2013-05-23T15:06:34-04:00 Laura Amazzone http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=laura-amazzone Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Laura Amazzone Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.879199 2011-06-19T20:51:09-04:00 2011-08-19T05:12:02-04:00

Laura Amazzone http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-amazzone/
Over the past twelve years, I have attended public programs at her ashram in San Ramon and in Los Angeles and have witnessed and experienced countless blessings both in and out of her presence. Amma's biographers write of the unique circumstances surrounding her birth: her mother dreamt of the God Krishna, her father of the Goddess Kali, the night before she was born. As a child she displayed spiritual inclinations that were at first interpreted as symptoms of insanity until one day upon hearing the recitation of a sacred Hindu text she took on the mood and form of Lord Krishna and performed miracles showing all around her the divine nature of her incarnation. Miracle stories about Amma abound -- although Amma herself sees such concrete displays of spiritual power as unnecessary and ultimately a distraction. Today Amma serves as guru or spiritual teacher for millions. The suffering that Amma personally endured in early life as well as the poverty, fears, and suffering she has witnessed in those around her have profoundly affected her. She has made it her personal mission to alleviate the suffering that plagues this world through action, service and unconditional Love.

Amma's current message is of embracing the world -- literally. Not only has she hugged millions as part of her spiritual public programs, but she has also created a vast network of humanitarian programs in India and abroad. Amma's "Embracing the World" charitable programs are a direct response to the crises of our times and the cries of the heartbroken, the weary, and the disempowered. Ammachi's work bridges the gaps within interfaith communities, offers alternative solutions to addressing war, poverty, and violence, and brings conscious awareness to the ways we can bring balance to the sexes. Hers is a life of spiritual activism. She offers a grounded embodied spiritual path that promotes a message of compassion, love and selfless service. Amma is a spiritual leader walking her talk and improving the lives of all she touches.

"Embracing the World" offers education for all, shelter for the homeless, and food for the hungry. Amma's organization has built hospitals, public health programs, universities, and homes for widows and the elderly. She has set up disaster relief programs for earthquake, hurricane, and tsunami victims. Her empowerment programs offer vocational training, start-up capital and microcredit loans for women from impoverished communities around the globe. She also has a green program emphasizing sustainable living practices. Her charitable projects are funded through donations and services that are offered during her public programs.

Although Amma is Hindu, she appeals to people from all walks of life because she speaks the language of the heart. Her offerings are sometimes considered unorthodox as she defies some of the orthodox religious restrictions within the Hindu tradition without denouncing the entire tradition. For example, she touches all who come to her, defying prohibitions of the opposite gender to physically touch in public. She says "I don't see if it is a man or a woman. I don't see anyone different from my own self. A continuous stream of love flows through me to all of creation. This is my inborn nature. The duty of a doctor is to treat patients. In the same way, my duty is to console those who are suffering."(1) In infinite ways, Amma breaks down oppressive religious, social and cultural barriers that breed hatred, a sense of separation and fear, and ultimately prevent us from remembering that at the heart of all spiritual and religious traditions is a message of LOVE.

Reading literature by Amma and her most devoted disciples and attending Amma's programs in India, the U.S., Japan, Australia, South America, Canada, Europe and other places she visits during her tours, we are offered guidance and viable solutions to the root causes of both personal and planetary suffering. On Tuesday night I attended Amma's special Devi Bhava program in Los Angeles with thousands of other devotees. During the evening talk we were reminded how "love is the notion that changes duality to fullness." Amma says that only divine grace can remove the clouds of anger, hatred, and negativity in our hearts and minds. She asked us to pray for world peace, to pray for the departed souls who had lost their lives in Japan and the U.S. through the recent calamities as well as for their families who are experiencing the deep pain of separation. "Please imagine profound peace overflowing from our hearts permeating all existence -- even to the hearts of those we consider our enemies," Swami Amritaswarupananda said on behalf of Amma, whose native tongue is Malayalam. Amma, dressed in a white sari, then disappeared behind a curtain to prepare for the mood (bhava) of Goddess (Devi) that she would take for the next 12-15 hours. She reappeared moments later to perform a special ritual to prepare the seat she would take while she blessed thousands. The curtains closed again and soon opened to reveal Amma as an incarnation of Goddess Kali wearing a fine silk red and gold sari and adorned with a silver crown. She then began her darshan, a Hindu concept which means to see and be seen by the divinity, and through Amma also manifests in the most loving embrace followed by blessed offerings of flower petals and a hershey's kiss. Amma hugs thousands and thousands of people who visit her -- sometimes for over twenty hours at one time while devotional music is sung and her children move about the halls participating in the many services and programs that are offered.

