Worried about the greying of gurudom?

Narayani Ganesh

Speaking Tree Speaking Tree

TOI

January 22, 2023

The greying of Indic gurudom is a matter of concern for some. The names most of us are familiar with are legion, including global celebrity-gurus like the hugging mother, Mata Amritanandamayi; Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness The Dalai Lama; the Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; Parmarth Niketan’s Swami Chidanand Saraswati; Prasanna Trust founder, Swami Sukhabodhananda; Isha Foundation head, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev; Satsang Foundation head, Sri M, and more. They are all in the league of senior citizens. Then, there are those who are close to 60, like the 57-year-old Baba Ramdev,  the 56-year-old Anandmurti Gurumaa of Rishi Chaitanya Ashram and others.

Is the ageing of Indic gurus something to worry about? Won’t their teachings live on even after their physical body dissolves? Paramhansa Yogananda, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Sivananda, Swami Chinmayananda, Osho, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Kanchi Shankaracharya, Neem Karoli Baba and so many others, too numerous to list here including Buddhist and Jain masters, Christian and Muslim leaders, who led illustrious lives, dedicating themselves to spiritual quest and guiding seekers to find their paths, are no longer here, in their physical body. Yet their presence is felt in their organisations, ashrams, institutions and their disciples, in their discourses, anecdotes and teachings that inform, guide and bring succour to millions.

These thoughts got triggered by a little communication that informed of a video message from HH The Dalai Lama on ‘The Art of Hope’, to promote the sense of oneness of eight billion human beings who live together on Planet Earth. His four life commitments that he often shares with audiences are: kindness and compassion; religious harmony; preservation of Tibetan culture and environment; and the revival of ancient Indic wisdom. The last is tribute to all the knowledge, carried forward by Buddhists, that transformed the way the people of Tibet view life and living, and which continues to give them the strength, courage and hope to carry on, despite all the onerous challenges that they have been facing since long. And Tibetan spiritual leaders are returning the favour, re-introducing Indic philosophy to Indians and people of the rest of the world.

Tibetan spiritual tradition has held up the theory of rebirth and reincarnation, thereby somewhat providing solace to those who pine for the guru’s presence long after he has left his mortal coils.

The proliferation and penetration of digital technology has enabled spreading messages — of gurus who have passed on — far and wide, ensuring that every corner of the world becomes aware of their priceless teachings and anecdotes.

For those who yearn for the physical presence of these gurus, technology could help create holograms so that each time you listen to a discourse or talk, you can also ‘feel’ the presence of the guru in the room.

Interestingly, there is another dimension to the guru’s presence, such as the belief that sages like Mahavatar Baba get sighted in the Himalayan region and in other places. Now, that is an entirely different aspect to the subjects of mortality and immortality, presence and absence, the here and the hereafter. The truth is that in whatsoever form one envisions one’s guru, realised mentors are like GPS for the soul, directing seekers on the path of liberation that leads to the ultimate destination, of ecstasy.

ganeshnarayani@yahoo.com 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/worried-about-the-greying-of-gurudom/

The Amma Empire: a testimony by one of the hugging saint's first disciples

The Amma Empire: a testimony by one of the hugging saint's first disciples

Jacques Albohair

Mata Amritanandamayi, "the hugging saint," has grown in half a century from an Indian fisherman's daughter in the late 1970s to an international icon revered by millions worldwide.

Having belonged to the inner circle of disciples in the early 1980s, Jacques Albohair (aka Sarvatma) contributed to spreading her message as the first European representative and personal translator until his departure from the movement fourteen years later. He provides here a captivating testimony of his life as an early disciple and an exhaustive and documented investigative analysis of the evolution of the organisation from the simple "family business" to the "global empire" it has become today.

After delivering a critical review of the official biography, he reminds us of the rigorous criteria defining a true Spiritual Master in the light of the founding principles of Hinduism and finally broadens the debate in addressing all seekers in the quest for their autonomy.

