I have always been insane since the day I was born, mad with this Formless Condition that is only vaguely associated with my body-mind... God is crazy just like me. In fact, God is crazy just like you.

Franklin Jones (Adi Da), quoted in Holy Madness, by Georg Feuerstein, page 97.

Adi Da claims to be a part of the crazy-wise guru tradition. Maybe, maybe not. This tradition requires skillful means to expose egoic tendencies in followers. Frank's followers like to babble on about his 'ego shattering techniques.' The problem, of course, is that not one of his followers have become ego-less. What to make of this? You decide. One thing is for sure: the Da-ster is at least a little bit crazy. Ah, yes! Just so! Whoop-de-doo!

FROM Glenn:

Elias said: And that leads to my "first last and only" point, which is, how do you discriminate about the behavior of wild mentors? Where do you find the measure of their ethics, and how do you weigh the love, compassion, and justice of their "right actions"?

Glenn: I suggest weighing the effects of the actions, not the actions themselves. Look to the students.

Elias said: Those who stayed, or those who left?

Glenn: I've never met or heard of anyone who left Vajradhatu because of Trungpa Rinpoche's actions. Plenty of people left because of the mess the Regent stirred up. It seems to me that that mess was ideal. Just what our sangha needed to weed out those interested in personality worship and those who were after dharma by the sweat of their brows. I never did understand the Regent uproar.

[Editor's Note -- Osel Tendzin, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche's Regent, was born Thomas Rich in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1944. A former student of Swami Satchidananda, he became the first Westerner to be empowered as a holder of the Karma Kagyu lineage. When he died of AIDS in 1990, it was reported in The New York Times that he admitted having over a hundred sexual partners of both sexes, after learning he had AIDS. According to The Times, Rich said that he felt he and his sexual partners would be protected by the magical power he had received from his lineage initiation. This turned out not to be the case, and many of Rich's lovers have since died of AIDS.]

As if a figure in power had any power to corrupt the dharma. As if. But then again, I was never emotionally involved with either the man, or the feeling of community that was so strong. People really built up their identities and life around the Teacher and the Sangha. It must have seemed that the whole thing had turned to rot overnight when it was discovered that the Regent habitually had unprotected sex despite having AIDS, and that senior Vajradhatu officials knew this and did nothing to bring this to light in order to stop him.

I was at the Gampo Abbey at the time. As far as most of us were concerned, meditation was still powerful, blessings were still available, the dharma was still functional, and the earth still turned. Our earth revolved around insight, not around a lineage holder. Our earth was incorruptible. The regent issue was just a passing affair of pain and intrigue.

But many people did not see it that way, and could not stay with the community. In my opinion, it is likely that many of these people did not base their involvement in the community on an interest in meditation and study, but in an interest in the teachers and the culture.

Plenty more may have been strong practitioners, but I think the strong practitioners were by and large already rooted in the dharma, and did not feel that the earth had been pulled out from them because hierarchical misbehavior had been uncovered in our community.

Our community has since undergone a great deal of restructuring. It had to, as the money from donations went way down. It had to, because people stopped trusting the centralized authority. The paid core was largely disbanded, and a new core, and then again a second new core, was put together. Trungpa Rinpoche's son was proclaimed dharma heir by a trusted big time lineage holder and friend of Trungpa Rinpoche's -- Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche, I believe.

Slowly, slowly, the community started to feel less like a bomb had hit it, and more like a core that could not be shattered had been rediscovered and re-emphasized. There are strong currents of passion that, I hope, can't again be shaken by trivialities such as corruption and deceit.

People are putting efforts into their centers, and into reaching out to the large community. Classes are being taught that have no mention of any teacher, or even of Buddhism. We want to let our hearts be vast. Vast enough to try to reach out the message of simple sanity to any possible person who is willing to discover such a message in their own lives. There are classes on poetry, dharma art, Buddhism, shambhala teachings, flower arranging, and much more. And Naropa has really broadened their curriculum. It isn't just a Buddhist school anymore. They have Jewish, Hindu, Christian, Native American, and other teachers. And their continuing education classes are extensive. My favorites are poetry writing, chi-gong, and aikido. I take such classes every fall, and sometimes in the spring.

So it seems to me that the catastrophe of people in power wanting to keep alive the power structure despite any possible ills had a perfect backfire. Perhaps such a thing is destined to happen again, because idols are born every time someone feels incomplete. But it looks like the backfire exploded identification with one person, and even solely with one path.

