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Green Friends

"Children, one of our priorities should be to preserve nature. We must put an end to the practice of destroying the environment for money, for our selfish short- term needs. Each family should grow trees and plants in their yard. When the ancient sages enjoined that we should worship the trees, they were teaching the world the necessity of preserving and protecting nature. Our traditional practices of growing flowering plants and lighting oil lamps serve to purify the atmosphere." - Amma.

“Everything is pervaded by Consciousness. It is that Consciousness which sustains the world and all the creatures in it. To worship everything, seeing God in all, is what religion advises. Such an attitude teaches us to love Nature. None of us would consciously injure our own body, because we know it would be painful. Similarly, we will feel the pain of other people to be our own when the realization dawns within us that everything is pervaded by one and the same Consciousness. Compassion will arise, and we will sincerely wish to help and protect all. In that state, we won’t feel like plucking even a leaf unnecessarily. We will pick a flower only on the last day of its existence, before it falls from the stem. We will consider it as very harmful to the plant, and to Nature, if the flower is plucked on its very first day due to our greediness.

Looking at Nature and observing its selfless way of giving, we can become aware of our own limitations. That will help to develop devotion and self-surrender to God. Thus, Nature helps us to become closer to God and teaches us to truly worship Him. In reality, Nature is nothing but God’s visible form which we can behold and experience through our senses. Indeed, by loving and serving Nature, we are worshipping God Himself.

Just as Nature creates the favorable circumstances for a coconut to become a coconut tree, and for a seed to transform itself into a huge fruit tree, Nature creates the necessary circumstances through which the individual soul can reach the Supreme Being and merge in eternal union with Him. A sincere Truth seeker, or a true believer, cannot harm Nature because he or she sees Nature as God — he doesn’t experience Nature as being separate from himself. He is the real lover of Nature.”- Amma

KIDS CORNER

Children from around the world share their vision of the relationship between Amma and Mother Nature

Aisha Dominech, Age 11, Spain: “Amma loves every being in the universe equally. Like the planet provides all the necessary things and protects us, Amma gives us all the vital energy that we need! I have many prayers for the environment. I am worried for the species that are endangered and for the pollutions in the atmosphere. My prayer is for an urgent solution. The bad vibrations in the world should come to an end. We need to cultivate Love.”

Jesabel Domberger,Age 11,France: “Some people are like closed flower buds. When Amma is here, like the Sun, She opens the people with the rays of Her light. Actually, Amma is like the Sun has been born on Earth. It is not just an example, for me it is a reality. Amma is elevating the planet. Not only the people; the Earth, the elements; water, fire, wind-everything is evolving with Amma.

Karlin Fergers, age 12, Australia “ I feel that one is always with Mother, because how can She be in one place or another, when She is constantly infinite. How can an energy that is so infinite just be in one place or in another place?  She can only really be everywhere.”  

Sneha Greta Lorenz,Age 8,USA: “It feels like when Amma is blessing one person, She is also blessing a tree or animal. This is because when that person feels Amma’s love, they do not want to do bad things like cutting down trees or killing animals. Amma is a devoted Mother who blesses people and saves trees and animals.”

Sahaja Zoë Wolfe,Age 12,Canada: “You can’t help but love Amma. It’s like the how the grass is green and how the sky is blue. That is how we love Amma. It can’t be any way else.”

Vidya Ravilochan,Age 9,USA: “I would compare Amma to a mother bird who is always loving her children, caring for them, helping them and teaching them. Amma is like this. Amma means everything to me. She is in all creatures and in all things.”

Valentia Del Pino,Age 10,Italy: “Amma is like the moon because it lights up the night and Amma lights up our hearts. I am afraid of the destruction of the world, because man is ruining everything with new technologies. My wish is that everything changes, we can remove the things that destroy the environment and there is only a world of peace.”

Carolin Schug,Age 12, Germany: “Amma feels in Her heart compassion for all beings; plants, animals, and humans.”

Sashi Laurence,Age 8,Australia: “Toxic stuff from the petrol is becoming a real big problem and all the fumes, plastic and rubbish is going into the ocean and killing turtles. I don’t like animals getting killed. I wish for no more animal killing and testing. I want to protect Nature by not letting trees get pulled down because that’s actually wrecking animal’s homes as well, not having the forest. I was really sad because I saw they cut down a tree that was 100 years old! And they do it to make paper! So a good way to stop that is to recycle things so trees don’t have to get chopped down.”