Given the extreme hardships so many are facing during these shifting times, we are blessed to have the opportunity to turn to such a wise and holy woman as an embodied exemplar of true leadership. His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that the world will be saved by the western woman. I also believe that being in the arms of this South Indian Divine Mother regardless of whether we live in the west, east, north or south offers all of us, female and male, the opportunity to open our hearts, tame our raging divisive egos, expand our consciousness and work towards bettering the lives of all. Amma has truly "embraced the world" and affected the lives of over 30 million people. Amma continuously reminds us of the universal teaching at the heart of all religions: that we lead lives of selfless service, compassion, and unconditional Love.

1. "The Humanitarian Activities of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi: Amma Embracing the World," Edition 9, January 2010, p.5.

For more info: www.amma.org
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Laura Amazzone http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-amazzone/
To many in the West, the orthodox religious traditions we grew up within have failed to provide solace. Many of us are looking for a spiritual model that addresses the needs of the tumultuous 21st century and yet is grounded in respect for the interconnectedness of all life. While some have found guidance in indigenous beliefs, western mystical traditions or eastern philosophy, the ululating call of the divine feminine seems to be making itself heard across the board.

Most of us are familiar with Greek mythology and its pantheon of goddesses and gods; however, fewer are aware that there is a thriving tradition of goddess worship in South Asia where devotion to the divine as Compassionate Mother and Fiercely Protective Female Warrior has existed for millennia. In fact, there is not one, but thousands of manifestations of goddess in South Asia. In Hinduism human diversity is expressed by this vast pantheon of deities; and yet, as one of the most popular goddess myths reminds us, despite our differences, we are indeed all One.

The Devi Mahatmya or the Great Glory of the Goddess is a 5th century myth that offers potent teachings relevant to this day and age. The heroine of this story about the victory of good over evil is Durga, Goddess of Divine Justice, Invincible Power, and Impenetrable Compassion. Her name, Durga, means fortress, and speaks to the unassailable essence of our inherent nature. Durga is also known as the Remover of Fear and Difficulty for she always comes to the aid of any who call on her in distress.

According to the myth, demonic forces are threatening to conquer the world and take down any who do not agree with their agenda. Despite the gods' intentions to stop the demons, the methods they use only perpetuate the violence. Moreover, this demon king has received a boon from the creator God Brahma, which makes him undefeatable by any man, god or demon. When Brahma asks the demon if he wants to be exempt from defeat by a female as well, the demon's inflated ego puffs up with pride. To the demon, battling a woman is an easy win -- he declines.

After eons of senseless violence, the male gods convene and call forth the Supreme Mother Goddess behind all existence. Only she is powerful enough to stop the bloodshed. The initial chapter of Durga's mythic journey of restoring harmony to the world tells how the demon king learns a beautiful female is waiting to engage in battle with him. He orders his two favorite demon generals to bring her to him so he can force her into wedlock. However, the generals do not have a chance against the all-powerful goddess. As they approach her, the composed goddess emits a flame from her finger that restores them to a state of tranquility and compassion. Outraged, the demon demands that the goddess engage directly with him in battle. She does.

The demon becomes more and more furious as he faces the great goddess. He hurls mountains, uproots forests and causes earthquakes with his all-consuming anger against the possible loss of power and control. Every time one of Durga's arrows flies at him, the demon changes form from water buffalo, to tiger, to man until finally she grabs him, pins his neck down with her foot and sends a spear through his heart.

Metaphorically, we can consider Durga as the wisdom of the heart, untainted by cultural, religious and societal conditioning. The buffalo demon symbolizes our ignorance, reactions and ego attachments. The constantly shifting appearance of the demon speaks to our irrational behavior and the need to pin down the destructive causes of our negative emotions: anger, jealousy, pride, greed and delusion. His shape shifting is symbolic of the grasping ignorant mind that continuously jumps from one desire to another. The demon's uncontrollable rage, destroying everything in its path without regard for the consequences, is a fitting analogy for the violence we face today. This myth asks us to consider how we choose to express our anger -- whether we will use our rage against injustice in constructive ways, or if we will be divisive, fearful and blaming, thereby poisoning our environment. The fiercely compassionate divine feminine nature will help free us from the afflicted ego and return to the penetrating wisdom of divine love. Goddess Durga may not solve all the world's problems at the moment, but as this ancient scripture teaches, she is the impenetrable place of calm within our hearts from which we can choose actions that promote harmony and unity rather than selfish harmful acts.

In the myth, after the demon has finally been defeated and the gods gather to celebrate, Mother Durga promises to return whenever any of her children are in distress. As we face crises on both a personal and planetary level, might we call on this ancient divine female force of compassion and courage to help us confront and transform that which threatens the well being and contentment of all beings on this planet?

The Devi Mahatmya teaches that the grace of goddess is unconditional and will never be withheld from anyone -- ego demon or not. Through her fierce love toward self and other, harmony will be restored within and around us. We need only invoke Durga to help us remember our true nature and that divine love conquers all.
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