The Sunshine Makers poster: frizz lefryd length: 07:43 date added: May 8, 2010 language: English views: 10829; views this month: 93; views this week: 32
One of Adi Da's favorite cartoons, "The Sunshine Makers" is a classic from the golden age of animation. Released on January 11, 1935 (an auspicious day of the year, in the sacred calendar of Adidam), the cartoon was directed by Ted Eshbaugh, the first artist/technician to figure out how to create animated cartoons in color. This restored print is the highest quality available, and is from the DVD, Toddle Tales & Rainbow Parade Cartoons.
"The Sunshine Makers" is the third cartoon in the "Rainbow Parade Series", which was produced by Van Beuren Studios to compete with Walt Disney's "Silly Symphonies". The series consisted of 27 full color, animated shorts, and was distributed to theaters by RKO between 1934 and 1936. (You can watch more of these here.)
"The Sunshine Makers" later became a regular on 1950's television, after the sale of RKO's film library. In his book, Of Mice and Magic, well-known film critic Leonard Maltin writes that his childhood (in the 1950's) included "countless viewings" of the cartoon.
"The Sunshine Makers" is also one of Adi Da's favorite cartoons, because of its depiction of Light and Happiness (magnified and spread by the "Sunshine gnomes" in the cartoon) dissolving and outshining the force of egoity (the "gloomies").
In his article, "The Sunshine Makers cartoon from 1935", James Steinberg writes, "Bhagavan Adi Da loved that cartoon! He thought that it showed the simplicity of the argument of the open hand and the closed fist, or that our un-happiness is just something that we presume. Just like He used to tell us when we came to the Mountain of Attention, or came to see Him altogether, that we could 'leave it at the gate'. There is no reason to presume the dilemma in the face of the Divine (or truly altogether). We used to watch 'The Sunshine Makers' cartoon with Him when we had to watch it on a 16mm projector. I saw it multiple times with Bhagavan and He would laugh heartily as it was shown and watch our faces to see our reactions beaming with Happiness. He always used to tell us that we could just 'drop it in the moment' (our self-contraction) and that it was 'just an act'."
Further notes on the cartoon:
* It's a musical! Almost all speech is set to music.
* At 0:43: The "Sunshine gnomes" start their morning with a conscious exercise routine that begins with bowing down to the Transcendental Sun (the source of their sunshine): "Hail, His Majesty, the Sun!"
* At 7:00: When the "gloomies" refuse to "take their medicine", the gnomes force "sunshine" down their throats. In the words of the great Spiritual Master, Sri Ramakrishna: "There are three classes of physicians: superior, mediocre, and inferior. The physician who feels the patient's pulse and just says to him, 'Take the medicine regularly' belongs to the inferior class. He doesn't care to inquire whether or not the patient has actually taken the medicine. The mediocre physician is he who in various ways persuades the patient to take the medicine, and says to him sweetly: 'My good man, how will you be cured unless you use the medicine? Take this medicine. I have made it for you myself.' But he who, finding the patient stubbornly refusing to take the medicine, forces it down his throat, going so far as to put his knee on the patient's chest is the best physician. This is the manifestation of the tamas of the physician. It doesn't injure the patient; on the contrary, it does him good."
The Way Beyond Ego poster: DawnHorsePress length: 08:50 date added: November 7, 2010 language: English listens: 6015; listens this month: 44; listens this week: 23
A summary communication of the practice and Grace essential to the real process of Divine Liberation—given in October 2004 and April 2005.
In the Discourses selected for these CDs, Avatar Adi Da leads His listeners through the maze of egoic misinterpretation of real Spiritual practice by articulating and debunking the errors that occur when such practice is engaged from the point of view of egoity (or presumed separateness). Avatar Adi Da clarifies, again and again, that the Way He Offers is not a Way of thought or philosophy, effort or escape, experiences or techniques—rather, Adidam is based solely on the inherent heart-attraction to That Which Is Beyond all conditional states, That Which Is Always Already the Case, That Which Is Perfect Divine Love-Bliss, and Which is Appearing in and as His human Form. In summary, in these Talks, Avatar Adi Da elucidates the essence, and the necessary foundation principles, of the devotional and Spiritual Way of Adidam.
poster: GlobalCooperationProject length: 07:53 date added: November 7, 2010 language: English listens: 3919; listens this month: 29; listens this week: 11
Renowned actor Kenneth Welsh recites selected chapters from Adi Da's book, Not-Two Is Peace. In this audio, he recites: "The Transition beyond Ego-Culture".
