Quotes by Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi)

Love

"In this universe it is love that binds everything together. Love is the very foundation, beauty and fulfillment of life.'

'When love overflows and is expressed through every word & deed, we call it Compassion. That is the goal of religion.'

Nearer than the Nearest:

'Children, you may search for God everywhere, but you won't find Him because He is closer to you than you could ever imagine. He appears to be far away, only for as long as you remain, ignorant. Remove your ignorance, wake up and be aware; then you will realize that God is 'nearer than the nearest.' Amma, Awaken Children

The Infinite Power of the Self

Mother Amma once said,

'Once you are established in the state of no-mind, no one can do anything to you, unless you consciously let them do it. You can allow something to happen or not to happen. Whether it happens or not, you remain a witness - completely untouched and unpeturbed, ever established in the state of supreme detachment.

Suppose someone wants to harm you or even kill you. They cannot lift a finger against you if you do not permit it. As long as your sankalpa (resolve) is there, nothing they do can affect you. They will in some mysterious way always fail. Finally they might reach the conclusion that something, some divine power, is protecting you. But this power is the infinite power of the Self, it is not some power that comes from outside. The source of this power is within you. You become that infinite power.

When you are egoless you are everything. The entire universe is with an enlightened being. Even the animals, trees, mountains and rivers, and the sun and the moon and the stars are on the side of the Self-Realized soul - because in that state you are ego less. When you bow down before all existence, in utter humility, the universe (existence) bows doen to you and serves you. But remember that you can also command them to turn against you, because, either way you are not affected."

Awaken Children Volume VII

To know the Self, one should starve the ego

Many yoga techniques / paths to enlightenment help to control and dissolve ego.

"An ordinary devotee wants to keep his ego, whereas a true devotee wants to die to his ego so that he can live in consciousness or in pure innocent love. Dying to the ego makes you immortal. Death of the ego leads you to deathlessness. When the ego dies you live eternally in bliss'

Amma, from Awaken, Childen

'The ego is an illusion with no existence of its own. It appears to be real because of the power it derives from self.'

'Stop supporting the ego, and it will withdraw and disappear'

'A dog wags its tail - the tail does not wag the dog. The same is true with the mind. The mind or the ego, should be nothing more than a useful tool - don't let yourself be ruled by whims and fancies of the mind'

Above from - Amma, from Awaken, Childen

"People are only intent on feeding the ego. They never think of knowing the Self. To know the Self, one should starve the ego. But unfortunately, most people cannot starve the ego. Instead, they cling to it, ever increasingly. The predominant tendency in human beings is to attract as much attention as possible. They want to be praised and recognized, believing that it is their birthright. This is all food for the ego which thrives on attention. How are you going to know the Self if your ego is constantly craving attention?"

Mata Amritanandamayi

The inner Truth cannot be realized unless the ego dies "The ego is the greatest obstacle on your path towards the Truth. The ego has no real existence of its own, for the mind and the ego are false. At present we are under the impression that the mind and ego are our friends, but they are only misleading us, taking us away from our true nature. The mind and the ego have no power of their own; the source of their power is derived from the Atman, our real existence. The Atman is our true Master. But we are presently being controlled and misguided by false masters, namely, the mind and the ego. Not only do they delude us, they also cover the face of our real nature. Know this and try to come out of the limited shell of your mind and ego. The seedling cannot emerge and grow into a large tree unless the outer shell breaks and dies. Likewise, the inner Truth cannot be realized, unless the ego dies."

Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma)

 

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