At my Bikram yoga studio I recently picked up a book entitled The Knee of Listening by Adi Da Samraj. Every time I went for class I glanced at the book shelves where various 'yogic' literature is on sale and the portrait of this man on the book cover always caught my attention. I was particularly drawn to his piercing eyes. I truly had no idea who Adi Da Samraj was and I was intrigued by the title, which I have not yet unravelled.
So eventually I bought the book two saturdays ago. And, so much out of character, because I don't usually care for spiritualism, soon after I bought the book I felt the urge to go and check out a local spiritualist congregation. There is no connection between these two events, really, except that having this book in my hands made me feel different. Coincidence? Was I expecting a revelation by Adi Da Samraj through the services of the medium? I will tell you about the spiritualist session on another occasion. Today's post is about Adi Da.
The Knee of Listening is the autobiography of this remarkable American born spiritual Guru, who set up an ashram on the island of Naitauba in Fiji and created around him a personal cult that continues today even after his death in November 2008. Born in New York in 1939 as Franklin Jones, Adi Da Samraj, earlier known by a series of different names, such as Da Free John in the 1970s, proposed a synthesis of religious teachings from East and West and proclaimed his divine status as Avatar or God incarnation. A philosophy major, a writer and an artist - also a photographer - his books, of which there are dozens - are a philosophical tour de force and display a superior intellect.
But Adi Da and the way of Adidam, his teaching, have been very controversial. A series of lawsuits by former devotees brought to the attention of the world, in the mid 1980s, the less radiant nature of Adi Da. Exploitation in his ashram was rampant. Adi Da was apparently addicted to alcohol, drugs and orgiastic sex and the women close to him - the 'Wives' - had a particularly bad deal as they were apparently emotionally and physically abused, even tortured. In the Adi Da archives, available on the internet, there are allegations of violence, emotional torture, rape and theft.This only occurred in the inner circle, entendu, away from the eyes and the ears of the worshipping congregation of devotees. But to hear that such things might have happened is at the very least perplexing and distressing.
I stayed up until very late on Thursday to read the autobiography - it is such a massive book, I never had the time to dip into it earlier. I found it very heavy going at times, so I skim read it in places. I was utterly moved by it and totally convinced of the truths expounded therein. In the early hours of Friday morning I went online to check out the official website - I wanted to know more about Adidam as it is today. Then I stumbled upon the claims by his former devotees and I felt sick in the stomach. His wife from his pre-avataric proclamation days was talking about how he broke her arm and tore her hair in handfuls, other women graphically described being raped by the Guru and how male devotees raped female devotees at his instigation and I read various tales of people totally brainwashed and taken advantage of, financially and otherwise.
I cried, I truly did. I read the counterclaims by the Adidam official website, about this being a way of teaching used to shock the devotees and awaken them to REALITY, a method that later Adi Da Samraj abandoned for a more sober approach. But somehow the whole thing no longer appealed to me
Photographer: Ray Spence
Adi Da Samraj is not the only controversial Guru of our times. There was Osho aka Rajneesh, deported from the US after fights broke out at the Oregon ashram in the 1980s, following a power struggle, and of course there is Scientology and countless other religious cults. How can this happen? When people meet someone with tremendous charisma they lower their defences and do everything that is asked of them. When someone with hypnotic powers comes to you and persuades you that the way to achieve happiness is through worshipping him, you find yourself enticed and coerced into a way of life in which you give up your identity and your will completely.
You TRUST. Your living God has a solution that will end your suffering, the sense of separatedness that we all feel, the sense of the doom engendered by our mortality and the uncertainty of the future, and you want to believe him and give him everything he asks for. Then, when that trust is abused, before you manage to tell yourself that this is what has happened you go through complete denial. How can you let the world around you crumble? It really is one of the worst experiences ever. It does not manifest itself only in a religious, cultic context. The cult of personality and leadership can be equally devastating in other contexts i.e. the recognized 'genius' musician who abuses and bullies his close younger collaborators/students comes to mind - I have personally encountered people who have been seriously damaged through such relationships.
It seems a paradox. Is there a solution? Should one give up trusting? Somehow this does not resonate with me. The main thing is to trust oneself and believe that inner peace can be achieved only if one loves and trusts oneself. With that in mind I can sit and enjoy reading The Knee of Listening, acknowledging it as one of the most challenging, creative works on Nonduality ever written in English, just as I enjoyed Osho's discourses, without feeling any need to join a congregation of devotees worshipping the Living God .
(All photos modelled by Alex B.)
The Knee of Listening is the autobiography of this remarkable American born spiritual Guru, who set up an ashram on the island of Naitauba in Fiji and created around him a personal cult that continues today even after his death in November 2008. Born in New York in 1939 as Franklin Jones, Adi Da Samraj, earlier known by a series of different names, such as Da Free John in the 1970s, proposed a synthesis of religious teachings from East and West and proclaimed his divine status as Avatar or God incarnation. A philosophy major, a writer and an artist - also a photographer - his books, of which there are dozens - are a philosophical tour de force and display a superior intellect.
I stayed up until very late on Thursday to read the autobiography - it is such a massive book, I never had the time to dip into it earlier. I found it very heavy going at times, so I skim read it in places. I was utterly moved by it and totally convinced of the truths expounded therein. In the early hours of Friday morning I went online to check out the official website - I wanted to know more about Adidam as it is today. Then I stumbled upon the claims by his former devotees and I felt sick in the stomach. His wife from his pre-avataric proclamation days was talking about how he broke her arm and tore her hair in handfuls, other women graphically described being raped by the Guru and how male devotees raped female devotees at his instigation and I read various tales of people totally brainwashed and taken advantage of, financially and otherwise.
I cried, I truly did. I read the counterclaims by the Adidam official website, about this being a way of teaching used to shock the devotees and awaken them to REALITY, a method that later Adi Da Samraj abandoned for a more sober approach. But somehow the whole thing no longer appealed to me
Photographer: Ray Spence
Adi Da Samraj is not the only controversial Guru of our times. There was Osho aka Rajneesh, deported from the US after fights broke out at the Oregon ashram in the 1980s, following a power struggle, and of course there is Scientology and countless other religious cults. How can this happen? When people meet someone with tremendous charisma they lower their defences and do everything that is asked of them. When someone with hypnotic powers comes to you and persuades you that the way to achieve happiness is through worshipping him, you find yourself enticed and coerced into a way of life in which you give up your identity and your will completely.
You TRUST. Your living God has a solution that will end your suffering, the sense of separatedness that we all feel, the sense of the doom engendered by our mortality and the uncertainty of the future, and you want to believe him and give him everything he asks for. Then, when that trust is abused, before you manage to tell yourself that this is what has happened you go through complete denial. How can you let the world around you crumble? It really is one of the worst experiences ever. It does not manifest itself only in a religious, cultic context. The cult of personality and leadership can be equally devastating in other contexts i.e. the recognized 'genius' musician who abuses and bullies his close younger collaborators/students comes to mind - I have personally encountered people who have been seriously damaged through such relationships.
Photographer: Marc Wainwright
It seems a paradox. Is there a solution? Should one give up trusting? Somehow this does not resonate with me. The main thing is to trust oneself and believe that inner peace can be achieved only if one loves and trusts oneself. With that in mind I can sit and enjoy reading The Knee of Listening, acknowledging it as one of the most challenging, creative works on Nonduality ever written in English, just as I enjoyed Osho's discourses, without feeling any need to join a congregation of devotees worshipping the Living God .
(All photos modelled by Alex B.)
As a Bible-believing Christian, I have long been concerned with the phenomenon of cults. Now, for every destructive cult there are many churches and other organizations that are at least innocuous and at best powerful agents for positive change, yet it's the destructive ones that draw the most attention; think of Jim Jones or Bhagwam Shree Rajneesh or David Koresh or Warren Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
ReplyDeleteHow does a charismatic leader avoid becoming like this? I tend to think the Billy Graham model is best. Rev. Graham, from the very first, set up a ministry structure that forced him to be accountable to his associates, and thus put himself in the position of a servant rather than only that of a leader. His organization is also very open about its finances: after the 1986 Denver Crusade, they published a financial statement in the Denver Post. They also work closely with local churches when they do a Crusade. And unlike many other Christian leaders seduced by the Republican Party, Billy Graham has advised both Democratic and Republican Presidents; I believe that he and Jimmy Carter were close associates. That is why there has never been a word of scandal about Billy Graham and why, of all the big-name televangelists, he is the only one I trust without reservation. From what I have heard, the model continues basically unchanged under Graham's son Franklin.
(I happened to catch a radio broadcast of the memorial service for the 9/11 victims, during which Billy Graham gave a brief message. I listened awestruck as, in 10 minutes, Rev. Graham said exactly the words that brought comfort and the Gospel of Jesus to our grieving nation--not a word in excess or out of place or anything but focused and true. After this, the speech by President Bush was nothing but political trumpery.)
Cool. Your own blog...
ReplyDeleteHi Photo Anthems, good to see you here.
ReplyDeleteJochanaan thank you for visiting and for the long and thoughtful comment. Indeed it is the destructive cults that are remembered and in the context of such cults it should be noted that it is often the people around the leader that fuel the negativity, which tends to escalate. Accountability and transparency are mandatory but so difficult to implement! Thank you for sharing your experience of Billy Graham, I was not aware of him.
Yes, Billy Graham has been a shining light not only here in the United States, but around the world. I was privileged to sing in the Crusade Choir for the Denver Crusade, and still remember it as a deeply spiritual experience. Rev. Graham is nearly 90 now and does little, but he is still an icon to Christians here in the US.
ReplyDeleteAdi Da Samraj is the Living Truth of the egoless Presence of Reality Itself. This confession is a matter of recognition and response to a revelation at heart. The real true depthful stories in the Company of Adi Da are unending. Check out www.adidaupclose.org as part of an introduction. In addition to your reading "The Knee of Listening", peruse "The Aletheon" and "The Eternal One".
ReplyDeleteAvatar Adi Da Samraj speaks, lives, and is the egoless Truth of Reality Itself.
ReplyDeleteListen and see what you recognize and respond at heart.
The "Radical" Truth - Podcasts of Adi Da Samraj
www.adidampodcast.com
The "Radical" Truth - Video Series
www.youtube.com/user/AdidamVideos
Anonymous and Nandhi, you are clearly devotees. I am happy to publish your comments but I still maintain my reservations
ReplyDelete