Elias: Excellent post, Glenn. Have you talked to people who were hurt by what happened?

I can only speak for what I see and hear. I can't know what stories I haven't heard. But that doesn't invalidate the stories I have heard. I don't know the full details of Trungpa Rinpoche's teaching style. Do I need to? I haven't heard of harm, I haven't felt harm, but I have heard of absolutely incredible profound help, and I have seen directly the effects of that help. And if there was harm, I believe I would have heard of it or at the least sensed it after 14 years in the community, and after reading an anti-Regent sangha newspaper that was published for a while during our "crisis". People in our community like to think for ourselves. We aren't merely trying to build up a safe belief system to comfort ourselves with. We do just the opposite. We make ourselves uncomfortable on purpose. We kinda get off on that. It makes us feel our hearts.

Language, and knowledge altogether, is tricky, because it is context based. In one breath I can be perfectly sincere in saying that the Guru's actions can't be fathomed and so shouldn't be, and in another be perfectly sincere in advocating critical examination.

I just want to give the context of the unknowable. Not an easy context to share, especially since so much of our intellect is trapped in rationality. But my experience has been that some of my states of mind are simply not fathomable by ordinary means. I have also met people, good friends even, whose minds are at times largely beyond my ken. To know this is more than accurate humility, it is respect. And so my experience of myself and of some others tells me that it is quite likely that Trungpa Rinpoche was not fathomable by ordinary means. I would never, never, pretend to understand his motives in ordinary psychological terms.

I could see how some people would think such "reasoning" was merely an excuse to grant a teacher cart blanche acceptance. To someone who thinks that there is not one thing I can say. But some of us have had glimpses and more of states of mind that are not based on passion, aggression, ignorance, greed, or jealousy, or any thing at all. Some of us are no longer mere cynics stuck in flatland. We know that devotion is not merely a tool, but a recognition. We know that some things we just don't know. We know that there are ways of knowing that are so different from the way we usually operate that sometimes the best we can do is acknowledge that we just don't know.

Humility is king over cynicism, because humility has awe.

Rationality wants to be king over everything, and will sometimes try to dethrone at any opportunity. Rationality is a joke. A useful, but very small joke. Rationality never sees this, and when it does it becomes afraid of annihilation. That is why it can feel so good to seek out annihilation. Then our hearts can break loose a bit from the stifling cocoon of rationality. Whew! A little fresh air! Scary, and not so cozy, but soooo much bigger it is heartbreaking. This is where the mind of the guru is. A secret that rationality can't see.

So to judge the morals of the Guru with rationality can be good, as far as it goes. But how far does it go? The mind of the Guru is out in the fresh air, way, way, wayyyyyyyyyyy bigger than rationality.

That is why I say that it is better to judge the effects of the Guru's actions. As the Guru doesn't operate solely from rationality, to judge her actions solely using rationality is to judge higher holons with smaller ones. You just can't do that without squashing the higher holons and missing their message.

But we can look to see effects of actions of the Guru. We may not directly experience the mind of the Guru by doing so, but we may at least get a feel for what is going on that is not so limited by our ideas of what should be going on. We might see that a Guru's unholy actions have provided benefit. If so, best to see that and not merely judge what a Guru's actions should have or should not have been. And the converse is so. If a teachers actions are unskillful or worse, best to see that, and not be caught up in what we think her actions should be causing.

And even if a teacher is a big time fuckup, where does that leave us? Stranded? Not in my life, because even if every single Guru and Buddha and Arhat and Bodhisattva of the past, present, and future went sour and showed up at my doorstep wanting to eat my brains like in the Night of the Living Dead, the dharma would still be just as sweet, and the nature of mind would still be unstained, and my love would still be undeniably here for us all.

And who do I have to thank for such feeling for dharma? In large part, Trungpa Rinpoche, the Crazy Wise Guru. I never met him personally, but I have met his mind in the mind and hearts of his students. I am indebted more than words can express. The precious gift of Bodhicitta is what he strove to awaken, and he has succeeded in vast and profound proportions.

FROM JCB:

Excellent post, Glenn. I am interested in your thoughts on this one, and want to point out the difficulties involved in impartially surveying the students.

The "sampling" process is a tough one, especially if you regularly associate with people who are still "in" or "out". (You know how people tend to color history to fit their present choices.) In other words, by which fruits does one judge, and which parts of the fruit?

