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Amma: Healing the Heart of the World
Looks at the life of Ammachi, Mother of Immortal Bliss, also known as the "hugging saint," who spends her time offering strangers comfort and peace, and details her divine calling.
271 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 3, 2025
I first met Amma in 1989 and followed her around for a few years, so already knew much of the content in Amma. Also, part of what’s most meaningful to me was left out. My rating started out as 3 stars, as the beginning was somewhat elementary. Then author Cornell added background about other saints and Hindu practices. She detailed how Amma created a state-of-the-art hospital in a place where it seemed impossible. She described her own challenging experiences on tour with Amma in India. My rating went up to 3.5. I pushed it up to 4 when I was able to track down an old heartthrob from back in the day with information from the book. The Lord works in mysterious ways, LOL!
In addition to biographical information, the book places Amma into spiritual context by describing the lives of other saints, traditions of Eastern and Western religion, the difference between saints and sages, cross-cultural artistic images of the Black Madonna, and prevailing traditions in Kerala, where Amma was born. It presents the opinions of scientists as well as devotees. Facts about the building of the ashram in Kerala, as well as key moments and characters in creating the California ashram follow. And of course there’s discourse on Amma’s hugging and composing and singing of rhythmical devotional songs (bhajans).
Amma is a satisfying overview, especially for those unacquainted with her. But as always, the best way to experience Amma is to attend a program in person, enjoy the music, and get a hug for yourself.
In addition to biographical information, the book places Amma into spiritual context by describing the lives of other saints, traditions of Eastern and Western religion, the difference between saints and sages, cross-cultural artistic images of the Black Madonna, and prevailing traditions in Kerala, where Amma was born. It presents the opinions of scientists as well as devotees. Facts about the building of the ashram in Kerala, as well as key moments and characters in creating the California ashram follow. And of course there’s discourse on Amma’s hugging and composing and singing of rhythmical devotional songs (bhajans).
Amma is a satisfying overview, especially for those unacquainted with her. But as always, the best way to experience Amma is to attend a program in person, enjoy the music, and get a hug for yourself.
December 31, 2018
Incredible story about a lady from Kerala in south India who was hugely spiritual from birth. She would break of into long bouts of spiritual meditation and was thought to be very strange by her, at first, very abusive mother and father who thought she was a bit of a wrongun. How wrong they were. In her teens one day she was walking past one of her neighbour’s houses and she heard a religious (Hindu) festival taking place with a large group of people at which point she became almost hypnotised and walked in of her own account. According to the book she started meditating of her own accord and then incredibly her face contorted and changed colour and turned purple blue and started to look like the deity they were all praying towards! Fast forward decades and this lady has spoken at the UN, travel around the world and changed the lives of thousands. She has a simple way of changing lives … she hugs people. She holds them and prays in their ears. One day she can see up to 20,000 people. Amma is a legend. Here are the best bits about her story:
• In order to be truly creative you must have the attitude of a beginner. To be a beginner means to maintain innocence and receptivity, for it is only in this way that we can truly and quickly develop our knowledge. But to be childlike or innocent doesn’t mean to be a weakling – far from it. You have to be assertive and forceful if the situation demands. Still you should maintain the openness and receptivity of a child as much as possible.
• In the eyes of god men and women are equal. How can one possibly justify saying that a woman who is the creator of man, is inferior to man?
• The truth about the nature of the universe is gained primarily by a scientist coming to an intellectual conclusion based on mathematics and the data produced from experiments using scientific equipment, such as a cyclotron. This data is then transferred to the mind of the scientist through his or her physical eyes, and then depending on the experiment through other physical senses as well.
• I want ordinary people because they will have the love, the sincerity, the right attitude, the heart and they will have the faith. If they are too intellectual, hey can only question and doubt. And in doubting and questioning, you lose so much energy. But with faith you have tremendous power and energy to do the work.
• (when on tours) After finishing her night programmes which started early and lasted till 3/4 in the morning, she would travel to a number of devotees’ homes so as to bless their prayer rooms. By this time it would be 6/7 in the morning she would then give many private interviews to the various political dignitaries. At 11 she would begin all over again to hug people at the morning programme. It hardly seemed possible that she could sleep more than an hour or 2 so packed was her schedule.
