Frank has created a 7 stage model of spiritual development that in many ways parallels other 7 stage spiritual models. Not surprisingly, though, Adi Da claims not just 7th stagehood for himself, but also claims that no one else in the entire universe of universes has reached this level. Forget Christ. Give Buddha the hook. Send Krishna back down to the minors. As you'll see, not everyone agrees with His Da-ship. Read on.

At first Adi Da put a number of books into the 6th-7th stage category of literature, because they did in fact point to an understanding that transcended the ordinary sixth stage (or Witness Consciousness] point of view. These included the Lankavatara Sutra, the Heart Sutra, the Sutra of Hui Neng, the Ashtavakra Gita, the Avadhut Gita, and the Mahayanavimsaka of Nagarjuna.

He had no individuals on in these categories, only books, because He had not obtained sufficient direct corroboration of any individuals' Realization. His consideration for the most part was of books only.

As biographical material became available, He began to consider Adepts as well, but never actually confirmed anyone as seventh stage. It wasn't that He was withholding the "status" of seventh stage from them, it just didn't make any sense to put it on them unless there was some kind of direct corroboration. And most of what there was to go by was simply written teachings and descriptions of Realization.

So the seven stages model was almost entirely based on classifications of written teachings and experiential descriptions. It was not presumed that just because a particular teaching was "only" fourth stage (such as Jesus' teaching in the bible), that the individual could only have been a 4th stage Realizer. At various times Adi Da suggested that Jesus could have been a fifth, sixth, or even seventh stage Realizer, depending on how one interpreted such matters.

However, as the years went on, Adi Da's consideration moved into greater depth, paralleling the spiritual growth of His devotees. As He accumulated a wealth of material about Jesus, for example, He began to bring a much more discriminating judgement to the matter, until He declared that while there were intuitive links to a truly transcendent perspective present, Jesus himself had simply been a fifth stage Realizer.

Not that His Samyama on Jesus came to an end then, but there was enough certainty not just in the material, but in His purification of His own devotees' Christian backgrounds, to make this call.

Similarly He came to conclusions about a number of individuals, and the number of candidates for genuine seventh stage Realization began to dwindle.

Finally, in 1993, while considering these matters with a roomful of devotees, one devotee suggested to Adi Da that He could tell that Adi Da actually knew for certain who was and who wasn't a true seventh stager, since He was the Incarnate Divine Himself, and that it wasn't really necessary for Him to have to consider all these thousands of books and records.

And Adi Da finally acknowledged, based on this recognition by His devotee, that this was so. And so the devotee asked Him what the complete Truth was about all of this.

And that is when Adi Da Revealed that there had never been another seventh stage Realizer before, and that He was the First. And this did blow the socks off of everyone present, but the Truth of it was also made clear by the sheer force of the Confession.

And then He was asked about Buddha, and Ramana Maharshi, and the others, and He described their Realization very clearly. And then He also talked about the significance of being the first seventh stage Realizer, and the great change it had brought about in the entire Cosmic Domain of beings.

It was quite an extraordinary evening, and it was not something that He said lightly at all, or for political purposes. It was clear to us all that He said this because He felt that devotees were ready to understand it and make right use of it, and that it was even time for the world itself to know about this and consider it also.

Even before that, He had taken the texts I mentioned above off the seventh-stage list, but He still refers to them as traditional pointers towards the seventh stage written by high sixth-stage Realizers.

Sri Bob: Pilgrim's comments above about Da's consideration of the stages of spiritual development clearly demonstrate that Frank is not a 7th stage master. A true 7th Stage Master (or even 6th, for cryin' out loud) doesn't need to consult books to find out what other Masters thought and did. At these levels, time is no barrier to communication. At these levels, communion between present and past Masters is direct and unmediated. The very fact that Frank must consult books indicates how far he is from non-dual. Just so. A shot of V.O., anyone?

Philip: I think Adi Da Samraj is Siddha Adept, in the same league as Swami Nityananda, and Ramakrishna. I would not discourage anybody from following him. I am not comfortable, however with His claims of Unique Divinity.

I don't see any signs of Adi Da Samraj having established himself, most profoundly in the 6th stage of development. This is not an attempt at Da bashing or anything of the sort. A 5th stage adept is a rare occurrence in this realm. It is a gift to be in the presence of such a one. Real growth can take place in the Daist sadhana. A 5th stage realization does, however, have its shadows. Not having transcended relativity, a Guru in this stage of development has not gone beyond egoity. This is clear in Adi Da's case, with the obsessive need to put every Dharma and Realizer beneath his own Dharma and Realization.

The limitations of the Sangha are most profound in this case... as would any Sangha with leadership not having gone beyond some very ordinary hang-ups. You do become what you meditate on. You conform to the likeness of what you tend to put your attention on. This is true for everyone. The Daist Sangha has become much like Da himself ... paternal, overly demanding, somewhat lacking in compassion, and rigid almost to the point of having fascist tendencies. It seems that Adi Da has developed along the same lines as the development of his father -- a controlling Pitta type. Also, some or many of his devotees seem to need that male dysfunctional figure in their lives. A demanding father figure who, by his unpredictable behavior, takes life out of its quiet desperation. Many people thrive on relationships like these.

There is much to gain from Adi Da, in my opinion. His Spiritual Transmission can be a profound catalyst for growth. His teachings on the functional disciplines in the areas of diet, exercise, regenerative sexuality, bodywork, conductivity and hatha yoga are first class. For someone who can thrive under the conditions of life that are imposed within the Sangha, Free Daism is a fine way. It is foolish to believe that it is the only way, or the best way for everybody.

Ron: My question is, how are you qualified to judge anyone's realization?

Philip: My post was purely theoretical. I really don't know how qualified I am. I do know what I have felt and experienced and learned and saw during twenty years of sadhana under several teachers. I saw many things in Daism that were good, and many things that were rotten. My take on this whole matter is simply: the rotten couldn't arise (in such great magnitude - and for such a long period of time) if the Guru had Really and Truly transcended the first 5 stages of life.

Ron: I see a lot of talk here on the various stages of realization but how can we ordinary folk decide whether someone is realized or not?

Philip: We can't. Only a fully awakened Being can recognize another fully awakened Being.

Ron: Are there infallible criteria that we can go by?

Philip: No, there are not any INFALLIBLE criteria. There are criteria though IMO. I do believe through my post I have put my $0.02 on the till.

JCB: Very, very nice, Phil. Once you hit the Witness a profound impartiality seems to emerge. The impartiality of no-difference that seems to underlie the actions of even really cool "fifth-stagers" (Ammachi???) is missing in Da's preference for going the easy route and living well at his devotees' expense, and so on, all the "respect the World in the morning" stuff.

Hereward: I think his written teaching goes way beyond 5th stage. Muktananda was 5th stage.

Philip: How do you "rank" his written teaching? Some of it seems to be from an Ultimate perspective, but the tiresome proclamations of an exclusive realization seem to be from an egoic perspective. Judging Muktananda from merely his written teaching, one would have to conclude he has gone beyond the 5th Stage. Hey, in Shaktipat Vilas (Play of Consciousness) he vividly describes an advanced (or ultimate) awakening. Just because he claims such an awakening doesn't make it so! I'm not going by the "feel" of the written teaching so much, but by the actions of the Guru. JCB's theory that Adi Da is "realized but flawed" is something that I can totally wrap my head around. Adi Da's continual pointing at himself as the greatest realizer ever is way over the top IMO.

Hereward: Many Saints and Gurus have spoken from the perspective of 5th stage, but He doesn't talk from that perspective, and that is precisely the attraction for people like you and me.

Philip: Sometimes he does seem to talk from that perspective, sometimes it appears to be a case of Nirvakalpa Sahaj. Or a case where someone is so immersed in Nirvakalpa Samadhi, that the very Samadhi is lived in some way outside of seated meditation.

Hereward: The fifth stage awakening corresponds to the throat chakra yes ? When this is opened one's consciousness transcends gross reality, one becomes capable of experiencing the subtle forms which give birth to the gross entities, the realization that self and other are interchangeable, multiple states of being, the astral plane etc....

Philip: The awakening of the throat (or lower verbal mind) is definitely involved. I think that it is primarily a case of transcendence of the ajna door, and entry into the crown itself.

