Adi Da - Knowledge

724:—the "I" with whom each individual identifies—is not an entity, or even an idea or a concept; it is a "chronic and total psycho-physical Activity of self-contraction", locatable in feeling as a subtle but constant anxiety or stress, and recognizable in all manifestations of reactive emotion. It is a mistaken identification with the limitations of the body-mind mechanism, necessarily implying differentiation of 'self' from 'other' beings or 'selves'. Self-contraction is an unnecessary and unnatural limit placed on Energy, or the Inherent Radiance of Transcendental Being, which is always already perfectly free. The act creates a consciousness apparently cut off from its primordial unity, producing the self-obsession and incessant seeking symbolised in the myth of Narcissus. An individual biography is generated from the movement of "desire" – the constant effort to "create a connection, a flow of force, between the contracted identity and everything from which it has differentiated itself." Efforts to reunite with the divine from the position of the separate self are necessarily futile because this self itself is a fundamental illusion. The already present divine, according to Adi Da, can only be realized through releasing the contraction and transcending the illusion of separate self altogether. Such transcendence, he maintained, is made possible through 580:. The text recounts a four-to-five-month "teaching demonstration" by Adi Da, in which he initiated and freely participated in a cycle of activities of a "celebratory" wild and ecstatic nature – an overturning of previous restrictions and conventional behaviours that was often accompanied by spontaneous displays of "spiritual power". Many of his devotees spoke of experiencing visionary states of consciousness, kundalini phenomena, blissful states and so forth. However, Adi Da constantly reiterated that such experiences were only manifestations of the Goddess and her phenomenal world: they were not spiritually auspicious and had no bearing on the realization of Consciousness itself. The book's central message, that true spiritual life has nothing to do with extraordinary experiences (hence the "garbage" reference in the title), did not stop people from showing up, looking for both such experiences and the extravagant parties and activities portrayed in the book. This was not the message Adi Da wanted to send. Despite the book's commercial success, the community ultimately chose to withdraw it from the market. 588:

marriage, as being a form of reinforcement of the ego-personality and an obstacle to spiritual life. Many couples were initially encouraged to switch partners and experiment sexually. Drug and alcohol use were sometimes encouraged, and earlier proscriptions against meat and "junk food" were no longer adhered to for periods of time. Adi Da said that the emotional-sexual consideration was part of a radical overturning of conventional moral values and social contracts, obliging devotees to confront their habitual patterns and emotional attachments. According to his teaching, little of spiritual value can be accomplished until the "emotional-sexual nature of the human being" is understood, incorporated into spiritual practice, and transcended. Human sexuality, he said, always deeply encodes social practices, identity formation, and the most secret and important truths about individuals. He said that his present work in this area could not have been as effective without the earlier cultural and philosophical groundwork laid by

435:, leaving after a little more than a year of involvement. Adi Da returned to India for a month-long visit in early 1969, during which he received a handwritten (and formally translated) letter from Swami Muktananda, granting him the spiritual names Dhyanananda and Love-Ananda, and authorizing him to initiate others into Siddha Yoga. In May 1970, Adi Da, Nina, and a friend named Pat Morley traveled to India for what they believed would be an indefinite period living at Swami Muktananda's ashram. However, Adi Da was disappointed by his experience there, especially by the institutionalization of the ashram and the large numbers of westerners who had arrived since his previous visit. Three weeks after arriving, he visited the burial place of Bhagavan Nityananda and, by his account, received an immense transmission of the Shakti-Force. According to his autobiography, he began—to his great surprise—to see visions of the Virgin Mary (which he interpreted as a personification of the divine feminine power, or 1158:

journalistic reports from a single month in 1985 are especially salacious, and any full treatment of the erotic within Adidam would need to spend dozens of careful pages analyzing both the accuracy of the reports and the community's interpretation and understanding of the same events, the latter framed largely in the logic of "crazy wisdom", that is, the notion that the enlightened master can employ antinomian shock tactics that appear to be immoral or abusive in order to push his disciples into new forms of awareness and freedom. Perhaps what is most remarkable about the case of Adidam is the simple fact that the community has never denied the most basic substance of the charges, that is, that sexual experimentation was indeed used in the ashrams and that some people experienced these as abusive, particularly in the Garbage and the Goddess Period, even if it has also differed consistently and strongly on their proper interpretation and meaning.

2046:"By the spring of 1965 I had begun to use marijuana frequently. I found it relaxing and particularly necessary under the pressure of work and effort that Rudi required. But the drug began to have a peculiarly negative effect… I would realize a profound anxiety and fear… I took other drugs with my old friends. We took Romilar again, but now its effects seemed minor… I took a drug called DMT which had a remarkable and miraculous effect… Such remarkable states of awareness combined with my rising sense of anxiety, fear and reluctance in relation to drugs, so that finally, in the early summer of 1965, I determined somehow to stop their use". 1146:(among other things); the suit sought $ 5 million in damages. Adidam threatened to file its own lawsuit against O'Mahoney, as well as five others who had been named in stories and interviews making allegations of abuse (no suit was ever filed). Adidam charged that allegations against the church were part of an extortion plot. The O'Mahoney suit was dismissed by the court the next year. The other lawsuit and two threatened suits in the mid-1980s were settled with payments and confidentiality agreements, negatively impacting member morale. Since the mid-1980s, no lawsuits have been filed against Adi Da or any Adidam organizations. 668:, in the presence of a number of devotees, he again experienced a process of disassociation from the physical resembling death. In this event, he said, he became fully established as the "Bright" Itself, in a living demonstration of what he calls "Divine Translation". Only the knowledge that his work in human form had not yet been completed, he said, maintained his connection to the world and drew him back into embodiment. Adidam later acquired the property on Lopez Island where this had taken place, renaming it "Ruchira Dham Hermitage": the event itself, which Adi Da discusses in detail in part 19 of 633:

although his breathing was almost imperceptible. They eventually succeeded in resuscitating him. He later described the episode as a "literal death experience" with a special significance for his teaching work. His reassociation with the body was accompanied, he said, by a profound impulse of love and compassion for suffering beings. This impulse initiated a complete descent of the "Bright" into his human body, so that the divine became incarnated in human form in an unprecedented manner. The event became known in the Communion as his "Divine Emergence".

