Retreats at the Divine Master’s
Principal Blessing-Seat

By October 1988—five years after His first Footstep on Naitauba, and two and a half years after the Initiation of His Divine Avataric Self-“Emergence”—Avatar Adi Da had already accomplished much in His Work to Acquire Naitauba as Spiritually His own. Thus, He was moved to make a broad invitation to His devotees around the world to receive the great Grace of coming to His Hermitage-Island for periods of retreat. Until now, only a small number of devotees were living on Adi Da Samrajashram, and retreats on the Island had been open only to a few who were performing essential services for the culture of Adidam. But now Avatar Adi Da was initiating the process by which, over time, “literally millions of people” would come to Adi Da Samrajashram to receive His Blessing—as He had prophesied in His prophetic Talk “Mark My Words” at New Year’s 1984.

The core of the retreat process was Darshan—occasions of devotionally Sighting Avatar Adi Da Samraj, without the addition of any technical form of practice. Formal Darshan occasions most often occurred in the Giving Coat—the transformed structure that had originally been Raymond Burr’s orchid house. Avatar Adi Da would enter the hall and take His seat—sitting silently and characteristically manifesting His Divine State of Love-Bliss via exquisite mudras of His face, eyes, and hands. At the end of many Darshan occasions, Avatar Adi Da would personally give the Prasad of a small edible sweet to each devotee, one by one. Then He would often stand, in His Divine Power and Sweetness, Granting a final vision of His Form before leaving the hall.

In Granting such sublime occasions of His Darshan, again and again to each new group of retreatants, Avatar Adi Da was not only Blessing those who were seated before Him—He was also Empowering the halls and temples of Adi Da Samrajashram to be Agents of His Blessing for all time, both during and after His Incarnation-Lifetime.