Finding Adi Da

Many people have found their way to Avatar Adi Da Samraj over the past few decades, both during and after His human lifetime. The stories of how they found Him are moving and often extraordinary, even miraculous.

Paul Muller-Ortega, Barbara Marx-Hubbard, Robert Hall For some, while the encounter would not result in their becoming devotees, it would transform their lives in a profound way. For example, well-known futurist Barbara Marx-Hubbard describes how she draws upon the 'Adi Da Frequency' to help her work in creating a better and more conscious future for humanity. Robert Hall, co-founder of the Lomi School, says that Adi Da's Teaching has been a source of major support for him in the continuation of his personal Vipassana meditation practice, and Adi Da has always represented for him an example of the truly Realized individual. Paul Muller-Ortega, Professor of Religion and founder of the Blue Throat Yoga school, writes of feeling in Adi Da's company "an ancient bond of connection to him" and after Darshan with Adi Da, there remains "a memory and an inner feeling of Him that I carry with me daily."

For others, finding Adi Da was the discovery of their Spiritual Master. From black liberation movement veteran Greg Wells, who was also a lifelong spiritual seeker; to Frank (Cheech) Marrero, who was imprisoned at Rikers Island Penitentiary, awaiting trial for a crime he had not committed and a likely sentence of 20 or 30 years, when a miracle occurred — their stories tell how they finally found what their hearts were seeking (whether they knew it or not when they first encountered Adi Da). It was only then that the real adventure — a life dedicated not to seeking for God but to Realizing God — could begin at last.

Greg Wells, Lyn Hart, Chris Tong We're used to stories about human lives that confine themselves to the "normal" laws of nature. But some of the stories below unfold in a way that suggest Adi Da was already in devotees' lives, working with them on profound levels, long before they even knew of Him (in the "normal" way). For example, Lyn Hart describes how Adi Da began appearing to her in visions, long before she knew who He was; Chris Tong tells how Adi Da literally walked into his life when he was still a baby, back in the late 1950's. That "supernormal" manner is exactly how Adi Da describes the way He works. And He is able to function in that manner because He is the human incarnation of the Divine Person in whom everything and everyone is arising:

This is how people come to Me to become My devotees, or (otherwise) come to Me for Blessing. They become associated with one or another aspect of My world-Work. It is Prior Meditation. In other words, I Priorly Coincide with everyone and everything, and then Signs emerge. This is how I Work. This is My Divine Avataric Nature Showing Itself in the larger world-picture . . . And this is, in fact, how people end up coming to Me.

The devotional relationship to Me does not begin simply when people formally enter into the gathering of My devotees. My Work begins before people even come into My Divine Avataric Company. Some recognize and know that, and there are rather dramatic signs of it. In other cases, individuals are simply drawn to Me and have nothing in mind to say why, other than they heard about Me and were moved.

Avatar Adi Da Samraj, February 2008
"Tell Everyone My Leela Everywhere"
Adi Da Samrajashram Magazine, Vol. 1, #1

Stories below marked with are either all video or contain video supplements.

Four Luminously Amazing Days — Professor Paul Muller-Ortega Ph.D. is recognized internationally as one of the world’s most highly respected and renowned academic scholars in the field of Indian Religion and Hindu Tantra. "I palpably sense an emanating wave moving out from [Adi Da's] body, a wave that forcefully ripples outward through the entire hall. As it does, this wave of his beneficent and now magnified and intensified blessing force catches directly at the heart; it strongly moves the mind; and it powerfully lifts the spirit."

Here's a Teacher Who Can Deal With Me — Ed Reither interviews James Steinberg about his early life up to and including becoming a devotee of Adi Da Samraj.

I Feel the Greatest Devotion to Him — Robert Hall is the co-founder of the Lomi School. "The first time I saw Adi Da was at a Darshan in 1986. That first Darshan was very powerful for me because I experienced a transcendent "exit" from the body and a meeting with Him outside of the body. It was exhilarating and ecstatic. It happened spontaneously and, for me, it removed any doubt and concern I might have had about His authenticity as a Great Spiritual Realizer. From that time on I became even more interested in His Work."

The Devotee Feeds the Guru, and the Guru Feeds the Devotee — Chris Tong: "I literally felt love pouring out of my heart, reaching His Heart, and feeding Him. Then I felt His Love tangibly transmitted back to me, in a great overwhelming wave, which caused my heart to open even wider. I soon found myself totally engaged in the most direct relationship, at once both human and spiritual, crying out to my Beloved Guru with tears in my eyes, 'Let me feed You with my devotion! May You always feel my devotion, wherever I am!' "

The "Adi Da" Frequency — Well-known futurist, Barbara Marx-Hubbard, describes how she found Adi Da, and how she draws upon the 'Adi Da Frequency' to help her work in creating a better and more conscious future for humanity.

Only the Divine Presence — Alex Grey is one of the foremost visionary artists in the global spiritual counterculture. Here he writes about the profundity of his encounter with Adi Da, and about his subsequent painting of Adi Da.