391:. It was the first of a number of such episodes, each followed by what he described as profound awakenings or insights. He described the episodes as a kind of "death" or release from identity with the presumed separate persona, after which there was only "an Infinite Bliss of Being, an untouched, unborn Sublimity—without separation, without individuation. There was only Reality Itself … the unqualified living condition of the totality of conditionally manifested existence". A comparable pre-awakening process had been described by the renowned Indian sage 200:. He taught that the 'ego'—the presumption of a separate self—is an illusion, and that all efforts to "attain" enlightenment or unity with the divine from that point-of-view are necessarily futile. Reality or Truth, he said, is "always already the case": it cannot be found through any form of seeking, it can only be "realized" through transcendence of the illusions of separate self in the devotional relationship to the already-realized being. Distinguishing his teaching from other religious traditions, Adi Da declared that he was a uniquely historic 2601:

it. Otherwise marriage is another cultic form, a sex contract, in which you become medievally involved with personality forms, making yourself strategically unavailable to the rest of life, and again mutually create the sensation of separate existence, including "poor me" or "fantastic me"… The cult of marriage is a principal obstacle in the affair of the spiritual Community…" Bubba then broke up couples and marriages and began what was called the "sexual theater", that of switching partners, instituting orgies and making pornographic movies.

810: 520:, but also expressed original insights and opinions about both spirituality and secular culture. As the gathering grew, he introduced disciplines related to money, food, sex, and community living. He was one of the first westerners to become well known as a teacher of meditation and eastern esoteric traditions at a time when these were of growing interest. Some early participants stated that Adi Da demonstrated an ability to produce alterations in their consciousness, likening the effect to 2059:(1972), chapter 4 "I voluntarily submitted to drug trials at the V.A. hospital in Fountain View, California… At the V.A. hospital I was given a dose of drugs one day per week. I was told that I would be given mescalin, LSD, or psilocybin at three separate sessions, and, during a fourth session, some combination of these… There were also various bizarre experiences and periods of anxiety… I suffered anxiety attacks and occasional nervousness for perhaps a year beyond the actual tests". 745:

physical body. The subtle dimension, which is senior to and which pervades the gross dimension, consists of the etheric (or personal life-energy), and includes the lower mental functions (conscious mind, subconscious mind, and unconscious mind) and higher mental functions (discriminative mind and will). The causal dimension is senior to both the subtle and the gross dimensions. It is the root of attention, or the essence of identity with the separate self or ego-"I".

537: 33: 267:, that he "was born in a state of perfect freedom and awareness of ultimate reality", which he called the "Bright", and that he "sacrificed that reality at the age of two, so that he could completely identify with the limitations and mortality of suffering humanity" in order to discover ways to help others "awaken to the unlimited and deathless happiness of the Heart". A sister, Joanne, was born when he was eight years old. He served as an 821: 878:

spiritual transmission capable of awakening others to seventh stage divine realization. Adi Da's followers often refer to him simply as "Beloved". While devotion to Adi Da and the study of his teachings are the primary features of Adidam, other specified practices are also prescribed, including the study of other religious texts, physical exercises, regulation of sexuality, and a raw vegan diet. In his book

304:, the adored child of the gods, who was condemned to the contemplation of his own image and suffered the fate of eternal separateness. He concluded that the "death of Narcissus" was required to fulfill what he felt was the guiding purpose of his life, which was to awaken to the "Spiritually 'Bright' Condition of Consciousness Itself" that was prior to Narcissus, and communicate this awakening to others. 450: 242: 609: 1135:-style encounters" of the kind described in allegations were still occurring, but were mostly confined to an inner circle. This confirmed the stories by former members that such activities had continued up to the time of the lawsuits and interviews in 1985. The church said that no illegal acts had taken place and that the movement had a right to continue experiments in lifestyles. 672:, is referred to as "The Ruchira Dham Event". He wrote that it marked the definitive end of his "active" teaching work: from now on he would simply transmit his state, requiring devotees to become responsible for their reception of that. He nonetheless continued to write books, make art, and give discourses, but with an increased emphasis on what he called "silent 562: 300:

recorded. In this exercise, he felt that he discovered a structure or "myth" that governed all human conscious awareness, a "schism in Reality" that was the "logic (or process) of separation itself, of enclosure and immunity, the source of all presumed self-identity". He understood this to be the same logic hidden in the ancient Greek myth of

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decade, Adi Da changed his name several times, saying it reflected differences or changes in the nature of his message and relationship to followers. Subsequent names included Da Love-Ananda, Dau Loloma, Da Kalki, Hridaya-Samartha Sat-Guru Da, Santosha Da, Da Avadhoota, Da Avabhasa, and from 1994, Adi Da Love-Ananda Samraj, or Adi Da.