Another complicating factor arises when you see very "mixed" results, often within the same individual.

My mother-in-law knew Trungpa, BTW, and was a member of the sangha in the early 1970's (when my wife was a little kid -- she met him too and just knew him as "Rinpoche", and it took me awhile to figure out who this "Rinpoche" was after I met her). My wife's mother's feelings about him are completely positive and she has some great stories.

An interesting aside is that my wife herself never developed any desire to join a sanghically-based practice, I think in part because as a kid she was treated so flakily by adults who were "practitioners". I don't hold this against Trungpa at all, and neither, I think, does she. But it does show, in its way, how one's mileage may vary in evaluating a teacher via his or her students. One is always evaluating a mix of things, anyway, e.g., realization vs. skill in teaching. These are related and interdependent, but not necessarily identical!

In sum, I think looking to the students of a "crazy-wise" teacher is reasonable enough, although fraught with difficulty. I also don't happen to think that one can or should just ignore the teacher's actions in and of themselves, but that's a whole 'nuther can of worms.

Regards,

Jim

FROM Julian:

Pilgrim said: Fall into a contemplative state as frequently as possible, and design a life that allows that as frequently as possible, even in the midst of the activities necessary for survival. And don't do a helluva lot else.

This Pilgrim quote inspired me to write a Daism critique I've had building up...I've studied this whole movement quite closely for the past few years, so I have a reasonable idea of what I'm talking about. This is going to be rough, I'm not going to bother writing it up in length or structure it well. Maybe it really needs a whole book...not for me to write.

Firstly, Da has failed. He acknowledges his failure. And I want to go into why I think he failed, and why his method doesn't work and is not suitable or even appropriate(!)

The first thing is that he denies life, by this I mean human life, life in the world; expression. I think at first, in "The Knee of Listening" this wasn't so much presented. To me, that is the purest of all he has written. The writing between 1970-72. After that time, it was all compromised, it was distorted.

He denies evolution, any purpose to the illusion, he's still stuck with these redundant ideas from advaita vedanta...he just copied Muktananda in the way he set himself up as guru, he did not create the new culture that he saw had to be created.

Non duality is seen as a way out, absorption and "liberation" into the "radiant transcendental being." Paradoxically, Da's own evolution(s) are convolutedly expressed as greater and greater forms of non duality! Which is an absolute dead end. Contemplation on prior forms, or the source of one's being is only mystical nihilism, using non-dualism to justify itself.

In the eternality of the "radiant transcendental being"/"the one", there is no end. This world is a play, a divine expression to increase the whole, to explore the whole, to extend the whole, to create more, to be more. This evolution isn't an endless march forward into the future, but an eternal event, a joyful process.

There is suffering, life that does not go on forever...but "nirvana" is not going to happen sorry. I don't think it is possible...at least not in the way that people think...

He doesn't explore his own purification from the perspective of Franklin Jones in "The Knee of Listening" to the degree he could have. I mean, what about his Scientology experiences? Surely "the mother" led him to those, surely those were a purification of the past of "Franklin Jones." He doesn't recognize the worth of this purification. When he gets to a point where he is pure, and has "broken through", he says "just understand." But that is not going to happen where people are. He says "just get over your problems", but that is simply not going to happen.

Because he saw the non-necessity of spiritual experience, suddenly all human experience becomes worthless. He says the only purpose of this world is "understanding." But what is that? In 1970, his "understanding" was only a return to his prior state of being, a knowledge of his own true identity, which was already there.

He denies the mind and the greater expression of the mind, things such a psychic abilities, and see's no place for greater use of the mind at all. In fact, he denigrates the mind most of the time. But heart without a mind that is smart, is a useless/sloppy/dangerous thing...and mind without heart...well, most people know what that is like. An integrated human makes use of and extends both of them, they are both gifts and expressions of ourselves. Only with both working together, can we be a true human being human.

He fails to see the wills of people, what they do and why they are doing it. He denies their will/karma, whatever you like to call it. They cannot live this one-dimensional existence he gives them for very long, it is stagnating, eating raw vegetables and sex once a month! It isn't going anywhere. Human beings require expression and outward life, asceticism don't work and a complete inward focus is not going to work. The whole continent of India has already demonstrated this.

