Friday morning, October 24
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Thirty minutes of silence were followed by thirty minutes of Q&A. Amma spoke of illness and karma as belonging only to the body — never to who we truly are. The suffering comes the moment we identify with this body as ‘I am this.’
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— Silence of 30 minutes —
The first question was asked in Tamil.
AMMA: It is not possible to have a family and then be totally dispassionate. But there you can have devotion and surrender. Of course, it is not much possible — but for some, of course, it just comes.
Total dispassion, virakti, that comes only to somebody who is a total renunciate. But for the one who has the prarabdha of supporting a family and living a normal life, they should at least have devotion — because that is the way. Whatever your prarabdha or your karma, surrender it. Perform it and finish it with devotion and surrender, so that the ego cannot exist.
So virakti is total renunciation — that is the ultimate. But it is not possible for all. The same end can be reached through bhakti — that means saranagati, surrender.
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Question: In the West there is a strong focus on bodywork — psychotherapy, soma therapy, and related healing practices. Yet spiritual teachings say the body itself is only a projection — sensations arising and passing — made up of past samskaras. As a bodyworker, how can one work with others who strongly identify with a diagnosis or illness, like cancer?
AMMA: No one can go beyond their karma. The actions we have performed have brought this body. And whatever we do now will create the next. What freedom we have is to live a disciplined life right now. Nothing can be done about the past — it is already done, finished. Whatever happens with this body, we have to experience. When a disease comes, we say, ‘It has come.’ Nothing can be done.
But right now, if you live a disciplined and pure life, that will bring the right future. Once something has happened, prarabdha is not known to anyone. So once it happens, you must accept it — and go beyond the body to Realise who you are. Because you are not the body. The identity with the body creates the reality of it.
Question: So when you experience the Self as not being the body, does the disease go away — even for some time?
AMMA: No, nothing like that. Even the greatest saints — they had problems with their bodies. Many of them, even Maharshi — they all went through bodily difficulties. But they knew what they were is not the body. They had gone beyond identification with the body. And it teaches everyone who has a problem: you can see that this is the time not to identify — to know, ‘It is not me who is suffering.’
Question: Once, when I was sitting with a Zen master, I had a big knee problem. He was in samadhi, and I was sitting with him. Suddenly, there was no knee — nothing — just spacious. And when I came back from that state, the pain was gone.
AMMA: That’s good. (gentle laughter across the hall)
Question: Hence my question — does samadhi have any benefit on the body?
AMMA: Of course. It takes you beyond the body and makes you realise who you are. In samadhi, there is no sense of the body — you forget the body, forget the pain, everything. In that state, yes. But that samadhi doesn’t come just like that. You cannot take a pill and go to samadhi — it is not possible. It is divine grace.
The one who went to the Zen master — that was a happening. It doesn’t happen to everyone who goes. Somebody once came to Ramana and asked, ‘Can you touch me and give me nirvikalpa samadhi?’ That’s how Vivekananda received it from Sri Ramakrishna. But Ramana asked, ‘Are you Vivekananda?’
So the question comes that both must gel — it’s a happening, not something that can be produced. Not every jnani can give samadhi to everyone — it is not possible. Sometimes it happens by grace — not by anyone’s will. You cannot make it, or trick it. It is beyond logic.
But it is true — samadhi is beyond the body. In that state, you experience peace; there is no suffering. You Realise, ‘This is my true state. The body is not real.’
Later, if you have a prarabdha to go through bodily experiences, you may still go through them — but with knowledge that ‘I am not this.’ You already know what you are. With ignorance, you suffer. With identity, you suffer.
But once that knowledge dawns, there is no suffering in it. From the Supreme point of view, there is no body, no disease, no doctor to cure it. Who is there? If there is no body, then where is the cure? Why is there a cure? It’s all part of the lie — yet we live and eat in that lie. This whole story happens — but the story itself is false.
That doesn’t mean you don’t go to a doctor. You do whatever is needed right now, to make it comfortable. There is no need to suffer unnecessarily. We should do the maximum in that discipline so that we have no problems with it.
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The next question was read by an aide:
Question: The beauty is in everything and everywhere. With the right tuning in meditation, it can be experienced fully. Peace, devotion, love, faith, harmony, grace — are these like fields we must tune into? To vibrate with them and live without new attachments? Why do we look to benefit from others, instead of tuning directly to those fields?
AMMA: So many questions! (laughter) What is this? Is there any one question before us? I’ll attend one by one, maybe.
Question: First — are peace, devotion, love, faith, harmony, grace fields that we must tune into?
AMMA: The beauty is nothing other than your Self. The Self is beauty. The Self is love. The Self is harmony. The Self is grace. What else was in your list? Faith, devotion — all that is there. If you go deep into that — into meditation, into that state of being — you will experience all of it as One, not as many. Soundaryam — beauty — is only the Self. The Self is love. Next (question)!
Question: Why does one seek benefit from others, instead of tuning directly to these fields?
AMMA: Yes, yes, you can. But where are the others, you tell me? If you see the Self — and that Self alone exists everywhere — then where are the others? Still, it is good to be in that state, not depending much on others, because that provides everything.
Everything is already there. If you are in touch with the centre, all things come to you. You don’t need to beg for anything — not even materially. Not even for care or love — you don’t have to beg for it. Everything is there.
It is the ultimate fulfilment. One has to experience it. If there is such a possibility, we should. Those who have gone deeply into that state know it — with no seeming support, things come. Because the Self is all and everything — it alone exists.
Even the helping hand of another is the Self. But for that, we must depend totally on that, svaashraya, Self-dependence. Then we will experience it.
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Question: In the West, there’s an idea that gods and goddesses — like in Greek mythology — are archetypes. Carl Jung said they represent certain energies. But in India, reading Ramana Maharshi, he says puja, mantra, japa — all these are to make the mind one-pointed, so it can Realise the Self. So my question is: is it necessary to do puja? Can one just walk on the beach and enjoy the waves, without all these rituals from the Vedas?
AMMA: See, the Vedas have two parts – one is puja and ritual, the other is Vedanta. The end of the Veda, the ultimate Veda — is Vedanta.
Vedanta is the supreme knowledge of who you are. The ritualistic part is the karmic part — the duties performed as karma. A householder should do puja and all that; for each thing it is prescribed. That is the karmic part.
Vedanta is the supreme knowledge — to Realise who you are. The one who is already matured enough for that knowledge can receive it, wherever they are. That is the ultimate truth. It’s not necessary that everyone must do rituals to attain the Supreme — no. Those serve another purpose; they are not to do with the Supreme.
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Question: I have some neurological challenges — it affects my focus in meditation. The more I try to focus on one point, the more the (leg and arm) shaking increases. If I soften and relax, it’s easier. Do you have any ideas for calming or working with these new challenges?
AMMA: Even my hands go wherever they want — they don’t stay in one place! What can I do? Even Ramana Maharshi had nerve problems (Amma said, pointing towards her ear). He used to have this. But in meditation or focus — see, come to the knowledge, go beyond the body, and abide as the truth. Whatever has to go, will go by itself. More than doing something for the body, do something for your Self — your soul.
No need to focus on it. Let it be as it is. And who knows — sometimes it just goes by itself. Put your attention more on the pure Self. Do whatever you can do.
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Question: What is the right action to take at any given moment?
AMMA: Act without an actor. That is the right action.
Question: How to act without acting?
AMMA: Find out who the actor is — who claims to be. If _he_ is not there, your action is perfect.
In fact, there is no action that is right or wrong here. If we speak of action at all, it is only about intention.
Amma concluded the morning with five minutes of silence.