What Does Adi Da Mean by ‘Gifts’?
Nine Great Laws
#7
“Always relate to Me by means of gifts alone – and, therefore, by demonstrations of profoundly right
practice and of fully accomplished service.”
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“Give your own gift, which is self-surrender, self-transcendence..“
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here are many misunderstandings people have when they read the teachings of Adi Da Samraj, make no mistake about that! One of the mistakes I’d like to address in this brief study is his meaning of ‘GIFTS.’
A common misunderstanding people have, believe Avatar Adi Da is referring to things; stuff; objects of value, and especially money. This misunderstanding is understandable on its face value. But the key in truly understanding what Avatar Adi Da means is having a sense of who he is. If one does not have some form of, what Adi Da refers to as ‘Recognition’ then the common understanding will prevail and one will be left with the belief he is referring to himself and his big empty belly – believing Adi Da means something similar to birthday presents.
What I’d like to do in this study is to clear up this confusion by giving the readers some excerpts from various talks Adi Da has made over the years referring to ‘gifts.’ As you read, you will see, although your doubts may still linger, Adi Da does not primarily mean things, money, objects, or things material. He is primarily referring to the ‘Returning of His Gift’ in the form of ‘practice’, ‘service’ and ‘Realization.’
Why is this the case? It is the case because if one has any understanding of Avatar Adi Da Samraj and his Revelation of Person they will be humbled to the point of awe and submission. This is why any discussion of Who Avatar Adi Da Samraj IS requires an understanding of his Teaching and the understanding of oneself. In addition it requires a recognition and an understanding of what he is Giving, as the Giver (Da). And, it also requires the understanding that there is a Law operative. And that Law requires one to ‘Return the Gift‘.
The following italicized passages are from talks and essays by Avatar Adi Da Samraj that are offered to clarify this understanding. In some cases what follows is a commentary by Beezone which may help in ones understanding.
What are the primary gifts? Practice and Service
“To be equipped for the preliminary Listening-practice of “Perfect Knowledge”, My devotee must offer Me the gifts of the right and authentic practice of devotion and “self”-discipline (or right life).”
Beezone: It is important to note that the term ‘equipped’ refers to the understanding of His Gift. If the profundity of ones reception is week, penetration, then the response will be weak. It may be there in some form but the Profundity which is key will be compromised.
“If you accept the Gifts I have Given, My Gifts will make you serious.”
“In Truth, and in Reality, there is no separate “self”. By virtue of the only-by-Me Revealed and Given “root”-practice of “Perfect Knowledge”, what people commonly refer to as “self” is Intrinsically Self-Revealed to be (self-evidently) not the case.“
Beezone: Part and parcel in the Recognition of who the Person of Avatar Adi Da is that there is ONLY One, not two, not you and him. Not this or that, here or there. There is only one, no you, no him. Only, Merely. In that Realization, which is in just a blink of an eye is his His Full Revelation. Once this is ‘seen’ you’ve see (potentialy) the profundity of what he is asking for, surrender and practice. Why would you do this? Because you have seen (The Real) and then conversion needs to occur. That is, The Law has been Revealed.
“Talk” is not “It”. “Talk” is nothing but artifacts of mind. Merely because you can “talk” My Teaching-Word in a “correct” manner does not mean that you are actually practicing the Reality-Way of Adidam. Anyone who “correctly” speaks about the Reality-Way of Adidam may be rightly practicing— but, on the other hand, he or she may (quite possibly) not be practicing at all. Therefore, My devotees must be measured on the basis of the actual signs and results of their practice of the Reality-Way of Adidam—and the fundamental sign and result of right practice of the Reality-Way of Adidam is the offering, to Me, of real gifts (and, thus, the real right results) of practice and service.
Beezone: Just because one has seen and understood Who Avatar Adi Da is doesn’t mean the Path is now ‘downhill’. Quite the opposite. The ‘Ordeal’ of purification and sadhana begins.
“Every day, the apparent conditions of conditional existence are (presently) different (than before), within and outside and beyond the body-mind-complex. Therefore, under the unique circumstances of the day (and in the context of the present-time stage of practice-maturity in the Reality-Way of Adidam), My devotee must learn the art of devotional resort to Me via the artful application of all the Means Given by Me for use in the context of that (then present-time) stage of practice-maturity in the Reality-Way of Adidam.“
Beezone: Just because you have ‘seen’ the Truth doesn’t mean your life ‘goes away’. You still have the pattern – on all levels – in place and ‘in motion’. So, you can make a change of scenery on the gross level but the habits of mind, memory and patterns of the subtle and other dimensions are still in motion. “Changing you costume does not change your mind”.
“If The Heart Finds Me, The Heart Devotionally Recognizes Me (Inherently), and all the body-mind Devotionally Responds To Me (Immediately) . . . Therefore, Your Heart Must Decide—Whether To Raise A Fist, and Throw A Rock, At The ego-Crushing Natural Universe, Or To Make A Flower Grow In The Garden Of Indestructible Light.”
“In order to Receive My Transcendental Spiritual Gifts, you must be Transformed by devotional recognition-response to My human, Spiritual, Transcendental, and (altogether) Divine Presence here.”
“You must grow to Hear Me and See Me—by allowing your whole bodily devotional response to Me (based on your tacit recognition of My Very, and Inherently Perfect, and Self-Radiantly “Bright”, and Self-Evidently Divine State), and (in due course) your tangible Reception of My Divine Avataric Transcendental Spiritual Grace, to Open the “hole” in the psycho-physical “ceiling”, and (Thus and Thereby) to Draw you into the Upwardly to-Me-Opening and Downwardly Me-Receiving “Pose” of “Samraj Asana”.”
“You must give the gift, which is sacrifice of self, before you can use the Prasad. You can feel It, because It is there, but you cannot use It rightly. You are not truly using It rightly unless you give your own gift, which is self-surrender, self-transcendence..“
“The devotional relationship to Me is, by its very nature, a Me-recognizing relationship, in which My devotee responsively and constantly offers Me the whole bodily gifts of right and true practice, always demonstrated by right and effective action and accomplishment.“
“For any gift to Me to be right and true, the gift must be given by one who is living the life of whole bodily devotional recognition-response to Me—constantly Invoking Me, constantly and actively conforming the body-mind-“self” to Me through the practice of right-life obedience to Me, constantly Listening to My “Perfect Knowledge” Teachings, and (altogether) constantly practicing searchless (and, in due course, Transcendental Spiritual) whole-bodily-recognition-responsive devotional Communion with Me through every act of life and service.”
The Seven Gifts of Grace
1. The First Gift of the Way of the Heart: The Gift of the Word
2. The Second Gift of the Way of the Heart: The Gift of the Sign
3. The Third Gift of the Way of the Heart: The Gift of Devotion
4. The Fourth Gift of the Way of the Heart: The Gift of Service
5. The Fifth Gift of the Way of the Heart: The Gift of Discipline
6. The Sixth Gift of the Way of the Heart: The Gift of Blessing
7. The Seventh Gift of the Way of the Heart: The Gift of Blessedness
Further Readings: