Customer Reviews

Messages from Amma: In the Language of the Heart

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"Spiritual practice doesn't mean sitting in lotus position with your eyes closed, but also serving the suffering, offering a consoling smile and loving words." --Amma

For the past 30 years, Amma has dedicated her life to the uplifting of suffering humanity through the simplest of gestures - an embrace. In this intimate manner Amma had blessed and consoled more than 21 million people throughout the world. Over time, Amma's popularity has risen to the point where in India she has been known to individually hug over 18,000 people in one day, sitting sometimes for over 20 hours. She travels all around the world to receive all her children around the globe.

When asked, Amma says that her religion is love and service. Ever since she was a young girl, she would meditate and sing beautiful songs to the Lord, often slipping into God-intoxicated states. Because she was born with dark skin and acted "un-childlike" with her intense spiritual devotion, she was viewed by her parents as inferior to other children. Some villagers called her "crazy girl". She served the elderly, the poor and sick neighbors with love and care. Her parents were horrified to see her mingle with untouchables and forbade her to give away any more of their food, but she continued to do so despite their punishments.

As an adult, Amma has inspired innumerable humanitarian activities all over the world. Some of these outreaches include free food and clothing programs, charitable hospitals, hospices, disaster relief programs, free homes for the poor and the needy, medical camps, orphanages, schools, educational institutions, free legal advice, preservation of nature and so on. The list is long and growing everyday, and in 2002, Amma was awarded the Gandhi-King Award for Non-violence.

In 1990, psychiatrist Dr. Janine Canan met with Amma and, with Amma's blessing, began collecting quotations from Amma's public talks, personal dialogues and songs. Messages from Amma: In the Language of the Heart is the result of Dr. Canan's compilation and translation, and features the beautiful, inspiring, and healing words of this living saint. Photos of Amma are also shown throughout this 176-page book.

Here are some selected quotes from Messages From Amma:

Nurturing Energy

Man egotistically claims
he can push a button
and burn the world to ash
when he doesn't understand
the power that moves his own finger.
We must return to the world
the nurturing energy of the feminine.

Never Blame

If you fall into a hole,
you don't poke out your eyes
because they have failed you.
Why not tolerate other's faults as well?
When you hurt your hand
you don't reproach it,
you apply medicine and nurse it with care.
So too should we care for others
never blaming them for their faults.

Beloved Deity

Meditating on a divine form will help you
develop concentration and mental purity.
The pure aspect of your beloved divinity
will grow within you without your realizing it.
Love for a formless God rarely develops
as easily as for a God you can visualize.
Following the path of knowledge without love
and devotion is like eating stones.
Formless all-powerful God readily assumes a form
for the sake of the devotee.
With complete faith and confidence
in your beloved deity, you will reach the goal.

I found this 176-paged book uplifting, comforting, and profoundly insightful. If you enjoy meditative quotes, spiritual poems, and wise sayings, you'll enjoy Messages from Amma: In the Language of the Heart.

This beautifully illustrated book introduces Ammachi, the "Hugging Saint" of South India. She's very accurately been described as "a supernova of spirituality" and "an incarnation of unconditional love." Messages from Amma is filled with wise and inspiring quotes from this remarkable woman, who may well be the greatest saint of our era. Very highly recommended!

When reading Messages from Amma, one is compelled to believe that both the original words of Amma and the powerful, poetic translation of those words by Janine Canan are inspired. The book conveys so beautifully and succinctly the spiritual depths of Amma, an amazing 21st Century saint. Janine Canan has succeeded in collecting, translating, and organizing Amma's teachings in a way which does truly speak to the heart -- and the soul. The thematic organization makes this beautifully illustrated book useful for both spiritual nourishment and meditation. Especially powerful are the sections on Surrendering the Ego and Seeing the Good. Nowhere has Amma's message of love been presented more powerfully. No matter what your faith, if you have faith at all, you'll find this book inspirational.

MESSAGES FROM AMMA is stunning and powerful. Amma's words have given me new insight in looking at the world through the eyes of a modern-day saint. Vibrant photos, reflecting Amma's happiness, are sprinkled throughout the book. Janine Canan has given the world a wonderful gift!

Constantly she has uttered That pure wisdom since early childhood. She is all loving, caring and soothing. How to add anything to her words? She is not a human!

I have enjoyed this book for all its messages of love and beauty. It is simple to pick up and just read a couple thoughts to carry with me during the day, or carry me off to sleep.

WHAT A WONDERFUL BOOK. EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT. MAYBE WE COULD CHANGE THE WORLD IF EVERYONE FOLLOWED HER IDEAS.

First a little hyperbole on my part: Mother could write a book on underwater basket weaving and I would buy, read and cherish it. Why? Very simple; Mother not only talks the talk, She walks the walk!!! I certainly have read the accounts and didactic writings of numerous other masters, but beloved Amma is in a class by Herself (so to speak.) Mother is infinite, unconditional love in action! The trick, I think, is to see our Selves AND each other as Amma devotes see Her! That would be a breakthrough. Now, on with the review! This book shouldn't be read, it should be studied and poured over; for every sentence is rife with joy, love, wisdom and Ammachi. 5 Stars for the book and a million, billion Stars for Our Mother.

This is a nice book to keep on your nightstand. I like to refer to it whenever I am in need of a boost or reminder of the goodness of life, and it is always uplifting. She is so wonderful.