The Great Reality-Teaching
Transmitted in Living Relationship

The traditional teachings in this book were transmitted orally, even for many years, before anything was written down.

Likewise, there is, in general, little reliable historical information about the Realizers whose teachings gave rise to these texts, and the original circumstances in which the teachings were transmitted have faded into the mists of time.

The Upanishadic tradition (going back thousands of years in India) is one of coming to a Realizer in the forest, or some secluded place, where he or she might consent to impart a teaching, which is duly remembered and passed on.

At the same time, as Avatar Adi Da points out in this book, the forest hermitage was not the only place of instruction. There was also an ancient tradition of dharmic debate between teachers of different schools — often taking place in the presence of a ruler and his court.

Whatever the life context of these great teachings, we today confront them primarily as literary artifacts. Their origins are inaccessible.

While the words of the Masters continue in some form, the Masters themselves, and their living play of instruction, have disappeared. And from the divorce between the teacher and the teaching — which inevitably tends to occur over time — have sprung endless revisions, dilutions, and distortions of the wisdom of all Realizers.

The story of the Sage Ribhu and his devotee Nidagha, which is told in this book, is a parable for the truth that there is no direct Realization of Reality apart from the relationship to the Master and the Master's Spiritual help and skillful means.

Such is the immense Grace of the living presence, in our time, of the Avataric Great Sage, Adi Da Samraj. His own Reality Teachings have been given by Him word for word, and have arisen in a contemporary "Upanishadic" circumstance — the situation of devotees gathered at His Feet in one of His Hermitage Ashrams.

And, because of modern techniques of recording and archiving, His direct Instruction, in audio, video, and written forms, will always remain available exactly as He gave it. Moments of His Instruction have occurred countless times in different ways with different individual devotees.

Next: The Necessity to Prepare
for the Ultimate Practice