Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Ettimadai, Coimbatore

	About us » Amma's Message
	"...There are two types of education: education for a living and education for life. When we study in college, striving to become a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer, that is education for a living. But education for life requires an understanding of the essential principles of spirituality; it is about gaining a deeper understanding of the world, our minds, our emotions, and ourselves. We all know that the real goal of education is not to create people who understand only the language of technology; the main purpose of education should be to impart a culture of the heart, a culture based on spiritual values. Viewing religion only outwardly creates more and more division. We need to see and understand the inside, the essence of religion, from a spiritual perspective. Only then will the sense of division come to an end. Where there is division, there cannot be any real spritual experience; and where there is true spritual experience, there will be no division - only unity and love. Love and compassion are the very essence of all religions. What, then, is the need for us to compete?. Love is our true essence. Love has no limitations such as religion, race, nationality, or caste. We are all beads strung together on the same thread of love. To awaken this unity and to spread the love that is our inherent nature to others - this is the true aim of human life. Indeed, love is the only religion that can help humanity rise to great and glorious heights. And love should be the one thread on which all religions and philosophies are strung together. The beauty of society lies in the unity of our hearts...

	James Parks Morton Interfaith award.
	New York’s 4th Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Award. The Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) bestowed the award upon Amma for her outstanding role as a spiritual leader and humanitarian, citing in specific her Ashram’s massive relief work in the wake of the 2004 tsunami. As part of the award ceremony, Amma delivered an address on intra-religious understanding and collaboration
	International day of Peace observation on 21st September, 2004
	In September 2004, the United Nations requested religious and spiritual leaders around the world to lend their support to the observance of its International Day of Peace [21 September]. The day centred around a one-minute worldwide silent prayer.
	World Parliament of Religions, Barcelona, Spain. Keynote address at the concuding session of the parliament on July 13, 2004
	Amma first graced the platform of the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1993. A hundred years before, the same platform in Chicago had catapulted Swami Vivekananda and Sanatana Dharma into international renown. A century later, Amma captured the limelight and hearts with Her luminous presence and illumining words.
	The World Movement for Non-violence confers upon Amma the Gandhi-King Award for Non-violence at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
	Amma was the keynote speaker at The Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders, at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The conference was held in October 2002, and was an initiative of The United Nations' Millennium World Peace Summit, at which Amma spoke in August 2000.
	Amma addresses the Interfaith Celebrations at the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations, New York.
	The Temple of Understanding and the Council of Religious and Interfaith Organisations sponsored this conference, a forum for religious leaders, diplomats, NGOs, and educators to present their visions for the next century. A conference statement was presented to the UN while the 50th Anniversary Summit was still in session.
	Amma is invited to speak at the Parliament of the World's Religions' 100th Anniversary in Chicago; is chosen as one of three presidents of the Hindu faith
	The first Parliament of the World's Religions was held in Chicago in 1893. It marked the first concerted effort to bring all the different religions to a common platform where leaders and representatives of all faiths were able to communicate and share their views.
	Amma Holds Discussions With U.S. Professors
	When the professors from the United States took their seats, the first thing Amma asked them was if they were tired. Indeed, they had been on a whirlwind schedule: first to Delhi where they signed the MoU regarding the Indo-US e-Learning initiative (news), then to the Coimbatore campus of Amrita University where they participated in the initiative's launch with the President of India (news) and then to Amritapuri for an audience with Amma. After a few hours, most of them would again be on a plane ride back to their respective U.S. cities.
	Journalism Students Get Their First Big Interview
	"Newspapers are meant for dharma. And for the purpose of protecting dharma we have to live our dharma," Amma said. She was talking to 15 students from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham's School of Journalism who She'd called to Her room after bhajans on 3rd March.
	A Visit to the Chancellor's Office
	Imagine you are in college and get the word: "The chancellor called. She would like a word with you." Most people's reaction would be one of panic: "Oh, my God, what did I do wrong?" But at the Amritapuri campus of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, the students were scrambling as fast as they could to reach the chancellor's office. They dropped everything--leaving in the middle of their classes, in the middle of their labs. The jetty where the students travel across the backwaters by boat was overflowing. Amma--the university's chancellor--had called them--all of them.