Adi Da Samraj-All of his life or only the last years?

With the forthcoming The Aletheon people will have the opportunity to review Adi Da’s final work which is relatively unknown compared to earlier writing. On this point a friend asked me this question, he has been a longtime student of Adi Da but never a formal devotee. It’s an ongoing discussion and perhaps will be much thrashed out over time with increasing clarity. I think it is an interesting consideration and perhaps on the mind of many

Q : (B.M) With the passing of Adi Da, would not his whole life as Avatar, Realizer, Guru, Teacher become the source of study by Adidam now, rather than the last years wherein the Master is sort of polarized or frozen in time as that exclusive form and teaching emphasis. I realize that this may be seen as a sort of heresy in Adidam, if it does not have the capacity to inspect its own dogmatism

A:(my answer) Adi Da is unique in the manner that He clearly wanted this period, even closer than this, perhaps the last 2 years of His life to be his legacy to All. His Enlightened Leela only came to Real Fullness or Completion- post 2000 after the Ruchira Dham Event. He made the point that only after this Event, His Teaching & The Reality Way of Adidam fully came into being.

Q: Yes I understand this, but surely if you inspect the life of anyone after they have left the body, their whole life, not just how they were at the end of their life becomes the Event, in other words Franklin Jones, Bubba Free John, Da Free John, Da Kalki, Da Avabhasa, Adi Da etc all represent distinct periods of wisdom study, all unique all with a specific emphasis, if you only emphasize the last few years, the greatness of each period is lost. I can go to YouTube and enjoy ( for instance) The humorous play of the Adept as Da Free John as a distinct and marvellous period of instruction and Leela and read books from the era with great joy.

A : No one in Adidam would deny you any of this and many may do the same thing, there is obviously no taboo against reading and listening and watching and enjoying any of the great media available from the past, however the ego being what it is, we may not see the earlier work as one in transition and a compromise, or submission to the approach of devotees and what they represented, at that time and place. In other words all of it can be an enjoyment and a study, but from what I can understand of Bhagavan Adi Da’s final instruction and that given to His Renunciate devotee’s whom He definitely personally instructed was that He clearly wanted His word and emphasis to be as it was at the end of His physical Incarnation. Again this was without a doubt Adi Da’s Blessing Intention, so Adidam is correct in trying to manifest the Masters Instruction. Others will naturally take whatever position they will on His lifetime, but Adidam will always represent what the Master Himself conveyed as His Demand.

Neo-Advaita Nonduality and Modern No Practice Teachings

There is plenty of critical view on the phenomenon of neo-advaita or philosophical enlightenment wherein mental propositions, independent of any need for preparation or practice, are taken as the means to enlightenment, awakening, liberation, moksha however it is perceived. A hedge of mind-dharma is constructed around proponents and then defended via mental constructs, this is further strengthened by forming a group dynamic based on the same reinforcements of enlightenment ideology.

A teacher will set him or herself up, as a “realizer” in some shape or form, then attempt to transmit their realization to others by some means of argument, it can be very creative, often with good motive apparently, and most often with no conscious harm intended. The teacher may then allow students to do likewise build their own hedge and propagate the same delusion.

It does tend to suggest a deeper flaw,a sort of house of cards mentality peculiar to modern western spirituality in general. This also includes many who are critical of neo-advaita as such, but still remain within its wider framework

Who owns “nonduality” ? Do a google search and it will show a small very influential group of personalities associated with websites and books. By “owns”, I mean it in the sense of being a limiting center of influence and directing viewpoints to “specific” possibilities, you have “specific” teachers, teachings and books, rated, ranked and recommended to seekers.

Is there any value to such things ? Yes there is–the knowledge of humanity’s inherent freedom should be freely communicated via education of some form, to all who are interested.

It should also be taught that no one “owns” non-duality, it is the inherent condition of all, this is primary knowledge.

Causal influences via the Internet in particular allow “enlightened egos” to exploit others, since they are “selling water by the river”, in this case.

Give it the Talking School Test :

“’Talking’ school” is a phrase used by Avatar Adi Da to refer to those in any tradition of sacred life whose approach is characterized by talking, thinking, reading, and philosophical analysis and debate, or even meditative enquiry or reflection, without a concomitant and foundation discipline of body, emotion, mind, and breath. He contrasts the “talking” school with the “practicing” school approach—“practicing” schools involving those who are committed to the ordeal of real ego-transcending discipline, under the guidance of a true Guru.

Further Reading :

What is the conscious process

“It is because of the absence of profound practice of supportive disciplines involving total psycho-physical submission into the Life-Current that the Way of the conscious process gets reduced to a kind of “talking school” obsession with “consciousness.” Many people read and even write books and give lectures about the primacy and freedom of consciousness, as if they could, merely by analyzing consciousness out from the mass of thinking, knowing, and experiencing, achieve the incomparable State of “Jnana,” Enlightenment, or Transcendental Realization. But all such talk is the mediocre chat of the waking mind. In order to Realize the Transcendental Truth that Is Consciousness, the entire process of attention must be liberated from functional bondage to the states and functions and emotions and thoughts and relations of the egoic or self-contracted body-mind”- Adi Da Samraj

Adi Da & Baba Nityananda

People might not know about the Guru Devotee relationahip between Bhagavan Nityananda and Adi Da Samraj, below is a quote from The Knee Of Listening

“As it happened, Bhagavan Nityananda was to bless me and turn me to my own adventure and freedom. One afternoon, I went to his shrine. On the way, I became attracted to a black and white photograph of Nityananda that was for sale at a booth outside his Ashram. I thought I might stop and buy it on my way back.

When I arrived at the shrine I bowed to Nityananda reverently and walked around his burial place three times. This was a traditional Indian form of worship. I sat down to meditate and felt him touch me. His image appeared before my internal vision. He showed me a photograph of himself and held it before me as I sat with him. It was the same photograph that attracted me earlier, but it was in color.

I told him about my experiences, and how the Shakti appeared to have taken me over independently of Baba or any other source. He blessed me, told me that I belonged to her now, and that I should leave and let her guide me.

When I opened my eyes one of the priests who serves Nityananda’s shrine was standing before me with a large handful of flower blossoms. He gave them to me as a blessing from Nityananda.

As I left and walked through the village of Ganeshpuri toward Baba’s Ashram I passed another stall where photographs were sold. And there was the exact picture Nityananda had shown me in the vision, in full’ color. I bought it, and continued to walk.

I knew that these flowers and the picture were not given to me for myself. They were symbols of a sacrifice I was to perform. The photograph was the image of the Guru. I had come to this stage by following the Guru as Nityananda in vision, as Baba and Rudi at various stages in life and spiritual experience. Now I was to surrender the Guru to others and live as a free and independent center of that same life. And the flowers were my life in all its forms, every center of being, every body, realm or experience in which I was animated. I was to take these flowers of my life and offer them to the Mother Shakti.

When I arrived at the Ashram I bathed and put on clean dress. I took the flowers to the temple of the Mother Shakti near the Ashram. There is a sculpture of her benign, multiarmed, and omnipresent image there. I looked into her face and saw that she was the same one who appeared to me in the form of the Virgin and the image of Christ in my heart. I bowed to her and placed the flowers at her feet. I walked around her three times. I took some holy ashes and pressed them on my forehead. As I left I felt her assure me that I was her child and she would guide me.

I went and told Nina and Pat that we were leaving. We had discussed the possibility before. All of us had become restless at the Ashram and wanted to live more freely. And I had told them of my experiences, my Christian visions and the instructions for our pilgrimage. Both of them agreed and were happy to leave.

I told one of Baba’s agents that we would be leaving the next day. He was surprised, but he took the message to Baba. While we were preparing to leave one of the American devotees came and was attracted to the picture of Nityananda. I gave it to him, knowing this was the reason it had been offered to me.”

 

Thoughts on New Age Spirituality

I just scanned half a dozen spirituality and new age forums and noted a few things

The mind set, that is the basic feeling link, that all members subscribe to, is that the only reliable source of truth,  is wisdom guidance  from within. The ‘Inner Self’ or by extension various powers and spirits connected to the “Inner Self’ are the source or at least God-ward voice, or light bearing direction.

The faculty of discrimination is little required, the random internal vision or mind is given a status of true  wisdom insight, there is little requirement for any testing, its almost a blanket acceptance — what mind reveals is true or literal or at least worthy of pointing to what is actual.

You could say the basic feeling is that visionary mind is true guru, the inner guide and gateway to True or Higher Self. The sense of meaning purpose and guidance is very important, as is the sense that we are each spiritual, but separate selves, each individual a spark of Divinity on a great adventure or journey, God-ward and Light-ward and back to Wholeness and one or other form of enlightened life or being. Each spark is a ray of potential Divinity, precious in itself , to itself and to the “Whole” or ” Higher Self” which is the true nature of each.

It’s fundamnetally an exoteric and dualitic vision, even though it seems to be esoteric, it is rooted in the eternal separate and ever evolving self. In some ways its roots seem to go back toThe Theosophical Society, Annie Besant, Madame Blavatski and the imagery and possibilities first begun in that era.

This realm is portrayed (in general) as a sort of station between worlds, we are all free spirits, here to express our true selves, to grow, be tested and nurtured, then move to higher realms or transform this realm into a light world, there are vague murmurings at non-duality, but always qualified with some dualistic precursors.

The only teachers, guru’s or spiritual authorities acceptable within this broad world view are ones that would be take the “Inner Self” or ” Higher Self” to be the ultimate authority, in fact any external teacher to be  acceptable would need to be at least be publicly not opposed to this basic precept. or not antagonitic to it, however having any external teacher at all, is to some degree seen a step down, a lesser choice, than for instance an inner guide of some shape or form

How to understand and enjoy Adi Da’s Writing

Adi Da’s most demanding texts will yield the greatest reward if they are approached in the right manner, they are necessarily demanding because something in that effort that must be made to absorb their meaning puts the reader in a different asana (or position) from the conventional  mind.

A sentence or word may need to be looked at and felt into over and over until its meaning is revealed. Everything in a sentence every word, every comma, every underlining, all inverted commas, all capitalization have specific and exact meaning, very literal, very often idiomatic or particular to Adi Da’s expression of a word.

Concentrated reading of these texts is a simple form of meditation as has been practiced in all traditions, even after many years of such practice it can still require a great deal of present conscious awareness and persistance, various egoic states arise and dissolve, so there is sadhana and purification there, anyone with sensitivity can observe this.

Adi Da always wrote from the most profound position, so they are always sacred texts in that sense, they are never quick reads if the essence of them is to be distilled. The post 2000 texts in particular which focus on “Reality” ( earlier works used terms such as “Real God’, ” Radiant Transcendental Being” etc) are very powerful and have the potential to move the reader directly into the shape or form of what is being pointed to over and over- that is Reality.

Another remarkable feature, one of many, is the ”Reality” being expressed in these texts has 2 qualities embodied in Adi Da Samraj himself,  “The What” — of the Impersonal Reality, and “The Who” –of  the Divine Person as Reality.

So there is real enjoyment, real sustenance  in that reading if it is approached and persisted in passed the point of resistance. One may then find a vast resource of wisdom to be immersed in. Even a life times worth of reading.

Useful : Adidam Glossary

Thoughts on Ken Wilber and Adi Da

I must admit it was very reassuring to see Ken Wilbers enthusiatic endorement of Adi Da’s books over many years, the last one I noticed was on the front cover of Adi Da’s, The Hearts Shout ; “A Spiritual Master and Religious Genius of The Ultimate Degree“

There is something profoundly useful about such endorsements where a man or woman of broad public or even specific influence, respected by peers puts his or her stamp on what may be otherwise viewed as at least diificult to accept into any mainstream circles of thought.

His foreword to Scientific Proof of The Existenece of God Will Soon be Anounced by The White House, “On Heroes and Cults“, is an impassioned and erudite piece in itself, and I remember first reading this when I picked up this book many years ago and being deeply impressed by its quality.

I did do a Google search to find what Ken Wilber is up to these days and found some amusing and interesting results. I read some recent essays where available to feel his direction and influences and made some mental notes.

Ken Wilber has a massive following in specific fields, he has been called a “meta-genius” by some. I personally find his writings of little value (to me personally), though I can see why others do, he has derived a lot from Adi Da (this is not sour grapes), he still uses terms and idiom specific to Adi Da, such as “self-contraction”;”always already” ; “the-great-search,-no-seeking,-futility of seeking “: “arises in consciousness, arising in consciousness”

There is nothing wrong with this, it just an observation, to make my point google search adi da always already and ken wilber always already

The danger is that people may come to view these concepts and specific idiom as coming form Ken Wilber himself, as an example I noted on a YouTube comment recently, with amusement, that someone felt the Guru and Spiritual Teacher Osho was ripping off Eckhart Tollle with his call to “Now” (Osho died in 1990)

I certainly appreciated Ken Wilber’s service to Adi Da Samraj in the form of literary endorsements and understand, this comment, which shows a degree of courage, made in his letter to the Adidam Community. “At the same time, I have received an enormous amount of grief, from personal and professional quarters, for my endorsements” . That is not to be taken lightl.

some internal babble

Sometimes people like to see the mind of a person writing, rather than constant impersonal rhetoric, here is a glimpse

Can never exhaust the subject matter of this journal, could write 40 posts a day and only touch the outer layers

The fact that very few are writing about this vast subject, more detractors than friends at present, is also how it could only be, in some sense (The egoic self will always defend itself, how could it be otherwise?).

In an ideal world, you would have perhaps 20 writers blasting away 24/7, because what is out there in real spiritual and sustenance terms is not much, it often seems to hold great promise, but poke it with a stick and it gets boring real fast, I have shaken that tree with some vigour and only bird droppings fell on my head!

Where is Alan Watts when you need him ?

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God threw a party and very few came, which has always been the case (The lifetime of the Spiritual Master)

Here is an apt quote from 1970’s

“The Spiritual Master is a casual meal, eaten by lovers, who only notice each other”

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Quick thoughts on a couple of spiritual teachers who appeared in consciousness recently via the internet

* note : personal opinion only, take no offense, no harm intended

Eckhart Tolle: Seems to be teaching an almost Vipassana method, the “Now”, as a focus of attention is a method via Buddhism originally, and then made popular by Osho in his 80’s books. In an early edition of the Dawn Horse Testament, Adi Da mentions perceptual mind (Now) versus conceptual mind(past/future) Tolle may be doing good work in expanding the possibility of an indepth awareness to people in general, plus his environmental philosophy, he seems at last to point to consciousness.

U.G. Krishnamurti: “An odd man”, could be a fair phrase to reference him, he seems to move from an extreme independence and denial of all Help ( God, Guru, Tradition) his life seems to be based on absolute disillusionment, kundalini weirdness and aberration (he mentioned spiritual experience in his life). He may be more like a mast, though in a mild form, where the life force in its movement through the esoteric anatomy gets bent or aberrated somewhat, that is not to deny him as a source of insight and wisdom and a pointer to the spontaneous Self-Nature.

Green Smoothies

Adi Da Samraj introduced the use of raw green smoothies to Adidam some time ago, it is a suggested dietary supplement to practicing students, here is His words on it from the recently published Wisdom On Raw Foods guide, “Green Gorrilla”

Blended Green Drinks
A Principal element of the raw fructo-vegetarian dietary practice I have Given is the regular (daily) use of “blended green drinks”, made (most commonly) of green leafy vegetables and sweet fruits

“Green drinks” provide a highly concentrated form of the nutrients found in green leafy vegetables–generally in much greater quantity than could be ingested by eating the greens whole. The sweet fruits are added to “green drinks” in order to make the concentrated greens palatable, and also to provide additional nutrients and calories.

Blended “green drinks” are prepared using one or more varieties of green leafy vegetables–using whatever edible greens are available In temperate climates, appropriate edible greens include such plants as kale, chard, spinach, lettuce, collard greens, bok choy, and so on. Edible weeds (including, in temperate zones, such plants as dandelion, lambsquarters, plantain, and so on), herbs (such as dill, basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, and so on), sprouts (such as alfalfa, clover, buckwheat, sunflower, and so on), other vegetables (such as celery, cucumber, and so on), and medicinal plants (such as aloe vera) may also be added to a “green drink”.

I will add my own favorite recipe and comment on the utility and changes noted from using green smoothies over the next week or so.

