Spirituality IN ACTION

Invited to speak at the 2024 Global Spirituality Mahotsav at Kanha Shanti Vanam, Professor BHAVANI RAO, Dean at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, draws from the life of her mentor, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known to many as Amma, to highlight how we can integrate spirituality into daily life.

- BHAVANI RAO

When thinking about how spirituality and life coincide, I believe what I have learned from my mentor, Amma, that spirituality and life are inseparable. They are two sides of the same coin.

It is her belief that spirituality begins and ends with compassion. According to the principles of Sanatana Dharma, we know that creation and the creator are not two but one. The creation is verily the manifest form of the creator. We can love and serve all by seeing the creator in all of creation. Not to serve others, and to serve only oneself, is not life but death. Therefore, to have love and compassion is the quintessential way forward to integrating spirituality into life.

And how do we do that? I can share with you the philosophy we have at Amrita University, our twofold approach to education: education for a living and education for life. Now, you guess the difference between the two. Education for a living is the kind of education that helps you earn your bread and butter, puts a roof over your head, clothes on your body, maybe a vehicle to drive. Education for life is compassion, love, kindness, and all the other qualities that guide your way of being.

Amma also believes that there are two kinds of poverty. One is the lack of food, clothing, and shelter. The second is the lack of love and compassion. She says if you address the second kind of poverty first, you automatically eliminate the first kind of poverty. If you have love and compassion, you will serve those who do not have food, clothing, and shelter.