It almost goes without saying that, in the world of the 21st century,
when the extraordinary suggestion is made that a real human being
of our time and place (not a mythical "long ago and far away") could
be an Incarnation of the Divine, it provokes incredible skepticism
and reactivity. We well understand that, in our time, "extraordinary
claims require extraordinary evidence", as Carl Sagan has put it.
We don't blame anyone for harboring doubt, or raising questions
about how such a thing could be. It is extraordinary! But
to those of us with firsthand experience, it is no longer unbelievable.
This entire website is a labor of love purposed toward providing
the evidence — in the form of many personal, firsthand accounts
— that supports a most extraordinary communication, and a most extraordinary
opportunity for a world and a time that could certainly use one:
Adi Da's Offering of the Divine State of Perfect and Eternal Happiness.
In this section, we focus on extraordinary evidence of the "stand-out"
miraculous kind. As Adi Da puts it, instructing His devotees:
It is important to speak about the supernormal
characteristics of My Divine Avataric Lifetime from Birth,
to tell the stories of your being in the Company of One Who
Functions on a supernormal basis.
You should speak about the prevention of huge storms [ed:
one example here] and
various other kinds of miraculous happenings, which you
all have witnessed repeatedly for over thirty-five years.
You must tell the Story of the Lifetime of One Whose Presence
here makes a difference, and proves things that are otherwise
commonly dismissed.
You must tell the Story of My
Blessing-Transmission-Work — how I Awakened people to
every possible kind of phenomenal "experience" associated
with the first six stages of life, and proved, by miraculous
Transcendental Spiritual Demonstration, that none of that
was "It". That is a necessary Story — because It Communicates
fundamental Truth to human beings.
This whole "trash world without a miracle in it"
needs to be told about the Divine
Avataric Intervention here. The world must hear from
you about it. Tell the story and present the evidence, as
people who understand.
You must set Me apart, based [on your confession of your
recognition of Me as the Divine, and therefore] on your
confession that I am what your lives are all about.
Avatar Adi Da Samraj, February, 2008
This site also includes extraordinary evidence of a less obvious,
but more profound kind, demonstrating Adi Da's uniqueness, and
what can be Realized because of Adi Da's unique Revelation and
Way. See our Spiritual
Transmission and Spiritual
Recognition sections.
In this time — often called the "late-time"
by Adi Da — when the world is dominated by the materialistic
viewpoint, in some sense the greatest and most difficult (but
perhaps least appreciated) miracle is for a Spiritual Master to
take ordinary human beings whose life destiny is one of "sub-human",
self-centered, materialistic self-fulfillment and grow them up
first into fully human, loving beings, and then (on that necessary
foundation) into genuine Spiritual practitioners. Our Crazy
Wisdom section presents "extraordinary evidence" of this very
human kind.
2. Stories from Devotees
Blessing is simply My Nature, My State, My Intrinsic Condition
of Self-Radiance.
In this section, we provide some of the most obvious forms of
"extraordinary evidence": events that illustrate Adi Da's comprehensive
awareness of the greater-than-material dimensions of Reality,
as well as the minds and hearts of His devotees; and His power
to miraculously, gracefully influence life and death, natural
and supernatural phenomena, and the lives of His devotees and
many others. The stories included in this section are just the
tip of the iceberg, and stand as representatives for literally
thousands of other stories, which are all are part of the single
spontaneous demonstration that is Adi Da Samraj's Life and Work.
2.1. Adi Da's Influence on Birth, Life,
and Death
Adi Da's power to influence the great transitional moments of
birth, life, and death has been demonstrated time and time again.
The
True Source of Security — In these two stories,
Terry Cafferty's brushes with death (and the extraordinary
Grace that saved him both times) would reveal Adi
Da to be the True Source of Humor, Security and
Eternal Life.
2.2. Adi Da and Awareness
As the Consciousness in which the universe and all beings are
arising, Adi Da has demonstrated His awareness of the minds
and hearts of His devotees — and much more — countless times.
I Am Psychic.
I Am Transcendentally Spiritually and Universally Aware.