A Glimpse Of Him In Truth — "I was never fortunate enough to have been a true devotee of a Guru. I was closest to Adi Da. I was an appreciator of Him, and occasionally let into His world by Grace to catch a glimpse of Him in Truth."

He Is God! — Tom Jacobs: "There was a Force like an enormous bolt of electricity entering through the top of my head and pinning me utterly to the ground. I was beside myself, and just ran outside through the snow, up the hill and to Robin's house. I just burst open her front door. She was standing in the kitchen. I yelled: 'He is God!' She looked at me and said: 'yes, I know.' "

Ice Cream and Divine Distraction — Pamela Bennett: "I turned my gaze away from the frozen yoghurt toward a most unusual image: a Supremely Attractive Being whose photograph graced the book's jacket. . . in an instant, a shift occurred. There was no granite topped counter and wooden stool with music in the background. There was not a shred of bodily awareness whatsoever. There was only a Bright, Radiant Field of Whitest Light, a tiny point of witness, and the most extraordinary, limitless, astonishing feeling of extravagant and limitless Joy."

He Was the Same Divine Presence I Had Contacted Before — Steve Alexander describes how he discovered a Divine Presence in his heart, and how that ultimately led to his devotional relationship with the human form of that Presence: Adi Da.

An Ecstatic Falling into Him — Nicole Ortega tells the story of how she discovered Bhagavan Adi Da. While doing so, she recounts two remarkable dreams. In the first, the whole human condition is revealed to her in a kind of metaphor. In the second dream, Adi Da appears to her, and connects with her directly and personally, correcting a false, cultic view of Him that she had previously held.

Finding My Master — David tells the story of recognizing Avatar Adi Da Samraj to be his Spiritual Master. He describes the first time he saw Adi Da. He then tells how he found and became a formal devotee of Adi Da.

Beyond All Doubt — As a child in Jamaica, Donald Webley recalls feeling that there was something lacking, something without which real happiness was not possible. An unexplained experience of Bliss moved him to spiritual practice and eventually to Avatar Adi Da.

Tasting The Moon — Meg McDonnell tells the story of how she found Adi Da, and of her relationship with Him, by reading excerpts from her book, Tasting The Moon: Adventures in the Meaning of Life.

Never Has God Revealed Himself So Fully — Max Rykov: "The moment the video started, my heart was broken by the immensity of Divine Force emanating from Him. I wept and wept, my body radiating with His Spiritual Transmission. . . The Divine Love I felt was the Perfection of God that I had only read about but never thought possible to experience while alive."

He Is Satisfaction — Neeshee Pandit: "I was sitting at home one day in such a state when a remarkable event occurred. An unbelievable Energy descended upon me and I began shaking. Its Thickness enveloped my entire body and it was vibrating with an unspeakable intensity. I swooned in ecstasy. . . . Adi Da's Spiritual Invasion of the body-mind is Satisfaction, Happiness, and Love."

"Let Me Live You. Dissolve In My Current Of Bliss." — Terry Cafferty is an aerospace engineering consultant and has worked for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Terry tells how, even in the midst of a conventionally "successful" life, he became aware of his own inability to truly love, feel, and be in relationship with others. The crisis engendered by this realization ultimately led him to his Spiritual Master, Avatar Adi Da Samraj.

My First Meeting with Adi Da — Dan Sleeth: "I marveled at these eyes, even happy to be amazed! Then a startling realization came. Clearly, he had seen — in fact, was seeing now. The face in the poster seemed to literally come alive. I could feel his presence, a person standing in front of me — looking at me."

I Knew He Was the Divine Being in Human Bodily Form — Catherine Dames: "At a certain point into the video I felt a strange but very pleasant feeling between my eyebrows, as if an electric charge was plugged into that spot. When I looked at the Guru, I felt completely overwhelmed with Joy. His bodily expression of total Happiness and Freedom were such as I had never seen before in any man or woman."

The Heart Hears and Sees the Truth — Kevin Pinkstone: "It was beyond anything that I had ever dreamed possible. I had asked God for a teacher — and He had come Himself!"

A Difficult Beginning — Max Cottrell: "Alongside my dedication to Maharishi and teaching TM, I liked to keep my mind open to study other paths to liberation. . . 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. . . 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!"

Recognition of the Master — Victor Lagasse: "I saw Bubba alternatively become Swami Nityananda, Swami Muktananda, and Ramana Maharshi. ... I remember feeling very deeply that this was a relationship that had gone on for aeons of time. He had been my Master, and I his devotee for aeons of time."

Coming Home: The Spiritual Odyssey of a Former Clergyman — Tom Williams: "My story is about how I moved from being an ordinary person to someone who was given the greatest gift in the world. This is the story of how I fell in love with God. And I wouldn't trade this life for anything in the world. There's nothing that compares to being in communion, in love with God."

He Is Alive — Lyn Hart, an administrator and businesswoman, tells of being contacted psychically and Instructed by Avatar Adi Da over a period of several years before she had any idea of Who He was or that He was alive in this world.

