Thank God I’m a Buddhist - Beezone Library

“Thank
God I’m a Buddhist “
(this
is an excerpt
from a longer talk
– link at the bottom of this page)

November 10,
1996

Land Bridge
Pavilion, The Mountain Of Attention

DEVOTEE: Lord
Adi-Buddha, many years ago, in this room, I asked You a
series of contrived “talking” school questions about
Buddhism for the sake of creating some copy for The Laughing
Man magazine, to which You ended Your beautiful Discourse by
asking me to bring You a Buddhist. And in the same period of
time, I remember sitting with You one evening in Western
Face Cathedral, and Your Manifestation to me was the Buddha,
Shining “Brightly”. And I felt then, as I do now, that even
if we failed to bring You a Buddhist, You Brought us Your
Self as the Buddha.

This leads to two
questions I had. This past summer You were discussing how we
were to be named in relationship to You and to the
Institution. And You Suggested that instead of “isms” and
“ists” that we would be best known as “Adidam” as a
worldwide congregation. In light of the present Revelation
of You as the Shining Buddha, will there be a congregation,
perhaps the first congregation, who would also be known in a
specific sense, since we don’t have a historical
relationship to Buddhism, as Buddhists?

AVATAR ADI DA
SAMRAJ: Yes, well, I’ve already indicated the Sannyasin
Order is to be named “The Advaitayana Buddhist Order”. The
Way itself has many names. I’ve Given it many descriptive
names. “Adidam” is one of them. “The Way of the Heart”, “The
Way of Radical Understanding”, “Advaitayana Buddhism” are
others . [Editors Note: Beloved Adi Da has also added to
this list “Ruchira Buddhism” since the time of this
Talk.]

I reminded you all
last week of the book I wrote a long time ago,
Nirvanasara
, subtitled something like, “The Introduction to Advaitayana
Buddhism”.

So the Way practiced
in this gathering is Advaitayana Buddhism, but it is also
known by many other names, all of which are useful and apt.
Adidam is not an organizational name, merely. It is a name
for the Way itself. Therefore, it also applies to the naming
of the organization, the general gathering.

The first
congregation as a whole is not called “The Advaitayana
Buddhist Order”, but only the Sannyasin Order. The Lay
Renunciate Order is named by Me, “The Avabhasin Lay
Renunciate Order of Adidam”. And the Foundation in which the
Sannyasin Order appears is “The Ruchira Buddha
Foundation”.

These different
namings are intended to be descriptive, always for the same
purpose-describing this Way more and more fully. Advaitayana
Buddhism is not a species of historical Buddhism, has no
allegiance to it or obligations relative to it, and so on.
It is not based on the teachings of Gautama or anyone else
called “Buddha” or “Buddhist”. It is based entirely on My
Teaching, My Revelation. Advaitayana Buddhism has been one
of the names of this Way for about twenty years. Something
like that, isn’t it?

DEVOTEES:
Yes.

AVATAR ADI DA
SAMRAJ: I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody refer to it as
such. And no one has ever asked, “If this is the Way of
Advaitayana Buddhism, then who is the Buddha?” [devotees
laugh]

So, I finally had to
tell you My Self. [more laughter] So that you
wouldn’t imagine Gautama, or some other teacher in
historical Buddhism, is the origin of this Way of
Advaitayana Buddhism.

When you speak of
this Way, when you serve the mission of this Way or are
communicating about it, it is appropriate to speak of it, or
to describe it as Advaitayana Buddhism, and then go on to
say exactly what that’s all about. Its also appropriate to
use all the other descriptive names I’ve Given, and be
explanatory on that basis.

In terms of the
naming of some formal structure within the gathering, I’ve
applied it only to the Sannyasin Order and the foundation
within which it appears. Also, it is especially
appropriately used as such, or in that manner, because the
members of the Sannyasin Order, the Advaitayana Buddhist
Order, are engaged in the “Perfect Practice” of this Way. It
is in them that all aspects of this Way are demonstrated and
focused in the Ultimate course of this Way, in the context
of the sixth and seventh stages of life. So it is especially
appropriate that this name be used for such people, and for
the order of such people, because it points to the Ultimate
profundity of what I describe as Advaitayana
Buddhism.

If you are a devotee
of Mine, whatever you can be said to be altogether, one of
the things you are also is an Advaitayana Buddhist. I
remember composing an amusement for you all some years ago
to put on a button that said, “Thank God I’m a Buddhist “.
[devotees laugh loudly] Only a devotee of Mine could
say that. [loud laughter and clapping]