Interfaith Center honours Amma

NEW YORK:India’s spiritual leader as well as the world’s ‘Amma’, Matha Amritanandamayi Devi was presented with the Interfaith Center of New York’s 4th Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Award for her outstanding role as a global spiritual leader and humanitarian.

Five other prominent personalities including the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohammed Elbaradei, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer, were also honoured aside Amma this year.

The Award is given every year to individuals doing exceptional work in fostering peace and harmony between different religious communities.

Previous recipients of the award include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, former US President Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Amma also delivered an address on intra-religious understanding and collaboration as part of the award ceremony.

“A one-word solution for almost all the problems the world is facing today is ‘compassion.’ The essence of all religions is in being compassionate to others. Religious leaders should highlight the importance of compassion through the example of their own lives. Nothing is scarcer in the world than role models. To bridge this gap, religious leaders should come forward,” Amma said.

“While great souls give importance to spiritual values, their followers often give more importance to institutions and organizations. As a result, the very religions that were meant to spread peace and tranquility by stringing people together on the thread of love have become the cause of war and conflict,” Amma added.