Wanting to Have a "World"

(continued)

Avatar Adi Da explains that the reason we refuse to acknowledge our Real Condition is that there is no "world" in it. The Domain of Consciousness Stands Prior to all cosmic worlds (both this apparently physical world and all other realms of potential experience).

But we cannot conceive of "not having a world" at all.

AVATAR ADI DA SAMRAJ: There is a fundamental fear of being without a world. You are constantly servicing the impulse to always have a world and also to have that world be basically comfortable.

That impulse underlies all forms of "cosmic religion" — or the religion of preserving beings in the cosmic domain, of granting everybody a world and making the world more and more congenial by at least getting rid of darker influences.

The "Perfect Practice" of the Way of Adidam, however, is not about "having a world". It is about entering into the Domain That Is Prior to the cosmic domain.

People generally do not have the disposition for such a practice. As long as there is identification with the body-mind, you do not want there to be no world. In fact, you insist that there be a world — and that it be congenial to you. Therefore, you will not relinquish your world.

In other words, you will not accept the Position you are actually in, the Position That Transcends the conditional (or cosmic) domain, until your craven attachment to the body-mind (and, therefore, to having a world that is congenial) relaxes profoundly, such that you know the world for what it is and (thereby) realize a native detachment.

Then the "Perfect Practice" can begin.

— May 19 and May 7, 1995

"You Can't Get There from Here" —

Avatar Adi Da's Last Great Teaching Demonstration

Avatar Adi Da has Given preliminary practices to prepare His devotees for the depth of self-relinquishment necessary to make this ultimate transition to the "Perfect Practice".

While there are essential disciplines that bring equanimity to the body-mind and establish an openness to His Spiritual Transmission, the fundamental discipline is always that of devotional surrender to Him, of turning all the faculties of the body-mind to Him. This constant heart-felt practice of turning to Him makes it possible for Him to Work Spiritually to loosen the ego-grip — the fearful insistence on "having a world".

Throughout the years when He was actively creating the Way of Adidam, Avatar Adi Da took His devotees through a series of extended "Teaching Demonstrations", to help them examine and transcend the various "worlds" that were fascinating and ego-binding to them.

Each of these Demonstrations illuminated some fundamental dimension of their seeking, and made a lesson about right practice of the Way of Adidam.

All the while, He was emphasizing the same point: Understand that this is just another world of experience. It is not the ultimate Truth. There is no experience, literally none, that amounts to Truth, or the direct Realization of Reality, or Consciousness Itself.

Next: "You Can't Get There From Here" - continued