In the wake of Gail Tredwell, Amma's former personal assistant's testimony, "Holy Hell - A Memoir of Faith, Devotion and Pure Madness" published in 2013, this book is the second major critical testimony on Mata Amritanandamayi and her movement.



https://www.amazon.com/Amma-Empire-testimony-hugging-disciples-ebook/dp/B09MV7G9CK/

CultNEWS101 Articles: 1/18/2022 (Research Participation Request, QAnon, Extremist, Mata Amritanandamayi, 3HO, Yogi Bhajan, Kundalini Yoga, Religious Fraud, Mental Illness, New Book)

Research Participation Request, QAnon, Extremist, Mata Amritanandamayi, 3HO, Yogi Bhajan, Kundalini Yoga, Religious Fraud, Mental Illness, New Book

Research Participation Request: "The Relationship Between Reproductive Coercion, Psychologically Abusive Environments, and the Extent of Group Identity in a Sample of Those who Have Left Cultic Groups"

Researcher: Ashlen Hilliard, University of Salford, Master's in the Psychology of Coercive Control Program

Did you experience a lack of reproductive choice while in a cultic group? Was your sexual health and well-being affected by the cult? Do you feel that the cultic group used your reproductive health as a means of control?

You are invited to participate in this research project on the relationship between reproductive coercion, psychologically abusive environments, and the extent of group identity in a sample of those who have left cultic groups.

You are eligible to participate if you are an individual 18 and older who self-identifies as someone who has been in a cult or destructive group which you have subsequently left. You identified as a female while you were in a cult or destructive group setting, and you experienced reproductive coercion at that time, which has been defined as: "A behavior that interferes with the autonomous decision-making of a woman with regard to reproductive health. It may take the form of birth control sabotage, pregnancy coercion, or controlling the outcome of a pregnancy" (Grace and Anderson, 2018, p. 371).

Please do not feel pressured or obligated to complete this questionnaire if you may have met me or be aware of my role with the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA).

If you have any further questions or would like any additional information, please feel free to email researcher Ashlen Hilliard at A.J.Hilliard@edu.salford.ac.uk .

Link to survey: https://salford.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/reproductivecoercion

Wired: The Next Wave of Extremist Cults Will Make QAnon Look Tame

"Cult-like extremist movements appear to provide an antidote to the potent mixture of isolation, uncertainty, changing narratives, and fear we have experienced during the pandemic by offering a skewed form of safety, stability, and certainty, along with a cohort of people who are just like us, who believe us and believe in us. As the activist David Sullivan—a man who devoted his life to infiltrating cults in order to extricate loved ones from their grip—pointed out, no one ever joins a cult: They join a community of people who see them. In 2022, this appeal of cults will only grow, and those that arise next year will make QAnon seem like the good old days."

Mata Amritanandamayi Collection

Press Herald: Bath musician opens up about 'cult' experience in new memoir

" ... Someday finally arrived when Blachly, who uses the name Peter Alexander in his musical performances, wrote about his experiences in a 308-page memoir self-published last year.

Now 72 and with many of the people who were part of his previous life no longer living, Blachly felt more freedom to write the memoir than he would have otherwise. The pandemic gave him the time to finish a writing project that began many years ago, and living in an old house with an expansive view of the river gave him the space to think and a place to ponder.

His book, called "The Inner Circle, Book One: My Seventeen Years in the Cult of the American Sikhs," which is available at Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick, tells the story of his journey as a popular musician in a nationally touring rock band during the Vietnam War and Woodstock era to becoming a close confidant and musical liaison to Yogi Bhajan, a kundalini yoga guru and spiritual leader of the 3HO Foundation.

The organization's name stands for Healthy, Happy and Holy and remains an active nonprofit dedicated "to living a life that uplifts and inspires," according to its website. Although it claims to follow the tenets of Sikhism, a religion that originated in India in the 15th century with more than 25 million followers worldwide, it has been criticized for misrepresenting the religion and denounced by traditional practitioners. A spokesperson for 3HO declined to respond to a reporter's questions for this story. A spokesperson for the Sikh Coalition, a New York-based Sikh-American advocacy group, declined to comment on 3HO.

The organization formed in 1969 and Blachly joined in 1970 at age 20, because he was interested in yoga and a healthier lifestyle. He became deeply involved out of a genuine desire for spiritual understanding and personal peace, he said, and a love of music. As a musician, he achieved respected status in the movement, traveling among Sikh communities in the United States and India while learning to play the sitar, mastering tabla (or Indian hand drum), speaking Punjabi and performing at holy shrines across India, including the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

After Yogi Bhajan died in 2004, many of his followers accused him of rape and sexual misconduct. In his book, Blachly, who has two daughters from an arranged marriage through his association with the spiritual leader, accuses him of manipulation, control and financial malfeasance."

New Book: FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE, Religious Fraud, Mental Illness, and the Collapse of Law & Order

"Victims of abuse often feel very alone, helpless, and hopeless.

Author Paulette J. Buchanan takes the reader through her lifetime of abuse at the hands of her four older brothers. She describes their continuation of abuse into their adult years, in part carried out by their weaponization of the court system to file meritless, harassing lawsuits against her, her husband, and against others. Buchanan details the arduous fight in which she and her husband have been forced to engage in order to finally secure long overdue judgments against these brothers."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultEducationEvents.com

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.

Facebook

Flipboard

Twitter

Instagram

Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.

Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

Holy Hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion, and Pure Madness

Holy Hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion, and Pure Madness

"Amma, universally known as "The Hugging Saint," went through a two-decade transformation from a simple fisherman's daughter to an international wonder worshiped by millions. Gail "Gayatri" Tredwell was there every step of the way—from early devotee to head female disciple, ever-present personal attendant, handmaiden, whipping post, and unwilling keeper of some devastating secrets. At age nineteen, when she was a happy-go-lucky, adventurous lass from Australia, Tredwell never imagined that she would soon be trading her free spirit and skimpy clothing for a life of submission in an ankle-length sari. Her eager decision to serve the young "saint" began with innocence and a pure desire to please her new guru. In time, the relationship transformed into virtual enslavement in which Tredwell was on call 24/7 and worked herself nearly to death in the hope of finding God. Because she became fluent in the Malayalam language and had continual intimate proximity to Amma for twenty years, Tredwell is uniquely capable of portraying this famous woman. She tells her tale with straightforward honesty, fairness, and a dash of Aussie snap and wit. Although the guru’s flaws are a necessary part of her story and awakening, she strives to be factual throughout, digging deep to eschew victim frameworks and take responsibility for her own role in accepting the abuse and perpetuating the lies. The book evokes the joys of early devotional life and vibrant images of rural India. Through Tredwell's eyes, we watch a modest and traditional ashram metastasize into a business-oriented, bustling, mega-international organization. We also see how such a dizzying rise created vast opportunity for abuse, deceit, and hypocrisy. Tredwell takes us vividly through her varying stages, starting with naïveté and innocent devotion, then on to dawning awareness and confusion, finally to emotional breakdown and her shocking "enlightenment"—her realization that the liberation she urgently required was is in fact liberation from her own guru. In a gradual yet determined struggle, she managed to untangle herself from the web of myth and indoctrination. Only then was she able to muster her battered but not quite broken spirit and plot her escape. Gail's flight to freedom—her victorious recovery from a life of abuse and disillusionment—displays extraordinary strength and inspiring courage."

Ama Collection

https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Hell-Memoir-Devotion-Madness-ebook/dp/B00GB83S3G

CultNEWS101 Articles: 12/9/2021 (Jehovah's Witnesses, Religious Freedom, Kyrgyzstan, Legal, Amma, Book Review, Love Has Won)

Jehovah's Witnesses, Religious Freedom, Kyrgyzstan, Legal, Amma, Book Review, Love Has Won

RFE/RL: Kyrgyz Court Refuses To Recognize Books Used By Jehovah's Witnesses As 'Extremist'

"A court in Bishkek has refused to deem publications from the Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist, rejecting a step by authorities toward completely outlawing the religious group.

The Birinchi Mai district court in the Kyrgyz capital on December 3 rejected a request by the Prosecutor-General's Office to recognize 11 books, two brochures, and six videotapes belonging to the Jehovah's Witnesses in Kyrgyzstan as extremist.

The materials in question were confiscated in 2019 from the religious group, which has operated in the Central Asian nation for more than 23 years, by the State Committee for National Security (UKMK).

Investigators then concluded that the materials "instigate religious hatred," while the Prosecutor-General's Office asked the court last month to recognize the literature and videotapes as extremist and ban the group's activities in the country."

The Jehovah's Witnesses were officially registered in Kyrgyzstan in 1998. Currently, there are some 5,000 followers of the religious teaching.

The Amma Empire

"Amma, "The Hugging Saint", Mata Amritanandamayi or Amrita, went from a simple Indian fisherman's daughter in the late seventies to an international phenomenon worshiped by millions worldwide.

Jacques Albohair (aka Sarvatma), who belonged to the initial inner circle of disciples in the early eighties, contributed to her early reputation as her first European representative and translator until he quit more than a decade later. He provides a captivating insider testimony of his life as an early disciple and of the development of the organization from the simple "family business" to the "global empire" it has become today.