Hereward: That stuff doesn't really interest me much. I go for the crystal pure insights. I've had these kind of insights from reading a handful of authors, all of whom are dead except for Adi Da. ...Do I sound like a devotee ?? Well, in my familiar vein of being upfront and open, let me declare that I re-cognize who He Is. For me to say less than that would be a pretense, a kind of intellectual sophistry.

Philip: I tend to go by the transmission felt in a teaching or a teacher. This could be a big time error, being so subjective and all. But I can't afford not to. I go by what I feel in the direct presence of a Guru, or by the presence inherent in the word of a realizer. Also by the presence inherent in the company of a Sangha of a realizer. The Community itself being a potentially empowered aspect of the teacher.

Hereward: However his inaccessibility, and the grotesque miasma created by his coterie of followers is a real barrier. And this barrier is not just "my refusal to surrender". Its a barrier created deliberately (semi subconsciously perhaps) by those of his devotees who wish to hoard him, to preserve their own childish way of relating to him, and to prevent their own realization by actually practicing the Way that he represents.

For me, spiritual development has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with joining a club or wearing a badge or waving a banner. That kind of stuff is what people do to make themselves feel better. It gives a sense of belonging, a sense that you are someone special. I've got nothing against it, nor do I have anything against the Rotary Club - I'm just not interested.

Is my disinterest in becoming a member of the Adi Da club a sign that I am deliberately shutting Him out ??? Well, that's a typical kind of cultic argument, based I think on a deeper but unspoken premise that I'm a "naughty boy" -- defying Daddy's authority!

I suggest that the factors which bind many of Da's followers to him are these underlying guilt complexes and parental projections.

Philip: This is my A#1 flashing red light about the Sangha, the Dharma and Guru: Adi Da Samraj.

Hereward: But He doesn't want people to relate to Him as a parent figure, or a lover or a rival. He's said it over and over again--he wants people to relate to him as a Realizer!

Philip: He denounces cultism a lot. But, he doesn't seem to discourage it too much in his own case. He may say over and over again that he doesn't want to be related to as a parental deity. Does he mean it?

Hereward: Based on what He has said (I have nothing else to go on), I Respect Him and Value Him and Love Him (and i Love Typing In Capitals - It Makes Me Feel So Important !)

FROM JCB:

Dear Hereward,

I really like what you say about the spiritual process. As to the problems in Adidam, I don't at all agree that these are just due to the devotees. Da himself has much to do with the whole approach to him.

As to the "fifth stage", what Da is getting at with this refers to the sahasrar and beyond -- "cosmic consciousness"; unitive identity with ALL of manifestation ('n shit). Every damn chakra. Every damn phenomenon. Unity with Shakti Itself.

In other words, heavy-ass stuff. The 6th stage, or identity with the Witness, is prior to manifestation. Purusha prior to Prakriti, 'n, you know.

So being a full 5th-stage realizer is no small thang, which is why evaluating these sorts (Da quite possibly included) is a tricky task for us Joes in the trenches.

Regards, JCB

FROM Elias:

What Frank has done is redefine Enlightenment so that there is a "stage" of Divine Realization that is above and beyond all the other stages, and only one manifest being is the perfect expression of that stage.

Literally, according to him, there never were and never will be any 7th stage Realizers except Frank. Yes, there will be "murti gurus", people who will worship Frank forever and I gather will act like channellers or something for the Great One.

But after Frank nobody except Frank gets to say "I Am" in that unqualified unconditional non-dual sense in which the Traditions witnessed the Realization of the Self as God. The "I AM" of the murtis will always exist in a structure of politics and symbols and institutional ceremonial trappings beneath the image of the man who was First, Last, and Always.

And there lies what is certainly the central "paradox" of Adi Da... Some of us would call it a blasphemy and the attempt of a Spiritual Ego to overthrow the Traditions. As Jim Steinberg once said to me, after being in close proximity to Frank for something like five years, "sometimes I wonder if he is the prophesied anti-Christ." (Jim, I think it is safe to say, has since been won over completely.)

What do you think, Pilgrim? Do you ever have doubts? In your darkest nights, do you ever wonder where all this is going?