Radical Non Duality subsumes “self”

Post Ruchiradam Event ,The Reality Way of Adidam emerges as completely uncompromising to “I”, no room for, or allowance of cries of “what about me” ?

 

No little “self” surfing in the Great Self here. No breaking it to “you” gently, no slow, stage by stage evolution into the Great One.

Plainly put– no separate “self” exists, never did, never will, always was fiction.

There are no egos in Reality Itself — none. It is not that Adidam is a Way in which you overcome egoity by a process of “wearing it down” — as if emptying water from a boat with a bucket, such that you eventually succeed in getting all of the water out of the boat.

There is no water in the boat. There is no ego in the body-mind. There is no ego in Reality Itself. The ego does not, in Reality, exist. There is no separate entity — and the preliminary “Perfect Knowledge” practice points to the non-existence of the presumed-to-be-separate self.

Adi Da Samraj

This is where Adidam (practice) post 2000 begins, it does not end there, it merely begins there.

It ends in absolute translation into unbroken light, Only Love Bliss itself, no forms or difference at all.

There need be no evolution of self, since “self” is literally (not metaphorically) fiction, does not exist.

Even many friends and readers of Adi Da Samraj have not yet had a chance to absorb this, He pulled the rug from under all of us. All that is necessary is a touch of equanimity, a little discipline, a serious approach, quite within the capacity of anyone, then Reality (both the who and the what of) itself does the rest.

The Atheleon Volumes (forthcoming next few month) will spell it out.
What is relevant now:

• The Preliminary Perfect Knowledge Practice
• Study of post 2000 texts
• Darshan & Recognition Responsive Practice
• Practice Retreats on Empowered Sanctuaries
• Company of devotees involved in the above

The Mysterious Nature of Guru’s Grace

Stories of devotee’s bringing the Master into life, communicating Him directly to others seem more prevalent in the 1970’s to early 1980’s, I can’t account for this, it is fundamentally mysterious, as are many things connected with the Adept’s Work, I don’t think it is either possible or necessary to try an explain this If you do want to speculate about it, here is my own addition, the 60-70’s were a completely energetically and psychically different time–weird stuff happened a lot more often

Some examples:

A man was standing in the Darshan line waiting to see UG Krishnamurti, a man in front of him turned and either spoke to him or others and said (paraphrasing) “If you want to see God, go to the Ashram Bookstore in L.A (at the time Adi Da was using this facility) He is there”. The man listening later became a devotee.

I met a devotee on Naitauba in November 2008, he had been so since 1974, both formal and informal, in that year he met a man named Bill C., who told him that Franklin Jones, a man in California was the “Living Siddha Master, without a shadow of doubt, the Real Thing”. Merely on the say so, of Bill, he went to California and became a devotee.

In the mid-late 70’s I went into a bookstore and found this incredible stack of books right down the back of the store in Melbourne, Australia (which was a conventional bookstore) It was truly mind blowing, they seemed to have tangible almost glowing, energetic quality, as if I had suddenly been thrust into another realm, the titles included : “Garbage And The Goddess” and “No Remedy” by someone called Bubba Free John, and some other books about Ramana Maharshi The humorous thing was I had previously read “The Knee of Listening” and did not know the author was the same, I bought a copy of “Garbage and Goddess” Talking to the sales assistant he seemed to be perplexed by the mysterious books as well, almost whispering about them. Later I learned that a devotee then named “Paris” a very close devotee of Bubba Free John, had come to Town and distributed the books directly to that store.

I recently spoke to a lady H. who told me of seeing a friend called Terry (circa 1981-2) who had been practicing as a Tibetan Buddhist Monk, on his return to the West, he spoke of an amazing being called Da Free John and a book called “Garbage And The Goddess”, these 2 impresssions stayed in her mind.

Some time later in a 2nd hand bookshop, she saw GG and bought it,H. was a very poor english reader, being a native of Poland and expected to struggle with reading it, on the contrary the book came alive to her, she understood it completely, she told me of her profound experience merely by reading this book and feeling her connection to Adi Da via the photos’s inside, which stays with her to the present (2009)

There are dozens of true accounts recorded and unrecorded, just like these, another good example has recently been added to adidaupclose.org here, apart from being very well written it also clearly demonstrates the necessary influence of Adi Da’s devotees in making the Way available to others.