He delivers a detailed investigative analysis of the philosophy, the ethics, the communication, the practices and the reality of this sprawling organization . He reveals the corruption and deception at the heart of the Amrita-system covering a wide range of fields: economic, fiscal, charitable, educational, sanitary, land and real-estate, ethical and spiritual, in words and deeds. He demonstrates how the guru herself is at the origin of the omnipresent ambiguities and doublespeak. The author's close and intimate personal experience combined with quality testimony, documented evidence and a wealth of sources is nothing short of an eye-opener.

His critical review of the official biography , thanks to his hindsight and experience, is especially enlightening as it lays bare in simple and clear terms the reality of the person, her evolution and realizations.

As a lover of India and a believer of its ancient wisdom, he broadens the debate by clarifying common misunderstandings on some of the founding principles of Hinduism , and explores the criteria of the real spiritual master , of a healthy master-disciple relationship and the means to empower oneself when regaining one's autonomy .

His book caters as well to admirers of India, to cult critics and to devotees in search of answers. In the wake of Gail Tredwell's testimony , Amma's former personal assistant for twenty years, "Holy Hell - A Memoir of Faith, Devotion and Pure Madness" published in 2013, this is the second major critical insider testimony on Amma and her movement .

430 pages, printed and electronic versions available at amazon.com,  amazon.in and other international sites."

The Denver Post: Love Has Won cult leader died from anorexia, substance abuse and colloidal silver use, autopsy report says

"Love Has Won cult leader Amy Carlson died of natural causes after years of alcohol abuse, opioid use, anorexia and chronic ingestion of colloidal silver, a substance that some believe can boost the body's immune system, according to an autopsy report prepared by the El Paso County Coroner's Office.

The report, which was finalized last month, found alcohol, narcotics, marijuana and high levels of silver in the 45-year-old's body. Carlson, who was 5-feet-4-inches tall, weighed 75 pounds when she died, the report said.

The autopsy results were first reported by Guru Mag, an online publication that reports on cults, and were confirmed to The Denver Post by Rising Above Love Has Won, a group that tries to rescue the group's followers.

The autopsy also reported that there were no signs of cancer, despite Carlson's followers saying that she was suffering from it. Her followers, who called Carlson "Mother God," also had said she was paralyzed. Those who follow the cult said there was no sign that she was paralyzed, although the autopsy report does not address that condition."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultEducationEvents.com

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.

Facebook

Flipboard

Twitter

Instagram

Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.

Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

The Amma Empire

The Amma Empire

"Amma, “The Hugging Saint”, Mata Amritanandamayi or Amrita, went from a simple Indian fisherman's daughter in the late seventies to an international phenomenon worshiped by millions worldwide.

Jacques Albohair (aka Sarvatma), who belonged to the initial inner circle of disciples in the early eighties, contributed to her early reputation as her first European representative and translator until he quit more than a decade later. He provides a captivating insider testimony of his life as an early disciple and of the development of the organization from the simple “family business” to the “global empire” it has become today.

He delivers a detailed investigative analysis of the philosophy, the ethics, the communication, the practices and the reality of this sprawling organization . He reveals the corruption and deception at the heart of the Amrita-system covering a wide range of fields: economic, fiscal, charitable, educational, sanitary, land and real-estate, ethical and spiritual, in words and deeds. He demonstrates how the guru herself is at the origin of the omnipresent ambiguities and doublespeak. The author's close and intimate personal experience combined with quality testimony, documented evidence and a wealth of sources is nothing short of an eye-opener.

His critical review of the official biography , thanks to his hindsight and experience, is especially enlightening as it lays bare in simple and clear terms the reality of the person, her evolution and realizations.

As a lover of India and a believer of its ancient wisdom, he broadens the debate by clarifying common misunderstandings on some of the founding principles of Hinduism , and explores the criteria of the real spiritual master , of a healthy master-disciple relationship and the means to empower oneself when regaining one's autonomy .

His book caters as well to admirers of India, to cult critics and to devotees in search of answers. In the wake of Gail Tredwell's testimony , Amma's former personal assistant for twenty years, “Holy Hell - A Memoir of Faith, Devotion and Pure Madness” published in 2013, this is the second major critical insider testimony on Amma and her movement .

430 pages, printed and electronic versions available at amazon.com , amazon.in and other international sites."


https://theammaempire.com/

Sri Ma Anandamayi with Maharishi at the Kumbh Mela, 1965

A short video of Maharishi and Anandamyai Ma sharing the same stage at Kumbha Mela c1965

Maharishi 1981 at ma's ashram?

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
From Ananda Varta, Vol 3 1977

"Maharishi Mahesh Yogi paid a visit to Mataji who received him in the hall in the presence of a fairly large congregation. The Maharshi had brought pandits with him who recited hymns to Devi from various scriptures with remarkable skill and feeling for over an hour. Then Sri Mahesh Yogi talked about his transcendental meditation and his work of spreading it in all countries of the world. Then Sri Ma also had Her say. At the end Kumaris Chhabi Banerji and Pushpa sang exquisite bhajans. The gathering continued until 11.3O p. m. when Sri Mahesh Yogi took his leave, expressing his wish to come for Mataji’s darshana again and again." 

From an unverified report: 
"In 1981 during the Vedic Science course in Delhi, Maharishi sent a large group to the Taj Mahal for a visit. While in Agra, the group heard that the great saint Sri Ananda Mayee Ma was at her place in Vrindavan, which was on the route back to Delhi from Agra. Maharishi enthusiastically said the group should visit her and to take shawls, saris, fruits, garlands, sweets as our gift. The group arrived at twilight and meditated in a group outside her house while waiting for their chance to go up to the roof of the house where she gave darshan. While the group was waiting two giant white birds flew low over her house the celestial quality of the sight made everyone gasp. Dr. Bevan Morris asked the receptionist to inform Sri Ananda Mayee Ma that we were from Maharishi. But the group had to go up in sections of ten as the space was limited. Dr. Morris went up in the last group, and found that Sri Ananda Mayee Ma was sitting deeply withdrawn not paying attention to the people coming and going, and the pile of cloth, flowers, fruit etc. that had been placed in front of her. At that stage she was very elderly, and near the end of her Earth days. It was immediately obvious to Dr. Morris that she had not been told that this was Maharishi's group. He asked the administrator again to please tell Sri Ananda Mayee Ma that these people were sent by Maharishi to see her. The administrator began to speak to her in Bengali and at the point where he said "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi" Sri Ananda Mayee Ma suddenly sat bolt upright and folded her palms together, and then started grabbing fruits and flowers and wrapping them up in packages, and giving them to us to deliver to Maharishi. Then she gave a sublime message of devoted greeting and love to convey to Maharishi. The group upon reaching Delhi delivered this message to Maharishi's great joy. 

On another occasion Maharishi was doing Puja with Sri Ananda Mayee Ma at her place in Haridwar, but finally Maharishi had to go. He told Sri Ananda Mayee Ma, "Ma you stay here and continue, and I will go". She seemed to agree and let him go, but after a few moments got up and followed Maharishi out to the car, walking a little behind him with the sweetness of a small child. There was a mala wala - a garland salesman - with a basket full to the brim with marigold garlands on the street there, and Sri Ananda Mayee Ma pointed to him so that her assistant purchased the whole basket. Then Sri Ananda Mayee Ma took the whole basket to where Maharishi was now sitting in the car, and she tipped the whole basket of garlands through the window into his lap". 

Another unverified report: 
Ma was seated with many devotees in the large hall across the lane from the Ganga side; Maharishi gave a talk to all present not only about Transcendental Meditation but also, I recall, emphasising to Ma’s devotees that such was Ma’s Nature that, if they really wanted to know Her, they needed to transcend, to experience transcendental pure consciousness. Afterwards Ma’s ladies sang very beautifully the Hymn to Narayani from the Durga Saptasati. 
Another occasion: Ma was seated to the right of the deity in the little temple across the lane in Kankhal, with Maharishi seated across from Her. On this occasion, Maharishi and his pundit performed puja and arati to Ma. As Maharishi left, Ma followed him out of the temple with her hands folded in namaskar chanting softly "Namo Narayan, Namo Narayan". Maharishi asked one of his disciples to get some flowers from the flower sellers in the lane. A whole basket was brought and Maharishi walked backwards to his car sprinkling the flowers along the path where Ma walked following him. When Maharishi was about to get into his car, Ma indicated to one of her disciples to get a basket of flowers and tipped the whole basket over Maharishi as he stood there. 
Another story from Farouk Anklisaria, who was an Indian teacher of Transcendental Meditation and a lawyer. Farouk, one day, was arranging a course of instruction in TM for a Justice of the Supreme Court of India. The Justice told Farouk that he was a devotee of Anandamayi Ma and asked if it was still alright that he learned Transcendental Meditation. Farouk told him not to worry since Maharishi and Ma were very good friends. Later, Farouk had the chance to relate this to Maharishi himself. Maharishi swiftly replied: “No, no! Tell him I worship Her!” 


http://www.anandamayi.org/ashram/maheshyogi.htm

A guru's healing touch: My embrace with India's hugging saint

The renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian, Mata Amritanandamayi, is best known for her healing hugs, having embraced a reported 33 million people worldwide. Alison Bone recalls her quest to meet the guru and receive a holy embrace.