882:, Adi Da described the mysterious appearance of the Avatar from his childhood in this way: "Something in the super-physics of the universe makes it possible for the divine conscious light to avatarically incarnate as an apparent human individual, for the purpose of bringing others into the sphere of divinely enlightened existence". 505:

giving discourses, soon attracting a small following due in part to his charismatic speaking style. He taught in a traditional Indian style, speaking from a raised dais surrounded by flowers and oriental carpets, with listeners seated on the floor. He incorporated many elements of the guru-devotee relationship associated with the

917: 573:", comparing it to a tradition of yogic adepts who employed seemingly un-spiritual methods to awaken disciples. Some followers reported having profound metaphysical experiences in Adi Da's presence, attributing these phenomena to his spiritual power. Others present remained skeptical, witnessing nothing supernatural. 3083:… in later editions, Jones' childhood is presented as utterly exceptional… It is clear that Jones' autobiography might best be understood as a kind of auto-hagiography, since its purpose is to preserve for posterity a sanitized, mythologized, and highly selective account of Jones' life and spiritual adventures". 1210:

wrote that "f there is a man today who is God-illumined, that man is Avatar Adi Da Samraj. There exists nowhere in the world, among Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or any other groups, anyone who has so much to teach. Avatar Adi Da is a force to be reckoned with, a Pole around which the

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assessed the charges against Adi Da in the broader context of sexually active gurus, teachers, and Eastern tantric traditions altogether. He noted that although many sects experienced scandals due to sexual escapades collapsing "false fronts of celibacy", which contrasted with Adidam's open period of

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had ever been born fully invested with the capability to fully embody it; furthermore, as the first "Seventh Stage Adept" only he would ever need to (or be capable of) doing so. He stated that the seventh stage has nothing to do with development and does not come after the sixth stage in a sequential

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In the late 1990s Adi Da often spoke of dark forces that were becoming increasingly powerful in the world, telling devotees of his constant engagement with these forces and his unarmoured receptivity to the pain and misery of the countless people suffering. These processes, he said, had a devastating

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After this event, Adi Da expressed an impulse to enable people everywhere to meditate on his image or body in order to "participate in his enlightened state". He began a period of intensive fasting, before leaving Fiji for California. At The Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary he sat silently with over a

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In 1979, Adi Da changed his name from "Bubba Free John" to "Da Free John" ("Da" being a Sanskrit syllable meaning "the One Who Gives"), signifying to his devotees the divine nature of his revelation as guru. He also established a second ashram in Hawaii, now called Da Love-Ananda Mahal. Over the next

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In 1972, Adi Da opened Ashram Books (later Dawn Horse Books), a spiritual center and bookshop in Los Angeles. He began with a "simple and traditional" teaching method, sitting formally with a small group in the meditation hall and simply transmitting his state of "perfect Happiness" to them. He began

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Gurdjieff Journal: "In particular, Bubba attacked the "cult of pairs" and notions of marriage in particular, which he said only serves the seeking and separateness which at root are the denial of the Divinity of the simple here and now… Bubba first told them: "The instant you marry, you must discard

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Adi Da stated that since he solely embodied seventh stage realization, the practice of devotional recognition-response to him, in conjunction with fundamental self-understanding, would henceforth be the exclusive means for others to most perfectly transcend "self-contraction", thereby allowing them

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Even before Adi Da opened the ashram bookstore in Los Angeles in 1972, he stated that people need holy places where Spiritual Force is alive. In 1983, having established such "empowered" places in Northern California and Hawaii, Adi Da moved with a group of about 40 followers to the Fijian island of

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In 1973, Adi Da traveled to India to meet a final time with Swami Muktananda. They disagreed on a series of questions which Adi Da had prepared, creating a rupture in their relationship. They later criticized each other's approach to spiritual matters. Adi Da nevertheless stated that he continued to

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When Swami Muktananda stopped in California on a worldwide tour in October 1970, Adi Da visited him and related his experience the previous month of "The Bright". He felt that the swami did not understand or properly acknowledge the full importance of his realization of "Consciousness Itself", prior

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Feeling that Adi Da needed better grounding, Rudi insisted that he marry Nina, find steady employment, improve his physical health, end his drug use, and begin preparatory studies to enter the seminary. As a student at Philadelphia's Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1967, Adi Da described undergoing

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pp. 166 – 167 "In a talk given at the end of February 1986, he explained that on that eventful morning he had spoken to his close devotees of his grief, sorrow and frustration at the seeming futility of his teaching work. He had told them that he could no longer endure their rejection and abuse and

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Later, Wilber alternated between praise and pointed criticism. In his last public statement concerning Adi Da he wrote: "I affirm all of the extremes of my statements about Da: he is one of the greatest spiritual Realizers of all time, in my opinion, and yet other aspects of his personality lag far

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Adi Da said that after his death there would not be any further teachings or "revelations", and that his message was complete. His artwork, writings, and the religious hermitages and sanctuaries "empowered" by his presence are to remain as expressions of his teaching and being. He was emphatic that

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Adi Da developed a schema called "the seven stages of life" which he says is a precise "mapping" of the potential developmental course of human spiritual experience as it unfolds through the gross, subtle, and causal dimensions of the being. "Gross" means made of material elements and refers to the

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Conversely, Adi Da affirmed that the proper beginning of philosophy (or what he called the fundamental principle of "Perfect Philosophy") is the intrinsic apprehension of the egoless, indivisible, non-separate, and acausal nature of Reality or Conscious Light. When this prior Reality is understood,

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Asian-Religions scholar Scott Lowe was an early follower of Adi Da and lived in the community in 1974. In an essay later analyzing what he had witnessed as well as Adi Da's subsequent career, he perceives a pattern of "abusive, manipulative, and self-centered" behavior, saying "does it necessarily

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and the leading painters of the same period", demonstrated his interest in art. In the last decade of his life, Adi Da focused on creating works of art intended to enable viewers to enter into a "space" beyond limited "points of view". These works were primarily photographic and digitally produced

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The words of Adi Da Samraj, as his devotees can confess, carry a potency that is vastly beyond the verbal meaning, a force that activates fundamental transformations in the being. He invests himself spiritually in all of his writing, and that transmission can be received through reading any of his

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that sometimes involved the switching of partners, the making of pornographic movies, orgies and other intensified sexual practices, with the aim of revealing and releasing emotional and sexual neuroses. Adi Da spoke of the cultish and contractual nature of conventional relationships, particularly

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In Adi Da's schema, the sixth stage or horizontal process is "the exclusion of all awareness of the 'outside' world (in both its gross and subtle dimensions), by 'secluding' oneself within the heart—in order to rest in the Divine Self", or Consciousness Itself. As this is "achieved by conditional