He takes away power from people. This surrender to the guru business is just not going to happen in the West. You shouldn't surrender to any human being to that extent, giving your will over to them. In that case you become a sycophantic/pathetic nothing; you have no power. You've given it all over to a man.

The crazy wisdom way he teaches has failed...it's just too inefficient and time-intensive. I can't see why he didn't see this after, oh....one month. Tackling the dragons of another is not going to do it. It may be heroic, but it's bloody stupid... People have to tackle their own dragons, they have to tackle each others dragons...and in fact already are, but they don't really know how.

He drew on the east, on the Indian tradition. Which is only one half of the circle of life...it is a retreat from life itself. Life Itself is where we find ourself, it is where we live. It is to be valued and not denigrated. This limitation is a great gift. It is an illusion, a hologram, yet it can be used to do and become extraordinary things.

This is why Daism fails and is failing....it fundamentally ignores the inherent evolution, action, conflict and beauty of the world and its manifestations. To deny the aspect of the circle that manifests and lives and is human, is to deny this life and not take advantage of what can be done here.

The world is going to catch up with Mr. Da much more in the next few years I think... What Da did right in my opinion... He encourages humanness, being with other human beings in relationship. This is really very important I think. ...He lived/lives the heart and had the courage to live the heart...completely. ...And he showed people what not to do!

Julian.

FROM Theos:

Da's spiritual complexity tends to cloud some simple issues.

Granted he is a fascinating being, most notably the question of his self-identified function as a "Guru" is responsible for most of the confusion. Certainly, Da has walked further into space than most as reflected in his insightful writings. However, spiritual accomplishment is distinct from being a Guru.

Everyone has seen or heard of Da's abuse of power with only 2 subsequent reactions: 1. Defend Da. 2. Dismiss Da. There is a 3rd view.

The whole "Strange Case" eases up immediately when you separate Da's spiritual accomplishments, however defined, from his self-appointed Guru title. Da is/was/will always be of interest as an extraordinary spiritual character and minimally as an entertainer. When Da is clearly dismissed as a Guru, then you can see and Freely appreciate him as he is with all his complexity.

As long as one is confused and not made this critical distinction, there are an endless series of rationalization bags and cultic "fixes" first-aid kits, contradictions, paradoxes, arguments for "crazy wisdom" and distorted suffering baggage related to Da -- all amounting to just a whole lot of psychic tension.

This tension is released when the simpler truth is seen: the "Guru" is not on a power trip. Ergo, Da is disqualified in the Guru arena. Until then, endless rounds of debate and rationalization.

Lastly, I wonder if Da is truly "history". Would a Ken Wilber or an Alan Watts be attracted to Da -- today???

In summary, the all-critical dividing line is in freely appreciating the extraordinary manifestation of Da while completely dismissing him as a Guru or as some far-fetched Christ/Buddha/Krishna Avatar Who Walked Freely Among All People. That is not Da. Obvious. That part should be simple, clear-cut. All the insights and siddhis in the cosmos cannot compensate or disguise this fact.

You will be and feel Freer when you make this critical distinction for yourself.

PS The imparting of Shaktis and Effects does not a Guru make. So then the question, who is a Guru? The One who Disappears with You. The One who shows you the Self. No master. No Disciple. The One who LIVES that Beautiful Felt (BY YOU!) Freedom - Freely Among All. The One who goes beyond even "I am That". NEVER the one who is again and again and again seen to be on an exploitative Power trip and ever in need of defense by his devotees. It's obvious. That part is. Keep it Simple.

FROM Sri Bob:

Blame it on Pilgrim. In a recent thread he made a mocking suggestion to Elias regarding Adi Da: "Why don't you send Him your credentials, and a list of recommended commandments."

Of course, I AM Da's Teacher. I say this without shame. Well, maybe a little. Okay, I’m so humiliated, my lower chakras are clenched tighter than a constipated chicken’s butt. No wonder I need my V.O. Now, where was I? Oh, yes: So even though Pilgrim was on the wrong end of the trolley, as usual, he got me thinking. The Da-ster needs credentials and commandments, does he? Well, it sure couldn’t hurt; God knows I’ve tried everything else.

Now, being an 8th (going on 9th) stage Adept obviates the need for a crass display of credentials. I am Da's Master--Supremo Avatar & Sat-Guru Sri Bob. Just So. After Divinely Considering the recent posts on the matter of Adi Da, here are

1. Thou shalt, for a period of no less than a year, get a day job. (I'm thinking something like the counter at Taco Bell, something Rich in Relationship, if Poor in Minimum Wage, my son. Live with ordinary people for awhile, witness the divine beauty of their guru-less lives, feast on Burrito Supremes with extra hot sauce.)