I See things.
I "Know" things.
I "Experience" things while having lunch.
I do not just wait for your reports.
It erupts in Me as pain, pictures, signs, sensations.
All manner of things come down into This Body.
This is how I "Know" things.
Avatar Adi Da Samraj, April 14, 2004
A
Bargain With God — Hellie Kalogeros tells
an amazing story of a young woman striking a bargain
with God, and how — decades later — God appeared in
person and kept that bargain.
The
Peach — Adi Da reads the mind and heart of one young
devotee with a strong desire.
The
Mad Talking Dance — A story from Leroy Stilwell
about Adi Da spontaneously speaking the thoughts of
devotees around Him.
A
Dream Encounter— An amazing "time travel"
story from Hellie Kalogeros that illustrates
how the devotee's relationship with Adi Da is literally
prior to time and space.
Suffering
the Pain of Mankind — A story of devotee Stanley
Hastings touching Avatar Adi Da Samraj's body
and being given a vision of His vulnerable non-separation
from the world of universal human suffering.
Herbie
the Goat — Cheech Marrero: "There
was no way anyone could have witnessed the incident
between me and Herbie. Adi Da was revealing again that
He knew everything about me."
"You
Have a Choice to Make" — Stuart Camps: "Just
as Adi Da was about to leave the room in the early
hours of the morning, He softly whispered, almost
to Himself, 'Blessings on those who pass today'."
Adi
Da "Heard" My Thoughts — Daniela Morena: "As
my mind receded in the wake of my heart's upsurge, I
saw Adi Da looking right at me. He had a definitely
amused look on His Face. . . He had 'heard' my thoughts!"
2.3. Adi Da and Elemental Forces
Adi Da has demonstrated many times over the years a miraculous
relationship with elemental forces like rain, wind, and fire.
We even have a phrase, "Grace rain", for the gentle, light drizzle
that so often descends when Adi Da appears in our midst. Here
are some amazing stories of Adi Da's interactions with the elements,
and with the elemental forces associated with growing things.
Look
the Fire in the Eye — On September 17, 1979, a
hot and dry
day, fire
threatened The Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary. Ben
Fugitt, a devotee caretaker of the Sanctuary, noticed
the initial tuft of smoke, and sprang into action.
He soon discovered that the fire was out of control,
and heading on a direct line for the Sanctuary. He
never anticipated the adventure Adi Da would involve
him in that day.
Hurricane
Iwa — Adi Da's unusual Work (in November 1982) with
changing the force of a major hurricane in Hawaii.
The
Miracle in the Garden: Adi Da's Empowerment of the
First Holy Site — During her first weeks of coming
to Avatar Adi Da in 1974, Ruchiradama Nadikanta broke
many things, including a plaster statue of the Virgin
Mary that belonged to Avatar Adi Da. At the same time,
she was also in charge of the vegetable garden being
planted at The Mountain Of Attention, and this too
was problematic. Nothing would grow! For this reason,
Avatar Adi Da decided (as He later put it) "to show
her something".
Under
Clear Blue Skies — While residing at Da Love-Ananda
Mahal, Adi Da talks with devotees about the esoteric
significance of the Sanctuary, and how His Divine
Presence is associated with the element of water,
and how the weather responds accordingly.
2.4. Adi Da's Physical Touch
On occasion, Adi Da Graced devotees with His physical touch (through
a hug, an intentional gesture on His part, etc.), or gave them
the extraordinary Gift of being able to touch His body. Often
the stories of the Spiritual
Transmission that occurred in that circumstance were remarkable.
Here are just a few.
Surrender
at the Master's Feet — In this compilation, Wes
Vaught, Antonina Randazzo, and Chris Tong describe
the extraordinary Grace of touching (or being physically
close to) Adi Da's Feet, traditionally held to be
the most sacred "part" of the Spiritual
Transmission Master's body. Timothy adds to this by
describing a psychophysical experience with the Guru's
Feet.
