An Evening of Reflection and Music with Swami Amritaswarupananda

About 250 people gathered at MA Center Michigan for an evening with Swamiji filled with reflection, music, meditation and the warmth of community.

Swamiji was welcomed with love by the Michigan community as the program began. 

His opening message was simple with a message from Amma about embracing change:

“Do not fear change. Even though you can't transform the outer world, you can change the inner world.”

His talk invited the audience to look at familiar experiences from a different perspective. Asking how often we feel that life is “unkind” to us, he offered a simple reminder:

“Life is neither kind nor unkind. It simply is. It is neutral. Only when we approach life with friendliness can we understand it.”

Through stories, he explored how easily we avoid looking at the places within ourselves that are uncomfortable. One story described a train passenger frantically searching for a lost ticket while refusing to check his final pocket . When asked to check it, the passenger refused saying, "As long as I don't look, I can still believe the ticket might be there. So please don't ask me to check that pocket.”

The story drew laughter, but its deeper meaning lingered.

“That untouched pocket is the ego's last refuge—the place it refuses to examine because it fears discovering the truth.”

He also spoke about confusion—not as something to fear, but as a natural part of growth. When old habits and new understanding meet, he said, confusion can arise. Rather than avoiding it, we can use it as an opportunity for greater clarity.

“Whenever you find yourself confused, remember the very fact you are struggling means there is still goodness within you.”

Drawing from the Bhagavad Gita, Swamiji spoke about humility and the importance of not giving undue importance to our own actions.

One phrase in particular captured the spirit of his message: “Idam na mama” — “This is not mine.”

It is an attitude of surrender: letting go of the idea that everything belongs to us, that every outcome is ours to control, or that praise and criticism define us.

As the talk came to a close, the atmosphere shifted. The hall filled with bhajans, with musicians and singers bringing a lively energy to the evening. For many in the audience, the music became a highlight of the program.

One attendee described the bhajans as “phenomenal and ecstatic,” adding, “I felt like I had been transported to Amritapuri.”

After the energetic bhajans, the lights were turned off for meditation. The sudden stillness offered a beautiful contrast to the music that had filled the room moments before.

Reflecting on the meditation, Ajitha, another attendee, said, “After the hair-raising bhajans, and the lights turned off, it all looked and felt ethereal.”

The evening continued outdoors, where everyone gathered on the deck for a delicious dinner under the stars. Conversations continued as guests relaxed and enjoyed the setting.

From the beautifully prepared hall and stage to the music, meal and hospitality, the evening reflected the seva of many volunteers working quietly behind the scenes.

One attendee from Ohio summed up the experience:

 “The selfless seva and love reflected in every aspect of the program.”

It was an evening that offered something beyond a program: a chance to pause, listen, reflect and reconnect—with ourselves and with one another. For the many people who gathered at MA Center Michigan that evening, the music may have ended and the lights may have come back on, but the reflections continued well beyond the evening.