Finding Adi Da
I
was born into a working class family in Bristol, England in 1947. Britain was
recovering from the ravages of WWII. Everything was in short supply. There was
food rationing until 1953.
My parents were not wealthy and the prospect
of raising a third child in that environment must have been more than daunting.
They decided I should be aborted. My mother told me many years later that she
tried to do it herself using knitting needles. This was a precursor to a painful
childhood in which it became obvious to me that I was not wanted by either of
my parents.
When I was around two years old my mother suffered a nervous
breakdown from which she never recovered. From that time onward she displayed
wild mood swings from extreme hysterical happiness (mania) to being dark, brooding,
angry, and threatening violence. These two moods were her only ways of being.
They were unpredictable and would last for hours, days or weeks at a time. Although
both states were obviously quite "crazy" we all preferred her to be in the manic
mood. We, (my two brothers, sister and my father) would try not to trigger a change
to her dark and dangerous persona. I was especially careful in this regard because
as a small child I was terrified of her capacity to do me harm.
Mother
was hospitalized several times and given the rather crude treatments available
at the time. She would return home in a more "normal" (though suppressed) state
after treatment but after a few weeks she would revert to her usual patterns of
behavior. Nothing and no-one seemed to be able to help her.
I grew up knowing
that my mother was crazy, wanting more than anything else for her to be like our
suburban neighbors and my friends' mothers. A dark guilt occupied me, and I felt
ashamed about her condition. I grew up feeling anxious, depressed and alienated
from everyone and everything. Mother was unable to love or nurture, even in simple
ways like providing regular meals. I grew up physically weak and emaciated.
I
became suicidal in my teens. Nothing seemed to be able to relieve a dark sense
of hopeless despair that neither my life nor my mother's life could ever be even
remotely happy. Alongside my despair, when I looked at how everyone around me
was living, I was not particularly attracted to being "normal" rather than depressed.
If being normal meant having minimal integrity of heart and mind in the midst
a superficial and self-centered life, I was not interested in that at all. I longed
to live an authentic, deeply feeling and free existence based in some greater
wisdom than displayed by those I encountered around me. In my teens and early
twenties this only added to my sense of hopelessness. I felt as if I were a worm
who wanted to be an eagle. Additionally, when I would try to reach out of my mental
and emotional prison to engage relations with young women of my age, I would feel
paralyzed by guilt and fear. The more I felt attracted to someone, the more paralyzed
I felt, and I was therefore unable to enjoy relations with the opposite sex.
All
this created an intense desire in me for release, and later for liberation.
In
spite of my difficulties, I was quite a good student and got myself into a university
to study engineering; during that period of time I learned Transcendental Meditation,
or TM. This provided some support, and for a time, a degree of emotional and psychological
healing. It helped to release despair and at the same time promised a life of
wisdom based on integrity of heart and mind. I embraced the practice fully and
decided that I would become a TM teacher. At last there seemed to be a real solution
to my difficulties.
In the ensuing training process I came to deeply love
and respect Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who brought the TM practice to the West. He
was the first "True Man" I had ever met. I fully applied myself to serving his
vision of changing the world by having large numbers of people practice TM. Maharishi
taught me many things; perhaps the most significant lesson for me was his demonstration
of the power of devotion. It was obvious that he was utterly devoted to his guru
who, though no longer physically alive, was still completely available to him
through the process of Maharishi's loving surrender. He held us all enthralled
to witness his all-consuming life of devotion. He was full of radiant energy,
love, happiness, humor, humility and always communicated wisdom that was entirely
appropriate for the moment.
But something struck me as very curious: although
Maharishi was a consummate devotee, he neither taught nor recommended guru devotion
to those he taught the meditation practice. It was obvious to me that his liberated
condition could not be separated from his life of surrender to his Master. However,
Maharishi was no fool. He knew that if he was to successfully bring the TM practice
to large numbers of people in the West, there could be no element of guru devotion
involved — as that process is taboo in the ego-centered culture of the West. However,
my own yearning for liberation had by now grown from the need for emotional release
to the understanding that only complete freedom from all sense of self-possession
would yield the "authentic life" that I sought. I desired nothing less than complete
enlightenment. I decided I would do whatever was necessary to bring about that
enlightened condition.