Guru
Enters Devotee — Aniello Panico describes an experience
where Adi Da placed His hand on the Aniello's forehead:
"I felt the Divine Force — literally, tremendous Light
and Force — Coming Down and Filling my entire body,
Consuming me, as if it was turning every part of me
inside out."
Suffering
the Pain of Mankind — A story of devotee Stanley
Hastings touching Avatar Adi Da Samraj's body and
being given a vision of His vulnerable non-separation
from the world of universal human suffering.
2.5. Adi Da and Healing
Adi Da has directly healed many people: devotees, their family
and friends, and many others. Devotees invoking His Blessing-Power
have been responsible for many more healings. Still other spontaneous
healings have happened through participation in a sacred occasion
or being in a Temple Empowered by Adi Da on one of His
Sanctuaries. Here is just the smallest sample of the stories
that can be told of Adi Da as miraculous healer.
A
Gift of Life
— Margaret Dickow tells the story of her eleven-year-old
niece's miraculous recovery from a skiing accident,
through the Grace of Avatar Adi Da.
A
Touch of the Divine: A Miraculous Healing at Ordeal
Bath Lodge — Ann Walsh and Katinka van Dam tell the story of a miraculous
healing that occurred spontaneously during a sacramental
event at Ordeal Bath Lodge, a Holy Site/Healing Temple
at the Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary.
A
Gift of Healing
— Jack Schmitt describes a sudden and dramatic healing
that took place through Adi Da's Blessing-Power in
one of the temples at The Mountain Of Attention.
Divine
Healing — Pamela Bennett
describes a sudden and dramatic healing that took
place through Adi Da's Blessing-Power while she was
sitting with Adi Da in meditation, in one of the temples
at The Mountain Of Attention.
Back
in Adi Da's Arms
— Trish Mitchell describes her miraculous recovery
from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) through
Adi Da's Grace.
He
Saved My Life — Tom Williams
is a devotee of Adi Da living in Northern California.
Here he tells the story of how Adi Da miraculously
saved his life.
The
Graceful Touch of My Master
— Paul Litchfield tells the story of his time with
Adi Da on Naitauba, during October and November, 2008,
up to and beyond the day of Adi Da's Divine Mahasamadhi.
He also tells of a miraculous healing that took place
through Adi Da's Grace, after he returned to Melbourne,
Australia.
2.6. Adi Da and Instantaneous Liberation
from Karma
Adi Da's Disposition and Blessing always serves the complete
and instant liberation of every being —
if they could make fullest use of It.
Many devotees report how they suffered certain egoic patterns
for decades (and perhaps even lifetimes), and were relieved of
those patterns in an instant through Adi Da's Grace.
"No
Pity For Him!"
— Chris Tong describes how, one night in December,
1992, Adi Da Gracefully and permanently relieved him
of all self-pity. Chris talks about the lessons learned
from this miraculous, karma-dissolving Gift.
Everything
Looked Like Love
— Anne Henderson describes how, one night in January,
2013, Adi Da was suddenly in the room, transforming
it and her with His Love — and she was instantly,
Gracefully relieved of a reactive pattern that she
had suffered for decades.
It is not uncommon for people to have experiences of Adi Da in
the subtle (non-material) dimensions before (or after) they contact
Him in waking life or become His devotee. Some have dreams, others
visions, some experience a curious synchronicity of events and
circumstances that eventually draw them to their Guru. And, of
course, many simply pick up one of Adi Da's books or see His photograph
or are taken to a lecture about Adi Da and Adidam by a friend.
In reality, all such contacts are equally extraordinary, equally
momentous — the meeting of Guru and devotee is always a miracle,
a moment that changes one's life — and destiny — forever.
Many people who are not (currently) Adi Da's devotees also have
subtle experiences of Him; we provide some examples below.
In this section, we focus on dreams. We then continue, in the
following section, with other subtle experiences of Adi Da.
A
Dream Encounter— An amazing "time travel"
story from Hellie Kalogeros that illustrates
how the devotee's relationship with Adi Da is literally
prior to time and space.