Mangalamba Isra Dewilde,Age 13, Belgium: “When someone comes into contact with Amma its like a leaf falling into a river. The leaf does not know where the river will bring it; the leaf will just flow with the river. It must trust the river and trust that wherever the river takes it will be for the good. If, like the leaf, you can do this, you will one day dissolve in the river and become Amma. If you protest and want to stay on the shore you cannot become Amma. As the river gets bigger you experience more of Amma’s beauty and Love. In the end you become one with the Ocean of God Amma!”

International GreenFriends Updates

In response to Mother Earth’s urgent cry for our loving care and protection, Amma’s children from around the world are beginning to form GreenFriends groups. Amma’s message of reawakening a harmonious relationship with Mother Nature is inspiring people from all cultures to join together to rediscover and nurture this fundamental bond. The GreenFriends Initiative is like a tender young seedling that has just begun to sprout. With its roots in Amma’s guidance and grace, we hope that you will all take part in watering and nurturing the Love for Mother Nature to grow.

“May the tree of our life be firmly rooted in the soil of love." –Amma

above Cultivating the land at a Finnish Eco-Village:

GreenFriends in Finland

Finland was one of the first European satsangs to form an active GreenFriends group. Inspired by Amma’s youth groups in India, the group has held a number of beautiful GreenFriends retreats. Members participate in Eco-meditations, Nature walks, and gardening. They learn hands-on methods of ecological cultivation, energy conservation and production, composting and waste management, and how to create an Eco-Village.

GreenFriends in France

The French ashram, a once ancient castle nestled in the beautiful countryside, has become an ideal center for the growing interest in GreenFriends. The ashram is now a perfect setting for meditation in Nature, self-sustaining organic gardens and orchards, tree plantings and Nature ceremonies. GreenFriends workshops, group meditations, and ecological methods of running the ashram have been an inspiring example of integrating GreenFriends into daily life.

Meditation in Nature led by Bri. Dipamrita and Br Subhamrita

Ceremonial Tree Planting by Jigme Rimpoche-Spiritual Director, Tibetan Buddhist Center, France

Exploring the Nature Trail 

Ashram Organic Vegetable Gardens

Tulasi is a key component of Ayurvedic medicine. Today, an ever-growing body of scientific evidence is proving the vast range of Tulasi’s medicinal attributes that have been recognized and utilized since ancient times. Tulasi protects against and reduces stress, enhances stamina and endurance, increases the body’s efficient use of oxygen, slows the aging process and provides a rich supply of anti-oxidants. These numerous properties support the body’s natural capacity to maintain a state of well-being and vitality. Tulasi is used in the treatment of countless common ailments such as cold, fever, flu, and headache. Tulasi offers remarkable curative and preventative properties in regards to many degenerative disorders such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and neurological dementia.

Along with respect for its medicinal uses, Tulasi is revered as a purifier of inner negativity as well. Traditionally, ceremonial worship is considered incomplete without the presence of Tulasi leaves. In India, devotees garland Amma daily with beautiful Tulasi malas from plants they have grown with love and reverence in their own homes.

Amma says that Tulasi is one of the symbols of self-sacrifice. This blessed plant offers Her entire being; Her leaves, flowers, seeds and stems for worship and as medicine. She teaches us that even the most humble plant is an embodiment of Divinity, and though self-sacrifice we can truly become close to God.

The Spiritual Significance of Tulasi

The sacred medicinal plant revered as an incarnation of the Goddess

There are numerous legends throughout the ancient scriptures of India that describe how the Goddess manifested on earth in the form of the Tulasi plant for the benefit of all creation. This divine plant has been honored for thousands of years and is given a respectful place in countless homes and temples.

The Sacred Little Redwood Sapling
Inspired by Amma’s beautiful example of worshiping the sacred Peepal sapling on The International Day of Peace, Amma’s children in San Ramon created a similar ritual. They lovingly honored a young redwood sapling with a traditional Native American song. They planted the young tree along with their prayers, and garlanded it with flowers gathered from the ashram by the youth. The new GreenFriends look forward to the growth of their community activities for Mother Nature just as the sacred young tree spreads its roots and reaches for the sky!

“More than any knowledge of modern science, it is the deeper understanding of religion, the truth of the oneness of all creation, that teaches people to love Nature and to develop a sense of reverence and devotion towards all beings.”

Amma encourages us to reawaken our awareness of the underlying unity in all creation by lovingly worshiping and caring for Mother Nature. Worshiping “Everything is pervaded by Consciousness. It is that consciousness which sustains the world and all the creatures in it. To worship everything, seeing God in all, that is what religion advices. Such an attitude teaches us to love Nature.” -AMMA

If you are interested in helping form a GreenFriends Group in your area, please contact your local Amma Satsang group. With general questions you can write to greenfriends@amma.org