Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00671)

   I got the book "Knee of Listening" a spiritual autobiography by Adi Da (Free
John) and I must say I have to reconsider my hasty judgement.  He has a lot to
say about achieving the "Bright" a unitive consciousness or enlightenment.  He
says we all experienced the "bright" as children, but are stripped of it by our
socialization to seeking.   Seeking pleasure, recognition, even love and
enlightenment itself  are futile and lead to more seeking and suffering.
Seeking is seen as the cause of suffering, borrowing heavily from Buddhism, but
the cure is enquiring "avoiding relationship?"  That is by a process of
meditation and asking oneself through the day why I am choosing sepreation
rather than relationship with "God" transcendent and emmanent, I forget my
divine nature.   The question is not in the form:  "am I avoiding relationship?"
because there is no separation from I and enlightenment.  There is no separation
from enlightenment, it is already achieved.  The only problem is separating
oneself from enlightenment by seeking, seeking, seeking.

The problem for me  is that his followers, more than Adi Da, claim that Adi Da
is a shortcut to bliss to the bright..  Here I still have a problem.   I have my
own "bright" thank you very much and I don't need to get a jump-start from Mr.
Da or at least not JUST from Da.  However the "bright" does grow brighter in
groups and when a clear focus and example is presented an I'm am sure he is
helping a lot of people who are in the dark and need their batteries recharged a
little.

 He has an amazing story, but he still looks like a fruitcake to me, an avatara
to some.  Maybe he is fully God, fully man and fully fruicake.  It could happen!

Namaste
Keith Price