An
Ecstatic Falling into Him — Nicole
Ortega tells the story of how she discovered Bhagavan
Adi Da. While doing so, she recounts two remarkable
dreams. In the first, the whole human condition is
revealed to her in a kind of metaphor. In the second
dream, Adi Da appears to her, and connects with her
directly and personally, correcting a false, cultic
view of Him that she had previously held.
Beauty,
Magnitude, and Serenity—Vinod Karki is a devotee originally from Uttar
Pradesh in northern India. He describes some extraordinary
visions he had of Adi Da, around the time of Adi Da's
Divine Mahasamadhi.
Strange
and Powerful Dreams — Jenna Sundell receives
a mysterious communication: "A man was walking
in the opposite direction, towards me, but on the
other side of the hallway. . . I recognized him as
Adi Da, whom I had never met before. . . . He looked
me in the eyes and said, 'Ten more years.' "
He
Is Alive—Lyn Hart, an administrator and businesswoman,
tells of being contacted and Instructed by Avatar
Adi Da over a period of several years before she had
any idea of Who He is or that He is alive in this
world.
The
Baby on My Shoulder— Margaret Dempsey:
"One night, I had a dream. I was standing in
my kitchen, looking out to sea, and I had a baby on
my shoulder. Because of how the baby was positioned,
I couldn't see the baby's face, so I leaned back a
little to look — and got the shock of my life when
I recognised it as the face of Adi Da when He was
a baby."
Back
in Adi Da's Arms
— Trish Mitchell describes her miraculous recovery
from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) through
Adi Da's Grace.
How
Did He Know? — Max Cottrell
recounts the beginning of his life as a devotee of
Adi Da, in the community of Adi Da's devotees. He
tells how he was initiated into the devotional relationship
with Adi Da on his birthday, through an ecstatic dream
of union with Adi Da and His Divine State.
A
Dream About Adi Da's Mahasamadhi — Through a
dream, a devotee is led to be with Bhagavan at the
time of His Divine Mahasamadhi and to feel the miracle
that He has not left at all.
Time
To Return
—
"About a week ago [shortly before Adi Da's
Divine Mahasamadhi], I had a dream about Beloved
Adi Da."
2.8. Other Subtle Experiences of Adi Da
I
Saw Him Sitting There, In Person
— Sara Morin: "I saw Him sitting there,
eight years after His Divine Mahasamadhi! - in Person,
just like seeing anyone in the flesh."
"What
Is This Photograph?" —Alaya Gernon tells of an extraordinary Revelation
one of her treatment clients received, while looking
at a photo of Adi Da.
That
Photograph Again —Alaya Gernon tells the story of a little girl
who received an extraordinary Revelation from Adi
Da.
The
Devotee Feeds the Guru, and the Guru Feeds the Devotee
— Chris Tong tells a story in which Adi Da
appears in his life (both physically and non-physically)
several times, before Chris finally comes into Adi
Da's physical Company as His formal devotee.
He
Is Alive—Lyn Hart, an administrator and businesswoman,
tells of being contacted and Instructed by Avatar
Adi Da over a period of several years before she had
any idea of Who He is or that He is alive in this
world.
The
"Bright" in the Darkness: How Adi Da Found Me— In 1967, Cheech Marrero was imprisoned
at Rikers Island Penitentiary, awaiting trial for
a crime he had not committed. At a plea bargaining
session, he was told that if he pled guilty, he would
receive "only" 20 or 30 years, instead of life without
parole. Cheech was at the lowest point of his life.
He decided to end it all. Just as he was about to
do it, a miracle occurred.
Beauty,
Magnitude, and Serenity—Vinod Karki is a devotee originally from Uttar
Pradesh in northern India. He describes some extraordinary
visions he had of Adi Da, around the time of Adi Da's
Divine Mahasamadhi.
Strange
and Powerful Dreams — Jenna Sundell receives
a mysterious communication: "A man was walking
in the opposite direction, towards me, but on the
other side of the hallway. . . I recognized him as
Adi Da, whom I had never met before. . . . He looked
me in the eyes and said, 'Ten more years.' "
To
God Knows Where— Reading
an article in an Israeli newspaper revealed to Kiam
the identity of the face that had been appearing to
him.
