The Religious Movements Homepage: Adidam

History

Born as Franklin Jones, Adi Da claims in his first book, The Knee of Listening, that he was born in the fully enlightened state, which he described as the "Bright." For two years, he enjoyed this state, but made the conscious decision to relinquish awareness of his divine state when he realized that he must spend his life teaching humanity about its true nature. Driven by divine love and compassion, Adi Da gave up his freedom from the ego, not for himself, but for humankind. After this decision was made, in an intense ordeal saturated with the experience of human suffering, he spent the next 30 years on a path to recover the "Bright."

The son of a window salesman, Jones was raised in Long Island. While information about his early years is incomplete, in his search for the truth, it is known that he experimented with many religions, spiritual paths, and techniques, as well as quite a few drugs. In time, he studied at both Columbia and Stanford universities, followed by three Christian seminaries (the names of which are unknown).

Still searching for answers and for the root cause of human suffering, Jones experienced a "crisis of despair" in 1960. This led to his insight that "there is only the one Reality or Transcendant Consciousness and that this Reality or Consciousness is Man's true identity" (Hinnells 1992: 93).

With this realization, he began to study with Swami Rudrananda, commonly known as Rudi, an American disciple of Swami Muktananda. Before he founded the Siddha Yoga Dham, Swami Muktananda lived in India and was a disciple of Nityananda. This form of Indian yoga emphasized that the key to God-realization is the awakening of kundalini, a powerful energy normally resting at the base of the spine. By drawing this energy up the spine into the crown cakra at the top of one's head, one could become spiritually enlightened. After his study under Muktananda, Rudrananda returned to the United States to establish his own movement.

Jones eventually left Rudrananda, and travelled to India himself in order to study as a disciple of Swami Muktananda (Melton 1991: 331-32). Under Muktananda, Jones attained yogic liberation in 1968, and he entered the permanent condition of the "Transcendental Being Consciousness Itself" in 1970 (Hinnells 1992: 93). This is considered Adi Da's re-awakening to the "Bright." Like his first teacher had done, eventually Jones also left Muktananda to become a guru himself in the United States. (From this account, the impact of Swami Muktananda on the American subset of Indian religions becomes quite apparent.)

In 1972, Adi Da founded the Dawn Horse Communion, which began meeting in the back of a bookstore in Los Angeles, California. Over time, the group has grown significantly, but this has not been the greatest change. Most obviously, there have been many changes in names, usually accompanied by slight changes in teaching style and doctrine. The Dawn Horse Communion eventually became the Crazy Wisdom Fellowship, the Johannine Daist Community, the Free Daist Communion, and finally the Way of the Heart (Hinnells 1992: 93).

Franklin Jones changed his own name many times as well, usually as the result of a divine realization. Most of these names are listed above. Adi Da's current formal name, Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj , is not just a random collection of names meant to sound divine, but are Sanskrit terms intended to convey specific meanings and to define his being as an avatar. "Ruchira" is a term that literally means radiant or bright, and is meant to describe the "Brightness" of Adi Da's bodily form. He is called an "avatar" because he is believed to be the appearance of God in human form. Adi Da claims that the names "Adi" and "Da" were spontaneously given to him; they mean "first" and "real God," respectively. From these names, the term "Adidam" emerged, which is a name for the practices and beliefs of The Way of the Heart. And finally, "Samraj" may be directly translated into "Universal Ruler" or "Supreme Lord." (Lee, n.d.)

Over the years, Adi Da has published many books, some of which describe his personal journey to re-awaken to the "Bright" and others that describe the beliefs of the Way of the Heart. Among the latter, much of the text is a transcription of the guru's formal lectures, which are said to be very well presented, even with little or no planning. (cf. Lowe 1995; Lowe and Lane 1996) Reaching a large number of readers each year, these books appear to be the primary way in which new devotees are recruited to the movement.

There are now three sanctuaries of Adidam practice: the Mountain of Attention in Northern California; the Love-Ananda Mahal in Hawaii; and the Ruchira Buddha Dham in the Fiji Islands, where a residential retreat center is open to devotees. While he takes an occasional trip to give lectures abroad, the guru himself now spends most of his time in Fiji.

