A Visit to Amma

With our time in Australia quickly coming to an end, you would think there was little left that would top our list of adventures and doings, but in one regard sense our activity on Wednesday was thepenultimate event of the journey. From our Bozeman friends we had become aware of Amma, a Hindu religious leader from India who has become world famous as a fundraiser for humanitarian causes and her bestowal of blessings on people by hugging them. This may not sound too impressive in and of itself, but when you factor in that many people consider her to be the human embodiment of the Absolute, that she has literally hugged MILLIONS of people, and has donated MILLIONS of dollars for disaster relief and other causes, you have an idea that this is no ordinary person. I have wanted to see Amma for a long time, once even planning on taking a Greyhound bus to Seattle to meet here during her annual visits there. You can imagine our surprise when one day I was reading the local paper and saw that she was going to come to Sydney for a visit on
April 15 and 16 and knew we would be able to see her. It seemed like it was meant to be.

We got up early on the 16 and took the ferry into the city, a rather unpleasant task since it has been raining here on and off for the last week and the harbor has some pretty big swells from a restless ocean beyond. Once we landed at Circular Quay, we got on a train to a stop that I was reasonably sure would be close to the advertised location of Amma’s appearance, but I had drastically miscalculated. The train left us short of our goal, walking down a rainy city street with no clue as to our destination, but I managed to hail a passing taxi and the driver took us the
remaining blocks without any trouble.

When Amma travels, hundreds of volunteers help organize her events and they were in full force at the Sydney Boys High School gymnasium. First we took off our shoes, then were given a token with a number on it that would let us know when to start lining up to receive our blessing from Amma. This last part is crucial, for thousands of people want to see her and without putting some sort of order to the crowd there would be chaos. There were several thousand waiting in that auditorium, or in the immediate vicinity, so we were glad to note our own token numbers indicated our wait would not be long.


After waiting about an hour, during which time they showed a video which explained the extent of Amma’s humanitarian work, the woman herself entered the building to the hushed wonderment of all. She was followed by several priests in saffron robes who chanted a Sanskrit blessing and she greeted the crowd with a gesture before sitting down on the floor in front of everyone. One of the priests then led the audience through a brief meditation before the actual greeting line got underway. We watched as Amma hugged them all; old, young, infirm, healthy. Her smile never wavered and she was particularly charming when asked to embrace a baby or a toddler. Jayne and I joined the line and slowly worked our way to the front of a long line of double row chairs, ending with the last few feet to be covered on one's knees at the approach to Amma. It all happened so quickly that I have trouble remembering much other than a warm embrace and a "mantra" whispered in my ear, and then we were whisked away by the attendants so the next in line would have a turn.

It was a very beautiful experience, and I am glad we went. Several times since the incident I have tried to remember that mantra she whispered, and I believe I have done so. Perhaps it will do us both some good, and we feel very lucky to have crossed paths with this remarkable woman.