A
Dream about Adi Da's Mahasamadhi—
Through a dream, a devotee is led to be with Bhagavan
at the time of His Divine Mahasamadhi and to feel the
miracle that He has not left at all.
Adi Da has written many books,
beginning with His autobiography, The Knee Of Listening, in 1972. All of His books are
Revelatory in nature: they not only contain words that
describe the nature of Reality; someone reading His words can
also receive a Revelation of the nature of Reality. Adi Da describes
His words and His books as "Agency". They are not merely
informative; they are a form of Him, and they carry "Mantric
Force": the power to awaken the reader. Read the story
from Chris Tong for an examples.
In some cases, even just looking at one of Adi Da's books, or
touching it, or simply opening the book, can convey some of the
Revelation, even without having read the words in the book! See
the stories from Trish Mitchell, Pamela Bennett, and Tom Jacobs
for examples.
In still other cases, Adi Da's books can even act as though they
are "alive" in an extraordinary sense. See the stories
from Alicia Aguilar and Anthony Costabile for examples.
Synchronicity
— Chris Tong: "I had been reading Adi Da's autobiography,
The
Knee Of Listening. One of the book's many extraordinary
Revelations — The Unity between the internal and
external worlds — was a Revelation Adi Da received
through profound sadhana.
And — simply through reading Adi Da's account
— I Gracefully was given a form of this same Revelation."
The
Book of Light—Trish Mitchell, an Australian radio journalist, bought
The
Dawn Horse Testament one day, simply because
she was "attracted" to the cover. She had no idea what
was waiting "inside" that book.
Ice
Cream and Divine Distraction
— Pamela Bennett: "I turned
my gaze away from the frozen yoghurt toward a most
unusual image: a Supremely Attractive Being whose
photograph graced the book's jacket. . . in an instant,
a shift occurred. There was no granite topped counter
and wooden stool with music in the background. There
was not a shred of bodily awareness whatsoever.
There was only a Bright, Radiant Field of Whitest
Light, a tiny point of witness, and the most extraordinary,
limitless, astonishing feeling of extravagant and
limitless Joy."
He
Is God! — Tom Jacobs: "
As I started to read [The
Way That I Teach], one strange thing I noticed
immediately was that I had this pleasant flow of energy
flowing through me every time I picked up the book.
I did not understand this, but remember looking forward
to reading the book just because the book itself made
me happy!"
Initiation
in Another Realm — Alicia Aguilar: "Suddenly I
saw this fire on top of the book. It was shaped like
a tongue. I said to myself, 'Oh my God!' I think I
am hallucinating because I don't know where the fire
is coming from. I said to myself. 'Look, it’s on the
book! On top of the book!' . . . THIS IS A VOODOO!
My God! There is a voodoo in this book! This book
is alive."
The
Book Landed on the Floor in Front of My Feet—
In 1974, Anthony Costabile was a young spiritual seeker, living
in the Denver/Boulder area, and given to browsing spiritual
bookshops. As he was browsing in the yoga and spirituality
section of one of those shops, Adi Da's Knee
Of Listening suddenly "fell" off the shelf,
landed on the floor in front of his feet, and changed
his life.
"I
Am The One" — Joost: "By the time I
had read past the fourth paragraph, the words fell
through me as if I did not exist! Recognition had
dissolved the reader!"
The
Room Exploded Into Brightness—Lassi Lammassaari: "I sat down
to read the book. I felt like I was breathing in something
nectarous from the pages. I totally relaxed. In the
next instant, the room exploded into Brightness."
I Was Not Looking For Any Sort of Divine Revelation—Pamela Hart: Some people search their whole lives and never find What Is Real and True. I just became curious. I was not looking for or expecting to be given any sort of Divine Revelation. I knew nothing about such things! Nevertheless. . . it happened.
2.10. Other Entities and Other Realms
Adi Da has demonstrated His ability to be aware of, appear
in, and move in, other dimensions of Reality, sometimes even
taking devotees with Him. Adi Da has also provided extensive wisdom
and guidance about His devotees' experiences in and with these
other dimensions.