• Sex is the greatest consumer of our energy. If we can succeed in sublimating it to a more refined subtle purpose, our progress will be quicker.
• Back in the prayer room Sudhmani (Amma) blessed the pitcher of water saying prayers over it like a temple priest. Then she told sri kanan to dip his fingers into the water. His fingers came out of the pitcher covered with milk. The crowd murmured with astonishment at this sight.
• Neal said that at the end of the darshan, amma would search Dattan’s body for wounds. Finding them she would press the wounds so pus would come out. Neal watched through the camera lens as Amma sucked up the pus and spat it out into a bowl – again and again and again. Finally when it was all finished she rinsed her mouth and washed her hand – thus ending the darshan for the evening.
• Amma teaches her spiritual seekers to give up anger. She says that anger and hatred make humans blind, causing people to destroy each other. Everywhere in the world people are killing each other. But the real nature of man is consciousness. Man is god (in his image maybe) but he has forgotten this. What a pity. What downfall. What degeneration.
• There is a need for both physical and mental healing in western countries. But the more important of the 2 is mental healing. It is their minds that are causing people their greatest problems.
• The greatest lessons the monastics learnt from the project was that it was not just about building homes but also about learning to have patience, tolerance and unconditional love for ignorant people.
• At Amma’s school meditation is taught to children at an early age because meditation enhances memory, sharpens he intellect and helps children to become more focused on their goals in life. Meditation is a priceless gift handed down from India’s sages. It opens up a person’s creativity and joyfulness so that life can become a celebration.
• In order to be truly creative you must have the attitude of a beginner. To be a beginner means to maintain innocence and receptivity, for it is only in this way that we can truly and quickly develop our knowledge. But to be childlike or innocent doesn’t mean to be a weakling – far from it. You have to be assertive and forceful if the situation demands. Still you should maintain the openness and receptivity of a child as much as possible.
• In the eyes of god men and women are equal. How can one possibly justify saying that a woman who is the creator of man, is inferior to man?
• The truth about the nature of the universe is gained primarily by a scientist coming to an intellectual conclusion based on mathematics and the data produced from experiments using scientific equipment, such as a cyclotron. This data is then transferred to the mind of the scientist through his or her physical eyes, and then depending on the experiment through other physical senses as well.
• I want ordinary people because they will have the love, the sincerity, the right attitude, the heart and they will have the faith. If they are too intellectual, hey can only question and doubt. And in doubting and questioning, you lose so much energy. But with faith you have tremendous power and energy to do the work.
• (when on tours) After finishing her night programmes which started early and lasted till 3/4 in the morning, she would travel to a number of devotees’ homes so as to bless their prayer rooms. By this time it would be 6/7 in the morning she would then give many private interviews to the various political dignitaries. At 11 she would begin all over again to hug people at the morning programme. It hardly seemed possible that she could sleep more than an hour or 2 so packed was her schedule.
• Sex is the greatest consumer of our energy. If we can succeed in sublimating it to a more refined subtle purpose, our progress will be quicker.
• Back in the prayer room Sudhmani (Amma) blessed the pitcher of water saying prayers over it like a temple priest. Then she told sri kanan to dip his fingers into the water. His fingers came out of the pitcher covered with milk. The crowd murmured with astonishment at this sight.
• Neal said that at the end of the darshan, amma would search Dattan’s body for wounds. Finding them she would press the wounds so pus would come out. Neal watched through the camera lens as Amma sucked up the pus and spat it out into a bowl – again and again and again. Finally when it was all finished she rinsed her mouth and washed her hand – thus ending the darshan for the evening.
• Amma teaches her spiritual seekers to give up anger. She says that anger and hatred make humans blind, causing people to destroy each other. Everywhere in the world people are killing each other. But the real nature of man is consciousness. Man is god (in his image maybe) but he has forgotten this. What a pity. What downfall. What degeneration.
