Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

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Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Six Hits of Sunshine » Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:50 am

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Love him, hate him, indifferent or whatever -- let's discuss his life and work here.
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Six Hits of Sunshine » Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:31 am

A former student of Adi Da's wrote a very thorough account and criticism of his time in the community/cult.

From the introduction:


The American born guru currently known as Adi Da has been widely recognized to be a uniquely brilliant religious genius by many who have studied his written teachings. But many of those familiar with his “crazy wisdom” teaching style and personal behavior have concluded that he is as dangerous as he is brilliant. He has proven that he is willing to stop at nothing to awaken those who turn to him as guru, and indeed he once warned: “Do not approach me unless you are willing to be undone.”

I was a student and devotee of Adi Da from the mid-seventies to the early eighties, and the process of assimilating his comprehensive teachings, integrating his powerful transmission of spiritual force, and differentiating between the guru, his teachings, and his “crazy wise” methods remains an ongoing part of my work on myself.

Adi Da continues to teach, publish, and lure devotees to him, and I feel strongly that part of the danger which Adi Da represents to seekers is not merely his deliberately disturbing teaching style, but the unintegrated shadow which surrounds he and his community. In addition, he and his community hide or distort a great deal of information about Adi Da’s behavior, information that, if it were known, might seriously inhibit his ability to draw new devotees and donations for his non-profit organization.

This paper is a subjective look at Adi Da, his teaching, and his teaching method, a look back at some of my memories of life in his community, and an account of some of the scandals which have earned him his bad boy guru reputation.

To the reader who is unfamiliar with Da’s teachings, the temptation to dismiss him as another phony guru may be great, but would be ill-informed. A partial list of those who have offered high praises of Da might serve to underline this point: Ken Wilber, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Larry Dossey, M.D., Willis Harman, President of the Institute of Noetic Science, Sun Bear, Fred Alan Wolf, Joan Halifax, Judith Cornell, Georg Feuerstein, Alan Watts, Bonnie Greenwell, Malidoma Patrice Some, Leroy Finch, Robert K. Hall, M.D., Irena Tweedie, Richard Grossinger, Charles T. Tart, Stanley Krippner, Peter Russell, Bill Gottlieb, Jeffrey Mishlove, etc.

I agree with Ken Wilber’s remark in his introduction to one of Adi Da’s books, “...that no one in the fields of psychology, religion, philosophy, or sociology can afford not to be at least a student of Da Free John.” [I no longer feel that way. JC, 2005] But I would no more recommend that anyone go further than studying his teachings by becoming his devotee than I would recommend skydiving without a parachute while on LSD.


Read the whole thing here.
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby American Dream » Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:48 pm

A partial list of those who have offered high praises of Da might serve to underline this point: Willis Harman, President of the Institute of Noetic Science... Fred Alan Wolf, Joan Halifax..Alan Watts...Charles T. Tart, Stanley Krippner..Jeffrey Mishlove, etc.


A goodly number of "connected" individuals on this list, whatever their quirky, independent natures...
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Six Hits of Sunshine » Fri Aug 24, 2012 1:43 pm

American Dream wrote:
A goodly number of "connected" individuals on this list, whatever their quirky, independent natures...


I think I get what you're saying, but just in case I'm not, connected to who/what?
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby American Dream » Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:58 pm

Six Hits of Sunshine wrote:
American Dream wrote:
A goodly number of "connected" individuals on this list, whatever their quirky, independent natures...


I think I get what you're saying, but just in case I'm not, connected to who/what?

Deep Power...
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby American Dream » Sun Aug 26, 2012 2:25 am

American Dream wrote:
Six Hits of Sunshine wrote:
American Dream wrote:
A goodly number of "connected" individuals on this list, whatever their quirky, independent natures...


I think I get what you're saying, but just in case I'm not, connected to who/what?

Deep Power...

As connected to:

Esalen Institute

Institute for Noetic Sciences

SRI International


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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Hammer of Los » Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:06 pm

...

Fascinating, ain't it?

...
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Six Hits of Sunshine » Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:48 am

Hammer of Los wrote:...

Fascinating, ain't it?

...


Indeed. And it jogged my memory. In his autobiography he talks about taking part, as a test subject, in LSD experiments at a veterans hospital in the early 1960's. There was one particularly gruesome description of him being dosed and taken to sit among patients without legs, arms etc.
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Hammer of Los » Mon Sep 03, 2012 10:19 am

...

I know next to nothing about Adi Da.

I did read some of his writings a fair few years ago.

Pretty standard fare.

I'm not going to sit in judgement of his attainment.

Although I probably could.

I will say this though;

The Krishna Consciousness ain't no picnic.

God Realisation ain't all its cracked up to be.

And the Shamanic Initiation ain't no bed of roses, neither.

...
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Six Hits of Sunshine » Mon Sep 03, 2012 11:48 am

Hammer of Los wrote:...

The Krishna Consciousness ain't no picnic.

God Realisation ain't all its cracked up to be.

And the Shamanic Initiation ain't no bed of roses, neither.

...


Well said. I've often believed that was part of his insanity.
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Hammer of Los » Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:13 pm

...

Thank Christ for Six Hits of Sunshine.

At last it appears that someone has some faint clue of what I'm talking about.

Some think me mad.

But I'm sane.

It's everyone else that's mad.

How on earth can I be accused of being delusional?

I follow the most potent practice of thoroughgoing agnosticism, after all.

They understand not.

Who understands?

...
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Six Hits of Sunshine » Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:22 pm

Hammer of Los wrote:...

Thank Christ for Six Hits of Sunshine.

At last it appears that someone has some faint clue of what I'm talking about.

Some think me mad.

But I'm sane.

It's everyone else that's mad.

How on earth can I be accused of being delusional?

I follow the most potent practice of thoroughgoing agnosticism, after all.

They understand not.

Who understands?

...


Hopefully you didn't misunderstand me. I didn't mean to imply that he was insane because of any realization (or that you were insane because of any realizations you may have had). I just thought it was well said -- the process of self discovery is filled with pain and pleasure, birth and certain destruction. Not for the faint of heart and many have gone only part of the way, thinking they've gone beyond only to become mad.

For what it's worth, at a certain point, it seems true that the sane are the outwardly insane and the outwardly insane recognize the inner insanity of the outwardly sane.
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Hammer of Los » Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:45 pm

...

I didn't misunderstand you, my friend.

I was actually exceedingly grateful for your small kind words of support.

You'd be suprised how much I need them.

...
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Re: Franklin Jones aka Adi Da Criticism/Appreciation

Postby Hammer of Los » Tue Sep 18, 2012 6:37 am

...

Adi Da?

He ain't sa clever.

He ain't sa funny.

As the:

Rev Love Evolver.

...
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