You are perfectly free to experience everything from ghosts
and spirit forces to the most sublime visions and absorptions
in the Great Light that shines above. And you are obliged
to transcend all experience through heartfelt understanding
and the feeling sacrifice of the whole body-mind into the
All-Pervading and Radiant Transcendental Consciousness.
Avatar Adi Da Samraj
The Old Religions, the New Scientism,
and the Awakening of the Psyche
I
Could Not See Her Face— Pamela Bennett describes a miracle that
occurred, upon the arrival at Adi Da Samrajashram of
two unique gifts for Adi Da.
A
Cosmic Journey — Adi Da takes devotee Connie Mantas
on a guided tour through the various dimensions of the
Greater-Than-Material Reality.
It
Is All the Same Distraction: Ghosts, Goddesses, and
Gratitude — L. H.: "I became aware of a figure
approaching the site. It was a blue woman who was obviously
endowed with great power. I felt this woman was Kali,
and I became afraid. She then began to show me her power:
the sun changed position in the sky and changes were
happening everywhere in nature. She was rearranging
the universe. This is actually what I saw. I felt how
I could be snuffed out by the power of nature, her power,
at any moment." But then L.H. understood something
even greater: "I saw that with all her power, she, the
energy and force of nature itself, was submitted to
Supreme Consciousness Itself, and that she was there
to serve the Divine Purposes of Avatar Adi Da at His
Holy Sanctuary, and indeed in the world altogether."
Saving
a Life in Future Time— Adi Da teaches
devotee Hellie Kalogeros the Heimlich maneuver so that
she can save the life of her child a few days later.
Visits
to Other Worlds — Avatar Adi Da shows Anne Rogers
other worlds — both higher and lower than this Earth
plane.
The
Fierce Woman — Frans Bakker tells the story
of Avatar Adi Da’s Instruction to him and the lessons
he learned from a visitation by the Goddess Kali.
Shaktipat
and Possession by a Leopard — Clinical psychologist
Dellanna Adams-Bain was being possessed by a leopard
in meditation. This is her story and Adi Da’s Instruction
to her.
On
Goblins and a Cosmic Horse — Simon Pritchard tells
a story about a goblin, Irina Tweedie, Adi Da, and
the Ashvamedha.
Initiation
in Another Realm — Alicia Aguilar describes her
first encounter with Avatar Adi Da. It takes place
in her distant home village in the Philippines —
in another dimension.
A
Devotee's Journey into Death and Back — In December
1983, two months after Adi Da's arrival at Adi Da Samrajashram
(on the island of Naitauba in Fiji), an accident occurred
that would have been fatal without Avatar Adi Da's Intervention.
The story of that incident is told by two people: Frans
Bakker, one of the doctors involved; and Tom Closser,
the devotee to whom the accident occurred, who describes
his near-death experience, and a profound lesson about
how "guilt" can become a self-destructive impediment
to growth.
2.11. More Blessings, Miracles, and Extraordinary
Evidence
This subsection includes stories that don't fit into any of the
earlier categories.
Adi Da's Blessing of His Devotees' Families— One of the many miraculous things that comes with being a devotee of Avatar Adi Da Samraj is that one's family is also Blessed. Alaya Gernon tells the story of her mother, who has advanced vascular dementia, being Blessed by Adi Da.
Watching
a Baseball Game with Bhagavan Adi Da Samraj — James Steinberg: "Usually
we witnessed Adi Da's miraculous impact at the Ashram
and The Mountain Of Attention. But here we — and 20,000
other (completely unaware) people — were witnessing
the effects of His spiritual powers in the middle of
the Oakland Coliseum!"
Capturing
a Miracle— Chris Tong: "As devotees,
our hearts may know when a miracle has occurred through
the Grace of Adi Da. But reporting such miracles to
non-devotees can be quite a challenge in the twenty-first
century! Even so, every once in a while, a time, a
place, and an opportunity arise where we can actually
'capture a miracle' — in a manner that might even
satisfy a scientist. This is the story (and documentation)
of one such occasion."
