Adi Da (Da Free John) 1939-2008

[Ananda]

Hi YogaIsLife,

you might like to add on the right teachings as well and yes it seems so that when we are ready nature provides...

[Etherfish]

Absolutely. The whole concept that something may be missing and that we need to make a special effort; go someplace, find someone, depend on outside energy - is an illusion.

Not that it isn't necessary to do things - twice daily practices are particularly important. But what I am saying is you already have what you need, so no wishing for something else is necessary. If you decide to live your life day by day and not constantly imagine that great things will happen in the future, it helps a lot.
of course you will still make an effort for future things. But those should be in the background, with the here and now filling most of your consciousness.

Where the real power is: take that wishing for the right guru, or whatever your great desire is, and convert it to bhakti. it is very powerful. This removes the idea that something isn't right "yet". You must turn the longing for something, into knowing your highest ideal is close, that just a small change in your body can bring it to you. That way you know nothing is really missing.

There are some physical things that make a great difference and you could try each one for a while to see. Try quitting caffeine a couple weeks, try saving all sexual energy a couple months.

[gumpi]

There is that saying, "when the student is ready the teacher appears" which is misleading imo.  Gurus are everywhere and people search for them, not the other way around.

[YogaIsLife]

Thanks guys for the answers. You say what I suspected No need to go anywhere, it is all here and now.

But this time it is not that I need a teacher, it is that sometimes I think I would like a teacher. It's a growing desire in my heart more than a need. And it happened naturally, like lookign at a sunset. I just feel it would be nice. I felt it when I read other people's stories, from "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior" to "The Chasm of Fire". It just happened, I did not search for it. I just read about these teachers and get fascinated by them. Isn't it how it goes - desire and then acting on it?

I do beleive as well that whatever you need comes to you naturally. Especially if your heart desires it. No need for effort, "just" true desire Although desire is like a fire inside and as such can require some "effort" to deal with so one does not gets burned I feel I am happiest when all of this is quite natural - there is a longing inside and then later I find somethign that resonates clearly with it. It is quite magical. It happened with AYP for example

So yes, I do believe that desire brings you what you need or want, sooner or later, but not necessarily how your mind pictures it. True, all the same.

Thanks!

[david_obsidian]

TMS said:
I have not seen this work outside of the Tibetan Buddhist world, because as far as I know they are the one's who do it right, with genuine selfless love and compassion for their students.

Well, the Tibetan's neither have a monopoly on responsible gurudom,  nor are free from irresponsible gurudom by any means.  I'm not sure there are useful generalizations to be drawn in this matter.

Christi said:
It is a very effective spiritual path because the teacher is able to see the issues that keep coming up again and again for a particular student (the points where they are really getting stuck in their own minds) and help them to completely let go of those issues and move on.

Good. I'm not actually opposed to Guru Yoga myself, which might surprise some people.  There are a few essential ingredients:  a highly-skilled and responsible teacher,  uninclined towards abuses of power; and a student who, in their own way is ready,  which should include the knowledge that their teacher is a human being and subject to some limits.

A third ingredient for it to work best might be that the guru has personal time for the student.  I'm not so sure how well the system works in a situation like that of the Da group in which basically no-one gets near Adi Da at all--unless after sufficient years of prostration and devotion(=handing most of your cash over).

Another way of saying this is that maybe some things just can't be done on a mass scale.  Maybe it's like psychiatry in that respect.  If someone is going to be a psychiatrist to thousands, is that going to work out well?

But there are teachers who perform a powerful symbolic guru role -- and to thousands -- and therefore can't perform a personalized function.  This can work out OK too (is Amma an example of this?).  But where it works out well, those teachers know not to invade too much.  Not being able to be present in a literal sense,  they won't make too many demands either.

[riptiz]

Hi David,
Yes,the personal touch is lost when there are so many followers.Actually when I was in the ashram at Xmas, guruji made this point regarding promotion and marketing.He said that if someone promoted him in a big way he would not have access(and vice versa)to his disciples in the same way he does now.We had his darshan twice a day for 2 weeks while I was there this time and personal time with him several times.I left at 6.30 am for my plane and he took time to see me before I left,gave me a blessing and an infusion of energy.
L&L
Dave

[Katrine]

Hi David

 

quote:But there are teachers who perform a powerful symbolic guru role -- and to thousands -- and therefore can't perform a personalized function. This can work out OK too (is Amma an example of this?)

Just to say that being with Amma those days in November......and getting two hugs from her........I have never felt more intimately touched inside ever. And her impression doesn't seem to leave me. What she does in her silent non-doing......is beyond explaining, but for many - she is so much more than just a symbolic guru.

The love radiating from her is very, very palpable. It is almost impossible not to be affected by it.

[david_obsidian]

Katrine sai:d
she is so much more than just a symbolic guru.

I believe you! Well, I don't mean anything diminishing by saying the role was 'symbolic'.....  Perhaps 'schermazaplaazazoic' is a better word than symbolic.....  And indeed, the hug does count as a personalized touch!

[Katrine]

Hi David

 

quote:Perhaps 'schermazaplaazazoic' is a better word than symbolic

*laughing and laughing*

Thanks

[themysticseeker]

Good guru=from established lineage able to point the student to the true nature of mind. Guru=mind. Bhakti=devotion to meditation [period]

[Jo-self]

While cleaning out my old books I came across "The Four Fundamental Questions" by Da Free John.

Below are the four questions, and of course the very small book is a discussion of each and the obligatory 'I am the only true and highest guru' nonsense.  (for once I'd like to hear an awakened one admit that yes they are awake, but yes, they are still an asshole.]

quote:
1.  Are you the one who is living you now?
2.  What is your relationship to that One?
3.  Do you know what anything is?
4.  What is your relationship to all experience, and to every being and
    thing that exists?

I like question 3, that one seems to be very powerful, the rest, bah.  Nothing came out of this "teaching" stunt.  It was probably a means to generate more donations.

Anyway, I don't think we should lose any works that are part of human dharma.  Some alien creatures may want to study all this one day.