Devotion connotes faith (the belief in something unverifiable) and determination (persistence in the face of all personal cost).

Consciousness

How did I become a faithful devotee of Patanjali, Sachidananda and Amma? Each have helped bring me closer to the essence of who we all are: our consciousness.

I found faith in the existence of God when I realized the reality of our three dimensional nature: we each have a physical body, non-physical thoughts and an immutable, intangible awareness OF our thoughts: our consciousness.

Make no mistake: consciousness is as different from our non-physical thoughts, as our thoughts are from our physical body! Without the awareness OF our own thoughts, WTF would be the point?! We wouldn’t know we’re alive, let alone reading this angry yogi’s rant!

You won’t find consciousness explained in any Western textbook. Your best chances to gain insights into it are the four paths of yoga:
• Raja Yoga – mind-control
• Bhakti Yoga – love, specifically of the Divine
• Jana Yoga – study
• Karma Yoga – service

In the process, may you come to better understand the miracle that each (yes, EACH!) of us is.

Inspiration

Whether fact or fiction, “Ammachi” [one of the texts available at 50% of cost to members of the Yoga Instructors Association] is tremendously inspirational.

Amma was in her early 20’s at this point in her life, and by all accounts a force of nature!!

“One night during Krishna Bhava, Sudhamani [Amma] called her father and told him, “My devotees will come from far and wide. Many of the devotees will settle here permanently.

You will have to face many obstacles, but do not be afraid. Endure everything. Do not take revenge against anyone. Do not be envious. Do not seek anything from anyone. Everything you need will come to you unmasked. Always give part of what you receive in charity.

 

In time, this place will become a great spiritual center. The little one will travel around the world many times. Though you may have to suffer a lot in the near future, God will always bless you and provide for your needs. Your relatives and even the villagers will hate you and abuse you, but in time they will become your friends. Thousands of My devotees will become like your children. From this day on, the little one is ever pure.” [As though the Divine was speaking about her, through her!]

Once more, Sugunanandan was wonderstruck! His dark blue daughter, who had suffered countless beatings at his own hands, was going around the world?! Why, she had never been as far as Cape Comorin! Thousands of people were coming to [the remote village of] Idamannel? Where on earth would they all stay? The house was tiny! And what was the meaning of her saying that the little one was ever pure?

Though these words left a deep impression in Sugunanandan’s mind, at the time he dismissed them as crazy utterances. Only after years had passed did he realize the absolute truth of what his daughter had said to him that day.”

God bless.

We meditate to come as close as humanly possible to experiencing consciousness, which exists in a much more subtle dimension than our body and mind.

Why bother? Our body and mind (evidenced by our thoughts) are subject to the vagaries of time and space, or karma. Consciousness on the other hand, isn’t affected by anything; it’s eternal and immutable – at least for as long as it inhabits our body/mind!

Recognizing the distinction between consciousness and mind will change your life. Consciousness is the awareness OF your thoughts; without it, you wouldn’t know you’re alive, let alone reading this!

Through meditation (developing mind control) we can essentially “touch” consciousness and experience a reflection of its infinitely curious and compassionate nature.

Amma says,

Divinity is the essence of our consciousness,

Infilling everything,

Pervading everywhere,

Impelling all.

Revealing itself as Truth, Awareness and Bliss.

Class schedule

My dearest friends (and any yoga instructor teaching on the north shore of MA who asks!) will receive a copy of Amma’s biography as a holiday gift from our Raja Yoga studio this year. Yeah, we went there in mid-October!

I’ve been reading excerpts in the morning as part of a personal “puja”, or study/worship practice.

Here’s the thing: just as a zebra will never become an elephant, I will always stand up for underdogs and remain skeptical in the face of authority (characteristics that made me a good auditor); however, if even 5% of what is written in Amma’s biography is True…

(and here’s the thing – she’s VERY much alive – there are A LOT of people who could stand up and refute any of what’s written!! – but NO ONE is!)

….she’s a living saint.

Amma is worthy of ALL of our respect and admiration! Even if you’re an atheist, you HAVE to give this woman props for her Phelps-esque Olympic devotion to God! No wonder she’s been received at the UN. I really hope you read her story!

From today’s reading (page 64) [Sudhamani eventually became known as Amma]:

[When Sudhamani was about 16]…..If there were any time remaining after completing her embroidery work, Sudhamani would return to the chapel, which had an inner apartment like a cave. In the dim light, she would gaze upon the crucified form of Jesus Christ. Seeing Jesus on the cross, she felt Him to be her beloved Krishna. Immediately, she would become enraptured. Returning to the plane of normal consciousness, she would weep, thinking of the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ and Krishna. She would think, ‘O, how They have sacrificed everything for the world! People turned against Them, but still They loved them. If They have done it, then why can’t I? There is nothing new in it.’

Sudhamani was acutely aware of the extreme poverty of the villagers. Seeing their sorrows and sufferings, the little one would weep in the silent hours she spent in the shrine room. She would pray, ‘O God, is this life? People are toiling day in and day out just for a bit of food to satisfy their hunger. O Krishna, why do you allow them to starve? Why do they become afflicted with diseases? Everywhere I turn I come face to face with selfishness and people’s sufferings caused by it. Youngsters pray for a long life and children pray for an early death for their aged father and mother. Nobody is at all interested to care for the elderly. O Lord, what kind of world is this? What is the purpose of creating such a world? O Krishna, what is the solution for all this?’ Such were the prayers of the innocent girl.

Whatever you believe about life or Amma, it’s a universal Truth that we get out of something what we put into it (it’s science!)

That being the case, consider what Amma must have experienced and witnessed as a consequence of her interminable, lifelong devotion!!

Imagine coming as close as humanly possible to witnessing what’s been described over millennia as beyond human comprehension. Remember, consciousness (evidence of the existence of God) doesn’t exist in time and space the way our body and mind do, although it reveals itself as:

• patience – some say “curiosity and compassion”;
• intuition – our “inner voice”; knowing without cognition that something is True;
• awareness – recognizing that our body/mind is only two thirds – at best – of what we are; and
• bliss – perhaps best described by people who’ve experienced sensory depravation: a calm stillness beyond thought.

Somewhere along the path that typically begins with Asana (ironically, poses are the third in a series of five exercises intended to facilitate lengthy prayer, or meditation), faith kicks in and when THAT happens you change.  😉

Class schedule

What could be more inspiring than reading about the suffering of a CHILD – born into hell on earth, who lovingly accepted whatever new anguish befell her as a lesson from her beloved God, whom she calls Krishna.

Amma is a living embodiment of the spirit of RajaYoga: selfless acceptance and relentless pursuit of a deeper connection and union with God.

As her biography quotes from the Bhagavad Gita [another prehistoric poem, and the only other universally-recognized authoritative source on Raja Yoga – the science of meditation, the original form of prayer]:

“The Blessed Lord said: those who fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, they … are the best versed in Yoga.”

Namaste.

From a book: Amma’s biography

This morning we read from Amma’s biography. As I told my wife later, if the story of Amma’s childhood is even “directionally correct” (as we used to say in auditing), the woman is a saint.

If you’re looking for inspiration, purpose, or a living example of faith and devotion, read her biography, or better yet, go meet her! You’ll be glad you did.

From TV: National Geographic’s “The Story of Us”

While this blog is primarily about me and Amma (no ego here), I have to give equal mention to the individuals highlighted in National Geographic’s “The Story of Us”, narrated by Morgan Freedman.

Mr. Freedman seems divinely inspired as he narrates the stories of 4-5 people who, against all odds, survived unimaginable anguish through sheer force of will (strength of mind).

The show is breathtaking: shockingly-awful (inasmuch as we see the worst of humanity alongside the best) and yet somehow simultaneously equally inspiring.

Humans are capable of miraculous physical and mental toughness and endurance (individually – let alone as a species!!). It’s not a coincidence that we’re the most consciously-evolved beings on the planet – so far!

The Sinner

When I was in the third grade we moved from a close suburb of NYC to rural Vermont. My father literally took us as far away from his in-laws as possible.

That was one of two points of transition in my young life when I turned to God (albeit briefly).

I attended fourth grade in a two-story brick schoolhouse with a basement, or more precisely, a post WWII air raid shelter converted to a cafeteria/music room.

One of my favorite songs as a traumatized and uprooted 8 year old was “Onward Christen Soldiers”. I loved that song! One day during “music” class – held in the concrete basement of the old school house – tight quarters and cement walls did wonders for the acoustics – we started to sign my favorite song!!

“Started” because, virtually as soon as I opened my mouth and belted out the first few words, the teacher stopped the entire production, singled me out, and told me to stop singing. Apparently, I was off pitch.

OK, I was beyond humiliated in front of a bunch of country kids I barely knew and had nothing in common with – BUT at least they were going to keep singing my favorite song!

“Were”, because again, almost as soon as the signing started the teacher halted everything, singled me out, and again told me to shut my mouth. Apparently, lip-synching – especially enthusiastically – wasn’t acceptable in 1965.

The Saint

Amma embodies the concept of worship through service.

Like the oppositional states of matter that sustain us, I can only marvel at, and laud her ceaseless, tireless drive to honor and serve God by relieving OTHER people’s suffering – at her own expense!!

Be inspired

Be inspired to act self-less-ly rather than self-ish-ly.

Read Amma’s story: the poor thing was an “untouchable”, shunned, beaten and abused by her own mother; horrifically treated – in part simply because of her dark complexion! Yet she accepted it all as lessons from her beloved God provided to deepen her understanding of the Truth.

Or watch the stories of individual heroism narrated by Mr. Freedman and be moved to tears of joy and sorrow – and experience profound respect and admiration for people with a purpose who are willing to die for someone or something other than themselves.

That level of faith, conviction and love is not just inspiring, it’s divine.

Namaste

The excerpt is inspirational whatever your faith or beliefs; it’s from “A Biography of Mata Amritanandamayi [Amma, the hugging nun]”, written by Swami Amritaswarupananda, a devotee.

Hold onto what helps; let go of what doesn’t. A bit of skepticism is healthy, though don’t be closed-minded.

In Raja Yoga there are three ways to verify something:

1. Witness or experience it.

2. Rationally infer it.

For example, if there was no snow on the ground when you went to bed, but there was snow on the ground when you woke up, it’s rational to infer that it snowed while you were asleep.

3. Have it verified by an authority.

Herein an authority is universally recognized as an authoritative source or expert in their field. For example, my teacher, Edwin F. Bryant, Professor of Religions of India, at Rutgers University is a highly-regarded expert on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – which in turn is universally-recognized as the primary authoritative source of Raja Yoga. 😉

In this case, the author of Amma’s bio is clearly an expert in his field.

Class schedule

Last year when friends asked if I wanted to accompany them to receive an embrace from Amma, I politely declined, thinking “that’s pretty far out there even for me!”

A year passed, our friendship deepened, and they asked again. This time my ego thought “I’ll go and be supportive; I’ll hug the dear, sweet woman for all the joy and love she brings others – and I’ll be able to buy those mala beads I can’t find anywhere else!”

Btw – it doesn’t cost a dime. Amma’s international organization (amma.org) which donates millions of dollars to charities – I suspect annually – invites and welcomes EVERYONE to receive her embrace for free.

Amma’s accomplishments are hugely inspiring: she’s helped countless people, directly and indirectly – all SELFLESSLY. THAT, my friends, is evidence of the power of yoga – yes, Amma teaches yoga!! God, I can’t wait to learn more about HER yoga (though I suspect it’s her interpretation of Patanjali’s yoga)!

Yes, a year ago I was a skeptic, but that was before witnessing this 64 year old, somewhat physically infirm woman (I suspect from thirty years of literally sitting and consciously hugging millions of people from sun up ‘til sun down – never turning a soul away, and without taking a break!!).

During the embrace which seemed to last the better part of a minute in my case, I felt as if nothing existed other than the hug itself – and believe me, I didn’t want to let go!!

At the end, she whispers something to you – not in a language that you’ve necessarily heard before – but one you understand on an intuitive level. It’s a deeply personal, internal type of experience.

I completely understand the adulation, love, honor, and respect that her followers and devotees have for her – and to a person – and there were 5 busloads full of volunteers helping, facilitating the event – they were each exactly as you’d expect: lovingly respectful. There were probably 1,000 people there (Radisson in Manchester, NH) waiting to be embraced, or shopping the Indian food and wares for sale that help support Amma’s efforts (I bought six beautiful, handmade sets of rosewood prayer beads for $12 each!)

My speculation: in the same way that some of us are born with or predisposed to certain physical and mental attributes (strong or weak; tall or short; blonde or brunette; sighted or blind), like an Olympic athlete in her event: spreading love, Amma seems to have been born predisposed in such a way that consciousness shines much more readily through her than the rest of us!

My favorite tee shirt of the day sums up Amma’s message:

“LOVE ALL. SERVE ALL.”

God bless Amma and all of us. Allan

Current class schedule