In a recent essay (in Aham Da Asmi pp 205ff, quoted below), Adi Da speaks of his "Christian visions", based on his "cosmic mandala" experience. The "cosmic mandala" is a series of concentric circles, of different colors (red, yellow, white, black, blue) with a white 5-pointed star at the center. (Many of the recent Adidam books contain a tipped-in color-print of this "cosmic mandala".)

The seeing of lights and colors -- such as Muktananda's "blue pearl" -- is familiar to yoga practitioners and meditators the world-over. Some have suggested such experiences -- like the inner sounds of Shabda Yoga, are entirely a neurological phenomenon -- an "inner vision" of the human nervous system which ancient yogis used as a focus of concentration. Whether such experiences have anything to do with spiritual awareness is thus open to question -- and in fact early-on Franklin Jones used to make great fun of all such "visions".

In this new essay, Frank suggests that primitive Christianity was based on associating the inner sensation of the colors of the "cosmic mandala" with Christ, the Holy Spirit, "the Womb of the Virgin", and God the Father. (See his description below.)

He then concludes, that since, he, Franklin Jones, has transcended such "fourth-to-fifth stage" preoccupations, his realization transcends the "ego-based" visionary spirituality of every kind -- Hinduism and Christianity included.

Frank's logic in recent years has gotten increasingly sequestered in its hall of mirrors. The very profound teachings of the past are willfully ignored -- or misinterpreted and consigned to the role of straw men in Frank's mentalized self-apotheosis. In my view, the following essay is a prime example.

Aside from the purposeful distortions he imposes on the Christian scriptures, one has to ask how Frank got the idea that meditating on colored circles and lights is a "vision" at all -- or that Christ's "esoteric" teaching had anything to do with such phenomena? There is nothing in the Christian gospels -- and I find nothing in the non-canonical esoteric Christian teachings of the time -- that mentions such "visions". (Nor does Frank cite any ancient texts to support his thesis. It's all a new revelation, you see, of the First Last and Only 7th stage Adept Realizer.)

It's as if part of Frank's brain has shut down -- he can no longer intuit the spiritual depths in The Gospel of John or admit that the Christ-symbol is an expression of Heart-Realization. And the Holy Spirit, for him, has become "a golden yellow light...that pervades the Cosmic Domain." Of course, he, F. Jones, has come to reveal that such "ego-based mysticism" is not it!

Thankyou so much, Franklin Jones. I don't know what we would have done without you.

regards,
Elias

from Aham Da Asmi pp 205ff--

ADI DA SAMRAJ: My own experiences of fifth stage mystical perception are (like those of Baba Muktananda, and those of all visionary mystics) clear Evidence of the inherently (and necessarily) conditional, mental, altogether brain-based (and both brain-limited and mind-limited), and both personal and collective egoic nature of all internal mystical (or fourth-to-fifth stage) absorption.

I, too (like Baba Muktananda), experienced Hindu visions -- but I, otherwise, also experienced many Christian visions (and also many non-Hindu and non-Christian visions), in association with the fifth stage developments of the same (or one and only) spiritual (or Siddha-Yoga) Process of inner perception (including the progressive display of abstract inner lights, and so on) described by Baba Muktananda. Thus, just as Baba Muktananda described His Hindu visions as a Spiritual Revelation of the "Truth" of Hindu esotericism (and even of Hindu exotericism) -- I could just as well describe My (specifically) Christian visions as a Spiritual Revelation of the "Truth" of Christian esotericism (and even of Christian exotericism)!

Indeed, My (specifically) Christian visions (but not, of course, My specifically Hindu visions -- or My, otherwise, specifically non-Hindu and non-Christian visions) do amount to a Spiritual Revelation of the actual (and mostly esoteric) content of original (or primitive-and truly Spiritual) Christianity.

Specifically, My (sometimes) Christian visions Spiritually Reveal the following.

The original tradition (or foundation sect) that is at the root of exoteric Christianity was a fourth-to-fifth stage esoteric Spiritual (and mystical) tradition (or sect). Within that original tradition (or sect), John (the Baptist) was the Spiritual Master (or Spirit-Baptizer -- or True Siddha-Guru) of Jesus of Nazareth.

Thus (and by Means of the Spiritual Baptism Given to Him by John the Baptist), Jesus of Nazareth experienced the fourth-to-fifth stage absorptive mystical (and, altogether, Spiritual) developments of what (in the Hindu context) is called Siddha Yoga (or Shaktipat Yoga).