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After years of consideration about sexuality with students, Adi Da summarized his instruction about sexuality and spiritual practice. Contrary to various tantric practices aimed at the transformation of sexual energy into spiritual energy, Adi Da maintains that sex, like everything to do with the

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hospital in California. He wrote later that he found these experiences "self-validating" in that they mimicked ecstatic states of consciousness from his childhood, but problematic as they often resulted in paranoia, anxiety, or disassociation. While living with the support of his girlfriend, Nina

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Feuerstein, "Holy Madness", Arkana (1992), p. 90 "sexual were for the most part confined to an inner circle. But occasionally some relative newcomers were included. This happened to one couple in 1982, who provide this fascinating extensive account… (p. 92) Tantra-style encounters of this kind

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refers to both the organization of Adi Da's devotees and the religion he taught. The organization, or church, founded initially in 1972, went by many earlier names, including the Dawn Horse Communion, the Free Communion Church, the Laughing Man Institute, the Crazy Wisdom Fellowship, the Way of

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Adi Da maintained that human beings are always demanding an explanation for the existence of the world or the bodily "self". There is a presumption that the world or the self is first. People therefore seek to account for these first, and then seek to understand the Divine on that basis. To the

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Upon returning to Los Angeles, Adi Da (then Franklin Jones) assumed the name "Bubba Free John", based on a nickname meaning "friend" combined with a rendering of "Franklin Jones". He and Nina divorced, although she remained a follower. In January 1974, Adi Da told his followers that he was "the

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and subsequent books, Adi Da spoke of "Consciousness Itself" as the ultimate nature of Reality. This Consciousness is "Transcendent and Radiant", "the Source-Condition of everything that is", "the uncaused immortal Self", "a Conscious Light utterly beyond the limited perspective of any ego, any

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noted that "hile acknowledging his debts to both Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism, Adi Da asserted the originality of his own religious teaching". The practice of Adidam is defined by its emphasis on a devotional relationship to Adi Da, whom followers see as an enlightened source of transcendental

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On Naitauba Island on January 11, 1986, while expressing deep distress at what he felt was the futility of his work, Adi Da described the feeling of the life-force leaving his body, before collapsing, going into convulsions and losing consciousness. Doctors found his vital signs to be present,

2716:, p. 166–167: "He explained that most enlightened beings "incarnate only partially" into the body. Adi Da said that in this event he "descended" fully into the body, becoming "utterly human"… it was sufficient for disciples to simply meditate upon him to "participate in his enlightened state". 889:

While the primary spiritual center of the church is Naitauba Island, Fiji, there are two officially designated ashrams, or "sanctuaries", belonging to Adidam in the United States, with another in Europe, and another in New Zealand. Followers of Adidam have been ambitious and prolific in their

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In investigative reports and interviews, some ex-members made numerous specific allegations of Adi Da forcing members to engage in psychologically, sexually, and physically abusive and humiliating behavior, as well as accusing the church of committing tax fraud. Others stated that they never

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During and after his postgraduate studies, Adi Da engaged in an experiment of exhaustive writing, a process in which he wrote continuously for eight or more hours daily, as a kind of "yoga" where every movement of conscious awareness, all experiences, internal or external, were monitored and

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Adi Da founded a publishing house, the Dawn Horse Press, to print his books. He was praised by authorities in spirituality, philosophy, sociology, literature, and art, but was also criticized for what were perceived as his isolation and controversial behavior. In 1985, former followers made

2011:"He had some raw peyote, and we decided to take the drug, although neither of us had any idea what its effects would be. In the past months I had used marijuana a few times and found it very enjoyable and relaxing. And so I willingly accepted a chance for some kind of very powerful "high". 1157:

In this historical American-Asian context, it is hardly surprising that serious ethical charges involving sexual abuse and authoritarian manipulation have been leveled at Adi Da and his community for very similar, if far more open and acknowledged, antinomian practices and ideas. Bay Area

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to the West, establishing meditation centers around the world. Adi Da received formal permission to visit the ashram for four days in April 1968. Muktananda encouraged him to end his studies with Rudi and study with himself directly. In his autobiography, Adi Da related how he was granted

3437:"Deep Throat's Daughter, The Kindred Free Spirit", Washington Post, June 12, 2005 "The lawsuits and threatened suits that dogged the group in the mid-1980s were settled with payments and confidentiality agreements, says a California lawyer, Ford Greene, who handled three such cases". 2946:, Dawn Horse Press, 2006, p. 456; "I Am the First (and the Only One) to Realize and to Demonstrate seventh stage Realization, which (now, and forever hereafter) I Alone, and Uniquely, Reveal and Transmit to all my formally practicing true devotees and thus potentially to all beings". 2514:, p. 83 " believed that his guru was settling for less than the ultimate, while Muk. dismissed arguments as pretentious… a breach between them opened that never formally healed. continued to criticize Muk. in talks and publications, while at the same time acknowledging his debt". 1068:

Lowe and others have also criticized Adi Da's claims toward the exclusivity of his realization. In part, critics point to his earlier message, strongly rejecting the necessity for any religious authority or belief, due to "enlightenment" being every individual's natural condition.

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body, is "not causative" relative to spirituality; at most, sex and a disciplined practice of emotional-sexual intimacy, can be made compatible with the spiritual process. The spiritual process, he emphasized, involves transcendence of identification with the body-mind altogether.

