2001 Excerpts
This section provides excerpts from various media publications
across the U.S. If you would like to learn more about Amma in the
media, please contact us at press@ammachi.org.
She may be the most hugged person on the planet. She's been known
to hug thousands of people at a stretch, and her message of love,
compassion and selfless service has won her devotees around the
world. "Her message is the same message Christ gives. Her message
is love" said K. Poole. -- Seattle
Times, 2001
"In France Catholic nuns come to her, in Japan Zen Buddhist
monks come, Amma is universal". She says ""I seek
to give and give and give, to personally wipe away tears through
selfless love, compassion and service. I seek to fill the people
with ... love." In her travels she has sucked poison from a
leper's lesions in India, cradled AIDS patients in San Francisco,
hugged tough New York cops and embraced movie stars with equal energy
and concern. -- Reuters, June 26,
2001
"Many who have been held in her arms say it's a healing embrace.
Sometimes the healing is physical, they say. More often, it's emotional
and spiritual." -- Chicago Sun
Times, 2001
"I can't put into words what she does to me. She doesn't have
to say a thing," said McKay. "Your problems don't go away,
but all of a sudden you can cope with them. It gives me peace."
Amazingly, Ammachi never tires, nor does her smile fade. Amma said,
"When I see them (people that come to her) happy, I cannot
feel tired. Their happiness gives me strength. I need no recharging."
-- Chicago Tribune, 2001
"...followers say they feel uplifted when they embrace her."
Each darshan resembled an embrace between two old friends who hadn't
seen each other in years… "powerful and loving experience."
-- The Associated Press, ABC News,
July 10, 2001
Nobody can deny there is something magic about her - it's her energy,
an unbelievable ability to work 18 hours a day, often seven days
a week. She has known poverty herself, and her rise to prominence
is inexplicable. I ask her where she gets her energy. She says "It
takes no energy to love. It is easy…. What I do is spontaneous.
I saw a need. It felt right, and I did it. You cannot teach love
in a book or teach it. You can only show it." -- ABC
News, July 12, 2001
"She welcomes all religions… She's a fountain of love."
-- CNN.com, July 12, 2001
"She wants people to understand more about giving. People
should not be just mere takers. They should be givers as well."
David and Meara Ginsburg, who came for their hug from Santa Fe,
admit the power of Ammachi's embrace is a mystery. "There is
no real answer except that those hugs break your heart open and
bring you so much," Meara Ginsburg said. -- Boston
Channel, July 16, 2001
"She's setting a perfect example of selfless love to the world,
and the tireless hugs are a part of that." While known for
her hugs, Amma also speaks to her large crowds, encouraging them
to find self-love and dedicate themselves to devotion to God. --
Lowell Sun.com,July 17, 2001
When Amma embraces or kisses someone, it is a process of purification
and inner healing. When asked how she continues her pace, her response
is "where there's love, there is no effort." -- Dallas
Morning News, July 22, 2001
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