Adi Da Up Close
Audio/Video Library

The Mystical Positivist is a weekly, two-hour radio show on KOWS 107.3 FM, Occidental, CA. The program is dedicated to the application of reason in the pursuit of spiritual practice and development. The show is hosted by Stuart Resnick and Dr. Robert Schmidt. Stuart has been a Tayu Meditation Teacher since 1993. He received apprentice and master-level training in the alchemical transformation of human consciousness from Tayu Meditation Center. Dr. Robert Schmidt is the director of the Tayu Meditation Center, and a co-founder of the Many Rivers Bookstore in Sebastopol, California. He is also currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Archaeological Research Facility at U.C. Berkeley.

This audio clip is part 1 of The Mystical Positivist's interview with devotee, Leroy Stilwell. Leroy has been a formal devotee of Adi Da since 1977. Since 1986, he regularly lived in Hermitage on Naitauba, Fiji, for extended periods during which he participated in cycles of consideration with Adi Da, and served as editor, photographer, videographer, communications manager, ashram manager, and personal assistant to the Ruchira Sannyasin Order. He is the author of Love’s Sacrifice: Witnessing the Self-Revelation of the Divine Person - 30 Years with my Spiritual Master, Adi Da (2014) and For Those Who Call For Light - Learning How to Think about Religion (2013). Leroy is also a co-founder and managing editor of the Adi Da Up Close site.

Note: The actual show does not begin until 08:17.

Tags: radio   interview   presentation  

Adi Da criticized religious cultism, long before the subject gained any popular attention. (For an audio clip of His earliest criticisms — in June, 1972 — click here.) This discourse, given in 1978 at The Mountain Of Attention, is one of His summary addresses on the subject. Adi Da observes that the primary characteristic of a cult member is shared enthusiasm (like enjoying the energy of the crowd at a football game). For example, in "the cult of the Spiritual Master", everybody is enjoying the enthusiasm (their own and each other's) associated with having "found" the great Master; but no one is actually engaged in significant deepening of the devotional and spiritual relationship with the Master, and practicing on that basis — hence no Spiritual growth or Realization occurs.

Adi Da: "My purpose in My Teaching is to make it possible for you to duplicate what I have done — not to be eternally separated from Me, but to be in Communion with Me — to be intimate with Me in Spiritual terms, so that you, yourself, may live this practice, and fulfill it in your own case."

Tags: cult  

The CD, The Master Is The Means, is a compilation of talks in which Avatar Adi Da describes the spontaneous heart-response to the Spiritual Master as the great, effective, and anciently known Means of Spiritual Awakening.

By exposing the true nature of ego, and pointing out our false and limiting presumptions about Spiritual Masters, Avatar Adi Da enables a free consideration of what is truly needed to Realize the Truth of our Condition. He provides a traditional context for the purpose of His human Form here, while also communicating the utterly unique appearance and offering He Is.

This is track 9 of the CD.

This audio excerpt, "Divine Realization Is a Gift", is from October 12, 2004. Here Avatar Adi Da states clearly that the Divine must be Self-Revealed by Grace. No method, no technique, no form of seeking of any kind is the means to Realize the Divine. All such seeking is simply evidence of contraction upon the separate "self" — which is the continuous, unsurrendered gesture of ego.

The essence of Adidam is, instead, living in the present Company of the Divine, turning whole bodily to that Divine Reality Appearing as Avatar Adi Da — and through that turning, being moved by Grace to His Perfect State of Divine Reality and Truth.

Tags: CD   Avataric Discourse  

In this video clip from the 1988 talk, "What Is Your Intention?", Adi Da criticizes the "do-it-yourself" approach to spirituality that is popular in the world today, and speaks about why a teacher is necessary.

The full talk is available on the DVD, The Commitment To Real-God-Realization.

For more on this subject, read our article, Why Great Spiritual Realization Requires a Spiritual Transmission Master.

Tags: DVD  

Megan Anderson reads from Adi Da's essay, "There Is One Truth - Which Is Always Already The Case", which appears in the book, The Gift Of Truth Itself. This book is a compact introduction to Avatar Adi Da's Reality-Teaching and Way, and a highly accessible collection of essays from His master work, The Aletheon.

This audio clip is part of a larger presentation on The Gift Of Truth Itself appearing in The Adidam Revelation Magazine. The presentation features text excerpts from each section of the book.

Every year in late October and early November, devotees, friends, and supporters of Adi Da Samraj gather to enjoy an extended weekend of Celebration and Spiritual Retreat focused on the Life, Teachings, and Avataric Work of Adi Da Samraj. The occasion is the birthday anniversary of Adi Da, during which we joyously acknowledge that this Supremely Realized Spiritual Master has appeared in the world to Awaken all beings to Radiant Love, Perfect Freedom, and Indestructible Light. This year’s Celebration is also based on the new book, The Gift Of Truth Itself, and like all Adidam Events, is founded on the acknowledgment that Adi Da Samraj uniquely bestows the ultimate Gift of Divine Truth or “Reality Itself” to the human heart.

