The day dawned sunny and bright as a crisp November breeze caressed the hilltops of San Ramon where Amma's main ashram in the US is located. It was a Monday morning marking the beginning of the characteristic workweek. But it seemed to make no difference to Amma's children as the line to receive a token for darshan with Amma snaked out of the hall and spilled over into the driveway. Devotees from across the U.S. - from Washington to Florida and New York to New Mexico flocked into California to be with the Mother for a brief week before she departs for India.

As darshan began, a woman wheeled her invalid mother into Amma's presence. Tears welled up in the daughter's eyes as she tried in vain to get the mother to focus on Amma for darshan. Immediately, Amma took the invalid mother's hand in hers and shook it repeating "Ma, Ma, Ma….". For a brief moment, the mother's eyes focused on Amma and she smiled at Amma in recognition - the next instant Amma had gathered the mother and daughter in a tight hug, showering on them her compassion and love.

Observing this darshan, and contemplating on the frailties of the destructible human body, one of Amma's devotees, posed a question to her about his spiritual practice. "I am not able to practice my 'japa' (mantra chanting) continuously in my mind", he said. "What should I do?" Amma lovingly explained, "Learning to chant your mantra is like learning to ride a bicycle. At first you have to really struggle to keep your balance and you may stumble many times. But when you get used to riding it, you can ride it effortlessly even without keeping your mind on it. At that time you can keep your balance even if your hands are not on the handle; you are able to wave or do minor acrobatic feats without concentrating on the balance. Regular practice makes the chanting of the mantra easier and easier until it goes on as an involuntary function of the mind. Even though you may not have concentration initially, constant practice will help you achieve it".

"But then", the devotee asked, "I find other thoughts superimposing themselves on my mind even as the mantra is going on. What should I do about that?"

"That is the nature of the mind", Amma lovingly said, "Don't worry about that. It is very difficult to get the mind to quiet down to the extent that only the mantra remains. Constant practice results in the mantra going on within you in the wakeful state as well as the sleep state. The mantra continues automatically, until the last breath is gone from the body".

The devotee smiled, his expression content, his demeanor suggesting relief from a question that had been troubling him for some time. As always, any conversation with Amma unearths precious gems of advice relevant not only to the person she is conversing with, but to the listeners around as well. The San Ramon program is the last leg of Amma's overseas tour for the year 2002. After this week Amma departs for India until it comes time for her return during the summer tour next year.