
Introduction to Adi Da’s 2004 Talk
This talk, given by Adi Da Samraj in 2004 to his devotees, transcends the boundaries of spiritual tradition and speaks directly to the fundamental realities of human existence. While rooted in the intimate culture of his spiritual community, its message is profoundly universal, addressing the deep challenges and illusions of life that confront all of humanity.
Adi Da invites us to confront the stark truths of our mortal condition, stripping away myths, cultural ideals, and comforting notions of utopia. He emphasizes the necessity of living in alignment with the greater Reality, not as an intellectual exercise or social convention, but as the foundation of a truly meaningful life. His words challenge the assumptions we hold about purpose, identity, and the pursuit of happiness, urging us to awaken to a higher calling—one rooted in service to the Divine and the collective well-being of all beings.
This talk is not merely a philosophical reflection; it is an urgent call to action. Adi Da highlights the transient and precarious nature of individual existence, emphasizing the limitations of social constructs and personal pursuits in the face of ultimate realities. In doing so, he offers a compelling vision of a life lived in profound surrender to the Truth beyond illusions—a life of radical freedom and genuine responsibility.
As you engage with the transcript and accompanying video, consider how Adi Da’s words resonate not only with your personal journey but also with the broader human condition. This is not just a message for his devotees; it is a gift for anyone willing to listen, reflect, and respond to the greater call of Reality Itself. – Beezone
Even Under the Best of Circumstances
ADI DA SAMRAJ: Even under the best of circumstances, and this is quite a good one from many other good circumstances as members of this gathering, you’re all in relatively good circumstances by virtue of being able to be mutually supportive and enter into cooperative relations that make life easier and enjoy a culture together. That’s the culture of Truth. But you still have to deal with the Real God Realities, not the mythological God realities, mythological God realities are all myths, cultural myths that are passed on to get people to serve the purposes of the social order or the state or whatever, and compassionate participation and playing your part. Yes, that is necessary, but the reality of the situation you’re in requires the address of your entire life. That’s what your life should be about!
Realizing That serving That One, profoundly with your entire life, that’s what your life should be about. There’s no other choice that’s reasonable. I don’t see anyone could make any other choice. You all, of course, have all your lives made other choices, but to me it’s nonsense. I never spent a moment in such a disposition. This is the place of death and fear. It’s been perfectly obvious to me. And I stepped in here damn well knowing where I was going, and I know why I’m here and what I’m doing. You see.
But I’m certainly not here to fulfill the purposes of utopia and merely conventions of social living or money, food and sex arrangements that simply perpetuate social purposes and social illusions. The illusion that life is somehow to be lived for its own sake. You only go around once in life. So the best revenge is to live well and all that kind of horse crap. Horse crap is California for bullshit, which is New York (laughter).
So it’s not about having a God idea because all the God ideas are ideas and therefore inherently false. It’s not about any ideas, it’s about Reality. It’s about the Revelation of Real God. It’s about living The Way thus Revealed. I have brought this gift to you and it’s up to you what you’re going to do about it. And if you’re just going to be a club member about it, that’s your choice.
The universe does not support your illusions. Do you think that life is about you? You’re supposed to have a good time and live a long time and everything should be okay as long as we get our politics straight and handle a few practical details and find Mr. and Mrs. Wright or whatever it is, all that sort of stuff you see, then everything should be really okay. But sometimes and for a while, some things are sort of okay all the time isn’t in the back of your mind there that this all could come to an end any moment.
Now, everybody’s afraid of terrorists these days and such for good reason. But where were you a few years ago before you heard of terrorists? It was the same universe. And I warned you about all this stuff that’s happening now anyway and you didn’t listen to me.
The universe abides in the Divine Self Condition, but it does not support your illusions and therefore you feel uneasy and for good reason because this is a very threatening place for individuated existence. Individuated existence is absolutely threatened and it is guaranteed you will die. You will be destroyed, guaranteed. There’s no two ways about it and there’s no utopia just to play your part in the social games and be part of the chain of the historical march of Humanity. Toured what? Running out of resources and flying to Mars and keep building more spaceships to fly to other places out into all of that pile of rocks and gas that’s floating around out there, and the billions upon billions of these insane flashes of light that couldn’t give a shit less about your existence. Compassionate service to living others is very important obviously for that reason because of the dangerous nature of existence. And we are all in the same boat here. All these bodies are in the same boat and all threatened. So what’s so damn funny? What’s so interesting, not so funny is it there’s a song like that. It’s not, it really isn’t. And all this utopian participation in the social game and all this salesmanship of bullshitters on TV and all the rest of it, it’s just a load of crap that’s been going on for thousands of years. And if we’re any good, how come everybody’s dead that bought all that bullshit years ago? Why are they all dead? I’m already old enough that virtually everybody who was alive when I was a boy is now dead. It’s hardly anybody other than those who were my contemporaries, young people in my own age and so on, but virtually everybody else is dead.
I remember them all laughing, being enthusiastic about this, that and the other thing. I remember them all suffering all kinds of hellish shit like Hitler and World War II and all the wars to follow it. There’s just as much of that insanity because you’re still in the same situation. That’s the way it is, and that ought to really get to you. See, you’re trying all the ways to immunize yourselves against the feeling that should come over you, by noticing the situation you are really in here. You see, not merely because of what’s going on on the news, but that you are in because you identified with a fleshy body here that is completely without the ability to control its existence. And that’s everybody…