Amma's Teachings: Amma Mata Amritanandamayi and Spiritual Teachings on Patience

Spirituality & Consciousness|7 min read

Amma's Teachings: Amma Mata Amritanandamayi and Spiritual Teachings on Patience Amma says "When we give up our affection, we become God's instrument of service to the entire world. Our patience shoul...

Amma says "When we give up our affection, we become God's instrument of service to the entire world. Our patience should be for the upliftment of others. If our patience persuades someone to do adharma (unrighteousness), then it is not dharma (righteousness).” This is a raw quote. It offers a sweet insight into the subtle brushstrokes of Amma’s artful teaching style. She uses broad strokes and then offers a quiet, unassuming hook that our soulful minds will feel obliged to consider and contemplate.

Amma's Teachings and the Value of Patience

So, what does Amma’s teachings mean, most especially, how can someone's patience persuade someone to be unrighteous? Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi Devi) is a renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian from Kerala, India. In her quote, She speaks to the transformational power of Selfless love and service amid an important set of teachings around discernment, compassion, and understanding. By "giving up our affection," Amma inspires us to transcend our personal and Selfish attachments and desires to become instruments of divine service to the world. Amma’s teaching is deeply rooted in Her commitment to the sacred embodiments of compassion, spiritual growth, and enlightenment. Amma’s teaching touches on several important ideas, all of which fall under the auspices of The Dharma. These include:

Amma's Teachings on Selflessness as Divine Service

By releasing personal attachments and focusing on serving others, individuals align themselves with a higher, divine purpose. This Selflessness is seen as a way to express universal love and compassion, qualities often attributed to divinity.

Spiritual Teachings on Patience and Upliftment

Patience here is not passive endurance but an active, compassionate commitment to the welfare of others. It's about supporting and uplifting people, guiding them towards righteousness (dharma) and away from unrighteousness (adharma). Amma's Teachings on the Ethical Dimension of Patience: Amma points out a complex aspect of patience - it must be aligned with Dharma (righteousness). If one's patience inadvertently supports or enables others to engage in adharma (unrighteous actions or behaviors), then it is misplaced. This could easily happen in situations where being patient means permitting, allowing, tolerating, or not addressing harmful actions in a thoughtful way. For instance, if someone's behavior is hurtful to others or unethical, and we choose to remain patient without addressing or confronting this behavior. In this case, our inaction could be interpreted as approval or acceptance, potentially encouraging further unrighteous actions.

Applying Amma’s Teachings

Self-awareness and Discernment: Cultivate Self-awareness and cautious evaluation to understand the impact of your actions and inactions. Use the discernment of a great sage to work through complex and emotionally charged situations, ensuring that your patience and tolerance are not enabling harmful behaviors or giving someone the permission they need to harm others or themselves. Active Compassion: Engage in compassionate, empathic, and egoless actions that genuinely support the welfare and upliftment of others. This includes performing uncomfortable actions for the greater good, or for a troubled individual, such as intervening in a situation where someone is being harmed or appears to be harming others. Align Actions with Higher Principles: Ensure that your actions, including the expression of patience, either verbal or non-verbal, align with pure, Dharmic, and ethical principles and contribute to the upliftment and betterment of others toward their peacefulness, health, safety, and happiness. In essence, Amma's message encourages us to live Selflessly, with compassion and love, ensuring that our actions and the patience we exhibit serve to uplift others and guide them toward righteousness, rather than inadvertently supporting the opposite.

What About Today’s Political Climate Around Corporate Behavior?