A final stage of the guru's spiritual journey that should be noted is his "Divine Emergence," which occurred on January 11, 1986, and is described by Carolyn Lee as one of the "three great purposes of the Ruchira Avatar" (Lee, n.d.). Adi Da had been disheartened because he felt that he was not teaching his disciples well enough and they were not progressing in their realizations. The guru had a near-death experience, and as a result of this crisis came to the realization that he needed to devote all of his time to "universal blessing." He withdrew from active teaching, and now works closely with only his most devoted disciples. With this change, Adi Da has become a much less public figure, spending more and more of his time secluded in his home in Fiji, maintaining contact with only his nine "wives" and most advanced disciples.

Beliefs, Rituals, and Festivals

Principal Beliefs:

The most basic belief of The Way of the Heart is that Adi Da is the divine incarnation in bodily form. He teaches that humanity's search for God, truth, and reality is no longer necessary because he is here, and he personally approaches humanity. Adi Da has made it possible to have a living relationship with the divine Being, and this can bring absolute freedom from both the emptiness of a meaningless life and the pain of a self-obsessed existence. The guru continually asserts his divine nature in both his lectures and his writings. This is evident in what is, perhaps, his most repeated phrase, "Aham Da Asmi." Here, "Aham Da Asmi" can be translated "I am Da", where "Da" is alternately defined as "the one who gives" and "the one real God."

This idea of "self-obsession" highlights another fundamental belief of Free Daism—the ego. Adi Da teaches that the ego is "an activity, not an entity." By this, it should be understood that men and women create their egos and perpetuate them through their actions. By reacting to one's existence or life circumstances, it is believed that humanity "contracts," or draws itself away from the underlying one-ness of the universe. While all humanity was originally inseparable from the divine, the ego has caused us to shrink away from God. By abandoning the unity of the universe, we creates our ego. In other words, by reacting to the environment, we separate ourselves from the remainder of the universe and begin to see ourselves as separate entities—this is the ego. (See Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Love-Ananda Samraj, "On Liberation from ego and egoic Society, or, Cooperation + Tolerance = Peace.")

Through the practices that Adi Da teaches his devotees, he provides them with a way to realize and transcend their egoic nature. Through his divine influence, and through devotion to the guru, humanity is capable of divine realization, release from the ego, and ultimately freedom. The ego has always kept humanity from realizing its true nature, and therefore, men and women have had to endure suffering throughout the ages. In order to save humanity from this suffering, Adi Da provides a way to overcome the ego. Only Adi Da could make this cause of suffering known to humanity because he, as God, was present prior to the ego.

Before continuing with the beliefs of the group, it is necessary to define an important term which is used often by Adi Da and his devotees: "the Bright." "The Bright" is the "Condition of All Pervading Radiance, Joy, and Love-Blissful Divine Consciousness," and Adi Da named it this in his infancy (Lee n.d.) In simpler terms, it describes the state of enlightenment, relating all things to a brightness that they emit. Adi Da's human form is said to transmit this brightness, and it is for this reason that much of their meditative practices involve concentration on photographic representations of the guru. This divine energy, or the "Bright," which Adi Da transmits, is believed to move people towards a life devoted to the guru and divine reality.

Related to "the Bright" is the idea of a spiritual energy. Like many traditional Eastern religions, it is believed that there is an energy, or life-force, that circulates throughout the human body. While this energy has no direct biological counterpart, it often involves a variety of anatomical structures. This "Circle of Divine Spirit Energy" begins above the head, from which point it flows down over the head and through the front of the body. At the "bodily base," or perineum, it turns around and flows back up through the spine. For devotees of The Way of the Heart," Adi Da is the ultimate source of this spirit-energy.

Along its path, the spirit-energy encounters many "knots," which can be described as spiritual, emotional, physical, or mental stress-points. These knots are eventually dissolved with the power of Adi Da's "Spirit-Current." Once the circle of energy becomes resonant and the entire body radiates the energy, the "great revolution of Consciousness" may occur. With this, the current breaks out of the circle to settle in the heart, where the last of the knots is believed to reside. When the "deep heart-root" has been dissolved, the current may move out of the heart and form a crown around the head. The entire body becomes radiant with this energy, and the "body-mind" (which Adi Da describes the egoic self, the human form of an unenlightened, egoic person) dies.