The
Turning of the Flowers — Hellie Kalogeros: Suddenly,
in a vase just outside Beloved Adi Da's bedroom door
on a small table about twelve feet away from me, one
flower magically broke off its stem and literally flew
across the room and landed directly at my feet!".
Everything
Bows To The Divine Lord— Tom Closser: "There were
very full arrangements of flowers on both sides of
His seat. The flowers literally bent toward Him, obviously
acknowledging His Presence as were the other devotees
in the room."
The
Bright Master of Peace — Alaya Gernon tells of
travelling to and attending a retreat at The Mountain
Of Attention, and the many Graceful Revelations given
to her by Adi Da along the way.
His
Name Was Written on the Banks of the River— Julie Lockwood Smith: "I
had only gone a few steps when I saw, directly in
front of me, the word DA written on the banks of the
Tanana River. I was stunned. How did Bhagavan's Name
get there?"
3. Why We Want Miracles
Part of why we desire to read stories of miracles and extraordinary
events is to confirm to ourselves the existence of a greater-than-material
Reality. And certainly part of why we desire to read stories of
miracles and extraordinary events about Adi Da is as a means for
confirming that He is Who He says He is. Adi Da's life does provide
that body of evidence, filled as it is with miraculous occurences,
a few of which we have recounted here. But what is actually needed,
in order for someone to become Adi Da's devotee, is a very specific
kind of miracle: the direct
Revelation of Who He is, to your heart. That, rather than
some kind of extraordinary miracle for the senses.
In a passionate, serious, and humorous conversation with a group
of His devotees in His early years of Teaching, Avatar Adi Da
explored the conventional idea of miracles — why human beings
feel they need to see a miracle in order to be convinced of and
respond to the Greater Reality, and why miracles, in and of themselves,
are never sufficient to cause a human being to devotionally surrender
his or her life to the Divine:
You haven't received enough Revelation yet? Do you need
to see a really big, miraculous vision or something? What
is it you need? What would be really impressive?
Perhaps I should be present just in a body of light that
looks substantial but which you can put your hand right
through, so that no matter where I go, everybody will always
be saying, "Hey, look, my hand goes right through it!" People
swatting at My Body no matter where I go, just to test it
out and go, "Wow!"
What do you need? What miracle would you like to see performed?
It would have to satisfy you, you see. It would have to
prove something to you. What do you need?
If I were standing here in My twenty-five-foot flaming
fire-body, you would be falling on your knees, you know
what I mean? You wouldn't have any problem about surrendering.
You would surrender yourself completely if you were confronting
such a vision directly.
What do you have to see? What will you worship? What is
the Revelation that makes you surrender spontaneously? You
can imagine some manifestation or other of a Spiritual nature
that would oblige you to surrender spontaneously.
Other phenomena of experience allow you still to maintain
some quality of ego-possession, a lack of surrender. So,
what do you have to see in order to surrender?
Is surrender the result of something that makes you comfortable?
Can anything create surrender, or does everything
delay it — everything, including wonders and miracles?
Each of these is just another distraction, an experience
in itself. You might work yourself up to a little release
in the face of it, but that confrontation cannot create
the release.
What you need is a big miracle — if only so that you will
realize that miracles are not sufficient, and that you are
going to have to surrender in the face of things just as
they are.
That kind of surrender cannot be caused, but perhaps you
need to see the big miracle to find that out.
You think true surrender is caused by some dramatic confrontation
— a "miracle". You hold on to this popular idea of salvation
— that you would be a perfect saint if only you had the
perfect vision.
Adi Da makes a similar point when He describes the challenge involved
in writing His autobiography, The
Knee Of Listening:
In this book, I have had to confront a most difficult means
of instruction. I have had to fully illustrate my course
of life, even in order to demonstrate the factuality of
the extraordinary phenomena that mankind is presently in
the habit of denying. But, in the end, in order to speak
the Truth, I have had to argue against the ultimacy of many
of the very things I have proven in my life. . . .