Special Broadcasting Service (SBS)
By Alison Bone
17 JAN 2017

It was my first trip to India and I had been lured to Kerala by tales of a pink ashram rising from the jungle, and a female guru known as Amma, who gave loving hugs.

I had never been to an ashram before and arrived at Amritapuri Ashram expecting silence, stillness and smiles. I found a bustling, pastel pink mini metropolis bursting out of the palm groves. Hordes of Indians piled off buses, while westerners sheathed in white swept the pathways.

A pretty and plump woman of diminutive stature with a dazzling smile, Amma, was born into a family of poor fishermen. Ridiculed as a child for her eccentricities and habit of hugging strangers, she has risen to become one of India’s most revered female gurus.

Ridiculed as a child for her eccentricities and habit of hugging strangers, she has risen to become one of India’s most revered female gurus.

Her spiritual teachings of love and peace have struck a chord worldwide, but it’s her unique darshan (giving) in the form of loving hugs, that draws the masses. Around 3,000 people live at the ashram at any one time, and it receives up to 15,000 visitors a day, all drawn to the enigmatic Amma, lovingly referred to as ‘Mother’.

Making my way to the packed auditorium, I joined the queue for a hug. Through the throng I could just make out Amma on the stage, dressed in a white sari and flower garlands. Devotees, both western and Indian, seemed to form a guard around her, and as I finally got close, I overheard two of western women bickering. “It’s my turn to sit next to mother,” one of them said, “you sat next to her yesterday.”

Then it was my turn, and nothing else mattered, as this serene, beautiful woman – who smelled of flowers and seemed oblivious to the madness around her – took me in her arms and gently rocked me.

Hindu teacher Mata Amritanandamayi, UN Gandhi Prize 2002, known worldwide as 'Mother Compassion' hugging local residents in Barcelona, Spain.

She radiated love and I found myself sighing deeply, burrowing into her arms like a child. I felt a little dazed as I walked away. It’s not like the hug changed my life or anything, but to have received such strong, unconditional love from a total stranger was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life, perhaps even a little miraculous.

I was assigned to a bunk room with an elderly German lady who had taken a vow of silence (it said so on her badge) and a rapturous young Swiss woman who spent her time sitting cross legged on the floor, praying to a photo of Amma. There is something about mother,” she told me, “I can’t explain it, but I need to be near her.”



I soon realised that ashram life wasn’t for me. Everyone seemed so sombre and serious, which I found odd when Amma overflowed with joy, but I stayed a few days because I was fascinated. Each afternoon I watched her receive the faithful. Some in wheelchairs, others clutching photos of a loved one. Many wept tears of joy as they stumbled away from her embrace. She hugged for hours without a break and I marvelled at her patience and stamina. How could one woman give so much?

Her answer, “Where there is true love, everything is effortless.”

As is often the way with India's gurus, Amma has attracted some controversy, although far less so than some of her more illustrious counterparts. In her book, Holy Hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion and Pure Madness, ex-disciple, Gail Tredwell, who lived with Amma for 15 years, makes allegations including fits of behind the scenes. The claims have been refuted by the ashram as foundationless, with Ashram representative Sudeep Kumar, stating "the allegations were surprising and defy common logic'.

Anyway, it seems to me that even the most holy and virtuous need to blow off steam sometimes. While the words divine, saint and godly are often used to describe Amma, she is surely a mere mortal and thus subject to human foibles.

Her answer, “Where there is true love, everything is effortless.”

While her hugs seem generous, even life-changing for some, it’s her humanitarian work that is the most tangible. Her network, Embracing the World raises upwards of twenty million dolllars each year through donations and merchandising – from photos of her feet ($50) to her signature perfume. These days you can even order blessings online. The results are staggering; 45,000 houses built across India, 100,000 women helped to start their own businesses, 2.6 million people given free medical care, 1 million trees planted and the list goes on.

After the Boxing Day Tsunami devastated parts of Kerala, Amma’s relief operation was under way within hours, and 46 million dollars eventually channeled to victims. Inspired by Amma’s own selflessness, an army of volunteers, from top level adminstrators all the way down the chain, including westerners, mean that money raised goes direct to the needy.