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that he called "The Bright". He wrote that although he had been born with full awareness of "the Bright", this awareness became obscured in childhood, and his subsequent spiritual journey had been a quest to recapture it, and share it with others. The autobiography, entitled

474:, who on studying Adi Da's teachings had reportedly said, "It looks like we have an avatar here. I've been waiting for such a one all my life". In the foreword, he wrote: "It is obvious, from all sorts of subtle details, that he knows what IT's all about… a rare being". 3455:

Feuerstein, "Holy Madness", Arkana (1992), p. 267-268: "Over the years, has been sued several times by disaffected students, although institutional representatives have so far succeeded in keeping him out of court. Cases were settled by arbitration, which bled the

641:, and gave discourses calling on devotees to embrace the inherently renunciate, ego-transcending nature of the way he had given. He later traveled to New York City, London, Paris and Amsterdam, silently giving his blessing to all who came visibly into his sphere. 2500:

Lowe, Scott and Lane, David. (1996) "DA: The Strange Case of Franklin Jones", Mt. San Antonio College Philosophy Group: "In his evening talks, Da Free John frequently referred to Muktananda as a "black magician". Muktananda spoke of his former student in similar

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The church issued conflicting statements in response to the coverage. A lawyer for the church said that controversial sexual activities had only occurred during the "Garbage and Goddess" period years earlier. Shortly after, an official church spokesman said that

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formally became a follower of Adi Da and wrote a number of introductions to Adi Da books. He later renounced this affiliation, becoming publicly critical of Adi Da and the community surrounding him in Fiji. Feuerstein devoted a chapter to Adi Da in his 1991 book

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traditions. In 1972, he began to teach "radical understanding", described as "a combination of discriminative self-observation and guru-devotion". With the number of followers increasing, a formal religious community—"The Dawn Horse Communion"—was established.

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Feuerstein, "Holy Madness", (1992), p. 84 "(students) experienced visions, spontaneous body movements known as kriyas, bliss states, heart openings, kundalini arousals, and several were apparently drawn into the mystical unitive state or even into temporary

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follow that the individual who is 'liberated' is free to indulge in what appear to be egocentric, hurtful, and damaging actions in the name of spiritual freedom? I personally think not, while acknowledging the subtlety and complexity of the ongoing debate".

441:). The vision of Mary directed him to make a pilgrimage to Christian holy sites. After embarking on a two week pilgrimage to holy places in Europe and the Middle East, he, Nina and Pat returned to New York. In August 1970, they moved to Los Angeles. 1102:

In 1985, accusations of misbehavior by Adi Da and some of his followers attracted media attention. Adi Da and Adidam (then known as Da Free John and The Johannine Daist Communion) were subjects of almost daily coverage in April of that year in the

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Adi Da categorized the fourth, fifth, and sixth stages of life as the highest respective stages of human development. He characterized those who have reached these stages as "saints", "yogis", and "sages", including other religious figures such as

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described Adi Da's total corpus as being "the most doctrinally thorough, the most philosophically sophisticated, the most culturally challenging, and the most creatively original literature currently available in the English language".

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means—the conditional effort of exclusion", it is non-permanent. Relative to this spectrum, Adi Da stated that while some "yogis, saints, and sages" had occasionally indicated some awareness of a "seventh stage", only he as a unique

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dissemination of Adi Da's books and teachings; however, the church is estimated to have remained more or less constant at approximately 1,000 members worldwide since 1974, with a high rate of turnover among membership.

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Samraj, Adi Da, "The Orders of My True and Free Renunciate Devotees", Dawn Horse Press (2007), pg. 110: "all those who truly devotionally recognize Avatar Adi Da serve as "instruments" of His Blessing-Regard in the

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Feuerstein 1992, p. 93: " has a flair for drama and it has been successful in keeping the attention of for years… but it evidently is not a way that holds an attraction for larger numbers of spiritually motivated

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and that the practice of devotional recognition-response to him, in conjunction with most fundamental self-understanding, was the sole means of awakening to seventh stage spiritual enlightenment for others.

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In the last years of his life, Adi Da began to exhibit his digital art and photography. Followers reported that he died of cardiac arrest on November 27, 2008, at his home in Fiji, while working on his art.

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in the Lutheran church during his adolescence and aspired to be a minister, but after leaving for college in the autumn of 1957, expressed doubts about the religion to his Lutheran pastor. Adi Da attended

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initiation, the awakening of the Kundalini Shakti that is said to reside at the base of the spine, which deepens the practice of Siddha Yoga meditation. Adi Da described experiencing an awakening to the

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Free John, Bubba, "Garbage and the Goddess: the last Miracles and Final Spiritual Instructions of Bubba Free John", DHP (1974), p. 13 "This is what the spiritual life is all about… nothing conventional

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Feuerstein (1992), pp. 83, 96: "the original published version has the ring of authenticity and can be appreciated as a remarkable mystical document… Later , regrettably, tend toward mythologization".

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Feuerstein (1992), pp. 266–267: "Due to the controversial nature of material in the book, almost immediately at the behest of Da Love Ananda, every effort was made to retrieve all existing copies".

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religion, or any culture." Everything in the physical universe, he claimed, is a modification of this Conscious Light. Expressed in more conventional language, Adi Da's realization was that there

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of the 1970s for his books and public talks and for the activities of his religious community. He authored more than 75 books, including those published posthumously, with key works including an

951:. He wrote prolifically about his spiritual philosophy, creating the Dawn Horse Press in 1973 to publish his books. It continues to print many Adi Da-authored titles. Best known among these is 209:

allegations of misconduct: two lawsuits were filed, to which Adidam responded with threats of counter-litigation. The principal lawsuit was dismissed and the other was settled out of court.

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Divine Ignorance, and the Johannine Daist Communion. Adi Da's devotees recognize him to be a spiritual master who is the Avataric incarnation of the "Bright", or Conscious Light itself.

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he said, the need to account for the world or the body or the self disappears: they are recognized as dualistic presumptions, not primary realities from which Truth can then be found.