• There is a need for both physical and mental healing in western countries. But the more important of the 2 is mental healing. It is their minds that are causing people their greatest problems.
• The greatest lessons the monastics learnt from the project was that it was not just about building homes but also about learning to have patience, tolerance and unconditional love for ignorant people.
• At Amma’s school meditation is taught to children at an early age because meditation enhances memory, sharpens he intellect and helps children to become more focused on their goals in life. Meditation is a priceless gift handed down from India’s sages. It opens up a person’s creativity and joyfulness so that life can become a celebration.
July 10, 2022
This came recommended by someone I respect, but i couldn’t fully get into it. I was on board for the first quarter and then I googled Amma and learned of the controversies surrounding her and her ex assistant. I don’t know who to believe and i think that seed of doubt planted more skepticism in myself which tainted the rest of the book because it read like propaganda.
February 16, 2019
Loved this look into Amma's life. The book allowed me to understand Amma, her life and how she works.
March 9, 2022
Really interesting bio of Amma. Seeing her was pretty amazing but not as life-changing as it was for many of these devotees. She truly is a saint.
August 5, 2016
I loved reading the story of Amma. She is a healer in a world of a lot of suffering. Amma was born in India, and grew up being quite eccentric and different than others. It was soon realized she had special healing powers and she came to be viewed as a person with saintly potential. It is claimed that she performed miraculous healing feats, such as sucking out the toxins in the wounds of lepers and causing them to heal. She has become known as the hugging saint, in which, people, mostly her devotees will wait in line for hours to get a hug from Amma, and in that exchange Amma absorbs their suffering. I have known people who have been to these dashans, as they are called, with Amma, and they speak very highly of the experience. That is why I have been so curious about her story and who she is. Perhaps one day I will see for myself in person.
January 10, 2008
Amma, the spiritual god, has been with all of us at all times. We believe her, as she believes us. She knows what is right and wrong; she knows what will happen; she knows what we are thinking; and she knows the language of nature.
'Amma : Healing the Heart of the World' is an excellent book which takes us into the world of freedom, and a must read for any person, whether he is spiritual or not. Her hug and her touch are so wonderful, that you feel you are born again with amma's grace!
'Amma : Healing the Heart of the World' is an excellent book which takes us into the world of freedom, and a must read for any person, whether he is spiritual or not. Her hug and her touch are so wonderful, that you feel you are born again with amma's grace!
October 28, 2007
Very spirtually motivating. Amma,(meaning mother) has carved out her legacy with hugging around the world and unconditionally sharing her healing gifts. This simply yet profoundly confirms the importance of human touch and it's powers to heal.
Read
February 20, 2012Amma is my Guru, therefore I have a bias, but her books are inspiring, and bring a beautiful simplicity to our spiritual lives. Her service to this world is unparalled. Easy to read, but life changing if you have not read.
March 15, 2015
Interesting read. My friend worked at her hospital in India for one year.(She is a radiologist.)
Amma typically hugs 50,000 people in one evening and then will travel to another town and do the same. Amma had a very hard childhood but overcame all adversity to become a top religious leader.
Amma typically hugs 50,000 people in one evening and then will travel to another town and do the same. Amma had a very hard childhood but overcame all adversity to become a top religious leader.
June 23, 2015
I love Amma. I am a Christian, but I believe Amma is the Divine Mother in the body of a woman.
I've read a couple of books in the Amma canon— maybe this one is the best? I'm not sure Amma translates well into the written word. Amma must be experienced!
I've read a couple of books in the Amma canon— maybe this one is the best? I'm not sure Amma translates well into the written word. Amma must be experienced!
October 26, 2007
Must read-3
Kept my attention-3
Important-3
Kept my attention-3
Important-3
November 3, 2008
My Guru. My Love.
January 13, 2011
Amma is thought to be a living saint. Check her out, go get a hug if you can get to where she travels and get back to me about it.
January 8, 2009
If you haven't been graced by Amma's darshan, read the book and discover for yourself.
September 3, 2010
this is a must read if you enjoy furthing your knowledge of spirituality!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews