is of paramount importance. "This world has its existence in love," states Amma. "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." This part really hit home with me. Is it my imagination, or what? Since 9/11, worldwide conditions, both in terms of society and in terms of nature seem to be getting progressively worse. If Amma is right, then the only way to turn things around is through a concerted effort to extend love throughout the world.

Devotional singing and the sweetness of devotion: "It matters not whether one believes in Krishna or Christ, Mother Kali or Mother Mary; a formless God or even a flame, a mountain or an ideal such as world peace," says Amma. She believes that whatever you believe should be meditated upon while singing. "By letting the mind expand in the sound of the divine chanting," she says, "each one can enjoy the peace born of one's inherent divinity."

A visit to Ammachi.org is a refreshing experience. For a closer encounter with the teachings of Amma, you might want to attend a satsang that meets on the second Saturday of each month from 3:00 -- 5:00 p.m. at B.C. and Lakshmi Nair, 3021 W. 35th St. in Oakbrook, IL (phone: 630-325-9867). These gatherings include ashtotaram chanting, readings from Amma's teachings, bhajans and prasad. There is also a Mother's Kitchen on second Saturdays that serves vegetarian meals at the Elmhurst Presbyterian Church, 367 Spring Road, Elmhurst, IL.

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Mary Montgomery-Clifford is a certified web author and developer. Her company, Montgomery Media Enterprises ("Freelancing with Finesse!"), specializes in public relations, events, promotions, writing project and web authoring, development and publicity. Ms. Montgomery-Clifford is currently studying for a Master's Degree with an emphasis on inter-religious studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary and is in the process of completing the Morris Pratt Institute Course on Modern Spiritualism. Contact her via e-mail at Monty764@aol.com, by phone at 773-235-8821 or at her web site at www.montymedia.com

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