955:. First published in 1972, it has been reissued in a number of editions, undergoing extensive revisions and additions. The first edition was 271 pages long; the latest is 840. The 664:

effect on his body, and in April 2000, while traveling in Northern California under the care of devotees, he became almost completely physically incapacitated. On April 12, at

648:(Zen Master Rama) in 1998, some followers of Lenz joined Adidam. Adi Da actively supported Lenz's followers joining his organization; according to religious studies professor 2072:, Vol IV, p. 88: "Jones discovered that his psychedelic drug experiences sometimes mimicked the ecstatic states he had known in childhood and was now desperate to recapture". 994:

large works of pigmented inks on paper or canvas, and monumentally sized works of paint on aluminum. He labeled his art "Transcendental Realism". He was invited to the 2007

212:

In his later years, Adi Da focused on creating works of art intended to enable viewers to enter into a "space" beyond limited "points of view". He was invited to the 2007

2098:, Ashram (1972), p. 22-23 "After my experiences at the VA hospital, I went into a period of relative seclusion… Nina worked as a schoolteacher and supported our living". 1044:

behind those extraordinary heights. By all means, look to him for utterly profound revelations, unequaled in many ways; yet step into his community at your own risk".

902:

wrote that "n his passing Adi Da Samraj's personal charisma was collapsed into the charisma of the sacred books, and the art and the theatrical works he left behind".

797:. Adi Da claimed to be in the seventh stage of life, most perfectly realized as Conscious Light Itself, which is absolutely unconditional and is therefore permanent. 583:

Over a period of years, Adi Da entered into what he called "emotional-sexual reality consideration" with his formal devotees. It included "sexual theater", a form of

1745: 2629:

Michael Anthony Costabile, "Sexual Practice, Spiritual Awakening, and Divine Self-Realization in the Reality-Way of Adidam", in Henrik Bogdan and James R. Lewis,

549:, California, renaming it "Persimmon" (it is now known as "The Mountain of Attention"). Adi Da and a group of selected followers moved there and experimented in 2341:. page 3: In his autobiography he asserts that he was born in a state of perfect awareness…. Jones spent his college and subsequent years in a spiritual quest… 3941: 1138:

Two lawsuits were filed against Adi Da and his organization in 1985. The first was brought by Beverly O'Mahoney, then wife of the Adidam president, alleging

576:

Adi Da initiated a series of teachings and activities that came to be known as the "Garbage and the Goddess" period, based on the title of his fourth book,

862:

terms and concepts. God, or the divine, is seen as a principle and energy, a consciousness that predates creation but is not a willful creator itself.

980: 1061:. In the introduction to the 2006 edition, Feuerstein describes having edited the sections devoted to Adi Da to reflect these changes in opinion. 718:

According to Adi Da's teaching, the human being's apparent inability to live as Conscious Light is a result of the illusion of separate self. The

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dualistic "point of view", these presumptions are the fundamentally necessary starting point to all philosophical or metaphysical considerations.

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appreciate and respect his former guru, and to express his "love and gratitude for the incomparable service" Muktananda had performed for him.

383:, Rudi taught an eclectic blend of techniques he called "kundalini yoga" (although it was not related to the Indian tradition by that name). 3936: 3275:

Ellwood, Robert. (1997)"Nova Religio" book review of "DA: The Strange Case of Franklin Jones" (October 1997), Vol. 1, No. 1, Pages 153–153.

1187:, saying, "it has deepened my experience of Him as the Divine Gift established in the cosmic domain". He also mentions Adi Da in his books 3706:

Ellwood, Robert. (1997)"Nova Religio" book review of "DA: The Strange Case of Franklin Jones", October 1997, Vol. 1, No. 1, Pages 153–153.

352:

In June 1964, Adi Da responded to an intuitive impulse to leave California in search of a spiritual teacher in New York City. Settling in

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to visions and yogic phenomena and indeed all experiences in the context of the body-mind. During the visit Adi Da reconciled with Rudi.

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Crowley, Paul. (2005). Rahner beyond Rahner: A Great Theologian Encounters the Pacific Rim. Rowman & Litterfield. ISBN 074254964X

3169: 3141: 789:

manner. Seventh stage Realization is a permanent, natural state of "open-eyed ecstasy", for which Adi Da employed the Sanskrit term

3302:

Feuerstein, Georg (1996), "Holy Madness: The Dangerous and Disillusioning Example of Da Free John", What Is Enlightenment? Issue 9.

3465:

Jeffrey J. Kripal, "Riding the Dawn Horse: Adi Da and the Eros of Nonduality", in Thomas Forsthoefel and Cynthia Ann Humes, eds.,

625:. His intention was to establish a "set-apart" hermitage for his spiritual work in the world. Adi Da Samraj became a citizen of 3510: 3236:

Lowe, Scott and Lane, David. (1996) "DA: The Strange Case of Franklin Jones". Mt. San Antonio College Philosophy Group, p. 23.

3108: 1609: 3876: 3831: 3803: 3684: 3670: 3601: 3576: 2414: 1850: 971:, in particular, was described as "ne of his most important works… on which he put the finishing touches the day he passed". 2478:"The Gurdjieff Journal", Gurdjieff & The New Age Part IX, Franklin Jones & Rudi Part I, by William Patrick Patterson 3921: 2853:

Gallagher, Eugene, Ashcraft, Michael. (2006). Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, Volume V, p. 97-98.

1257: 156:; November 3, 1939 – November 27, 2008) was an American-born spiritual teacher, writer and artist. He was the founder of a 2765: 428:, beyond identification with the point of view of bodily consciousness. He began to study formally with Swami Muktananda. 3956: 3946: 3926: 3850:

Lowe, Scott & Lane, David. (1996) "DA: The Strange Case of Franklin Jones". Mt. San Antonio College Philosophy Group.

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Transcending the illusion of an apparently separate self reveals our true identity as Conscious Light, or Reality Itself.

3428:, June 16th, 1986, noting that "a Marin County judge ruled that O'Mahony had no legal basis for bringing the (lawsuit)". 2829:

Gallagher, Eugene, Ashcraft, Michael. (2006). Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, Volume V, p. 98.

