From Amma’s Heart brings you the nectar of Amma’s wisdom to your life. Many people are cynical about spirituality. What is spirituality? True spirituality is compassion in action – it begins and culminates in compassion. If we could transform compassion from a mere word into a path of action, we would be able to solve 90% of the world’s humanitarian problems. When we try to love or serve without understanding those whom we are serving, we often end up harming society and ourselves. In order for service to be beneficial, it needs to go hand and hand with discernment. This is the essence of sustainable development.
People ask, “What is the significance of spirituality?” Spirituality helps us to develop the discernment to differentiate between what is essential and what is excessive. For example, we need a watch to tell time. Both a $100 and a $50,000 watch will do that. If we buy the hundred-dollar watch and use the remaining money to help the poor, it would be a great service to society. Though we may see a thousand suns reflected in a thousand pots of water, there is really only one sun. Likewise, the consciousness within all of us is one and the same. With such an attitude, we will be able to cultivate a mind that considers others before ourselves. Just as our right-hand rushes to comfort our left hand if it is in pain, may we love and serve others as we would ourselves. There are two types of poverty in the world. The first type is due to the lack of food, clothing, and shelter. The second type is the poverty of love and compassion. We need to tackle the second type of poverty first. For, if we have love and compassion, we will wholeheartedly serve and help those who lack food, clothing, and shelter.
