These are selected quotes from the address of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi upon receiving an Doctorate of Humane letters from State University of New York 25 May 2010.
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“Spiritual education is a training that helps us to truly understand ourselves. It gives us strength and helps us comprehend the deeper realms of knowledge. It gives us the ability to face life’s challenges with courage and equanimity of mind.”
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“Education is not only to help us live a comfortable life of plenty. When our plans fall apart, when we face failure and loss, when we are knocked down, education should help us get back on our feet. Education should help us regain our mental equipoise, self-confidence, and positive attitude, so that we can continue forward.”
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“In fact, studying is a form of austerity. It’s a process, like the bud unfolding into the beautiful fragrance spreading flower. Understanding this, we should approach our topic of study with love and patience.”
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“The world of knowledge is limitless; the possibilities are as vast as the universe. Therefore, before deciding whether a discovery is beneficial or detrimental, we need to contemplate with a meditative mind.”
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“When we are walking, if our mind suddenly tells our feet to stop, they will do so. When we are clapping, if our mind tells our hands to stop, they will immediately become still. But if we tell our thoughts to stop, will they listen? No. We need to cultivate the same level of control over our mind as we have over our physical body. This is the goal of meditation.”
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“Few of us ever try to still the mind, but in reality, it is from the still mind that many wondrous discoveries and inventions have taken birth.”
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“Knowledge is like a river. Its nature is to constantly flow. Wherever it can flow, it does so, nourishing culture. On the other hand, the same knowledge, if devoid of values, becomes a source of destruction for the world. When values and knowledge become one, there can be no more powerful instrument for the welfare of humankind. Today, physicists have even begun investigating the possibility that the essential substratum of the manifest universe and the individual are one and the same. We are standing on the threshold of a new era wherein material science and spirituality will move forward hand in hand.”
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“It is Amma’s prayer that we develop the expansive-mindedness to embrace both scientific knowledge and spiritual wisdom. We can no longer afford to see these two streams of knowledge as flowing in opposite directions. In truth, they complement one another. If we merge these streams, we will find that we are able to create a mighty river—a river whose waters can remove suffering and spread life to all of humanity.”
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