Finally, the means by which divine realization is reached must be addressed. While the practices advocated by Adi Da are important for understanding the egoic self, it is not through these that humanity can become enlightened. Rather, enlightenment can be reached only through the grace of the guru, who has already realized God, truth, and reality. Because Adi Da teaches that "you become what you meditate on," positive thought, action, and meditation on the guru are important for the devotee. In other words, the devotee is expected to give constant love and attention to the spiritually realized being, and by meditating on the guru, he or she may begin to "duplicate" him. In this way, the devotee is able to forget the limited "body-mind-self."

In time, a devotee may reach the point of "Divine Translation," which is the ultimate event in The Way of the Heart. This is the point at which all things fade into "Brightness," and is reached through a complete release of the egoic self. The "body is spontaneously relinquished, and there is no return to embodiment, but only eternal Joy."

Divine translation is, of course, rarely accomplished in a single lifetime. However, as in many other Eastern religious traditions, the Free Daists believe that the soul cycles through many living forms, through many deaths and rebirths. From this it follows that the "eternal Bond of Love," which cannot be broken by the processes of death and rebirth, is maintained over many lifetimes. Thus, devotees take comfort in the fact that, while they may not attain enlightenment in the present lifetime, their devotion to Adi Da is improving their karma and they will become enlightened in another lifetime because of their personal relationship with him.

Adi Da has defined Seven Stages of Life that relate the path taken in order to reach realization. These will be briefly discussed here.

Individuation, Socialization, and Integration. The first three stages of life encompass the ordinary physical, emotional, and mental growth of humans from birth to adulthood (about age 21). Individuation, the first stage, involves weaning from the mother and learning to be somewhat independent. Feelings of separation from the mother and other loved ones on whom one was once totally dependent, are unavoidable in the normal process of individuation and growing up. This anxiety leads to the first emergence of the ego. The Way of the Heart teaches that this ego causes all of the suffering that humans experience for the remainder of their lives.

The second stage, Socialization, involves the processes of social adaptation and sexual differentiation, and is the stage in which humans first experience love and the awareness of the effects of one's actions.

The third stage, Integration, which takes place in the teens and early twenties, involves the maturation of mental ability and the end of the puberty process. It is important to note that none of these stages are mutually exclusive, and they may occur at different ages, rates, and to different degrees in each individual. Adi Da claims that most non-adherents of Adidam never proceed beyond the first three stages of life.

Spiritualization, the fourth stage of life, involves the transition to a spiritual life of divine contemplation and selfless service. Adi Da claims that this may only happen through a "profound Heart-awakening," such that the common human goals of both bodily and mental pleasures give way to devotion to the guru. During this stage, the spirit-current moves down the front of the body, turns around at the base, moves back up the spine, and reaches a resting point in the "higher regions of the brain" (ajna chakra).

Higher Spiritual Evolution. Accomplished Yogis are said to be in the fifth stage of life, Higher Spiritual Evolution. With this realization, the adept is no longer aware of the physical nature of the world, and there is a temporary dissolution of body-mind awareness. Attention is instead focused in "profound trance states," which Adi Da calls the "dream-like or visionary regions of the mind."

Awakening to the Transcendental Self. In the sixth stage, while adepts continue to participate in normal life, they no longer see things as individual or separate. Because they may experience a temporary and conditional realization of their divine or true self (Jnana Samadhi), this stage is referred to as the Awakening to the Transcendental Self.

Divine Enlightenment, the last stage of life, involves a release from all the limitations of the ego. Only Adi Da has actually reached this stage of enlightenment, and he describes it as a divine realization rather than an experience. As a spiritually enlightened being, the true nature of the universe is simply obvious to him. He does not require meditative seclusion in this stage, as is generally necessary for the Stage Six sannyasin (devotees) . Upon reaching this stage, Adi Da claims that he literally became "enlightened," as the spiritual energy moved up as light to crown his head in the Amrita Nadi, or "Channel of Immortal Bliss." This is the source of the "Brightness" that emanates from Adi Da's body.

While no one has yet reached Adi Da's level of enlightenment, Carolyn Lee identifies two women who have attained remarkable depths of enlightenment under Adi Da's instruction. Ruchira Adidama Sukha Dham Naitauba and Ruchira Adidama Jangama Hridaya Naitauba are the two members of the Adidama Quandra Mandala of the Ruchira Avatar. These women have totally consecrated themselves to the guru, and are said to be on "the threshold of Divine Enlightenment" (Lee n.d.)

