The common understanding of Spiritual Masters has now further degenerated even to the point where religious historians reviewing the accounts of Spiritual Masters such as Jesus or Gautama the Buddha provide explanations for why so many were drawn to these Masters in their lifetime along the same lines as followers of contemporary politicians or celebrities: mere human charisma; and it is simply presumed that all the “God” and “spiritual” references are purely mythical — use of the word “mythos” is very hip in such circles these days — and benefit, like myths can, by providing meaning and structure to one’s purely material, mortal life. Ah, the danger of projecting the God-less viewpoint of our own time into the past to revise history!

It is unfortunate that the Nature and Function of the true Spiritual Master has been misunderstood so often throughout history, and stirred up strong reactions even at the political and social level — witness the crucifixion of Jesus and the poisoning of Gautama the Buddha, among many other examples. It may be hoped that, in this age of global intercomunication, and communication that is detailed and precise, rather than made solely of parables that do not satisfy our contemporary measures of credibility, we can actually be rightly informed about and make real and extensive use of such great and rare Spiritual opportunities. And this, despite the counter-force that stems from our fundamentally God-less, anti-authoritarian, “do-it-yourself” culture, and all our negative associations with “bad apple” cult leaders and megolomaniacs wreaking havoc on the planet. In this time, clear communication may outweigh our tendency to throw away (not by crucifixion these days — this is, rather, the era of benign neglect and not so benign lawsuits and news media hatchet jobs) the very Means for our own liberation without even giving It a second thought, presuming there is no God, and there are no Spiritual Masters.

But in fact, what made disciples or devotees was the Force and Revelation of the Divine pouring, non-stop, out of these great, human, Spiritual Transmitters. The Revelation of the Divine is supremely attractive. The heart longs for perfect Happiness, perfect unity with God, perfect restoration to one’s True Self, and so the heart spontaneously responds when the direct means for doing so is before it.

When Jesus said, “Come follow Me”, and the two fishermen, James and John, simply left their boats and nets, and became His disciples on the spot (Matthew 4:3), it is clear that a Force of attraction and Revelation far greater than human charisma is at work. Just so, in the Hindu tradition, the gopis (who were female tenders of cattle) simply left their cattle and followed Krishna when Krishna appeared and played His flute.

To bring this into contemporary experience and language, here is an account from a devotee of Avatar Adi Da Samraj:

I felt Beloved Adi Da’s Spiritual Transmission thick in the room. I simply looked at Him, and saw Him as the center of a field of tangible, visible, Love-Blissful, Conscious, breathable Light. I felt myself go through a kind of “door”. On the “other side”, there was the most extraordinary perception of my Beloved Guru that I had ever experienced. It was primarily a feeling-recognition of Him, a swoon of love in which He was simply Energy and Light and Divine Love-Bliss. He Radiated a visible, even tangible, Light that was so attractive that I felt my entire being captured and attracted by Him. There was no longer the sense of being a separate self — just the profound peace of realizing that there is nothing to seek, nowhere to go, nothing to attain. This was Reality itself, and it was not separate from “me”. I had no sense of my usual persona or contracted self. It was sort of like waiting all your life for a package to arrive, and then when it comes you aren’t there — but you are so happy that you don’t mind at all!

There was another time, sitting in the room with Beloved Adi Da, when it suddenly became obvious that every one and every thing in the room was the same vibratory Light that He Is. I looked down at the notepad that I was writing on, and it was obviously vibratory Light. All the objects and people in the room were clearly this same Energy. This was remarkable, but there was nothing “strange” about the experience. Rather, the feeling of the experience was one of absolute Happiness.

There is no way for me to describe, in these few words, how Happy this heart-Communion with Beloved Adi Da is. Everyone has the urge to know that the Divine Exists, beyond any doubt in body, mind, or heart. Beloved Adi Da has relieved me of any and all doubts about the Divine. The Spiritual relationship to Him, which He Offers to everyone who is moved to become His formal devotee, is the most profound Love I have ever known. It is Love to the degree of Total Bliss.

Michael Shaw, devotee
in Carolyn Lee, Ph.D., The Promised God-Man Is Here