Given all the complex contemporary social issues, including corporate non-allyship and the dynamics of "woke" culture and hashtag activism, we can extrapolate based on the principles Amma advocates: compassion, selflessness, and a commitment to righteousness (Dharma). Given Amma's teachings on patience, Selfless service, and righteousness, we might consider these ideas as potentially based on her teachings: Compassionate Activism: Amma might encourage activists and movements to approach their advocacy with compassion and understanding. While it's important to hold corporations and institutions accountable for their actions, the methods and spirit of this accountability should be rooted in a desire for positive change and healing, rather than punishment or division. Much of today’s activism is drenched in hatred and blame, which can only further separate us and prevent resolution. Constructive Engagement: All movements and organizations should focus on engaging with corporations and individuals constructively. This would involve dialogue, flexibility, and collaboration, aiming to educate and transform from within rather than alienating, provoking, or antagonizing. The goal would be to inspire genuine change, and the evolution of each individual’s spirit, not just compliance or superficial allyship. Patience with Purpose: Patience does not mean passivity or acceptance of harm. Instead, patience should be strategic and purposeful, allowing time for understanding, growth, acceptance, one-mind, and meaningful change. It's about creating space for learning, examination, Self-inquiry, group-inquiry, and transformation while maintaining a firm stance against unrighteousness (adharma). Universal Compassion and Understanding: Seek an approach that seeks to understand the pressures and challenges faced by all parties, including corporations. This understanding can inform more subtle and effective strategies for change that address root causes rather than symptoms. Amid all of this exploration and communication, all parties must remain calm, kind, and open to dialogue, and they must remain in the present moment, never lamenting or guilting others based in the past. Empowerment through Selflessness: Activists and movements must realize that the most real changes often come from Selfless intentions and pure actions. When events and intentions are motivated by a genuine desire to serve and uplift humanity, without attachment to personal identity or gain, they can hit home more deeply and lead to lasting transformation. In all things, we seek to embody The Dharma (righteousness) to become as pure and striking as resilient flowers bowing to the effulgent Sun. The Shankara Oracle can help you achieve this. Last Updated: September 27, 2025

The Role of Discernment in Practicing Patience

In my 35 years of engagement with spiritual practices and intuitive readings, one truth has become crystal clear: patience without discernment is not truly patience-it can be a mask for avoidance or denial. Here is the thing most people miss.Amma’s teachings emphasize that patience is not passive endurance but an active, conscious choice aligned with dharma, or righteousness. When Amma says, "If our patience persuades someone to do adharma, then it is not dharma," she directs us to cultivate a wisdom that recognizes when patience serves the highest good and when it inadvertently enables harm.

When I sit with clients navigating complex emotional spaces, I often see how a lack of discernment in patience leads to spiritual bypassing-where one tolerates toxic situations under the guise of "being patient." Amma’s message is fierce and tender here: patience is not about tolerating injustice or compromising your integrity. It is about holding space for transformation without sacrificing your own or others’ well-being. This subtle but crucial distinction has helped many seekers I’ve worked with to realign their patience with compassionate action rather than passive acceptance.

Palo santo has been used for centuries to clear negative energy and invite in the sacred. *(paid link)* The indigenous peoples of South America knew what they were doing when they turned to this "holy wood" for spiritual cleansing. There's something about that sweet, woody smoke that cuts through the mental fog and creates space for patience to actually take root. I've burned it before sitting with difficult emotions, and honestly? It helps slow down the reactive mind. The ritual itself ~ lighting it, letting the smoke drift, breathing it in ~ forces you to pause. And in that pause, Amma's teachings about cultivating inner stillness start to make real sense.

Transcending Attachment: Lessons from Amma’s Devotion

Over three and a half decades as a devotee of Amma, I have witnessed firsthand the alchemy of surrendering attachment and embodying patience as a tool for spiritual transformation. This isn't theory for me ~ it's lived experience through countless moments of wanting to control outcomes and learning, slowly, to let go. Amma's call to "give up our affection" is not about suppressing love but about releasing possessiveness, expectation, and ego-driven desire. Think about that. Real love doesn't cling. It flows. Patience, in this context, becomes a sacred practice of allowing life and others to unfold without clinging or resistance. I've watched her demonstrate this thousands of times ~ sitting with difficult people, holding space for their pain without trying to fix or change them. That's the real teaching right there. Not the words she speaks, but how she embodies this patient presence when some asshole is taking their sweet time pouring their heart out at 3 AM. Explore more in our spiritual awakening guide.