Alongside my dedication to Maharishi and teaching
TM, I liked to keep my mind open to study other paths to liberation and I regularly
examined other teachers and spiritual practices. One summer weekend in London
in 1976, I attended a showing of a short movie called Laughter, about the American-born
teacher Adi Da Samraj (then known as Bubba
Free John). This had a profound effect on me; here was a person who, though
born in the West showed all the signs of complete Divine Enlightenment! This was
startling to me as I had been used to Maharishi's Eastern, celibate monk style
of illumination; for instance: when asked by followers about some emotional-sexual
problem they were struggling with, Maharishi would answer "My field is not sex",
but here, in Adi Da Samraj, was Divine Enlightenment in a person who was completely
comfortable with all aspects of everyday western life. He even smoked a cigarette!
I found him to be utterly attractive and interesting. Furthermore, he taught that
devotion to a Guru was not only profoundly useful but actually necessary in the
process of complete liberation. And He welcomed anyone to practice an authentic
spiritual life of devotion, with Him as their Spiritual Master. I purchased a
book and a magazine at the presentation and quickly read them. I found some more
of His books later in a bookstore near my home. As I read them I became more and
more excited, and delighted by the liberating power of the Guru's Word recorded
in these books.
In the writings of Adi Da Samraj I was astonished to discover
such a bold, complete and detailed explanation of how the process of relationship
with a True Guru leads to spiritual liberation. I drank it all in and was awed
by His extraordinary intelligence, wisdom and humor. He displayed and freely communicated
complete insight into the whole process of life that reached deeply into me. This
study, which was actually an initial form of meditation, made it clear that TM
could not bring about the fullest state of Realization, liberation and freedom
that I sought. I quickly realized I had found my Guru. I was 28 years old. I remain
His devotee to this day — at the time of this writing, August 2010, I am 63.
An Ongoing Relationship with Adi Da
Revisiting
my early life: in my late teens when commuting to work on public transport, if
there was an empty seat next to me on the bus, no one would sit there unless there
were no other seats available, even then, as soon as another seat would become
free, the person sitting next to me would get up and sit away from me. My disturbed
feelings radiated around me and kept people away.
Now, by contrast, in
the community of devotees of Adi Da Samraj, life's daily demands do not undermine
what is basically a happy life. Love is the primary characteristic and presumption
of His devotees and each of our relationships with our Master is one of love —
not the usual "I love ice cream" or "I love my cat" or even "I love my wife/husband/children"
The relationship I enjoy with my Spiritual Master is a love connection of a divine
and unbounded nature that cannot be destroyed — even by death.
My relationship
with Adi Da Samraj is primary in my life. Every day I remember Him. I feel the
love and breathe the feeling connection between us. There is a daily, actually
moment-to-moment practice in which feeling and attention are oriented to this
relationship, which, in a natural and effortless manner progressively replaces
identity with the negative, unhappy backlog of past experience. This is meditation
on the state of liberation of Master Adi Da Samraj. Over time, His Enlightened
State has become more and more my own state. That is how the True Guru liberates
his devotee. He freely gives His Own Liberated Self to His devotee. Adi Da's most
complete, seventh stage realization means that the radical (root) state of non-dual
consciousness itself is freely available to be lived by ordinary men and women
anywhere in the world.
No one avoids me now; the fact of my existence is
no longer a problem in any way whatsoever. Rather, daily life is a process of
progressively greater and greater liberation.
In spite of practice in Adidam being basically happy, the creative
difficulties and tests of life continue. It is not just a "bliss
ride" insulated from the shocks and pains of mortal existence.
This is referred to in this excerpt from a talk by Adi Da Samraj
about the life of practice of His devotees called The Fire
Must Have Its Way:
It is very difficult.
It is a manly Way of life, man or woman.
It is a creative Way of Life in the highest sense, in that
it involves the transcending of egoity, rather than "self"-fulfillment.
