Amma the Hugging Saint of India

I first heard of Amma about 5 years ago when my friend Youlanda told me she was going to see her. "She hugs people" is what she said to me. I found this a strange and beautiful concept back then.

Amma is a 58 year old woman from India. She is the epitome of compassion. She receives every person who comes to her, day and night and gives them all a healing hug. Her followers are huge in number and she now has many centers throughout the world.

When I saw that she would be at her center in San Ramon and that there would be a public program, I decided to go. I had no idea what the evening would hold.....

My friend Kenton and I met in the East Bay and drove to San Ramon together. We parked in the large lot of a hotel where a shuttle would take us to the M.A. Center. There were about 20 people there waiting for a ride there was crackly excitement in the air. Jessica, a young woman sitting next to me in the van told me about her experiences with Amma and how it had changed her life. She has done several retreats with her and gone to various cities in the US where Amma was speaking. She said we were there on a very special night because after everyone had received their hug - which would be sometime around 9 am (what?), Amma would perform weddings and a special ceremony that would include feeding the children.

When we arrived in the Center parking lot, we were unloaded and then loaded into another van that would take up the 1/2 mile to where the program was taking place. It felt like a great adventure. When we arrived, the first thing I saw was the biggest tent kitchen on the planet. A huge food production was taking place and the smell was of Indian spice heaven. People were lined up on either side of the road and we were told that Amma, (or Mother) would be driving up any moment. Everyone was very excited and soon were chanting and singing together. I felt as though I had been dropped into another universe. One that was colorful and exciting and smelled and looked a little like India. But with lots of green port o' potties standing in rows like soldiers waiting to serve.

We waited about 10 minutes and soon a small car came up the lane with the beautiful face of Amma radiating from the back seat.  She was dressed in white and smiled and waved as the car drove slowly past. The gates opened and the car disappeared behind them.

We were told that we needed to get a numbered token to exchange for a hug with Amma, so we set off in search of the token person, who we found inside the huge dining hall. There were probably 500 people in the hall snacking on samosa, drinking tea and talking about their various experiences with Amma. There was a big screen at the front of the room and Amma could be seen on stage in the Temple, which was not far from the dining hall. We were told that the temple was full and we could watch everything from there until our number was called. Looking around the room I noticed that there were all kinds of people there from every walk of life, it seemed. But the one thing that struck me is that the energy and excitement were clear and there was a strong feeling of love in the big room.

Soon it was announced that dinner would be served and we were asked to go outside and form a line, which moved pretty fast and soon we were back inside the hall with plates pile high with saag paneer, briyani rice, chickpea daal and naan.  It was beautiful and so delicious.

While in the food line, we met Vir, a Sikh man who had seen Amma many times. He was funny and we became instant companions. He told us that his sister was helping to set up the event and because of that he was able to see Amma when she first arrived. We saw Vir several times throughout the evening and at one point he introduced us to his sister, a tall, beautiful Indian woman in her 50's.

After our delicious meal, we walked over to the temple to check things out. It's a large hall with 3 sections of folding chair seating in the middle, floor seating in the front where live music was being played and people sat and meditated or prayed, and an upper floor with bleacher style seating.

The stage was elevated and lit up like a Hollywood movie set. There were lines of people on either side waiting patiently for their moment. Ushers helped to move the line along and large signs were held up showing the number of the current group.We waiting a few hours until our number was shown. Feeling giddy and excited, we went to the front of the room and proudly showed our numbers to the attendant. "Oooooo...so soooorry. This number has a Z behind it so it means you will be last in the group. It will be several more hours...." At this point it was almost midnight. We had been there for 5 hours, and now it may be 6 or 7 am before we get close to Amma. We weren't sure if we were up for it. Just then, Vir's sister appeared and asked how we were doing, and if we had our tokens. We told her we did and showed her the number. "Oooooooo" she said with a wobble of her head. "It will be some time before you get to see Amma....but if you don't want to wait, I can take you now, since it's your first time." A beautiful angel had appeared right before us. She was so kind.

She ushered us to the front and we were given instructions on what to do and not do when you are in front of Amma. We were taken up the steps and put into a succession of folding chairs, then as we got closer, we got onto our knees, and suddenly, there I was, in front of the hugging saint I had been waiting for all night. She was all in white with a silver crown-looking hat on her head. She sat in a simple chair with a yellow cloth umbrella high over her to protect against evil. She had a huge, loving smile for everyone. As I crawled closer, I suddenly felt hands on my shoulders, and then an attendant pushed my head forward into Amma's lap. As her arms wrapped around me, she leaned down and whispered something in my ear that I could not understand. In the next instant, I was pulled back turned around and ushered to the side of the stage. The encounter lasted about 5 seconds.

As I look back on this event, I realize that it was very important. There was so much love in that room that first came from one woman and radiated out into every person there. The love grew and expanded and surrounded us all and we were part of the chain. I felt great inspiration by what one woman who gives hugs can do in the world, and thought about what our world could look like if we all just embrace each other and share a smile and a hug.  And keep the hug chain going...

An angel named Thomas

On a glorious Tuesday morning, I am out for a walk on the beach boardwalk. The sun has been gracing us the last few days here in Long Beach, Washington and I want to squeeze every second out of the warm day. I have been walking the Discovery Trail that stretches 8.2 miles along the Long Beach Peninsula, through sand dunes and across wooden boardwalks alongside the Pacific ocean. There are a lot of fun things to look at along the way, including interpretive signs telling about the journey of Lewis and Clark, various sculptures and a grey whale skeleton. Tomorrow I think I will rent a bike and do the whole trail. If I can remember how to ride a bike. It's been years. But you know what they say about riding a bike.....

I have walked about three miles and am heading back toward my car with visions of a hot spinach and cheese omelet and a steaming cup of coffee at the cafe down the street.

I stop to inspect a log that has inscriptions on it - most of them start with "Dear God" and are signed by someone named Danya.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small figure bounding toward me. His skin is so white it almost blinds me in the bright sun. He is wearing bright yellow swim trunks and a blue and green striped towel wrapped around his bare shoulders. He stands next to me and begins to read the inscriptions out loud.

"Are you a Christian?" he says. Taken a bit by surprise, I turn to look at him. "Well, sort of. I do believe there is a higher power than us, but maybe not the same god that Christians believe in".

"God does exist." Says my tow-headed friend. "And I can prove it." A big smile spreads across my face as I look at his. "Before my dad went to prison, he told me about a time when there was a gang of men surrounding him and they were going to kill him. And then they just ran away. My dad said there was an angel there protecting him."

I say I definitely believe in angels and I think his dad was very lucky that his angel was there that day.

This skinny little cherub tells me his name is Thomas and he just turned 11 a few days ago. He will have a party next weekend with his friend and he hopes his mom will be able to get him a cake from Albertsons. The chocolate with carmel frosting. "But it will have to be the small one" he says, "because the big one will be too much for me and my friend and my mom."

He tells me he is here with his mom and his sister, visiting from their trailer park home in Portland. I ask if his mom knows he is at the beach alone and if she will be worried about him. He tells me he stays outside pretty much all day when he's at home. His mom doesn't want him inside for too long.

I look into his beautiful blue eyes and I don't see sadness. He is very manner-of-fact.

He wraps his towel more tightly across his shoulders and asks if I will walk with him to the water's edge to look for seashells. He gets a worried look on his face and says in a whisper "I'm scared of a tsunami."

"Sure Thomas. I would love to." I say.

We walk along the beach, his superman towel-cape fluttering behind him. "I won't see my dad until I'm 16. And even after he gets out I probably won't see him because of what he did to my mom." My mind is racing and I wonder what adult words of wisdom I can dredge up to sooth a boy who has a rough time. "He does write letters to me from prison, so that's good......but I don't want to talk about my dad anymore. It makes me really sad."

We walk along in silence for a while and search for interesting rocks and shells and pick up bits of crab and clam shells. He is very excited for each one. He wishes he had a bag to put them in but instead wraps them carefully in his towel.

"Have you seen the whale skeleton?" I ask. His face lights up like a Las Vegas neon sign. "REAL whale bones? Where are they? Can I actually touch them?" I tell him that they are just up the path a little and ask him again if he should let his mom know where he is first. He tells me she's having a nap and won't expect him back for a few hours. I'm feeling a little bit weird about this situation but also see a little boy who needs a bit of happiness in an otherwise hard life, and if laying his eyes on the bones of a whale will bring him some joy, then we should go and see them.

As we walk about the length of one city block, he tells me that he gets made fun of a lot in school and he only has one friend there. "I guess it's because I'm so skinny. I only weigh sixty pounds and I'm 11. And I will never do jumping jacks in front of anyone again. That was awful."

As the whale bones come into view, he starts hopping from one foot to the other. "Let's run!" he says. I make my best attempt but it's more like a lop-sided gallop. I could run a lot better when I was 11. Thomas streaks past me in a colorful blur of bright swim trunks and snowy white skin, bare feet not caring as they land on the rough wooden boardwalk planks.

Thomas reads the sign about the whale in a very poised, confidant voice. He is an excellent reader. He touches the bones and we talk about whales for a while. My whale knowledge is limited, so I don't have much information to share.  I just know they're really cool, and Thomas thinks so too.

Thomas says maybe he better get back to the hotel now and I tell him I'll walk with him. He smiles big and says "Maybe you can come and meet my mom and my sister. I would really like that."

I have to pause and think about this one...what will his mother think of him bringing back a stranger  from the beach? What kind of situation would I be walking in to? Or on the other hand, she may feel better to meet the person that Thomas will surely tell her about later.

We walk toward a nice time-share hotel on the beach and down a long hallway. I take off my hat and big sunglasses and Thomas stops to look up at me and smile. I realize it's the first time he's seen my eyes and most of my face.

We get to the door and Thomas knocks, and then knocks some more. He kicks at the door a few times. It takes a long time for the door to open. When it finally does, there is a tired looking woman standing there. She looks very annoyed and when she sees me, a look of surprise crosses her face.

"Mom, this is Christine. She took me to see some whale bones."
I smile and stammer "Yes, he was alone on the beach and I was a little worried. I wanted to make sure he got back to his hotel ok."

The woman looks confused and then very annoyed as she pulls the boy inside. "Yeah, thanks" she says as she is closing the door. The door then springs back open and Thomas walks into the hallway. He takes my hand in his. His face is complete calm and goodness. His eyes are alive and smiling. He says in the most genuine, grown up voice: "Thank you Christine. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Thomas. I'm so happy that I met you today." He turns and slips back inside and the door closes with the familiar click-lock of a million hotel room doors.

The beach boardwalk