Category: Amma Talks

AMMA'S TALKS

Making Space in Our Hearts for Others

Amma teaches us that the essence of spirituality is to awaken love and open up to the suffering of others. In a touching anecdote, Amma shares the story of a woman who was forced to skip essential dialysis treatments due to dire situations. As we expand our hearts, we will feel the pain of others as our own and help in whatever way we can.

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Mantra given by a Satguru is always safe for us: Amma on Mantra japa

During a question-and-answer session in Amritapuri, Amma was asked about the best way to chant one’s mantra. Question: Amma, I like to chant my mantra aloud. I feel a lot of love and devotion and enthusiasm when I do that. But when I do it silently, just moving my lips, I don’t get the same concentration or feel the same love and enthusiasm. Please tell me the best way to chant my mantra. Amma: Slokas (hymns or prayers) can surely be chanted aloud, but mantras that have bijaksharas, or seed sound syllables, are best chanted silently or by merely...

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Maya doesn’t mean non-existent; it means ever-changing

In a question-and-answer session in Amritapuri this week, Amma was asked, “Maya is often defined as the illusory nature of the world. What is Maya or illusion and why is it so difficult to overcome? I have been doing spiritual practices for many years and I am still under Maya. In this world, everyone is craving for love. What is the relationship between Maya and love?” Maya doesn’t mean nonexistent. Rather it means ever-changing. For example, in a blossomed flower, you enjoy the beauty and fragrance of the flower. But by evening it withers. With this understanding of impermanence,...

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Knowledge and Values are Inseparable

Amma’s acceptance speech for her D.Litt. Honoris Causa conferred by the University of Mysore Through this honour you have bestowed, I see the interest that the University of Mysore has in upholding the ideal of manava seva madhava seva – “Service to humankind is service to God.” In whatever way the Math has been able to serve society, it is because of the selfless service of millions of Amma’s children throughout the world. Therefore Amma dedicates this honour to their deep sincerity and goodwill. Knowledge and viveka – proper discernment – are inseparable, like a flower and its fragrance, a word and its meaning, or a lamp and its light. However, today our educational system is limited to the mere collecting of information. The light of discernment is disappearing. When people say, “Knowledge has dawned,” it’s like saying, “The sun has risen, but it’s still dark.” Imagine a beautiful garden full of countless flowers of all colours, shapes and sizes. If such a garden is pervaded by a foul smell, obviously something has gone wrong. Consciously or unconsciously, a serious misunderstanding has crept into our educational system. We have been led to believe that discernment and information are two separate things. This view is wrong. Consciously or unconsciously, a serious misunderstanding has crept into our educational system. We have been led to believe that discernment and information are two...

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Spirituality is the Practicality of Life

The worm also eats, sleeps and procreates, so what is the difference if we merely do the same? Just as we pardon our hand when we poke our eye, we should be able to show compassion and forgive the faults of others. Their joys and sorrows become our own when we see ourselves in them through compassion. That is the essence of spirituality. Knowing we will get burned touching fire, and an electric shock from a live wire, we will also come to understand the nature of the world and its relationships. We will learn to deal with them...

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