Amma's Call: Embracing True Self-Love in an Age of Inner Turmoil
In today's world, a disturbing trend is emerging where individuals not only harbor hatred toward others but also direct it inward toward themselves. This internal conflict is manifesting in alarming rates of suicide and the adoption of mentally destructive habits. Spiritual leaders, religious teachings, and mental health professionals universally emphasize that genuine well-being requires loving others as well as cultivating a deep, authentic love for oneself.
The Misconception of Self-Love as Physical Obsession
Commonly, people equate "loving ourselves" with an intense focus on physical appearance and bodily health. Countless hours and substantial financial resources are devoted to maintaining beauty and fitness. From lengthy morning rituals in front of mirrors to frequent visits to beauty parlors and gyms, the pursuit is relentless. Some engage in skin whitening or tanning, while others dye their hair from grey to black or even vibrant colors like red or green.
While basic self-care for the body is essential, many of these practices cross into excess. The critical question arises: are we aware of the precious time being wasted in these endeavors? Tragically, there is a widespread neglect of nurturing the heart and mind, which are far more fundamental to our existence.
A Parable of Distraction: The Mirror Solution
A revealing story illustrates this societal preoccupation. A multi-story department store faced customer dissatisfaction due to insufficient elevators, leading to long wait times and complaints. The manager, concerned about the impact on business, devised a clever solution. He installed mirrors in the waiting area and inside the elevators. Immediately, the complaints ceased. Customers became so engrossed in checking their reflections, brushing their hair, and applying makeup that they no longer noticed the passage of time, continuing these activities even inside the elevators.
This anecdote serves as a metaphor for how modern distractions, particularly those centered on physical appearance, can divert us from deeper, more meaningful pursuits.
Cultivating Inner Cleanliness: The Path to Spiritual Self-Love
Just as we attend to bodily hygiene and aesthetics, we must also purify our minds. This involves promptly discarding negative and harmful thoughts or emotions as they arise. Additionally, we need to train our intellect to exercise discernment in thinking. Achieving this requires immersing ourselves in spiritual knowledge through practices like attending satsangs (spiritual discourses) and spending time with mahatmas (spiritually elevated individuals) and like-minded people.
True self-love means allowing the inherent divinity within us to radiate outward. This inner light is the essence of all creation. Your true nature is comparable to the sky, not the transient clouds, and to the ocean, not the fleeting waves. The sky represents Pure Consciousness, merely witnessing the clouds; the ocean symbolizes Pure Consciousness, simply observing the waves. Clouds and waves come and go, but the sky and ocean remain as their unchanging substratum.
Similarly, the mind and its thoughts are unreal and impermanent, like clouds and waves. They cannot taint your consciousness. Beneath the surface, your consciousness remains pure and untouched. This Pure Consciousness, eternally aware of all occurrences, is the Witness, or Sakshi, of everything.
About the Author: Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma)
Compassion in action perfectly describes the life of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi. Known affectionately as Amma, she is a revered spiritual master and humanitarian dedicated to alleviating global suffering through selfless love and service. Born in 1953 in a poor fishing village in Kerala, India, she began comforting others with embraces from a young age to ease their pain.
To date, Amma has embraced over four crore people worldwide, spanning India, Asia, the Americas, Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. Her initiatives extend beyond personal comfort to large-scale humanitarian efforts. She has spearheaded projects in disaster relief, food security, shelter, education, gender equality, and environmental conservation across more than 50 countries.
In India, her contributions include establishing Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), a compassion-driven research institution, and Amrita Hospitals, which provide advanced healthcare accessible to all, including free treatment for the underprivileged.
