Castro Valley, CA (San Ramon area) - Saturday The 21st of March 2009, a devotee, invited me to join her for an evening service of devotion. This center was named after Mata Amritanandamayi, lovingly called "Amma." Also known as "The Hugging Saint" Amma has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her worldwide compassionate humanitarian work.
Amma has been known to hug thousands of people in a single day: tirelessly offering them unconditional love and hope. Once or twice a year she visits from India to this center in San Ramon for a week or two. Her next visit is scheduled for June 2009.
The center is nestled in a valley surrounded by beautiful green rolling hills and even upon driving into this space I felt myself entering a new zone of timelessness.
After spending several hours in prayer, meditation, and chanting, I felt blissed out of my mind, filled with a sense of love and peace...and a sense of having felt Amma's personal love and care even though she was not there physically. I was on such a cloud in fact, that it was hard for me to drive back to San Rafael in fact, even with the car's navigational system.
My experience was hard to put into words, but here is my best try: I also felt as if my personal identity, my ego, my personality and name, really mattered very little in the perspective of the grand cosmos. At the same time, I felt a much larger more intangible aspect of myself, my consciousness, my awareness, to be at one with and connected with this much larger cosmic web.
Thousands of people pack into this space to spend time in her presence. Many are profoundly affected, they laugh and cry, release pain and suffering, and realize their divine nature, even if for a few moments.
My friend who invited me had spent time in South India with Amma, touring with her as she and her entourage traveled from city to city helping the sick, needy, and poor. She said it was the experience of a lifetime being in Amma's loving presence.
Another colleague Ginny had spent time working with Amma in Switzerland in the 80's. She said that Amma would hug up to 900 people in one day. After witnessing this, she said that she wanted to hug people for a living too. At the end of her visit, Amma told Ginny she could sleep in her bed. Ginny considers Amma one of the rare few "truly authentic realized beings." If you could see Amma's beauty and know who Amma is, you can see yourself clearly.
Interestingly, that night she overheard Amma hollering at a staff member in Hindi--very uncharacteristic of her. It was then that Ginny realized that being of service to so many people was more than just a bowl of cherries -- it required the strength and fire of "Kali" to sustain.
For more information you can visit Amma.org or the M.A. Center at http://bayarea.amma.org/
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