2. Thou shalt learn to write cogently--and without all those Capital Letters, for chrissake. (Your unending torrent of tomes have become harder and harder for mere mortal piglets to wade through. Suggestion: Come up with a digestible 300-page summary of your Work. Call it A Brief History of Every. . . er . . . well, you get the idea. And get an editor, for once, someone with a big red pen. Indeed. Just so.)

3. Thou shalt cut the "I Am The One & Only" shtick. (Yes, you're the Most High & Most Humble--you’ve told us thousands of times, how could we forget?--but this misapplication of a transpersonal state to your specific embodiment puts many off your message. You’ve conflated your Transpersonal Self with your Personal Self, babe. Said another way, to know yourself as The Big One transpersonally does not mean you alone are The Big One personally. Get it? Whenever in doubt as to which category you are speaking from, remember that your transpersonal self doesn't poop.)

4. Thou shalt not incessantly whine about not being well received by the world at large. (Are you powerless before the least of us humans? If you're Who you say You are--Hero of all heroes, Master of all masters, God of all gods--then create a more receptive world, dammit! I mean, you’ve prophesied that by your 60th birthday, you’ll be recognized as The World Teacher by the bulk of humanity. That’s 1999, babe. We’re talking one year to go from Zero to Hero. You better get cookin’, my son, or a false prophet ye shall be.)

5. Thou shalt not encourage flatland idolatry of thy self. (The passing Personal Era demanded personal gods and gurus. We had great heroes from Christ to Charlemagne to Douglas MacArthur. We don’t believe saviors are the answer any more. The dawning Transpersonal Era moves beyond the adolescent craving for a super-dad to solve our problems [if only we worship well enough]. We’re here on earth to save ourselves. No one--not you, not the God of All Gods--no one can do it for us. All of which, by the way, makes your Greatest of Alllll Tiiime claim a bit over the top, wouldn’t you say?)

6. Thou shalt take thy show on the Road. (We're talking real feedback here, babe; don't just hang with starstruck devotees who would happily & intellectually justify it if you raped, murdered and ate young boys. Grok on with top scientists and sociologists and spiritual adepts--share your wisdom and subject your follies to the fire of equal relationship. Put simply: stop hiding from the world, Franklin. Stop Hiding. Just so.)

7. Thou shalt try really hard to figure out why the world's Spiritual Adepts do not support your claims of being the Big Kahuna of Alllll Tiiime. (I mean, really, howsacome nobody who’s anybody recognizes your silly claims of First-Last-Onliest? How come? And just for kicks, my son, don't rely on your standard refrain of, "Everybody's out of step but Me." Learn to share the glory and someday maybe you’ll move to the big tent instead of being considered a sideshow wacko. V.O. Samadhi, anyone?)

8. Thou shalt not expose film until further notice. (As in, there are plenty enough graven images of you already. Thanks for the thought, though. Don’t you realize that the repressed ego of little Franklin constantly shines through the Wizard of Oz facade that is Adi Da? I mean, Jesus, talk about Narcissus! You’re the archetype, Frankie boy.)

9. Thou shalt speak out of no more than one side of your herpes-blistered mouth. (Stop building a cult while decrying cultism, for heaven’s sake. Stop claiming your followers think for themselves while empowering a cultic bureaucracy that brooks no deviation from an infinity of rules. In fact, stop ‘confessing’ anything, you shameless braggart. And practice safe sex while’s you’re at it, you crafty old VD spreader, you. Some healer you are. Just so, indeed.)

10. MOST OF ALL, thou shalt not preach that ordinary life is a pathology. (Yes, there are pathological aspects to the primal contraction, but haven't you heard that eternity is in love with the productions of time? Physical reality ain’t no mistake, mate!--it’s a kickass unfolding of the Divine. Plain and simple?: Contraction is a technique, not a problem. Your entire shtick would change for the better if I could just get you to understand this, my frightened son.)

And besides, Muhammed Ali is, was, and forever shall be, "The greatest of Allllll Tiiime!"

Many Thanks and a Namaste or Two,

His Wholeness, 8th (going on 9th) Stage Adept, Sri Bob