The Timeless Intrusion — Martin Goulding: "I looked at the picture of Franklin Jones and those words, 'The Radical Teaching of Franklin Jones', over and over. The image and words and the import of them had a sudden impact on me — like a shock — not quite at the level of the conscious mind, more like: whoever that person is, I absolutely need to know more about him and must find and read that book!"

The Book of Light — Trish Mitchell, an Australian radio journalist, bought The Dawn Horse Testament one day, simply because she was "attracted" to the cover. She had no idea what was waiting "inside" that book.

The Fulfillment of My Heart-Longing, and the Fulfillment of an Indian Prophesy — Sonia's story of becoming Adi Da's devotee, discovering genuine Spiritual Transmission and being awakened to the truth of Prior Unity by Avatar Adi Da Samraj. An Indian prophesy.

My First Years with Adi Da — Bill Worden has been a devotee since 1997. "An energy started to descend into me. The energy seemed conscious. It was intelligent. It moved steadily. It wasn’t affected by anything I did. It must have taken about thirty seconds to go all the way down my body. It was the most amazing thing to feel. I felt love as I have never experienced it. It was pure love."

"What Have You Been Doing with Your Life?" — Wes Vaught, one of Adi Da's earliest devotees, puts it this way: "I knocked. Adi Da answered the door." In 1972 Wes worked as a proofreader at CSA Press, in Atlanta, Georgia, the original publisher of Adi Da's autobiography, The Knee Of Listening. After proofreading The Knee Of Listening, he decided to go to California to meet Avatar Adi Da in person.

"What Do I Do Now, Since I Have Been Given Everything?" — In 1975, Marvin Carpenter watched an introductory film about Adi Da. At the end of the film, Adi Da looked directly into the camera for a long period of time. Looking into His eyes, Marvin received a heart opening he could not explain. He wept, and realized there was nothing more to look for. Adi Da was exactly What he had always been seeking.

How Total Satisfaction Found Me — A highly educated veteran of the black liberation movement, Greg Wells spent years as a spiritual seeker, trying to discover how he could live a fulfilled life. Read his insightful account of how he finally found God in the Person of Adi Da Samraj, and came to understand that Adi Da was the Spiritual Master he had been looking for since he was a small boy.

Another Reality was Unveiled — As someone with an academic career in the humanities, Carolyn Lee was familiar with the highest intellectual and artistic achievements of Western civilization. But she was quite unprepared for what happened in her first meeting with Adi Da Samraj.

He is Here! — After years of searching and practicing world religions, Dennis Coccaro discovered Adi Da Samraj when he heard a radio broadcast-interview which featured some of Adi Da's early devotees. A profound and beautiful relationship to His Spiritual Master ensued.

The Book Landed on the Floor in Front of My Feet — In 1974, Anthony Costabile was a young seeker, living in the Denver/Boulder area, and given to browsing spiritual bookshops. As he was browsing in the yoga and spirituality section of one of those shops, Adi Da's Knee Of Listening suddenly "fell" off the shelf, landed on the floor in front of his feet, and changed his life.

The "Bright" in the Darkness: How Adi Da Found Me — In 1967, Frank (Cheech) Marrero was imprisoned at Rikers Island Penitentiary, awaiting trial for a crime he had not committed. At a plea bargaining session, he was told that if he pled guilty, he would receive "only" 20 or 30 years, instead of life without parole. Cheech was at the lowest point of his life. He decided to end it all. Just as he was about to do it, a miracle occurred.

"Where Have You Been???" — Patrick Mahoney, a former nuclear reactor engineer and professor of Physics, describes the process and ordeal he went through leading up to his first meeting with Avatar Adi Da Samraj in 1975. For Patrick, it was Avatar Adi Da's Humor that first caught his attention.

I Realized That I Was "Playing for God" — In the early 1980s, Bill Somers had already realized what he had held to be his life's ambition: to be principal clarinetist in a symphony orchestra. But this accomplishment was not enough for Bill, after all; his heart was not satisfied. And that was a good place to be! It led him to his Spiritual Master.

An Immense Burden Had Been Lifted from Me — Toni Vidor tells how she met Adi Da for the first time, and of the impact of Adi Da's Spiritual Transmission on her: "When it was finally over, I felt as if an immense burden — eighty tons of whatever it was I had been carrying around all my life without even realizing it — had been lifted from me."

The Story of Francis Popkin — The story of how Francis Popkin found Adi Da, as told by Frank Marrero. Frank talks about how a young country boy showed up at his doorstep in 1981, after having read and been completely transfixed by The Enlightenment Of The Whole Body.

"This is the God for me!" — In this radio interview (with Aaron Joy), rock musician Theo Cedar Jones describes how he became Adi Da's devotee; how Adi Da transformed his entire manner of singing and his craft of songwriting; and the creative challenge of communicating Adi Da's Presence and Teaching through the medium of rock.

Inexplicable Happiness and Peace — Julie Nagorcka writes about her relationship with Adi Da.