Mata Amritanandamayi, affectionately called Amma, is considered to be one of the most revered spiritual personalities in the world. She hails from Kerala, India and is known worldwide for her philosophy of unconditional love and compassion.
Through her numerous social welfare programs and spiritual advice, she has helped many people worldwide by offering simple yet very profound spiritual teachings.Beyond her spiritual presence, Mata Amritanandamayi is also the founder of several charitable institutions dedicated to education, health care services, and social welfare. Her teachings emphasize universal values above all else; therefore, people of different religions can easily grasp the core meaning of her message.
Another important point is that she always emphasizes the necessity of self-transformation to achieve real peace and happiness.Today’s quote “Happiness is not found in external circumstances but in the depths of your own being,” is widely attributed to Mata Amritanandamayi.
What the quote conveys
At its heart, this quote calls into question an existing belief: the notion that happiness is conditional upon favourable situations, whether financially, professionally, socially, romantically or materially.
In this modern age, people tend to strive for external achievements under the mistaken belief that they will lead to genuine happiness. Nevertheless, Amma’s words teach us that this kind of happiness tends to be fleeting and subject to changes in our environment.The above quote also emphasizes the need to reverse this trend shifting from external pursuit to internal awareness. The idea is to focus on the happiness that is already present in us, as we live our lives, and not look for it elsewhere.
The happiness mentioned in Amma’s words stems from how we see ourselves and our surroundings, how we accept reality, and how we react to it.Furthermore, the quote highlights the importance of self-discovery. Self-awareness entails understanding ourselves through learning about our mind, feelings, and soul. As a result, we come to learn that happiness does not need to be achieved, but found. We have it inside of us, ready to be discovered, and thus, the cause of our own happiness falls within our reach.The quote by Mata Amritanandamayi is thus an inspiration that our quest for happiness needs to commence from within. Although the attainment of success in outer realms and engaging in outer activities may give some happiness, this sort of happiness cannot be long-lasting unless accompanied by the development of our inner self and inner satisfaction. In today’s day and age, when everything around us pushes toward the outer direction, it becomes extremely important to contemplate upon the wise words quoted above.
It is in fact through such contemplation that one realizes that the essence of happiness has been within us all along.
