Amma is known as the hugging saint and spiritual teacher whose message is love. A devout mother-figure to millions, she is a tireless woman of otherworldly compassion and energy especially focused on the suffering. As a young girl, Amma first provided meditation and unconditional love to neighbors from her family's cow shed in their remote coastal village in Kerala, near the southern tip of India. By now she has hugged over 26 million people, and her organization has donated substantial funds to needy people in India and around the world. In India, she is considered a mahatma (a great soul) and counted next to spiritual leaders such as the Dalai Lama. She's been recognized by many organizations, including the UN.
First stop on arriving at the ashram, a Hindu monastery, is to check in. To a new visitor like me, it felt like arriving on campus for the first time. Find your dorm room and where meals are served, get bed sheets and a pail with a cute little broom. Dan and I are the guests of his sister, an Amma devotee who graciously guided us through the in's and out's of life in an ashram. We each listened to the evening music program: Dan with the men and me with the women in the colorful Kali temple. The singing is soothing and repetitive, mainly in Hindi and Sanskrit, with a meditative beat to purify the mind. Soon candles were lit. Flames danced around the forbidding figure of Kali, a fierce goddess in Hindu mythology that conquers demons. As my sister-in-law explained to me later, the demons are thoughts in your mind that keep you from finding peace. Well, everyone has demons so I gladly took the smoke from Kali's flame and ran it through my hair three times when the singing was over.
Soon after, we had dinner on the side of the large open-air auditorium where Amma gives Darshan, or hugs, that stretch through the night. Tasty meals are Indian and Western, all served by volunteers doing seva, or service for others. Everyone washes and dries their metal plates and bowls.
Dan's and my seva was folding sheets for the hundreds and sometimes more than a thousand visitors who stay at the ashram. It was a pleasant duty on the 12th floor with a great view and warm ocean breeze.
The complex itself runs smoothly. The day starts at 5 am with chanting I heard from our room. It is the most "green" lodging experienced on our trip so far. Recycling, no litter, and reduced power consumption (for example, there was no AC, no appliances, and no hot water in the basic rooms).
On the last night, our group of four joined the sunset meditation on the beach. The sun, a perfectly round orange ball, set into the haze of the sea. Then, the moon, just a sliver, appeared directly above the sunset, smiling on Amritapuri. The only sounds were the rustling fronds of the palm trees and the crashing waves.
It is time to explore the backwaters of Kerala but long remembered will be the loving embrace of Amma's home. Namah Shivaya.
