The Bodily Location of
Happiness, 1982
By Da Free John.
On the Incarnation of the Divine
Person and the Transmission of Love-Bliss. Only edition:
1/82, Second printing (color cover): 10/82. ©1982 The
Johannine Daist Communion.
Where Is Happiness? Satsang in the World
by Daji Bodha
THE SPIRITUAL MASTER had been
invited to a closed circuit telecast of a world-championship
heavyweight boxing match. Rarely does the Master attend any
kind of public event. That he accepted this invitation,
though unusual, was not surprising. The spontaneous actions
of the Adept are always transforming what seem like ordinary
events into sacred occasion.
I went to the auditorium early that
evening in order to hold some seats until the Master and a
few others accompanying him arrived. It was a rowdy scene,
as one might imagine. The room was filled with cigarette
smoke, beer guzzling, and the smell of marijuana. I was
seated at the end of our section of seats next to a young
man. After the Master had arrived and we had been seated for
a while, the young man leaned over and respectfully asked,
“Hey man, is that the Da?”
I said, “The who?”
“Da Free John.” His body was shaking
a little and he was obviously excited.
I told him it was. He explained that
he had read many of the Master’s books and he knew about The
Mountain of Attention Sanctuary (then known as Vision Mound
Sanctuary). Often he wondered about the Master and devotees,
and what kind of a place the Sanctuary might be. I explained
to him that we had a public education program and
celebrations, called “Friends’ Days,” which he could attend
if he became a friend of the Communion. He said that he had
never dared to approach the Communion before because “It has
always sounded to me like the real thing.” He was respectful
and sincere in his words and feelings. We spoke a little
longer about the Teaching, and he expressed his joy that in
this unbelievable moment in his life Da Free John was seated
three seats away in a place where the young man would never
have expected to see him.
The fight began, and the man said
nothing to me for a long while. All around us the effects of
alcohol and drugs and the frenzy of the contest had produced
a noisy ruckus. People behind us yelled and threatened the
people in front of us. Yet the expansive presence and
transcendental calm of the Master generated a peace and
stillness even in the midst of this aggressive environment.
Finally the man could not help himself. He leaned over and
said to me, with appreciation and awe, “Man, I feel like I
am at the center of the universe!”
He then asked me, “Would it be
appropriate for me to buy the Master a beer?”
At that moment, I was opening a
thermos for the Master. I told him that the herb tea we had
brought would be fine. He felt a little awkward and excused
himself, and I thanked him for his offering.
As we were driving away from the
auditorium, I happened to glance out of the window, and I
noticed that the same fellow was walking across a field in
the opposite direction from the parking lot and the flow of
foot traffic.
The Presence is wherever it is
given or found, wherever and whenever the deep-point of
rising bliss, awe, and love is felt at the Heart. Our
Relationship to the Presence, or the consciousness of
relationship to the Presence, is realized alive in the
company of the man of understanding.
Da Free John
“I” Is the Body of Life
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