1755: 486:, and that everything arises within that One. In later years this was summed up in the three "great sayings" of Adidam: 1369: 400: 395:. Feeling none of his Lutheran professors understood this experience, Adi Da left and briefly attended St. Vladimir's 3862: 3845: 3817: 3789: 3774: 3760: 3746: 3732: 3718: 3701: 3625: 3545: 2913: 2883: 2713: 2695: 2651: 2440: 2355: 2338: 2314: 2293: 1728: 1652: 1574: 1473: 1434: 1409: 1377: 1079: 375:, who gave him the name "Swami Rudrananda". Having studied a number of spiritual traditions, including "The Work" of 1094:… Supporters of the alleged avatar rationalize such eccentricities as shock therapy for the sake of enlightenment". 1082:

religion professor Robert Ellwood wrote, "Accounts of life with in his close-knit spiritual community extremes of

2142:

Historical dictionary of New Age movements by Michael York The Rowman Litterfield Publishing Group, 2004, pp 11–12.

1127:

witnessed or were involved in any such activities. None of these accusations were substantiated in a court of law.

3254:"Da: The Strange Case of Franklin Jones", by Scott Lowe and David Lane, Walnut CA: Mt. San Antonio College (1996). 3311:

Seidman, Peter, "Sexual experiments continued after '76, JDC officiaIs admit", Mill Valley Record/April 10, 1985.

898:

Adi Da produced a variety of literary and creative works, primarily the large number of books that he wrote. The

3375:

Seidman, Peter, "Sexual experiments continued after '76, JDC officials admit" Mill Valley Record/April 10, 1985.

3320:

Butler, Katy: "Sex Practices Did Not Cease, Marin Cult Officials Admit", San Francisco Chronicle, April 9, 1985.

3266:

Molly Colin, Peter Seidman, and Tony Lewis, "Defectors voice several charges", Mill Valley Record/April 3, 1985.

2959:, p. 167 "it was sufficient for disciples to simply meditate upon him to "participate in his enlightened state". 3645:

Ruchira Avatara Gita (The Way of the Divine Heart-Master): The Five Books of the Heart of the Adidam Revelation

3348:

occurred periodically and more or less secretly until at least the end of 1985, and led to legal difficulties".

3284:

Molly Colin, Peter Seidman, and Tony Lewis, "Defectors voice several charges" Mill Valley Record/April 3, 1985.

2107:

Patterson, W.P., The Gurdjieff Journal, "Gurdjieff & The New Age Part IX, Franklin Jones & Rudi Part I"

2573:

Butler, Katy: "Sex Practices Did Not Cease, Marin Cult Officials Admit" San Francisco Chronicle, April 9, 1985

1525:

Eugene V. Gallagher, "New Religious Movements and Scripture", in James R. Lewis and Inga B. Tollefsen, eds.,

414:

Swami Muktananda, a disciple of Bhagavan Nityananda, was a well-known guru who had brought his tradition of

2708:

Feuerstein, Georg. (2006). Holy Madness: Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, And Enlightenment, Hohm Press.

2350:

Feuerstein, Georg. (2006). Holy Madness: Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, And Enlightenment, Hohm Press.

870: 683:

Adi Da had four children: three biological daughters with three different women, and one adopted daughter.

2690:

Feuerstein, Georg. (2006). Holy Madness: Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, An Enlightenment, Hohm Press.

3931: 1838: 1120: 929:

Adi Da authored more than 75 books, including those published posthumously, with key works including his

2432: 1644: 1465: 998:

to participate through an official collateral exhibition, and was later invited to exhibit his work in

673: 1296: 3093: 1691:

Feuerstein, Georg (1996). "Holy Madness: The Dangerous and Disillusioning Example of Da Free John".

1119:, and other regional media resources. The story gained national attention with a two-part exposé on 1072:

Adi Da heavily edited subsequent editions of his books, for which they have been criticized as auto-

3128: 357: 2246: 2043: 2008: 1196: 1782: 1401: 1105: 553:. Most followers relocated from Los Angeles to San Francisco, where Dawn Horse Books also moved. 546: 324: 2591:

Bubba Free John, "Garbage and the Goddess" (Lower Lake, CA: Dawn Horse Press, 1974), pp. 16, 31.

2536:

The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice By Georg Feuerstein; p. 25.

545:

divine lord in human form". Later that year, the church obtained an aging hot springs resort in

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Wilber also recommended Adi Da as a spiritual teacher to those interested in his own writings.

157: 3568: 3562: 2029:

Gourley, Edmiston "Adidam Comes to the North Coast", North Coast Journal Weekly, Jan. 14, 1999

578:

Garbage and the Goddess: The Last Miracles and Final Spiritual Instructions of Bubba Free John

387:

a terrifying breakdown. Taken to a hospital emergency room, a psychiatrist diagnosed it as an

307:

In the context of this exploration of consciousness in 1963, Adi Da experimented with various

3640: 1887: 1207: 935: 922: 432: 404: 301: 263: 261:, his father was a salesman and his mother a housewife. Adi Da claimed in his autobiography, 216:

to participate through a collateral exhibition, and was later invited to exhibit his work in

177: 1361: 698:

The sense of separate self is an illusion, caused by our own activity of "self-contraction".

3916: 3911: 3215: 2994:

Reilly, Gary; "How Franklin Jones Became the Master", The Mill Valley Record/April 3, 1985.

2681:, complied and narrated by Jonathan Condit (Dawn Horse Press, 2014), p. 16-17, 31, 44, 365. 1797:

Collin, Molly (April 17, 1985). "Da Free John Sect Sues 6 Ex-Members On Extortion Charge".

1393: 277: 3166: 3145: 2459:

Lattin, Don (April 5, 1985). "Hypnotic Da Free John – Svengali of the truth-seeking set".

801:

to "participate in his enlightened state" (i.e. awaken to the seventh stage Realization).

8: 3398: 2120:, Ashram (1972), p. 35: "I saw pictures of a store with oriental sculpture… in New York". 1920: 1750: 1457: 911: 649: 361: 360:, also known as "Rudi", a dealer in Asian art who had been a disciple of the Indian guru 281: 273: 114: 110: 3338:

Sex Slave Sues Guru: Pacific Isle Orgies Charged San Francisco Chronicle, April 4, 1985.

