Retreat with Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri

Sep. 6, 2004
M. A. Center, San Ramon

The next best thing to being in Amma’s physical presence is to be in satsang (company of the wise), especially with disciples who share a wealth of their insights and experiences with her gleaned over the years. We, in San Ramon, have been fortunate the past three days to have a labor day retreat with Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri and Brahmachari Dayamrita Chaitanya.

The retreat included scriptural classes, meditation sessions, question and answer sessions and bhajans with Swamiji, all in the serene atmosphere of the M. A. Center.

The retreat presented us with many opportunities to reconnect with Amma and our Selves. Swamiji’s talks were inspiring and thought provoking. Swami talked about the importance of not only performing right actions but also the importance of exercising the right attitude. "Dharma means not only right action but also the right attitude with which we perform the actions. As spiritual seekers, we should perform all actions as a selfless offering to God and not have expectations." Swamiji elaborated on several examples from the scriptures such as the Bhagavat Gita, the Mahabharata and the New Testament. He mentioned how Karna (one of the principal characters of the Mahabharata) gave even at the point of death. When Karna was lying in the battlefield, dying, the good merit of all the charities he had done prevented his soul from leaving his body. Sri Krishna, who wished to relieve his soul, disguised himself as an old man and asked Karna for a gift - to offer all the merits of his good actions he had done in his life. The dying man, cheerfully gave away even that. It is said that Sri Krishna shed tears seeing Karna’s selfless nature.

The question-answer sessions with Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri were truly enjoyable. He answered questions with his characteristic simplicity and sense of humor. He gave many examples from his early days with Amma. He talked about the all encompassing love of Masters like Amma and how people from all walks of life are spiritually elevated by coming in contact with them. One of the moving examples he shared was about the hard-core criminal Angulimala who was transformed into a saint by the grace of the Lord Buddha.

He stressed the importance of having an open heart while coming to see Amma. He said that for a spiritual seeker, what is important beyond being in the presence of a Mahatma like Amma, is openness of the heart and ability to assimilate their teachings.

Another highlight of the three day retreat was the elaborate Krishna Jayanthi celebrations which went on till midnight. Swamiji gave an engrossing satsang on Sri Krishna and talked about Lord Krishna’s ‘outstanding love for His devotees’. He compared events in Sri Krishna’s life with similar events in Amma’s life. He talked about how the same Universal Love flows through both Sri Krishna and Amma

In conclusion, Swamiji said that although we do not have Sri Krishna in our midst today physically, we are truly blessed to have Amma in our lives.