For more about this retreat, click here.
Videographer: Matt Braithwaite

Tags: European Danda   retreat  

On July 2, 1988, in Land Bridge Pavilion at The Mountain Of Attention, Adi Da gives the talk, "Contemplation, Satsang, Sadhana", which would appear in the May/June 1988 issue of Crazy Wisdom Magazine.

In this excerpt ("Devote Your Life To God-Realization"), Adi Da speaks about the necessity for "sadhana", or spiritual practice, in relationship to the God-Realized Spiritual Master.

"All there is is a mechanism to be dealt with. You're not uniquely born. It's the same mechanism as in all other cases. And, in all cases it requires a tremendous ordeal."

Beginning at 17:30 (and continuing to the end of this video), a formal Darshan occasion is shown.

Tags: Darshan  

Adi Da visiting The Mountain of Attention Sanctuary, Northern California, in the summer of 2005.

To receive the physical touch of one's Master is an extraordinary gift. Many of the devotees in this clip have testified that, when they received His touch, Bhagavan Adi Da knew the deepest longings of their heart.

From 7:49 to end of clip: Adi Da grants devotees Darshan as He sits in front of Ordeal Bath Lodge.

Background music is Ray Lynch's "The Temple", from his album, The Sky Of Mind.

Tags: Darshan   Mountain Of Attention  

In this seminal discourse (at The Mountain Of Attention), from the early years of His Teaching Work, Adi Da speaks about the inevitable process of self-revelation and self-understanding that prepares the being for true Spiritual life.

The full talk is available on the CD, The Grace of Suffering, and on DVD as Volume 2 of the 25th Anniversary DVD Series.

Tags: CD   DVD  

Light-in-Everybody is a song written for the Celebration of Light-in-Everybody, with Love and Light and Joy, and Gratitude to Heart-Master Adi Da Samraj.

Lyrics by Megan Anderson.

Music by Adam Weiss and Aura Bakker.

Tags: music   Danavira Mela   Light-In-Everybody   peace  

Slideshow of images of Adi Da, The Master Dancer.

Soundtrack: the hymn, "Lord of the Dance".
Performers:
Colin Decio (voice and instruments). Colin is the winner of the John Ireland Chamber Music Prize.
Ingrid Prosser (voice - mezzo soprano). Ingrid is from New Zealand.
Words by Sydney Carter (who wrote them in 1967, inspired partly by Jesus of Nazareth, but also partly by a statue of Shiva as Nataraja).
Set to the tune of the American Shaker song, "Simple Gifts".

From the performers:
"The Divine World Teacher Adi Da Samraj was born on November 3, 1939. This is our gift to the Divine Person on the Anniversary of His birth."

Tags: music  

A slide show of photos of Adi Da.

The soundtrack is "Devotion Increases The Recognition Of Me", an original composition from a devotee. From the composer: "This is a song I wrote and recorded for my Beloved Heart-Master, Adi Da Samraj. The words are from a discourse by Bhagavan, published in The Nine Great Laws of Radical Devotion To Me."

Tags: slide show  

Dhrupad is one of the most ancient and pure traditions of Indian music. It adheres renditions of raga exposition that have been called "the real currency of Indian music".

Master dhrupad singer and teacher Nirmalya Dey will be visiting Lake County, California, October 18-20, 2012.

He will give a concert at The Mountain Of Attention (in Land Bridge Pavilion) on Friday, October 19 at 8pm. Suggested donation is $20 (but no one is turned away).

He will give a workshop on "Dhrupad" practices on Saturday, October 20, from 9am - 1pm at the home of devotee Gina Macioce. Suggested donation is $50.

Nirmalya will also have limited spots available for private lessons. Call to reserve in advance, if you are interested.

To register for the workshop, sign up for lessons, or for more information, please call John Wubbenhorst at 301-346-0789 or email brightworldarts@gmail.com.

Adi Da Samraj talks about the misunderstandings people can have about the ecstatic speech of the Spiritual Master.

[Sound quality is poor.]

Part of an Avataric Revelation Discourse given at the Mountain of Attention Sanctuary, later published in Reality Is All The God There Is.

Adi Da offers His unique renderings of the Dharma of the great sages of Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism, including Gotama Sakyamuni, Nagarjuna, Shankara, and Ribhu. Rather than simply translate their teachings from available source texts, Avatar Adi Da respeaks them as one who has personally realized their truth. He reveals that the Buddhist “Nirvana” and the Advaitic “Brahman” point to the same Transcendental Condition. Avatar Adi Da’s rendering restores to these texts the profundity intended by the Spiritual Masters who created them.

Tags: Avataric Discourse   Mountain of Attention   Free Rendering   Buddhism   Advaita Vedanta