Listen to Adi Da Samraj (Franklin
Jones) talk about the Prologue to The Knee of Listening
(1972)
(01:28)
1972
Prologue to The Knee of Listening – The Heart of Understanding
Death is utterly acceptable to consciousness and life.
There has been endless time of numberless deaths, but neither consciousness nor life has ceased to arise.
The felt quality and cycle to death has not modified the fragility of flowers, even the flowers within the human body.
Therefore, one’s understanding of consciousness and life must be turned to that utter, inclusive quality, that clarity and wisdom, that power and untouchable gracefulness this evidence suggests.
Therefore one’s understanding of consciousness and life must be turned to That Utter, Inclusive Truth, That Clarity and Wisdom, That Power and Untouchable Gracefulness, That One and Only Reality this evidence suggests.
We must cease to live in our superficial and divided way, seeking and demanding only consciousness and life in the present form we grasp, avoiding and resisting what appears to be the end of consciousness and life in death.
One must cease to live in a superficial and divided way, seeking and demanding consciousness and life in the present apparent form, avoiding and resisting what appears to be the end of consciousness and life in death.
The Heart is that understanding, that true consciousness, that true life that is under the extreme conditions of life and death. Therefore, it is said, that One that is is neither born nor come to death, not alive as the limitation of form, not rendered in what appears, and it is the living One, than which there is no other, appearing as all of this, but eternally the same.
There is only the constant knowledge and enjoyment of the Heart, moment to moment, through the instant of all conditions of appearance and disappearance. Of this I am perfectly certain. I am That.
2004
Prologue to The Knee of Listening – The Heart of Understanding
Life of Understanding – Lessons on the Knee of Listening
The Knee Of Listening Tapes/transcribed discourses entitled the Life of Understand took place in Los Angeles in 1973. The following is from an early (and present) devotee, Tom Riley talks about the classes held.
“The classes were held from January – April or so, 1973. I was fortunate to have been part of a small group invited by Beloved up to His Home at 2509 Thames Place, Laurel Canyon, Hollywood, CA atop the Hollywood Hills. (In hindsight and thus appropriately enough, that particular section,where Beloved Resided, atop these Laurel Canyon Hills was formally named Mt.Olympus).
He was not present physically at His Ashram on Melrose Ave. and we implemented, for the first time, some basic life disciplines as per his instructions to us during these every – Wednesday Night Sittings – Silent Satsang, Life Discipline Instruction and The audio taped Knee Of Listening Elaboration/Discourses.
The blessings, instruction and fruits of our formal spiritually – intimate time with Beloved (still Franklin Jones at this time) were communicated and brought into the general community of devotees by those of us in weekly attendence with Beloved in the living room of His Home.
Each and every Wednesday evening for approximately 12 consecutive we would arrive at 7:00 p.m. sharp. Each Wednesday evening with Him consisted of Sitting In Silence with Beloved, for approximately one hour. Beloved would then instruct us on some fundamentals of Right Life Disciplines including diet, hygiene, etc and He discoursed and elaborated (the one and only time He’s ever done this w/The Knee of Listening to my knowledge) on The Knee Of Listening; His Early Life Spiritual Autobiography. The handful of us would arrive at 7:00 p.m. and leave His Residence generally somewhere between midnight and 2:00 a.m. All of this took place between January of 1973 and into April or so of same year prior to His Pilgrimmage to India in August 1973,returning to The Melrose Ashram as Bubba Free John in September 1973.”
Interview with Tom Riley (who was present for these lessons) – Life of Understanding – Lessons on the Knee of Listening