Both the search for ego-based Spiritual effects and the
ego-based exploitation of life on a sensual and mental level
are traps. The search for experience and the search for
liberation from the bondage to experience are the same activity
— born out of the absence of "radical" self-understanding,
the un-"creative" movement that is not Reality. Reality
Itself is the only unique matter in the entire adventure
of life, and It stands prior to all egoic efforts and all
less-than-most-perfect discoveries.
In other words: it is essential to acknowledge the factuality
of the greater-than-material dimensions of Reality. To the extent
that reading about (or having) such experiences helps open one's
mind and heart to the greater-than-material Reality, it serves
the Greater Purpose. But one must not get sidetracked by (or lose
oneself in) all the potential greater-than-material experiences
one can have (which are endless, and always temporary and limited,
like the experiences in this material dimension), when one is
given the opportunity (via the Way of Adidam) to realize the Very
Divine (Reality Itself) — the Realization that infinitely
exceeds all lesser experiences and lesser Realizations and is
Eternal.
ADI DA: People look for uncommon phenomenal signs
because they are full of doubt and un-Happiness. Such experiences
suggest to them that there is a reason to feel good perhaps,
but they are not profoundly transformed by witnessing such
signs. In fact, having witnessed them, they begin to think
of all the explanations that reduce these experiences to
nothing.
Because of the use and misuse of such phenomena, another
kind of tradition has arisen, in which it is not considered
all right for these signs to appear, in which it is not
all right to delight in them when they appear. And that
is equally false.
Uncommon phenomenal signs inevitably appear when the Spirit-Force
is allowed to be active via the devotee's submission. These
signs are also inevitable in the case of an Adept. The taboos
against their appearing and the taboos against enjoying
them, as well as the lust for them on the part of people
who are not converted no matter what they see, are equally
inevitable in the egoic world.
When there is submission to the Spirit, such phenomenal
changes and what are called miracles inevitably occur, but
these signs are merely, part of the normal evidence of spiritual
life, and are part of the delight of spiritual life. They
are not the ultimate matter, but they are an ordinary part
of a Spirit-filled existence.
DEVOTEE: In your Company the simplest, most profound
miracle is this matter of Remembrance. It is miraculous
that a completely self-possessed person can give their attention
and energy to the Spiritual Master and receive the Blessing
that transforms their whole life in that moment.
ADI DA: That is the art of spiritual life granting
attention and following it with total psycho-physical submission
to the Spiritual Reality. People are not tending to do that,
of course, and so attention is constantly getting locked
into problems, conceptions that are problematic, states
that are uncomfortable and problematic. The art of spiritual
life, once you have, heard and, seen, is this capacity to
be re-devoted in any moment to the Living Spiritual Reality.
To do that, you must be equipped with hearing and seeing,
you must be, able to observe and understand yourself, and
primarily, what there is to observe is how attention is
functioning. . .
You are inherently obliged to surrender, to be vulnerable,
to be Happy. Only this participatory disposition is the
right disposition in which to live. We can prevent ourselves
from living in this way, and thinking is one of the ways
we do it, but it is the only way to live. Only that participation
in Reality is living. To participate in Reality means you
must allow yourself to be continuous with it.
Avatar Adi Da Samraj, "The Art of Spiritual
Life" (August 13, 1983) Crazy Wisdom Magazine, January 1984, Vol 3, No. 1
4. Related Books
Love and Blessings: The
Divine Compassionate Miracles of Avatar Adi Da Samraj
In
Love and Blessings, twenty-five of Adi Da's devotees
tell heart-breaking stories of human need and Divine Response.
A soldier in Iraq, a woman going blind in Holland, a son
with his dying father in Australia, a woman with cancer
in America — these and others tell how they asked Adi Da
Samraj for His Blessing-Regard and the miraculous process
that ensued. These stories are also about Adi Da's Liberating
Blessing-Grace, which He offers as a Gift for the sake of
Awakening all beings beyond any suffering of the body and
mind to the Prior Condition of Eternal Freedom and Happiness.