Therefore, as you adapt to the Reality-Way of Adidam, the
fire is prominent. There is a great deal to learn, and there
is much responsibility yet to be realized in order just
to be human. Your commitment must not be to "your" Enlightenment,
but to the Light Itself, to Real (Acausal) God, and that
commitment is exercised through "self"-surrendered right
and true devotional Communion with Me, in every moment and
under all circumstances.
Adi Da Samraj, The
Fire Must Have Its Way (audio
excerpt)
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When
I first became a devotee of Adi Da Samraj I was looking to be saved from myself
and quickly become blissfully enlightened. Instead, I was instructed to take personal
responsibility and sort out my problems myself! Adi Da Samraj teaches that before
you can become spiritual, you must first become human. I was required to learn
very basic life skills like how to stand, sit, breathe and walk. I had to take
on all kinds of responsibilities and continue to make my way in the world just
like everybody else. Adi Da teaches that spiritual life has to be "resurrected
from the ground up." It cannot be fruitfully begun in ethereal states of spiritual
consciousness in a search to escape from the demands of everyday life.
However,
I found that whatever help I needed was given. He has actively intervened to release
the difficult states of mind and emotion that I suffered for so many years. In
doing so He took them on — my very own states — for a time Himself. I know this
because I witnessed and felt Him do it. I am hugely indebted to my Master — more
than I can ever repay. I love Him unconditionally.
I now regard my difficult
early life as a blessing. The so-called "normal" life of the usual person is not
happy either. I am grateful that mine propelled me to seek and consider deeply.
In TM I had experienced Cosmic Consciousness — a clear intuition of oneness
with all existence, but I had much to learn and change about the way I lived,
much to learn about being a mature human in order to provide a solid foundation
upon which to build real spiritual awareness. My Guru Adi Da Samraj displays extraordinary
skill at providing the lessons, Blessing Help, and daily life circumstances required
for that process, even now when He is no longer alive in a physical body. It is
truly a mysterious, miraculous process.
* * *
An example
of my Master's Blessing Power is referred to by the Guru Gita, a traditional Indian
text in praise of the Guru; it states that all members of the family of the devotee
of a True Guru are also blessed by the Guru.
When I was newly married to
another devotee of Adi Da, I took my partner to meet my mother; my father had died
when I was 17. I was stunned to see that over the years of my time with my Master
something amazing had happened to her.
Going back to when I was around
five years old, my mother had stood on my foot whilst wearing stiletto heels (and
she weighed over 190 lb, 85 kg). I yelled in pain and tugged at her clothing to
attract her attention; she was oblivious, laughing about something in her mind
and paid no attention to my plight. She continued to laugh when she looked down
and saw what was happening. In that moment I concluded that she was incapable
of love. But now, meeting my devotee partner, she was transformed; she radiated
love from head to toe, utterly happy to see us together. She was calm, peaceful
and loving in her communications. She was completely normal with no trace of craziness
at all. I was humbled with gratitude to see the change and transformation in her.
Adi Da Samraj had restored my mother's well being and thereby fulfilled
that long-held deepest wish of mine that she recover from the terrible mental
and emotional torture she had suffered most of her life.
*
* *
In November 2008, Adi Da Samraj's physical life ended when He
entered Divine Mahasamadhi. It was a sudden, unexpected event
that required some adjusting to from His devotees after so many
years of His constant outpouring of blessing gifts. However, miraculously,
the countless occasions of ecstasy that I and all His devotees
have always enjoyed in communion with our Master continue unabated
and often seem even more intensified; for instance, when receiving
His Darshan
(Darshan = sighting, now recorded); or, in formal periods of sitting
meditation; or, when studying His
Divine Teaching Word; or, when regarding His
Divine Image-Art; or, when watching The
Orpheum enactments. These are just some of the many Divine
Gifts Adi Da has made available so that all humankind may enjoy
Liberation in God.
The capacity
of my Master to Bless and transform those who love Him is apparently endless and
unstoppable.
I joyfully surrender my life to Him. May all beings consciously
enjoy the Grace of God through my Guru: The Divine Avatar Adi Da Samraj.