Book excerpt: For The Past 30 Years, Amma Has Dedicated Her Life To The Uplift Of Suffering Humanity Through The Simplest Of Gestures, An Embrace. In This Intimate Manner, Amma Has Blessed And Consoled More Than 30 Million People Throughout The World. Wherever She Travels, Be It In India, America Or Europe, Thousands Flock To See Her. They Seek Her Boundless Love And Compassion, Her Comfort And Her Advice. This Book Is A Collection Of Amma’s Answers To Questions Asked During Her Programs In The West Since 1999. Some Were Put To Her In A Formal Setting, But Most Were Asked As She Was Giving Darshan, By Those Sitting At Her Side And Those Resting In Her Arms. Here, Amma Speaks On A Vast Range Of Topics, Including The Nature Of Birth And Death, Worldly Relationships, War And Peace, And Spiritual Practices And Philosophy. No Matter The Question, Amma Answers In Her Own Inimitable Earthy Style, Full Of The Love Of A Mother And The Wisdom Of A True Spiritual Master. She Presents The Most Esoteric Of Spiritual Truths In A Manner So Simple That Even A Child Could Understand. Published By The Disciples Of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Affectionately Known As Mother, Or Amma The Hugging Saint.