The past few days have been a total roller coaster! I've been uplifted, confounded, dumbfounded, confused, angered - and everything in between! Being here - and being so immersed in meditation & spirituality is most certainly bringing a lot of stuff up to the surface for me to work on - and there's no two ways about it! It's wonderful - exactly what I came out here for.
On Sunday Amma, the guru who established the ashram, arrived. Whether or not you believe in gurus, Amma has been responsible for a huge amount of humanitarian work throughout India & the world. She did so much to help after the tsunami hit and has also overseen much relief and aid work in Haiti & New Orleans. Educating the poor of India is also high on her list of priorities and she has given many, many forgotten people out here a chance of life. It's amazing, awe-inspiring to see how much positive impact the vision of just one human being has had on this world. It just goes to show that what you can achieve is truly limitless when your heart is in the right place.
Amma is also quite famous for giving hugs. It is said that in receiving a hug from Amma, you are in actual fact ridding yourself of thousands of years of karma & freeing up your energy, thus allowing yourself to live in alignment to your highest good. To some this may seem a far-fetched fairy tale, to others it is a most sacred gift, bestowed upon us by a higher, Divine being. Speaking from personal experience, her hugs definitely have a very profound effect - and my gentle suggestion to you would be this: if you feel inclined to scoff at it, push your comfort zone & go see her the next time she's in London...then draw your judgement from your own experience.
I must admit, being around such a highly revered being and her followers is quite a surreal experience in itself. Some of the people here are so desperate to get close to her - to touch her or have her look into their eyes. I respect Amma & the work she does - and the talks she has been giving have been absolutely wonderful, but it does seem that there are many individuals who almost expect Amma to miraculously relieve them of their suffering. In my opinion, one can look to a guru for guidance, but the work has to come from within you. You are the only person who can alleviate your suffering - or to put it another way - you have to choose happiness. Needless to say, this is not always the easiest thing to achieve!
There also seems to exist a rather large contradiction between Amma - who's message is one of love & acceptance - and some of the individuals who have chosen to give up their lives and live in the ashram. Some of the people here seem to me to be miserable, despondent and incredibly lost. For sure, ashram life cannot be easy - and indeed, some of these people may have been running away from terrible lives, but I find it hard to fathom the dichotomy that exists between the guru and some of her devotees. I guess my viewpoint on this topic provides me with more matter that I can work on.
Whilst all the spirituality & pensive pondering is a pleasure, at times I do feel a little overwhelmed - yesterday I was ready to pack my bags & head for the nearest bikini-friendly beach, but I came here for a reason and I owe it to myself to stay, despite however much of a challenge it may be. In my own words, I did come here to pick myself apart & put myself back together again...so I'm getting exactly what I asked for! It was therefore a very welcome treat to take a break from ashram life for a couple of hours. I gathered a lovely little group of my favourite girls together & we took a short bus ride to 'Dolphin Beach' to sit on the rocks & watch the dolphins jumping around in the ocean. It was such a pleasure to see these beautiful creatures playing wild and free. We stayed to watch the sun set, then headed back to the ashram. I'm making some wonderful friends here - the sorts of friends I hope to have contact with for many years to come.
On Sunday Amma, the guru who established the ashram, arrived. Whether or not you believe in gurus, Amma has been responsible for a huge amount of humanitarian work throughout India & the world. She did so much to help after the tsunami hit and has also overseen much relief and aid work in Haiti & New Orleans. Educating the poor of India is also high on her list of priorities and she has given many, many forgotten people out here a chance of life. It's amazing, awe-inspiring to see how much positive impact the vision of just one human being has had on this world. It just goes to show that what you can achieve is truly limitless when your heart is in the right place.
Amma is also quite famous for giving hugs. It is said that in receiving a hug from Amma, you are in actual fact ridding yourself of thousands of years of karma & freeing up your energy, thus allowing yourself to live in alignment to your highest good. To some this may seem a far-fetched fairy tale, to others it is a most sacred gift, bestowed upon us by a higher, Divine being. Speaking from personal experience, her hugs definitely have a very profound effect - and my gentle suggestion to you would be this: if you feel inclined to scoff at it, push your comfort zone & go see her the next time she's in London...then draw your judgement from your own experience.
I must admit, being around such a highly revered being and her followers is quite a surreal experience in itself. Some of the people here are so desperate to get close to her - to touch her or have her look into their eyes. I respect Amma & the work she does - and the talks she has been giving have been absolutely wonderful, but it does seem that there are many individuals who almost expect Amma to miraculously relieve them of their suffering. In my opinion, one can look to a guru for guidance, but the work has to come from within you. You are the only person who can alleviate your suffering - or to put it another way - you have to choose happiness. Needless to say, this is not always the easiest thing to achieve!
There also seems to exist a rather large contradiction between Amma - who's message is one of love & acceptance - and some of the individuals who have chosen to give up their lives and live in the ashram. Some of the people here seem to me to be miserable, despondent and incredibly lost. For sure, ashram life cannot be easy - and indeed, some of these people may have been running away from terrible lives, but I find it hard to fathom the dichotomy that exists between the guru and some of her devotees. I guess my viewpoint on this topic provides me with more matter that I can work on.
Whilst all the spirituality & pensive pondering is a pleasure, at times I do feel a little overwhelmed - yesterday I was ready to pack my bags & head for the nearest bikini-friendly beach, but I came here for a reason and I owe it to myself to stay, despite however much of a challenge it may be. In my own words, I did come here to pick myself apart & put myself back together again...so I'm getting exactly what I asked for! It was therefore a very welcome treat to take a break from ashram life for a couple of hours. I gathered a lovely little group of my favourite girls together & we took a short bus ride to 'Dolphin Beach' to sit on the rocks & watch the dolphins jumping around in the ocean. It was such a pleasure to see these beautiful creatures playing wild and free. We stayed to watch the sun set, then headed back to the ashram. I'm making some wonderful friends here - the sorts of friends I hope to have contact with for many years to come.
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