Hinduism: Details about 'Mata Amritanandamayi'
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Mātā Amṛtānandamayī Devi(माता अमृतानन्दमयी), also known as 'Amma', 'Ammachi' or 'Mother' (born September 27, 1953), was born Sudhamani in the small village of Parayakadavu, near Kollam, Kerala. She is widely respected as a loving humanitarian and revered by some as a mahatma (great soul) and a living saint. Sudhamani was born to a family of fisher folks. Her schooling ended when she was nine and began to take care of her younger siblings and the family domestic work full-time. From these humble beginnings started the journey of a young woman on the path to 'universal motherhood', which took her to the United Nations General Assembly, where she addressed the world.
Rise to fameHer devotees claim that she had many mystical experiences as a child. Since 1981, she has been teaching spiritual aspirants all over the world. She founded a worldwide organization, the Mata Amritanandamayi Mission Trust, which is engaged in many spiritual and charitable activities. International events
RecognitionIn 1993, she was one of the three people who represented Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago. Amritanandamayi was the keynote speaker at The Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders, at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland held in October 2002. This was an initiative of the UN' Millennium World Peace Summit, in which Amritanandamayi spoke in August 2000. In 2002 too, Amritanandamayi was presented with the Gandhi-King Award for Non-Violence by The World Movement for Nonviolence at the UN General Assembly Hall (Palais Des Nations) in Geneva in recognition of her lifelong work in furthering the principles of non-violence. The three previous recipients of the award were Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, and primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall. Inner circleThe first set of monastic disciples of Amritanandamayi came to her in the late 1970s. Today, they as well as other disciples and devotees lookafter the ashram's multifacial activities. The first disciple to be initiated as a sanyasi was Swami Amritaswarupananda. Others senior disciples are Swami Turiyamritananda, Swami Ramakrishnananda, Swami Purnamritananda and Swami Amritatmananda. The Ashram is now known as Amritapuri. DarshansAmritanandamayi is known to the world media as 'the hugging saint'. She offers warm hugs to everyone who approaches her and in India she has been known to individually hug over 50,000 people in a day, sitting sometimes for over 20 hours. Amritanandamayi travels all around the world, and is said to have hugged at least 22 million people in the past 30 years. "Darshan – The Embrace", a film on the life of Amritanandamayi has been officially selected for showcasing at the prestigious 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Jan Kounen, an award winning filmmaker who was born in Netherlands and is based in France, directed the film. Manuel De La Roche of France, is the producer. Jan Kounen and his crew began shooting the footage for the movie in 2003 during Amritavarsham50 , Amritanandamayi's 50th birthday celebrations in Kochi. The team also traveled with Amritanandamayi on her Indian and International tours in order to complete the movie. About the film, Kounen says, "when I first took up the project and started filming, I thought, 'Amma is a good person, doing good things, in turn I can do something good for Her'. But as it went on, I realized, no, I am the one who is receiving the gift". BhajansAmritanandamayi is also well known for her soul stirring singing. Bhajans, or Indian devotional chants are a big part of the Ashram and Amritanandamayi herself joins the daily chanting when she is at the ashram. She has sang in over 30 different languages. Up from her early childhood she has composed hundreds of bhajans. The senior swamis are accomplished musicians in both vocal and instrumental areas of music. Humanitarian activitiesMata Amritanandamayi Math executes various charitable and humanitarian projects. Examples include a program to build 100,000 homes for the poor; hospitals; orphanages; hospices; women's shelters; pension disbursements for widows; community aid centers; homes for the aged; eye clinics; and speech therapy centers. Many of Amma's centers in the US run 'Mother's Kitchen', or 'vegetarian soup-kitchens', where volunteers prepare and serve meals to the poor and needy. Recently, Mata Amritanandamayi Math announced a billion rupees (23 million dollars) in aid to the victims of the 2004 tsunami. The Math's relief work is happening in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andaman & Nicobar islands and in Sri Lanka. In September 2005, Mata Amritanandamayi donated one million dollars to the victims of Hurricane Katrina that ravaged the United States. She also sent a top aide to the devastated areas soon after the storm struck in the United States to assess the kind of help needed by victims. In October 2005, thousands of blankets were sent and distributed to the survivors of the Kashmir and Pakistan earthquake. MiraclesMany of Amritanandamayi's followers believe in her powers to perform miracles. For instance, she mentioned in an interview given to The Week (Kottayam, Kerala, September 21, 2003) that she is often asked by her devotees to perform miracles. She goes on to say that water was miraculously changed to panchamrutham (a sweet often prepared for Hindu religious ceremonies) in her presence and that her devotees were able to light lamps out of conches filled with water. Hearing of such miracles causes many people to become skeptical of her powers while it fuels more devotion in others. CriticismAmritanandamayi, her followers and their activities have not been above criticism. Many writers and social activists (mainly rationalists and atheists) have expressed doubts about her divine powers. Her critics also allege that the ashram authorities counter criticism with threats. An example is the threats said to have been received by Paul Zacharia, a well known Malayalam writer, for writing a critical essay in a journal published from Kerala. An book by rationalist writer Sreeni Pattathanam (see references) was published in 1985 which talks of suspicious deaths reported from the precincts of her ashram which he says need investigation. ControversiesThese are described in detail by Sreeni Pattathanam Sreeni Pattathanam. He has written a book, Matha Amritanandamayi: Divya Kathakalum Yatharthyavum (Matha Amritanandamayi: Sacred Stories and Realities), first published in 1985, that later became controversial and brought the threat of legal action from one resident of the ashram against the author. The book, which contains references to court records, newspaper reports and quotations from well-known literary figures, including statements from the Mata’s close relatives, as well as an interview with Mata Amritanandamayi herself, refutes the Mata’s claims to miracles and contends that there have been many suspicious deaths in and around her ashram, which need police investigation. The book's claims notwithstanding, no evidence of foul play has been found by any governmental agency. Political connectionsThe critics allege that the activities of Amritanandamayi ashram are slowly coming under the control of right wing Hindu outfits. Religion under Globalisation, an essay published in (March 27, 2004), allege that Amrithavarsham 50 (Amma's 50th Birthday celebrations) was hijacked by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and affiliated organizations. While inaugurating her birthday celebrations on September 23, 2003, L.K. Advani, then Home Minister of India, said that the spiritual strength of a country was more important than its advances in the fields of agriculture, industry or knowledge. See also
References
Mata Amritanandamayi Mata Amritananda Mayi
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