Quote Challenge – Day3: Tribute to Adi Da

Save the best for last! Oh, of course, you know I would do just that. Why not, coconut? We want to really taste in our mouth all the pleasure we could get from that one last bite and so, we always save the best part of anything for last. That makes me wonder if it was Eve or Adam who took the last bite. Damn ancestors! Now, we are all suffering from their “original sin”. I mean, you know, they could have, at least, have had the goddamn maturity and common sense to consider the consequences of their action before taking that bite. Hey, there were oranges and pears and papaya in that paradise too…why do they have to mess with the apples?!?

Ooopppsssss…no, Adam and Eve are not my topic. Pardon, I am an old pixie and having trouble with the onset of dementia.

What I meant to say is that this is my Day 3 in Quote Challenge writing activity where my friend Carol Taylor honored me with nomination and a flowering compliment that I almost believe it to be true. Lol! Kidding aside, if you are curious to know what she did on her Day 3, you will have to head straight to https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/2017/11/03/quotes-challenge-day-3-oh-dear/. She would give you a treat to an Audrey Hepburn quote plus the humorous story of Mojito and Improv. Those two, from what I read, are not a good combination. Unlucky (or lucky?) for her family, they were not there to witness, first-hand, her one night shot at comedy fame. I am quite certain, she was hilarious there. But, if you are looking for a calmer entertainment, head on instead to her self-hosted site in https://myhealthyretirement.com/. They serve Coconut Ice Cream and Matcha Green Tea with flourish. Try it.

I made Carol a promise that I will pretend to be an angel for this Challenge. To stay true to that, I want to use Day 3 as tribute to ADI DA SAMRAJ, The World Teacher. For the last ten months, I have been studying His Teachings – mainly for the purpose of tampering with my karma for God knows, it badly needs tampering to straighten out my soul.

Favorite Quote Number 1 – “There are many ways to commit suicide. Killing the body is one. Killing the heart, killing the mind, killing the energy of your existence, killing your responsibility to life, killing your surrender to the Divine.”

For the most part, we were conditioned to believe that there is a Supreme God, the all-powerful one who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Universes. Therefore, when something good happens, the grateful ones would say thanks to God. When something bad happens, we question God. All because we think that God is Santa-Claus-like – He keeps record of the naughty and nice. Superficially, this kind of thinking will make us toe the line. On the other hand, it also enforces in us to think that we are not responsible for our life and that everything else is determined by destiny.

This life is meant for us to grow. It is a test. No test is easy. Therefore, even if there is a sort of destined set of circumstances designed for us to achieve perfection, it still lies in our hands how we will manage to accomplish this goal – how well are we going to play at each level of challenge. We are responsible for our choices and hence, we are responsible for our lives. That is free will – the choice to choose the steps we want to take. Nonetheless, the rules remain the same. And we will play by those set of rules, like it or not. By not acknowledging this fact, we are denying or refusing our responsibility – and killing our chance to realize the Truth or Reality of existence.

ADI DA further said: “One cannot escape by suicide—or by death in any form. You are one with this ‘great design’ here, and you cannot escape it. You must come to the point where you can embrace the Source of this ‘great design’ and give yourself up. You know nothing about it. You are not in charge of it. You are one with the entire circumstance. Not just the physical aspect, but all aspects of it. Not only the gross, but the subtle, the causal, the Ultimate—all aspects of it.”

As such, we only play the best we can by finding the path of Real God, staying there and then surrendering everything to the Divine.

Favorite Quote Number 2 – “Death is the ultimate FACT of LIFE, NOT merely the END of it. This world is just a bardo – a PLACE of TRANSITION. There is whatever there was before, there is whatever there is after and there is Whatever There Is Ultimately.”

Death is not the gate to heaven…it is not our entrance to paradise. Death, according to ADI DA, is just a matter of rest for our elemental parts. A kind of spa to pamper and nourish it back to health. And, for as long as we do not see the Truth…for as long as we do not realize that we need to transcend the ego a.k.a. forget the “self”, then we will always become the willing participants of samsara (endless cycle of rebirths).

How certain I am that He is not pulling my leg? Friends often said that my faith is leaning more on Eastern philosophy. Admittedly, it is true. The thought of me thrown in a real fiery hell does not suit the idea that LOVE is GOD and that GOD is LOVE.

Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher, illustrated it beautifully:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then He is not omnipotent.

Is He able, but not willing? Then He is malevolent.

Is He both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?

Is He neither able nor willing? Then why call Him God?

We live in GOD and GOD lives us…GOD is neither good nor bad; neither perfect nor imperfect. We are no sinners; we are no slaves. We do not need redemption but only God’s Grace and our willingness to surrender and self-forget.

Favorite Quote Number 3 – THE TOTAL PRINCIPLE OF ALL FORMS OF DEVOTION. “Surrender everything to God and receive everything as a GIFT from GOD while GOD still REMAINS the OWNER of it. God enlivens it and owns it. Receive it therefore as a BLESSING but NOT for YOURSELF. Receive the blessing as a WAY of REMEMBERING GOD. Thus, EVERYTHING you OWN and USE and ENJOY in your life, including your POSSESSIONS and your RELATIONSHIPS should be enjoyed as DIVINE GIFTS.”

When I say, be love but attach yourself to no one and no thing, friends would ask: “Then, how can you call that love if you are not attached to the person or thing?” Attaching is possessing. Loving is simply that. Giving without taking. Need I say more? Quote number 3 is self-explanatory…kindly make use those little gray cells in your head, it need exercise to stay alive. Hahaha! I’m kidding and just being pesky. Pardon.

Traditionally, I am supposed to nominate three other favorite writers/bloggers to pick up the challenge. I have done so during my Day 1 and Day 2 participation. Nonetheless, on my last day, I chose to leave it open to whoever would like to pick up the challenge and carry on the torch.

It has been fun and thank you for the ride to the two lovely ladies and awesome combo Carol Taylor and Sally Cronin of https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/.

I never, in my wildest dream, thought that I would feel at home in blogging. While I may seem very bubbly and fun (which I am when I am comfortable with the “hoomans” I talk with), I am, in reality, Kermit The Hermit Frog (the ambivert version). When I am not travelling, my face is buried either in the laptop – writing or doing my business paperworks – or in a book (or e-book, lol). But, I found out, that Blogosphere, while a virtual world, is filled of lovely people.

God bless everyone! I will be taking a short holiday and will get back to you with more talks about my favorite taboo subject – DEATH. Until then, Ciao!