I found this article which quoted Amma's answer on how to avoid sorrow. I read it and re-read it thoroughly. For a while I was foxed because I couldn't quite figure out exactly what instructions Amma was giving us to avoid sorrow. I think the key word here is attachment. When we attach our self worth to someone else, sorrow follows. When we attach our spiritual satisfaction to someone else, sorrow follows. I think what Amma is stating is that we need to find our strength and happiness from within. And for that, we also need to realise that we are all one. No one is different from 'me'. Then, everything becomes a shared experience. There is no 'us' and 'them'. We are a collective whole who beat with the same rhythm and live under the same umbrella of our gorgeous Amma's grace! What a beautiful universe Amma has created for us!
"Amma: When we say “no one is my own,” then “everyone is my own, everyone is an extension of my True Self” is also implied. If we place 100 pots of water out in the sun, we will see a reflection of the sun in each and every pot. But, in reality, there are not 100 suns; there is only one sun. Similarly, it is the one and same consciousness that is manifesting in all beings.
Why do the scriptures and gurus say that everything is one? Because they don’t want us to be sad or depressed, and they know that understanding this fact—which is the truth—will put an end to that sorrow. When we think that we are the limited body-mind complex, then it is only natural that we will be insecure and afraid. And from this insecurity, we will become dependent upon other people. This leads to attachment and sorrow. Our very existence becomes based upon the words and action of others. If they praise us, we soar up to the heavens in happiness. If they criticize us, we fall down to the floor in sorrow. Mahatmas want us to be free of such dependence, and they know that in order to go beyond it that understanding these spiritual truths is essential.
Once a king had a dream that he was a butterfly, blissfully flying here and there. When he awoke, he was confused. He kept asking himself, “Am I a king who dreamt he was a butterfly? Or a butterfly who is dreaming he is a king?” In his confusion, he went to a guru. And the guru said, “You are neither a butterfly nor a king. You are pure consciousness, pure awareness. It is within that awareness that is you that both experiences have taken place. The atma is the only truth. Both the butterfly and the king are dreams.”
Children, we must awaken to this understanding. Then we can see our oneness with others. We must see others as our own Self. That is the only way to overcome the sorrow we are currently experiencing. Amma knows this is not easy, but it is possible with constant practice. Just as we have learned to identify with this name, we need to learn to identify with our True Self"
Om Amriteswariye namah!
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