Adi Da Up Close
Audio/Video Library

CHRIS: Happy Danavira Mela to everyone!

I’ve sung Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas to Beloved Adi Da many times over the years — at the Manner of Flowers, at Adi Da Samrajashram, at First People / Great Food Dish, etc. (as one of a small group of singers, and usually also as the keyboardist) — and I’m singing it to Him again (and all of you!) here. It is one of my favorite songs at this time of year.

For me (starting with Judy Garland's original film version), it has always been an emotion-filled song, by turns joyful, playful, nostalgic, and wistful — so that is how I sing it here. The karaoke arrangement is based on Michael Bublé's version.

Tags: Danavira Mela  

As part of our commemoration of renowned actor Kenneth Welsh (who passed away on May 5, 2022), we have created this enjoyable "peek" inside Ken's process of preparing to play the role of narrator in the January, 2000 ten-hour long performance of The Mummery Book.

The video excerpt was edited (by Chris Tong) from a much longer, unreleased documentary (created by well-known film director, Terence Gross) about the making of The Mummery Book. (Consequently, the audio and visual quality are a little spotty in places.)

At a certain point in the process (3:02), Avatar Adi Da (“Beloved”) sits in at a rehearsal, and then begins to actively participate in making suggestions for the production. Finally (at 5:45), there is a brief glimpse of the end of the actual performance, after which Adi Da expresses His appreciation by coming up and embracing Ken.

You can learn more about Kenneth Welsh in our article, Kenneth Welsh: An Appreciation.

Tags: Mummery   Ken Welsh  

words: Avatar Adi Da Samraj
music: Chris Tong
sung by: the Adidam New England Choir
(with all devotees joining in)
choir members:
Chris Tong, Paul Caswell, Patricia Rydle, Lisa Alexandra Fry
pianist / choir director: Chris Tong
date: Danavira Mela, 1993

CHRIS: I just ran across an old audio tape with this recording. The quality is not the best, and the choir is not professional, but there is so much heart-feeling in devotees’ singing, and our Beloved Heart-Master’s Words are so beautiful and heart-moving, that I felt compelled to share this for Danavira Mela.

Tags: music  

For the sixth episode of the Fire from Heaven series, we are joined by Frank Marrero, a long-time student of Adi Da and the curator of several web resources on Adi Da's teachings. Frank talks with Layman Pascal about his experiences of transmission with Adi Da, his understanding of the nature of consciousness, and some of the unique characteristics of the spiritual transmission process.

Additional Resources and Links:

Frank Marrero's website

The Beezone Library

Frank's Recommendations:

1) A Monkey's Tale

2) The second half of the talk "A Birthday Message from Jesus and Me" where, Frank says, "The transmission was WOW. Glimpses can be seen and your listeners can hear from Adi Da, not just the beginner me."

3) Frank's recommended book for someone interested in Transmissive Dharma. Adi Da's first talks in My "Bright" Word.

On July 7, 1992 (Fiji time), at Adi Da Samrajashram, Adi Da created "Club Rat", a most unusual gathering during the height of a Celebratory period. For those unfamiliar with Club Rat, you can read Chris Tong's story about it here.

Music plays a central role in the story. For this reason, in celebration of the 29th anniversary of Club Rat (on July 7, 2021), Chris has recreated part of the rock song he wrote and performed that evening, Club Rat, so you can at least get a taste of the actual music from that night. (Adi Da had called for an evening of rock music. Club Rat was the opening song of a night of music that would go on to include much more than rock music. . .)

If for some reason, the player above doesn't work, try this player:

or this link.



Club Rat.
Club Rat.
The funky place where God is at.
Club Rat.
Club Rat.
The funky place where. . .
only skanks and whores
walk through its doors.
There you find Your Self
and lose yourself.
When the Lord's in town
Everyone gets down.
Club Rat.
Club Rat.
The funky place where God is at.
(etc.)

---

CHRIS: This recreation is just as we presented it to Beloved Adi Da during the Club Rat gathering, except for some improvements due to better musical equipment and technology (e.g., drum machines instead of upside-down, plastic "piss buckets" 😜 — read the full story for more about that! ).

I wrote Club Rat, keeping in mind the intensity and "badness" of the pop rock music Beloved Adi Da was listening to at the time (like Michael Jackson's Beat It).

The lyrics are drawn from Adi Da's instructions to us about Club Rat, such as: Club Rat was to be the most "funky" place ever; participating devotees had to be "skanks and whores" — in other words, no suppressed energy or emotional-sexual complication (so He could work with our entire energy, not just the superficial part we usually show to or share with others socially); etc.

The lyrics also drew on current, ongoing considerations Adi Da was having with devotees at the time, such as His Calling to us to "get down" (He was riffing on the popular 1970's slang phrase, giving it His Own unique meaning): a reminder for us to incarnate whole bodily (rather than being merely a "point" in the head, refusing to "get down" below the head).