As Nobel Peace Prize winner, Professor Muhammad Yunus, puts it, “Amma has done more work than many governments have ever done for their people. Her contribution is enormous.”

http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/culture/article/2017/01/12/gurus-healing-touch-my-embrace-indias-hugging-saint?cid=inbody:faith-and-polygamy-which-religions-permit-plural-marriage

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff explains why a Hindu guru and Colin Powell were critical mentors

Richard Feloni
Business Insider
March 3, 2016

Kimberly White/Getty ImagesSalesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff speaks at the 2016 New York Times New Work Summit.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is helping lead a fight against a Georgia religious freedom bill that, if signed into law, will protect certain institutions' ability to deny service to members of the LGBT community.

It's the second time Benioff has gone up against such a bill; he leveraged his business connections to spearhead a boycott against a similar bill in Indiana last March — and won.

Benioff's penchant for activism and charity has been clear since he became Salesforce's founding CEO in 1999.

At the New York Times New Work Summit on Tuesday, Benioff told moderator Jenna Wortham that former Secretary of State Colin Powell inspired him to integrate philanthropy into his company from day one.

He explained that in started in 1996. It was his 10-year anniversary at Oracle, and he was reflecting on his career. While he was a successful executive, he wondered if he would be spending the rest of his life making money for someone else. He told his boss that he needed time off and ended up going on a trip through India with his friend Arjun Gupta, who later became the founder of Telesoft Partners.

In India, he and Gupta met the Hindu guru Mata Amritanandamayi. At one point, Gupta pitched the business idea he was working on. The guru replied: "This is such an exciting vision for the future of the technology industry, but while you work on your career ... don't forget about doing something for others. Don't forget to actually improve the world, as well."

Benioff joked with Wortham at the summit that the message went over his buddy's head, but that in all seriousness, it planted an important seed inside his own head.

Not long after returning home to California, Benioff received a call from a fellow American traveler he met on the trip, inviting him to the President's Summit for America's Future. Held in April 1997, it gathered the five living presidents (with Nancy Reagan representing her ailing husband Ronald) and cultural leaders to promote a movement to help ease the pain of America's destitute youth.

Benioff was in the crowd of around 5,000 people when retired Gen. Powell walked onto the stage to tell everyone they must contribute their time and resources to tackling poverty.

Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesMarc Benioff, Jeff Immelt, and Colin Powell speak at the 2012 Salesforce Dreamforce event.

"How can we fail when we have the kind of commitment we see from our presidents and our political leaders, and our public-spirited leaders, and all the leaders in every institution?"Powell asked the crowd.

Benioff said that as he listened, he was thinking "this is the same exact thing" the guru told his friend.

Back at Oracle, Benioff founded Oracle's Promise, a program to bring computers to schools across the US. It was this program that introduced Benioff to Powell, when Powell called to pledge his support to a middle school in Washington, D.C. Benioff told him that he'd get Oracle employees to help install the 100 computers.

But the employees never showed up. A manager told Benioff over the phone that the combination of the intense heat and the lazy attitude at the end of the quarter must have kept them from pitching in, Benioff told Forbes in 2010. He called Powell to apologize, but Powell said it was no problem. Fifteen minutes later, an Oracle employee who showed up late to help informed Benioff that Powell had brought in a battalion of Marines at the drop of a hat to install the machines.

The Marines' response, when compared to the Oracle employees' response, served as "a seminal moment" in his life, Benioff told Forbes.

It tied back to what he learned from Powell and the guru weeks before.

Two years later, when Benioff decided that he was going to found Salesforce, "In my mind I started thinking, 'OK, is there a model, in the way that I have a technology model and the way that I have a business model, is there a philanthropic, social good model where I can integrate the culture?" he told Wortham.

He decided to do so with the "1/1/1" model, where 1% of profits, 1% of equity, and 1% of employees' time would go to the office's community. Building philanthropy into the business allowed these values to scale, even as it became a global company with 20,000 employees.

In 2003, President George W. Bush made Benioff co-chair of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee, and Benioff came to know Powell personally. Powell became a mentor to him, and in 2014 Powell joined Salesforce's board, tying things full circle.

You can see the full New Work Summit interview below.

http://www.businessinsider.com/marc-benioff-colin-powell-advice-salesforce-2016-3

Not warming up to BJP, says Mata Amritanandamayi

September 12, 2015
Onmanorama Staff

Kollam: Spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi on Friday said she was not warming up to BJP or any other political party and her wish is only to establish 'dharma'.

Amritanandamayi, popularly addressed as 'Amma' by her followers, was talking to reporters after handing over a cheque of Rs 100 crore to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for the construction of toilets under the Namami Gange and Swachh Bharat programmes.

Asked whether the Amritanandamayi mutt was moving close to BJP-led NDA government, she said, party or government is irrelevant to her.

"As far as I am concerned, it is not politics or government that concerns me. What is important to me is to establish dharma irrespective of governments," she said.

However, she wanted everybody to work together to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat dream.

Amritanandamayi said she wanted all states, through which the river Ganga flows, to ensure that the effluents from the factories were not discharged into the river before being treated and to create awareness among local people on the necessity of using toilets.

She said the mutt donated Rs 100 crore for the ambitious programmes based on her meeting with Modi in March this year.

"This project will provide much-needed amenities to those who truely need them. Along with toilet construction, education is also required. The villagers need to be taught that open defecation leads to water and soil pollution," she said.

The mutt would also donate another Rs 100-crore for the construction of toilets across Kerala, she added.

http://english.manoramaonline.com/news/politics/not-warming-up-to-bjp-says-mata-amritanandamayi.html

Amma denies charges, Chandy backs her but Pinarayi seeks probe

Shaju Philip
financialexpress.com
Feb. 23 2014

SUMMARY

As the CPI(M) and Congress joined the debate over the allegations raised against her ashram by a former aide, spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi on Saturday said attempts were on to foment trouble after unleashing communal sentiments.

As the CPI(M) and Congress joined the debate over the allegations raised against her ashram by a former aide, spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi on Saturday said attempts were on to foment trouble after unleashing communal sentiments.

Why is the media silent about the new book on Mata Amritanandamayi?

G Pramod Kumar
Feb. 21, 2014

firstpost.com

Kerala’s biggest spiritual discovery - the hugging saint Mata Amritanandamayi - and her establishment could have been at the centre of a messy controversy, if the state’s media had not looked the other way when an old disciple published a book with scandalous details.

The state, which has a newspaper readership totalling nearly 80 per cent of its population and a dozen TV channels, remained mostly cold and indifferent to the scandalous book - “Holy Hell - a Memoir of Faith, Devotion and Pure Madness”. The saint's detractors and rationalists, however, went to town with it on social media. The free download links to the book, written by Gail Tredwell, an Australian who spent 20 years at the saint's ashram, multiplied on Facebook and discussions - mostly critical of her establishment - raged in cyberspace.

Perhaps this is the first time that a major controversy involving one of the most prominent figures in the state has been set off and sustained by the social media while the conventional media avoided it like plague. While the mainstream print media almost entirely blacked out the development, only three TV channels - two independent groups and one affiliated to a Muslim establishment - dared to discuss the issue. Justifiably, the media’s silence on the issue is also a raging discussion in social media. 

Holy Hell: The Inside Story of Amma, The Hugging Saint Revealed in New Book by former Personal Assistant

KIHEI, Hawaii, Dec. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- An Indian woman profiled in publications across the globe, Mata "Amma" Amritanandamayi, is referred to as a saint by many, with her hugs believed to cure cancer and other diseases. Thousands line up, often waiting hours to be hugged and blessed by the godly woman.

However, a different portrait is painted of Amma in the new book Holy Hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion, and Pure Madness, written by the guru's former personal assistant, Gail "Gayatri" Tredwell. The true picture is far different from the facade of beloved holy woman that the public sees.

After becoming Amma's personal assistant in India at the age of 21, Tredwell never realized that her quest to find God would end in such a web of deceit and abuse. For two decades, Tredwell acted as Amma's personal servant, expected to be available at the "saint's" disposal at all hours.

Holy Hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion, and Pure Madness depicts an unsettling portrait of Amma in a voice that brims with honesty and hope. Tredwell became fluent in the Malayalam language and was with Amma continuously. The author shares her unique story, keeping to the facts yet taking responsibility for her own role in the situation.

Readers will become familiar with the ashram through the images that the book evokes of rural India. They will also see the ashram's meteoric rise from religious community to mega-empire, completely business-minded and rife with hypocrisy.
Tredwell leads readers through the stages of her servitude to Amma, beginning with the early years fraught with innocent devotion, then to the developing awareness of the severity of her situation, until at last she realizes her needed liberation is not from God, but rather from Amma.

Only after years of recovery and reflection has Tredwell been able to reveal this story in all its raw and unflinching truth. Holy Hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion, and Pure Madness is now available on Amazon.com in both Kindle and paperback editions, and available as an e-book via several other online retailers.