Adi Da/Adidam FAQs > Empowered Places & Things > Visiting the Empowered Sanctuaries

Visiting the Empowered Sanctuaries

Question: I'm not a devotee, but I'm very interested in Adi Da and the Way of Adidam. Can I visit any of the Empowered Sanctuaries?

Spiritual Principles for Accessing the Empowered Sanctuaries

Traditionally, Spiritual Masters have been provided with places that were set apart — geographically, psychically, and socially — from the conventional world, places where they were free to do their Spiritual Work in an appropriate and secluded circumstance. These places became Spiritually Empowered through their Presence and Work, and — as a result — continued to Spiritually Transmit the Blessing of the Spiritual Master beyond His or Her human lifetime. Avatar Adi Da has established and spiritually empowered five Sanctuaries for all time:

• Adi Da Samrajashram, the island of Naitauba in Fiji, is the primary place from which Adi Da's Divine Spiritual Blessing flows to the world;
  
  
• The Mountain Of Attention in Northern California was the first Sanctuary Empowered by Adi Da (in 1974);
  
  
• Da Love-Ananda Mahal is located on the Hawaiian island of Kauai;
  
  
• Tat Sundaram is a small Hermitage located in northern California;
  
  
• Ruchira Dham is a small Hermitage located on Lopez Island, Washington.

To read more about the Empowered Sanctuaries of Adidam, click here.

For someone who is interested in the possibility of becoming a devotee of Adi Da, there is nothing like visiting the holy places He established (short of having come into Adi Da's physical company during His lifetime) — because He installed Himself there Spiritually for all time, and His Presence pervades the physical space, because of His Eternal connection to it.

Devotees performing puja at Seventh Gate Shrine at the Mountain Of Attention

What also must always be kept in mind is the fact that the Spiritual potency of such sacred places is very fragile. It is like a fire that can either be kept going by the deliberate, devotional invocation of Adi Da by devotees who are strong in their practice; or which can be extinguished — even unknowingly — by well-intentioned people who are not devotees, or even by practitioners who are still relative beginners in their devotional practice. People who are invoking Adi Da moment-to-moment (based on their recognition of Him as the Divine Person) help fan the flame, while those who do not (yet) recognize Him in that way tend to help the flame go out.

For this reason, during His lifetime, Adi Da had to re-empower The Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary (the Sanctuary most accessible to the general public) several times, by physically visiting the Sanctuary and intentionally re-installing Himself at each holy site. Now that He is no longer physically available to re-empower the Sanctuaries in this way, we must be that much more careful to continually "fan the flame" (through daily pujas that invoke Adi Da at all the holy sites on each Sanctuary), so as to preserve Adi Da's Presence at these sites. Preserving His Presence is not only important for the sake of individuals visiting the Sanctuaries, but for the Spiritual impact these Sanctuaries have on the rest of the world:

Here are some illustrations of what it means to "rightly honor" these Holy Sanctuaries.

Originally, the offices of Adidam's Institution were located on the grounds of The Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary. Over time, Adi Da discovered that devotees engaging in institutional "business" in this Holy Place (even business that served the sacred purposes of Adidam) was diminishing the Empowerment of the Sanctuary. So He introduced a principle that no Institutional business should be allowed in the "central core" of The Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary.

Another example: The Way of Adidam is an ego-transcending practice. As one element of that practice, devotees annually engage in a process of writing confessions describing their egoic patterns and making sacred resolutions for change. In the past, these confessions would be burnt in a sacred fire at one of the Holy Sites on the various Empowered Sanctuaries. But at a certain point (in 2014), The Ruchira Sannyasin Order decided that even this psychic attention on devotees' "egoity" could negatively impact the Sanctuaries. And so, at The Mountain Of Attention, we adopted a principle of not burning confessions in the "central core" of The Mountain Of Attention or at any of its Holy Sites. Just so, on Adi Da Samrajashram, confessions are burnt on the beach, away from all Holy Sites.

Yet another reason for carefully preserving the Sanctuaries is the ensure the survival of Adidam in this world (particularly in the case of worldwide catastrophes — which we hope never occur, but we must plan for anyway):

Thus the preservation of the Sanctuaries — both their physical preservation and the preservation of their Spiritual potency — is essential for a multitude of reasons.

Besides devotees performing daily pujas invoking Adi Da, the Spiritual potency of these sacred Sanctuaries is preserved by restricting access. For this reason, only certain parts of certain Sanctuaries are open to the public or to beginning devotees.

We urge anyone interested in Adi Da and the Way of Adidam to take advantage of any and every opportunity to visit the Sanctuaries. They are one of the most Spiritually potent ways to connect with Adi Da, and can greatly serve your receiving the gift of recognition of Him as the Divine Person, which is the starting point for taking up the Way of Adidam.

Adi Da visiting the Mountain Of Attention I will always (forever), during and after (and forever after) the (physical) Lifetime of My Divinely-Avatarically-Born bodily (human) Divine Form (here), be Divinely Transcendentally Spiritually Present (by all My Divine Avataric Means) at all . . . of the Directly-by-Me Transcendentally Spiritually Empowered Sapta Na Sannyasin Hermitages and Ruchira Sannyasin Sanctuaries. . . each of Which I have Directly Transcendentally Spiritually Empowered and Transcendentally Spiritually Established as a unique Sacred Domain (and a Perpetual Agent of My Divine Avataric Purposes), Set Apart (and, Thus, Made Holy) for constant Pilgrimages and Retreats (and every other truly Me-Invoking, and devotionally Me-Recognizing, and devotionally to-Me-responding, and devotionally Me-serving Sacred use) by My by-Me-Transcendentally-Spiritually-Initiated devotees. Avatar Adi Da Samraj Da Love-Ananda Gita

Visiting the Empowered Sanctuaries

Fresh Milk (outside)

Fresh Milk is located at the outskirts of the Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary in Northern California. It is open to the public, and sells a variety of Adidam-related goods, included Adi Da's books, incense, meditation pillows, and many other things. You can stand on the porch of Fresh Milk and look down into the core of the Sanctuary. . . and if you have a spiritual sensitivity, you may be able to feel Adi Da's Blessing Power, which imbues the entire Sanctuary, including Fresh Milk.

To learn more about the variety of retreats offered, and the schedule of currently planned retreats, click here.

The Mountain Of Attention is also sometimes open to people with a strong heart-response to Adi Da for special celebrations like Adi-Guru Purnima, which is held at the time of the full moon in July. Check the Adidam Celebrations page for more information.

Contact Adidam Kauai to find out about organizing a guided tour of the Da Love-Ananda Mahal Sanctuary in Kauai, Hawaii. They hope to have a complete center available to receive public and visitors in the near future.

For more information, write to or call 707-483-9249.

Visiting the Regional Adidam Communities for Retreats and Sacred Occasions

Many regional Adidam communities (in or near major cities throughout the world) also offer public retreats or sacred occasions in which non-devotees can participate. The sacred places created by devotees around the world, as well as the sacred occasions in which they gather together to invoke Adi Da, can serve as potent vehicles for Adi Da's Spiritual Transmission. These places and occasions are excellent opportunities for non-devotees to connect with Adi Da. Some of these regions have been personally visited (and directly Blessed) by Adi Da. All the major regions have received sacred objects empowered by Adi Da, that enable their main communion hall (and the region altogether) to be directly Blessed by Adi Da. (For a story of how one such regional communion hall was empowered by a sacred object personally Blessed by Adi Da, click here.)

The European Danda

For example, the European Danda, the Ashram and Retreat Center for Adidam in Europe (located in Maria Hoop, the Netherlands), was visited, Blessed, and Spiritually Empowered by Adi Da in 1986 and 1996. It offers a regular and diverse retreat program for the public. Current retreats focus on: Adi Da's life and work; Adi Da's Image-Art (the European Danda has a permanent collection of Adi Da's Art); Adi Da's seminal contribution to social wisdom, Not-Two Is Peace; the raw diet recommended for devotees by Adi Da; and more. For more about the European Danda, click here.

Adi Da visiting the European Danda in 1996

Please visit our Regions page to see other places where there are communities of devotees near you, whether they have public retreats, sacred events, etc.

This article appears in sections:
Questions About Empowered Places and Things and
Practical Lessons in the Way of Adidam