The line, "When the Lord's in town" was a reference to Beloved Adi Da visiting the "village" of Qaravi: the area of the island of Naitauba where His devotees lived and where "Club Rat" (Hymns To Me) was located.



Tags: music  

Problems with the audio player? Try the MP3 download link below.
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Chris Tong sings "Adi Da Beloved" — a devotional version of the traditional Christmas carol, "Angels We Have Heard On High".

Words, musical arrangement, and performance by Chris Tong, in the manner of other ecstatic, dramatic, immersive musical pieces like the “Hallelujah Chorus” (the finale of Handel's Messiah) and “Ode To Joy” (the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony).

instruments: synthesizers, horns, flute, piano, violin, bass, drums, bells.

Thanks to my dear friend, Crane Kirkbride, whose own beautiful singing of music like this inspired me to create Adi Da Beloved. Crane also gave me some very helpful singing tips after listening to an earlier version.

This audio is also part of an article, Adi Da and Holiday Music.

Tags: music   Danavira Mela  

"Facing Beloved / No One Like Me" is by John Wubbenhorst. It is track 2 from Disc One of the double CD, May You Ever Dwell In Our Hearts. John Wubbenhorst plays bansuri, drum master Subash Chandran plays ghatam and konnokol, and drum master Ganesh Kumar plays kanjira.

May You Ever Dwell In Our Hearts is a deeply moving, sacred, contemplative CD that celebrates Adi Da's Life of Love and Blessing. This tribute to Adi Da Samraj includes music from many different genres, ranging from Indian classical to jazz to world music and other contemporary styles.

With over two hours of devotional songs filling this double CD, you can listen to pieces composed and performed by many devotee artists, including Naamleela Free Jones, Tamarind Free Jones, Ray Lynch, John Wubbenhorst, John Mackay, Sally Howe, Crane Kirkbride, Antonina Randazzo, Katya Grineva and many others.

Some of the twenty-five pieces on May You Ever Dwell In Our Hearts were written and offered in the days immediately following Adi Da's Passing on November 27, 2008, or in the year-long period of formal mourning that followed. Other songs were offered to Him in person during His Lifetime. This CD also contains new songs never released before by Naamleela, Tamarind, and other musicians.

Tags: music   CD  

Danavira Mela, celebrated at Adi Da Samrajashram. A slideshow containing festive scenes from Qaravi, Lion's Lap, Picture Perfect, Cow Catcher, and the Inner Courtyard of the Matrix. The video clip ends with pictures of Beloved Adi Da granting Darshan while sitting in front of the window of His bedroom (which is decorated for the season).

The soundtrack includes holiday music, and devotee John Mackay's "There Is Only Light" (from the album, Danavira), which draws on the Qawwali tradition of Sufi devotional music, and resonates with the celebration of Light-In-Everybody.

Tags: Danavira Mela  

[Contains Polish subtitles. If the CC icon ("Subtitles/closed captions") has a red line under it, the subtitles should appear. If you don't see them, just press the CC icon to turn them on.]

Piosenkarka i autorka tekstów Jacqueline Clemons śpiewa "The Universal World-Prayer", modlitwę o pokój napisaną przez Adi Da Samraj. Muzyka Nicka Milo i Jacqueline Clemons.

Beloved, Inmost Heart of every heart,
do not Let our human hearts be broken
by our merely mortal suffering here —
but Make our mortal human hearts break-Free
to an unconditional love of You,
that we may, Thus, love all living beings
with Love's own True, and Truly broken, Heart.

Composed by Jacqueline Clemons and Nick Milo, and sung by Jacqueline Clemons, this soulful rendition of Adi Da's prayer for world peace, "The Universal World-Prayer", was sung many times at The Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa, in December, 1999.

The song accompanies a slideshow of pictures of Adi Da.

The song can be found on Jacqueline's album, In the Garden of Fear-No-More.

For more on how Adi Da created The Universal World-Prayer, read our article on the celebration of The Great Sovereign-Avataric Holy Day of Eternally Established World-Blessing.

Adi Da's Universal World-Prayer coincides with His Instructions to not "live the Law backwards": trying to love others (or attempting to bring about world peace), while failing to first love God (and have our love of others be the overflow of our communion with God).

Tags: music   CD   Polish  

[Contains Spanish subtitles. If the CC icon ("Subtitles/closed captions") has a red line under it, the subtitles should appear. If you don't see them, just press the CC icon to turn them on.]

La cantante y compositora Jacqueline Clemons canta "La Oración Universal", una oración por la paz escrita por Adi Da Samraj. Música de Nick Milo y Jacqueline Clemons.