1028:

wrote a number of enthusiastic endorsements and forewords for Adi Da's books, including

569:

In 1973, Adi Da began to use more unconventional means of instruction, which he called "

470:, was published in 1972. It included a foreword by the well-known spiritual philosopher 228:

museum. His work was also shown in New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Miami, and London.

1006:. His work has also been shown in New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Miami, and London. 986: 289: 141: 3782:

Religions of The World-A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, Volume 1

3677:

Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini

3564:

Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini

2217:

p. 89, "… Jones' himself describes as… "apparent evidence of a 'clinical breakdown'".

1591: 431:

After returning to New York, Adi Da and Nina became members and then employees of the

3872: 3858: 3841: 3827: 3813: 3799: 3785: 3770: 3756: 3742: 3728: 3714: 3697: 3680: 3666: 3621: 3597: 3572: 3541: 3478: 2909: 2879: 2709: 2691: 2647: 2436: 2410: 2351: 2334: 2310: 2289: 2004: 1846: 1812: 1724: 1696: 1648: 1570: 1562: 1544: 1469: 1430: 1405: 1373: 1362: 1172: 1149: 843: 653: 353: 102:

Bubba Free John, Da Free John, Da Love-Ananda, Da Avabhasa, Adi Da Love-Ananda Samraj

3514: 3329:

Neary, Walt,'Inner Circle Privy to Parties,' Lake County Record Bee, April 12, 1985.

403:, New York. Disillusioned, he moved back to New York City and found employment with 3446:

Gallagher… Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America Vol. IV, p. 93.

3105: 1617: 1492: 1087: 1053: 1038:

Scientific Proof of the Existence of God Will Soon Be Announced by the White House!

425: 415: 396: 254: 64: 3173: 3112: 2020:

Adi Da, "The Knee Of Listening", Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press (1995), p. 168.

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in philosophy. He went on to complete a master's degree in English literature at

213: 197: 3535: 2766:"Lake County News | California - Followers mourn death of spiritual leader" 1265: 2769: 990: 773: 645: 457:

Adi Da wrote in his autobiography that in September 1970, while sitting in the

388: 376: 337: 308: 293: 168: 916: 3905: 2331:

Religions of The World- A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices

1700: 930: 851: 814: 172: 60: 407:, hoping this might help him fulfill his desire to visit Swami Muktananda's 777: 665: 622: 603: 570: 3767:

Religious Leaders of America: A Biographical Guide to Founders and Leaders

767:

Seventh Stage—"Divine Enlightenment: awakening from all egoic limitations"

311:

and other drugs. For 6 weeks he was a paid test subject in drug trials of

1073: 657: 584: 365: 341: 258: 87: 32: 3411:

Molly Colin, "Da Free John Sect Sues 6 Ex-Members On Extortion Charge,

3003:

Gallagher, The New Religious Movements Experience in America, p. 98-99.

1843:

La Biennale di Venezia: 52. Esposizione internazionale d'arte, Volume 2

1548: 1091: 1083: 1025: 471: 372: 320: 3895: 1921:"North Coast Journal, Humboldt County, CA – Cover story Jan. 14, 1999" 536: 521: 496:

Everything that exists is a "modification" of the One Divine Reality.

420: 333: 329: 312: 3053:

Gallagher, The New Religious Movements Experience in America, p. 97.

2275:, Ashram (1972), p. 84: "I spent that year working for Scientology". 2005:

The Knee Of Listening: The Life and Understanding of Franklin Jones

1427:

The Integration of Psyche and Spirit: Volume I: The Structural Model

820: 332:, he continued to write, meditated informally, and studied books by 3855:

Book of Enlightened Masters: Western Teachers in Eastern Traditions

3694:

The Integration of Psyche and Spirit Volume I: The Structural Model

2307:

Book of Enlightened Masters: Western Teachers in Eastern Traditions

2286:

Book of Enlightened Masters: Western Teachers in Eastern Traditions

866: 859: 517: 509: 225: 217: 3725:

Holy Madness: Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, And Enlightenment

3711:

Holy Madness: Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, And Enlightenment

3536:

The Ruchira Sannyasin Order of Adidam Ruchiradam (March 3, 2003).

3079:, Vol IV, p. 106: "Jones significantly modified later editions of 2908:, "I (Alone) Am The Adidam Revelation" (2004), Dawn Horse Press. 1059:

Holy Madness: Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, and Enlightenment

720: 1143: 825: 732: 726: 629:

in 1993. It was his primary residence until the end of his life.

618: 506: 461:

Temple in Hollywood, he awakened fully into the state of perfect

268: 83: 2429:

Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, Vol. V

1641:

Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, Vol IV

1322: 196:

Adi Da's teaching is closely related to the Indian tradition of

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Wildermuth, John, "Sex Guru Touts Celibacy", The San Francisco

1225: 1132: 886:

no individual assert themselves as his representative or heir.

855: 785: 462: 437: 408: 250: 201: 561: 540:

The Mountain of Attention Sanctuary in Lake County, California

490:

There is no ultimate "difference" between you and the Divine.

449: 241: 2426: 2382:

Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality

1638: 1359: 1139: 865:

Adidam was also suggested to have increasingly resembled the

847: 656:

in a past life, with Lenz having been Vivekenanda's disciple

589: 380: 369: 221: 1167:

In a foreword to the 2004 edition of Adi Da's autobiography

608: 2393:

Adi Da capitalized terms that he felt expressed the divine.

1592:

Primal Views: Root-Shape and Root-Color, The World As Light

829: 626: 525: 444: 91: 3397:

Gourley, Scott R.; Edmiston, Rosemary (January 14, 1999).

1950:

Feuerstein, Georg, "Holy Madness", 1st ed., Arkana (1992).

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The true nature of Reality is indivisible Conscious Light.

3753: