It was almost three years ago, on September 2006, that by chance I heard a talk given by Swami Paramahamsa Nithyananda at a Hindu cultural program held in Cupertino, CA. It was in a relatively small auditorium and he – although obviously well-respected and revered – showed up with not much more fanfare than any of the other speake [...]
Posts in category Amma
Paramahamsa Nithyanada Grows in Popul...
It was almost three years ago, on September 2006, that by chance I heard a talk given by Swami Paramahamsa Nithyananda at a Hindu cultural program held in Cupertino, CA. It was in a relatively small auditorium and he – although obviously well-respected and revered – showed up with not much more fanfare than any of the other speake [...]
Journey into Spirit Time with the Hug...
Imagine being transported from your everyday life to another world filled with magic and mystery. There are places in the world that offer that type of experience – Machu Picchu in Peru, Jerusalem, the pyramids of Eqypt, places loaded with spiritual and religious history. While I have yet to visit those places, I consider myself fortuna [...]
Crawling Up to the Hugging Guru
It’s just a hug.
So why take a long drive? Why endure the crowds?
It’s just a hug.
[This is the third in a three-part series about my first visit to see the Mata Amritanandamayima, also known as the "Hugging Guru" or "Hugging Saint". Be sure to read parts I and II.]
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Two Very Different Reactions to Chant...
[This is part II of a three-part series. Be sure to read part I.]
When my family and I arrived at the temple at the Mata Amritanandamayi’s ashram in San Ramon, a member greeted us and asked if we were first timers. We said yes, then she placed colored dots on our clothing as an indication of our “status”. There is definitely [...]
Four In, One Out: On the Way to Meet ...
It was just supposed to be an interesting outing, something you do on a Sunday afternoon with your family – maybe a little something different. But when my family agreed to indulge Dad on Father’s day by going to see a Hindu woman who is known for giving free hugs, no one had any idea what they were in for – including myself [...]
Are There Really Enlightened Beings?
I was working on a post about my experiences visiting a Hindu saint known as Mata Amritanandamayi or Amma, and I realized that first I needed to address the reasons for making such visits. Well, as I opened the Sunday newspaper today, an article in the main section jumped out at me, “Trying to Explain a Brush with the Divine“, and [...]