Amma - The Hugging Saint in New York
By Laurie Sue Brockway
From Wedlok.com
" I realize my purpose is to console - to personally wipe away tears through selfless love, compassion, and service." - Amma
Every year since 1999 I have made it a point to see Ammachi (Mata Amritanandamayi) the awesome Hindu Saint who gives "darshan" by hugging people. We all call her Amma.
You can read more about her in the recent New York Times article, Tour of Embrace Makes a Stop in Manhattan.
It is said she was "born with a smile." When you see her smile you truly know how she can reach out and touch -- and bring healing -- to so many.
She welcomes people of all faiths and beliefs, and truly believes we are all one. I suspect the reason she does not tire of her work, or feel drained by it, is that she considers that we are all the same, not separate from one another.
Amma, which means mother, is spiritual mother to millions. Her ministry of love is one of the most profound expressions of giving I have ever seen. Her humanitarian efforts -- disaster relief, feeding the poor, orphanages, helping women reclaim their power -- is wide-reaching and grows with each year. Her motto is "Love and Serve."
Now in her fifties, Amma has become a Mother Teresa like personage, devoted to doing good works and shining the light of love on the world's problems. Speaking in her native tongue, she has addressed the United Nations General Assembly to the Cannes Films Festival. From her native India, to the the United States, Canada, the world, she tours for the purpose of touching people's lives.
When you visit Amma for a healing hug, you literally kneel before her and she pulls you to her chest, chanting a sacred sound or prayer in your ear. Many of those who visit her believe she is able to take our burdens and worries because she has a heart big enough to embrace us and all our human woes.
Anthropologist Jane Goodall called Amma "God in human form."
One thing you must be prepared for is the wait. Amma sees so many people the darshan lines are long. It is truly awesome to watch her hug thousands of people in one sitting -- never getting us to take a breather.
My 16 year old sat through a five hour program during Amma's New York visit, that's how compelling her events are! She speaks in Hindi and her words are translated by one of her swamis. This week she spoke about how lost we all become in our pain, sorrow, challenges and difficulties. And how important it is for us to step out of the box of our worries and healing through service.
The next day, I volunteered to do "seva," selfless service, in the Amma Store. I was asked to guard some of the precious objects for sale and just help people who were perusing the items. I noticed how my feet were hurting and that I was getting a little anxious toward the end of my shift. And it was a lesson in persevering despite discomfort, which is what Amma exemplifies.
This week, I watched her hug and serve thousands of New Yorkers, who came to her with their pain and their exhaustion. They all left with smiles upon their faces. In a world so filled with sad, difficult news, the news of Amma's work in our world is an upbeat story in which the spirit of love is the central theme.
You can catch her in Boston and Toronto. There is no charge.
Photo of Amma from Amma's official website, www.Amma.org.
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