Two-day, free public program in Arlington, VA.
By Ken Steben*
Spiritual leader, humanitarian and visionary Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known throughout the world simply as Amma, has served the world-community for decades, imparting wisdom, strength and inspiration. Through her extraordinary acts of love, inner strength and self-sacrifice, Amma has endeared herself to millions and inspired thousands to follow in her path of selfless service.
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Truly a citizen of the world, Amma holds free public programs throughout India, Europe, the United States and Australia, as well as Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, Africa and South America. In her talks, she offers words of wisdom and guidance on both personal fulfillment aw well as the most pressing matters of our time.
From climate change to terrorism, cross-cultural tensions to poverty and women’s rights, Amma’s observations invite each of us to get involved in the process of rebuilding a concerned and caring society.
To this day, Amma concludes her programs by embracing each person attending the event. These personal meetings take up the vast majority of Amma’s time, and her motherly embrace – known as darshan – has been imparted to more than 34 million people throughout the world. Amma has been known to sit for more than 22 hours without interruption.
The most personally accessible spiritual leader alive today, Amma may well be on a first name basis with more people than anyone else in the world. When people pour out their hearts to Amma, she offers them emotional solace, spiritual guidance, and concrete solutions to their problems. Receiving Amma’s embrace, many feel inspired to offer selfless service to those in need. In this way, this simple yet powerful act – a mother’s embrace – has become both catalyst and symbol for the growing international network of humanitarian initiatives that is Embracing the World.
This summer will be Amma’s 20th visit to the Washington D.C. area. Her programs are free and will be held July 5th and 6th at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington, VA. Both days there is a morning program beginning at 10 am and an evening program starting at 7 pm. On July 6, the evening program is a special prayer for world peace called Devi Bhava.
For more information, visit Amma.org.
*Ken Steben is the President and CEO of Steben & Company, a specialized alternative investment firm he founded in 1989. He also volunteers his time for Amma, serving as a Director and Vice President for Amma’s US non- profit, MA Center.