International Acclaim
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New York 2006
Understanding and Collaboration Between Religions
"Whatever one’s religion, if one understands the spiritual principles, one can attain the Ultimate Goal, the realization of one’s true nature. If a bottle contains honey, the color of the bottle is irrelevant. On the contrary, if we fail to absorb the spiritual principles, religion will be reduced to mere blind faith, shackling us. ... The power of religion lies in spirituality. Spirituality is the cement that fortifies the edifice of society. Practicing religion and living life without assimilating spirituality is the same as constructing a tower by simply piling up bricks without ever using any cement. It will easily crumble."Interfaith Center of New York’s Fourth Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Award Ceremony, New York
BARCELONA 2004
May Peace & Happiness Prevail
"If in future, there is a Third World War, let it not be a war between countries, but rather a war against our common enemy, poverty.
"In today’s world, people experience two types of poverty: the poverty caused by lack of food, clothing and shelter; and the poverty caused by lack of love and compassion.
"Of these two, the second type needs to be considered first because, if we have love and compassion in our hearts, then we will wholeheartedly serve those who suffer from lack of food, clothing and shelter."
Parliament of the World’s Religions, Barcelona, Spain
GENEVA 2002
Awakening Universal Motherhood
"The essence of motherhood is not restricted to women who have given birth; it is inherent in both men and women. It is an attitude of the mind. It is love, and love is the very breath of life."
Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious & Spiritual Leaders at the United Nations, Geneva
Above: Amma received the 2002 Gandhi-King Award for Non-violence from Dr. Jane Goodall, the previous recipient, in the presence of His Excellency Sergio Vieira de Mello, the late U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
NEW YORK 2000
The Real Change Must Happen Within
"We have stepped into the new millennium with great hopes and expectations of change. But though the numbers denoting the year are different, essentially nothing else has changed. The real change must happen within us. For only when conflict and negativity are removed from within can we play a truly constructive role in establishing peace.
"Simply transferring the world’s nuclear weapons to a museum will not in itself bring about world peace. The nuclear weapons of the mind must first be eliminated."