Mark Stewart takes us on a brief video tour of the new "Truth For Real" Bookstore and Reading Room (which is also a Video Viewing Room) in Portland, Oregon. This space is dedicated to making the Great Work and Person of Adi Da available in a direct, effective, and classy manner.
poster: TheBeezone speakers: Ed Reither, Frank Marrero length: 16:23 date added: March 1, 2012 language: English views: 4045; views this month: 36; views this week: 10
This video is the Introduction and part one of Beezone's educational video series on the concept of 'attention' in the teachings of Adi Da Samraj.
poster: TheBeezone speakers: Ed Reither, Frank Marrero length: 10:15 date added: March 1, 2012 language: English views: 3774; views this month: 42; views this week: 10
This video is part two of Beezone's educational video series on the concept of 'attention' in the teachings of Adi Da Samraj.
poster: TheBeezone speakers: Ed Reither, Frank Marrero length: 13:49 date added: March 1, 2012 language: English views: 4116; views this month: 37; views this week: 9
This video is part three of Beezone's educational video series on the concept of 'attention' in the teachings of Adi Da Samraj.
poster: TheBeezone speakers: Ed Reither, Frank Marrero length: 18:18 date added: March 1, 2012 language: English views: 4767; views this month: 41; views this week: 9
This video is part four of Beezone's educational video series on the concept of 'attention' in the teachings of Adi Da Samraj.
poster: TheBeezone speakers: Ed Reither, Frank Marrero length: 17:02 date added: March 1, 2012 language: English views: 3693; views this month: 38; views this week: 7
This video is part five of Beezone's educational video series on the concept of 'attention' in the teachings of Adi Da Samraj.
poster: AdidamPodcasts length: 12:29 date added: March 17, 2012 language: English listens: 5849; listens this month: 37; listens this week: 13
Adi Da writes: "Adidam is not a conventional 'religion'. Adidam is not a conventional way of life. Adidam is about the transcending of the ego-'I'. Adidam is about the Freedom of Divine Self-Realization. Adidam is not based on mythology or belief. Adidam is a Reality-practice. Adidam is a 'Reality consideration' in which the various modes of egoity are progressively transcended. Adidam is a universally applicable Way of life. Adidam is for those who will choose it, and whose hearts and intelligence fully respond to Me and My Offering. Adidam is a Great Revelation and it is to be freely and openly communicated to all."
This podcast contains excerpts from two talks, in which Adi Da clarifies that the Way of Adidam is based solely on the inherent heart-response to His Transcendental Spiritual State. That heart-response leads to the self-understanding and willingness to take up the real ego-transcending practice.
poster: AdidamPodcasts length: 25:21 date added: March 17, 2012 language: English listens: 4667; listens this month: 27; listens this week: 9
In this discourse Adi Da calls us to understand the doctrines and spiritual attainments of humankind not as separate traditions or paths but as a whole: a single "Great Tradition". He also urges humankind to transcend merely belief-based religious myths, dogma, and "religious provincialism" which only support egoic separation and conflict.
Adi Da talks about how the self-contraction creates the sense of a separate narcissistic 'me' over against everything else; and how this relates to sadhana (ego-transcending practice) in the Way of Adidam.
poster: SusanaWeingarten length: 10:54 date added: July 1, 2012 language: English views: 3909; views this month: 33; views this week: 13
"Ego Act" is a dance based on Adi Da's wisdom about the nature of egoity, or, Adi Da describes it, "the fundamental activity of self-contraction, or the presumption of separate and separative existence".
Choreographer/Dancer: Tom Evert Music: George Crumb (as interpreted by The Kronos Quartet) Costume Design: Raymond Zander III Props: Tom Evert "Midnight Sun" Set Design: Molly Watson
poster: AdiDaUpClose speaker: Steve Alexander length: 13:17 date added: July 8, 2012 language: English views: 4407; views this month: 42; views this week: 15
Steve Alexander describes his experiences of Huichol shamanism (while in his twenties), and his aspiration to become a shaman. Then, while on a Huichol pilgrimage in Mexico, "everything that could possible go wrong, did". For a "suburban kid from Los Angeles" it was like "trying to put on someone else's shoe".
Steve returned to focus on his university education in fine art. All the while, an awareness of a Divine Presence in his heart was growing. He describes how he cultivated his relationship with that Presence, even as he became increasingly aware of his own egoity and the ways it would tend to shut down that Presence.
Steve describes how his formal relinquishment of Huichol shamanism opened the door to the intensification of that Presence, and ultimately, to his devotional relationship with the human form of that Presence: Adi Da.
poster: AdiDaUpClose speaker: Steve Alexander length: 14:15 date added: July 8, 2012 language: English views: 4191; views this month: 41; views this week: 18
Steve Alexander describes his experiences of Huichol shamanism (while in his twenties), and his aspiration to become a shaman. Then, while on a Huichol pilgrimage in Mexico, "everything that could possible go wrong, did". For a "suburban kid from Los Angeles" it was like "trying to put on someone else's shoe".
Steve returned to focus on his university education in fine art. All the while, an awareness of a Divine Presence in his heart was growing. He describes how he cultivated his relationship with that Presence, even as he became increasingly aware of his own egoity and the ways it would tend to shut down that Presence.
Steve describes how his formal relinquishment of Huichol shamanism opened the door to the intensification of that Presence, and ultimately, to his devotional relationship with the human form of that Presence: Adi Da.
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