In due course (and even rather quickly), Jesus of Nazareth, Himself, became a Spirit-Baptizer (or a True Siddha-Guru) -- and (within the inner, or esoteric, circle of His Spiritually Initiated devotees) Jesus of Nazareth Taught the fourth-to-fifth stage Way of Spiritual Devotion to the Spiritual Master (or to Himself, as a True Siddha-Guru), and of inner Spiritual Communion with the Divine, and of (eventual) Spiritual Ascent to the Divine Domain (via the Brilliant White Five-Pointed Star).

After the death (and presumed Spiritual Ascent) of Jesus of Nazareth, His esoteric circle of Spiritually Initiated devotees continued to develop the mystical tradition of the sect -- but (because of the difficult "signs of the times") the original (esoteric) sect had to become more and more secretive, and, eventually, it disappeared from the view of history (under the pressure of the exoteric, or non-Initiate, or conventionally socially oriented, rather than Spiritually and mystically oriented, sects that also developed around the public Work, and, especially, the otherwise developing legends and myths, of Jesus of Nazareth).

The esoteric sect of the Spiritual Initiates of Jesus of Nazareth was associated with practices of Spiritually Invocatory prayer (of fourth stage Divine Communion, and of fifth stage absorptive mystical Ascent), especially seeking Divine absorption via the internally perceptible Brilliant White Five-Pointed Star -- Which was interpreted, especially after the death of Jesus of Nazareth (and, apparently, in accordance with Instructions communicated by Jesus of Nazareth, Himself, to His Spiritually Initiated devotees, during His own physical lifetime), to be the True Ascended Divine Body of Jesus of Nazareth (or the Spiritually Awakened, and presumed to be Divinely Ascended, "Christ").

And, over time, the Spiritual practitioners within the esoteric "Christ" sect developed the full range of characteristically Christian interpretations of the (otherwise) universally experienced phenomena of inner perception.

My own (sometimes) Christian visions are a spontaneous Revelation of esoteric Christian interpretations (and esoteric Christian modes of experiencing) of, otherwise, universal (and, therefore, inherently non-sectarian) inner phenomena -- and My (specifically) Christian visions and interpretations are a spontaneous direct continuation of the esoteric Christian manner of interpreting such (inherently universal) inner phenomena, as it was done in the original (or primitive) epoch of the sect of Jesus of Nazareth.

Thus, speaking in the esoteric terms of the ancient (or earliest) Christian interpreters of subtle inner experience, the red light of Spiritual inner vision can be said to be associated with the gross body of Man (and the Incarnation-body of Jesus of Nazareth, and the "blood of Christ"). Likewise, the golden yellow light can be said to be associated with the "Holy Spirit" (or the Universal Spirit-Energy, or Divine Spirit-Breath, That Pervades the cosmic domain). And the soft-white light can be said to be associated with the mind of Man (which, in its purity , can be said to be a reflection of, or a pattern "in the image of", God -- conceived to be the "Creator", or the Divine Source-Condition, Above the body-mind and the world).

And the black light can be said to be associated with the "crucifixion" (or sacrifice) of the body-mind of Man (and of Jesus of Nazareth, as the Epitome of man) -- and, also, with the mystical "dark night of the soul" (or the mystic's difficult trial of passing beyond all sensory and mental contents and consolations).

And the blue light can be said to be the "Womb of the Virgin Mary" (or the All-and-all-Birthing Light of the "Mother of god").

And the Brilliant White Five-Pointed Star (Surrounded, as it were, by the "Womb", or the Blue Light, of the "Virgin Mary") can be said to be the Ascended (or Spiritual) "Body of Christ" (and the "Star of Bethlehem", and the "Morning Star" of the esoteric Initiation-Ritual associated with the original, Secret Spiritual tradition of Jesus of Nazareth).

And the Brilliant White Five-Pointed Star (interpreted to be the Ascended, or Spiritual, "Body of Christ") can (thus) be said to be One with both the Divine "Mother" (or the Blue "Womb" of All-and-all-Birthing Light) and the Divine "Father" (or the Self-Existing Being, Beyond all Light -- Infinitely Behind, and Infinitely Above, and Infinitely Beyond, and Eternally Non-Separate from the "Star-Body of Christ").

And (As Such) the "Christ" (or the Brilliant White Five-Pointed Star) Is Radiantly Pervading the entire cosmic domain, via an All-and-all-Illuminating Combination of both the Blue "Womb"-Light and the Golden Yellow "Breath"-Light of the One and Only Divine Person.

Thus, My (sometimes) Christian inner visions could, indeed, be said to be an esoteric (and now, only-by-Me Revealed and Given) Christian Revelation -- except that all visionary, and brain-based, and mind-based, and sense-based, and ego-based, and conditional and sectarian (or merely tradition-bound) things were entirely Gone Beyond (and Most Perfectly transcended) by Me (and in Me), in the sixth and seventh stage Course of My Avataric Ordeal of True (and Most Perfect) Divine Self-Realization!