Amma is for Everyone

Amma is for Everyone – Her only Religion is Love

“Lending a helping hand to a neglected soul, feeding the hungry, a compassionate smile towards the sad and dejected—this is the real language of religion. We should invoke God’s compassion in our own hearts and hands. Living only for oneself is not life, but death.” - Amma

Amma is a non-denominational spiritual leader. Buddhist monks, Catholic priests and nuns, Muslims, Jews and people from numerous religious traditions go to receive Amma’s blessings of unconditional love. Amma has frequently said that her only religion is love. While Amma, well respected in religious circles, was named one of three presidents of Hinduism by the 1993 Parliament of World’s Religions in Chicago, Illinois, she still acknowledges,

“The basic, underlying principle of all religions is one and the same Truth. Different religions are suited to different people for their spiritual development, and therefore no one religion is superior to any other.” She has also emphasized, “We are all God’s children.”

In 1995, Amma was a keynote speaker for the United Nation’s Interfaith Council in celebration of its 50th Anniversary. In August 2000, Amma was invited to speak at the “Millennium World Peace Summit.” This was the first event in history where one thousand religious leaders of the world’s diverse traditions came together to forge a partnership of peace with the United Nations.

At the Summit Amma said, “Terrorism and violence against human beings in the name of any religion should be condemned at the international level and the appropriate strong action should be taken. Love is the only medicine that can heal the wounds of the world. Love is the very foundation, beauty and fulfillment of life.”

What distinguishes Amma as a harmonizing influence among spiritual leaders is her sincere appreciation for the diversity the world’s cultures and religions. In her speech before the United Nations she said, “The very words ‘nation’ and ‘religion’ imply division and diversity. This diversity may seem to create obstacles in fostering peace, happiness and prosperity in the world. Yet, in reality, it is this diversity that brings richness and beauty to the world and to human life—just as a bouquet of flowers of a variety of colors is more beautiful than a bouquet of flowers that are exactly the same.”

In her talk, Amma also emphasized the importance of seeing the unity that exists as the basis of all religious teachings, instead of focusing only on superficial differences, “There is one Truth that shines through all of creation. Rivers and mountains, plants and animals, the sun, the moon and the stars, you and I—are all expressions of the one Reality. It is by assimilating this truth in our lives, and thus gaining a deeper understanding, that we can discover the inherent beauty in this diversity. When we work together as a global family, not merely belonging to a particular race, religion or nation, peace and happiness will once again prevail on this earth, which is drenched with the tears of division and conflict.”

Amma also expressed deep sorrow that fighting over religion creates violence and suffering in the world, “As I travel around the world, people come to me and share their sorrows. Some have told me that a husband, wife, or child had been killed in a religious clash. Sometimes it was a fight between Hindus and Muslims, other times between Hindus and Christians or between Christians and Muslims. It’s so painful to hear. The reason for the fighting is that people are not going into the depth of their religion. Our ties to religion, society, or country should not make us forget our basic human values.”

Amma says,

“Children, Amma beholds god in everything. Amma sees everything as part of the whole, as an extension of her own Self. Once we experience everything as part of ourselves, how is it possible to ignore anything? How can we consider any living being, or even a non-living object, to be insignificant? In that state there is no sense of otherness: everything is permeated with consciousness.

Only if we perceive ourselves as separate entities can we ignore others or think of them as insignificant, because then we identified with the ego---with our anger, hatred, jealousy, judgment, and all the other negative qualities. But when we are one with the Self, we no not place any importance on petty feelings. The ego is not given any importance. We constantly remain within the Self, the very center of existence. It is because we have forgotten our true Self, and because the ego interferes, that a sense of otherness is experienced. At present we are only aware of our small self—we are self-centered. We have to grow out of our self-centeredness and become centered in our true Self.”

For More about Amma read, Amma the Hugging Saint,