Rose quartz is the stone of unconditional love, keep one close when you are doing heart work. I'm not talking about some mystical bullshit here. This pink stone just has this way of softening the edges when you're wrestling with forgiveness or trying to love someone who's being a complete pain in the ass. Seriously. Hold it while you meditate on patience, or just keep it in your pocket when dealing with difficult people. The gentle energy helps you remember that love doesn't mean being a doormat... it means staying open even when everything in you wants to slam shut. *(paid link)*

Amma’s presence itself is a living example: she radiates unconditional love with fierce compassion, yet she does not tolerate actions that perpetuate harm or injustice. This teaching has personally challenged me to examine where my own attachments might cloud my ability to be patient in a way that truly serves. It’s an ongoing process-patience infused with surrender, not resignation. Through years of meditation, service, and guidance from Amma, I’ve learned that transcending attachment opens a gateway to a deeper, more authentic patience that empowers rather than disables. Paul explores this deeply in The Electric Rose.

Practical Applications of Amma’s Teachings in Daily Life

Amma's teachings on patience are not theoretical abstractions but practical guides for everyday living. Drawing from my experience as a spiritual guide and intuitive reader, I encourage those seeking to embody Amma's wisdom to integrate discernment and compassion into daily decisions. This means observing where your patience might be enabling harmful patterns and where it might be nurturing growth and healing. Here's the thing though ~ patience without boundaries becomes doormat spirituality. I've seen too many people twist Amma's teachings into excuses for staying in toxic situations because they think suffering equals spiritual growth. Bullshit. Real patience knows when to stay and when to walk away. It's fierce, not passive. Think about that. When you're practicing patience with someone who keeps hurting you, are you actually being compassionate or are you just avoiding the hard work of setting limits? Amma herself demonstrates this balance ~ endless love paired with clear guidance about what serves and what doesn't. You might also find insight in When the Teacher Falls - What to Do with the Love and the....

Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now remains one of the most important spiritual books of our time. *(paid link)* Look, I've read thousands of spiritual texts over the years, and most of them are recycled bullshit dressed up in fancy language. But Tolle? He cuts through the noise. No elaborate rituals or impossible meditation schedules - just the simple, brutal truth that your thoughts are not you. The guy takes something we all experience but rarely notice... that voice in our heads that never shuts up... and shows you how to step back from it. Think about that. Most of us live our entire lives identified with that mental chatter, never realizing we have a choice.

One practical approach I teach is to pause before reacting-ask yourself, "Is this patience serving the highest good for all involved?" This moment of reflection can prevent the unconscious perpetuation of dharma-negating behaviors. In my personal practice, simple rituals like mindful breathing, journaling, and devotional chanting inspired by Amma help anchor this awareness. They transform patience from a passive state into an empowered, conscious practice aligned with spiritual truth and compassionate action. Are you with me?You might also find insight in Sacred Contracts: Why Your Soul Chose This Life.

If you are serious about a daily sitting practice, a proper meditation cushion makes all the difference. *(paid link)* Look, I spent years thinking I could just sit on a regular pillow or my couch. Bad idea. Your hips start screaming after ten minutes, your back turns into a pretzel, and suddenly you're more focused on physical pain than any kind of spiritual practice. A real cushion - one that actually supports your sitting bones and keeps your spine naturally aligned - changes everything. You can sit longer without fidgeting. You can breathe deeper. Hell, you might even enjoy it. I remember one guy telling me he'd been "meditating" on his living room carpet for three years, wondering why he could never get past the five-minute mark. Turns out his legs were going numb and his lower back was in constant rebellion. Got a decent zafu, and within a week he was sitting twenty minutes easy. The physical foundation isn't just comfort - it's respect for the practice itself. When your body isn't fighting you, your mind can actually settle in and do the work.

Ultimately, Amma's teachings guide us to become active participants in the world's healing through patience that is fierce, tender, and uncompromisingly rooted in righteousness. This isn't passive waiting around for the universe to fix itself. Hell no. This is patience with teeth ~ the kind that sees injustice and responds with steady, relentless love. The kind that doesn't back down when cruelty shows its face, but meets it with something stronger. Think about that. Amma shows us how to hold both the warrior and the mother in the same breath, never sacrificing one for the other. Are you with me? If this strikes a chord, consider an intuitive reading with Paul.