Beloved, Inmost Heart of every heart,
do not Let our human hearts be broken
by our merely mortal suffering here —
but Make our mortal human hearts break-Free
to an unconditional love of You,
that we may, Thus, love all living beings
with Love's own True, and Truly broken, Heart.

Composed by Jacqueline Clemons and Nick Milo, and sung by Jacqueline Clemons, this soulful rendition of Adi Da's prayer for world peace, "The Universal World-Prayer", was sung many times at The Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa, in December, 1999.

The song accompanies a slideshow of pictures of Adi Da.

The song can be found on Jacqueline's album, In the Garden of Fear-No-More.

For more on how Adi Da created The Universal World-Prayer, read our article on the celebration of The Great Sovereign-Avataric Holy Day of Eternally Established World-Blessing.

Adi Da's Universal World-Prayer coincides with His Instructions to not "live the Law backwards": trying to love others (or attempting to bring about world peace), while failing to first love God (and have our love of others be the overflow of our communion with God).

Tags: music   peace   CD   Spanish  

[Contains Finnish subtitles. If the CC icon ("Subtitles/closed captions") has a red line under it, the subtitles should appear. If you don't see them, just press the CC icon to turn them on.]

Laulaja ja muusikko, Jacqueline Clemons, esittää "Yleisen Maailmanrukouksen", Adi Da Samrajin kirjoittaman rauhanrukouksen. Nick Milon ja Jacqueline Clemonsin sävellys.

Beloved, Inmost Heart of every heart,
do not Let our human hearts be broken
by our merely mortal suffering here —
but Make our mortal human hearts break-Free
to an unconditional love of You,
that we may, Thus, love all living beings
with Love's own True, and Truly broken, Heart.

Composed by Jacqueline Clemons and Nick Milo, and sung by Jacqueline Clemons, this soulful rendition of Adi Da's prayer for world peace, "The Universal World-Prayer", was sung many times at The Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa, in December, 1999.

The song accompanies a slideshow of pictures of Adi Da.

The song can be found on Jacqueline's album, In the Garden of Fear-No-More.

For more on how Adi Da created The Universal World-Prayer, read our article on the celebration of The Great Sovereign-Avataric Holy Day of Eternally Established World-Blessing.

Adi Da's Universal World-Prayer coincides with His Instructions to not "live the Law backwards": trying to love others (or attempting to bring about world peace), while failing to first love God (and have our love of others be the overflow of our communion with God).

Tags: music   peace   CD   Finnish  

Cheech Marrero was one of Adi Da's earliest devotees. In this video clip, Cheech describes the defining moment in his relationship with Adi Da.

You can read an extended version of Cheech's story here.

After Cheech's story — at 5:18 in the video clip — a slideshow of images of Adi Da begins, followed by a video clip of Darshan of Adi Da at 7:38. The soundtrack for the slideshow and Darshan is Jacqueline Clemons singing her and Nick Milo's composition, Universal World-Prayer, which sets to music the words of Adi Da:

Beloved, Inmost Heart of every heart,
do not Let our human hearts be broken
by our merely mortal suffering here —
but Make our mortal human hearts break-Free
to an unconditional love of You,
that we may, Thus, love all living beings
with Love's own True, and Truly broken, Heart.

An excerpt from the talk, "Identification of the Beloved", given by Adi Da on April 18, 1977.

This excerpt is track 3 of the CD, Death and the Purpose of Existence, a collection of talks and recitations that exemplify Avatar Adi Da’s essential Wisdom-Teaching on death and dying.

The album is available through iTunes, Microsoft, and The Dawn Horse Press.

The entire talk is available on the CD, Identification of the Beloved.

Note: Due to distribution policies set by CDBaby (and beyond the control of this website and Adidam), this video may not be playable in every country. However, sometimes, even when you can't play it on this page, you may be able to play it on YouTube: click here.

Tags: death   CD  

Beloved, Inmost Heart of every heart,
do not Let our human hearts be broken
by our merely mortal suffering here —
but Make our mortal human hearts break-Free
to an unconditional love of You,
that we may, Thus, love all living beings
with Love's own True, and Truly broken, Heart.

Composed by Jacqueline Clemons and Nick Milo, and sung by Jacqueline Clemons, this soulful rendition of Adi Da's prayer for world peace, "The Universal World-Prayer", was sung many times at The Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa, in December, 1999.

The song accompanies a slideshow of pictures of Adi Da.



Tags: music   peace   CD  

An audio excerpt from Adi Da's talk, "Identification of the Beloved". This talk is now available on a CD from the Dawn Horse Press.

Adi Da draws us into noticing the true nature of this world, in which we find the Beloved — the True Loved One — only in its passing forms. This leads to attachment to what is temporary, generating a constant cycle of reaction and seeking for a Happiness that will overcome death. Adi Da Admonishes everyone to find the True Beloved, in Its Eternal Form — our True Condition — if Happiness is to be truly found.

Tags: CD