Major Rituals and Festivals:

There are several practices that are essential to The Way of the Heart movement. We will briefly discuss five.

Meditation. Central to The Way of the Heart movement is the belief in meditation on Adi Da as a means of reaching enlightnment. Because of Adi Da's relative seclusion from the majority of his devotees, this meditation involves intense contemplation of pictures of the guru. Devotees are expected to meditate at least twice a day in the formal setting of a Communion Hall. This meditative practice is very similar to the practices of Advaitayana Buddhism. Puja, the ritual counterpart to meditation, is also practiced often. This involves movement and gestures of devotion to the guru, including worship with lights (arti) and incense, prostrations, as well as chanting and recitations.

Study. Devotees are also expected to study daily from Adi Da's many spiritual writings. It is believed that by reading the "Wisdom-Teaching" every day, a devotee is better defended against the emergence of the ego. In order to alleviate thoughts of the body-mind-self, attention should be given to Adi Da at all times, .

Diet. Adi Da teaches that a good diet is essential for health and the practice of The Way of the Heart. Most devotees have a strictly vegetarian diet, and consume no caffeine, alcohol, or tobacco. Additionally, devotees are expected to give up sugar, salt, eggs, dairy products, and processed foods. The use of drugs is strictly prohibited.

In order to purify the body of toxins, fasting, during which only fruit juice is taken, is a common practice among devotees. Scott Lowe states that, as a devotee in 1974, he was expected to fast one day each week, with a monthly three-day fast. During these periods of fasting, he was also expected to take daily enemas. Whether or not these strict fasts and related hygiene practices are still required is not known. (One of the controversies surrounding the movement, however, is that, during Lowe's time with the group, while devotees had strict dietary limitations imposed on them, Adi Da and his circle of closest disciples were apparently involved in drunken parties; cf. Lowe 1995; Lowe and Lane 1996).)

Sexual Practices. Adi Da teaches that sex is entirely "life positive." Sexual practices which are learned and used by the group are intended to fulfill this "life-positive" quality. Characterized as Sexual Yoga, there are two stages: (1) the sexual "conscious exercise" and (2) the advanced and ultimate stage of "sexual communion." In this yogic practice, the conventional orgasm is bypassed because it is believed to cause a loss of life-energy and vital chemistry of the body. In this way, sex is supposed to become "an intensely pleasurable and regenerative whole body form of orgasm," rather than depleting the body of energy. The ability to conduct sexual energy, rather than suppress or indulge in it, is essential and allows one to increase the flow of energy through the body.

Community. Finally, one of the most important aspects of The Way of the Heart is the cooperative community. All full members are part of this community, and devotees meditate and worship together daily. Each week, an education class is held, and group meetings provide a setting for devotees to consider their practice. Also, every Sunday, there is a full day of formal retreat with the community. Most devotees live either in a cooperative household with other members or in established retreat centers. As noted earlier, many of the devotees are currently living on Naitauba, one of the Fiji Islands, where Adi Da resides as well.

Other practices advocated by Adi Da include service, either to the guru or within the community, and radical healing of disease through faith, prayer, and fasting.

The official Adidam website offers a more in-depth look at the practices discussed above, as well as several others. If you would like to find out more about these practices, this site links to "The Principles and Practice of Adidam."

Controversies

It is important to note that there are some who question Adi Da's authenticity, and there are quite a few apostates that believe that his methods are hypocritical at best and inhumane at worst. In fact, like many groups, the primary source of discontent is with Adi Da himself, rather than with his beliefs. Thus, I am hesitant to refer to these as "anti-Adidam" issues, because most of the following writers are still believers in the teachings of The Way of the Heart, and one remains a devotee. Because he is the topic of debate, this section is better titled "anti- Adi Da opinions."

The greatest source of tension in the group came about in April 1985, when Adi Da was sued by a former member of the group, Beverly O'Mahony. In her $5 million lawsuit, she charged that the guru, then Da Free John, ordered her estranged husband, Brian O'Mahony, to sexually abuse her. Charges were also made that she was "compelled, over a prolonged period of time, to accept physical and sexual abuses, confinement, degrading acts, inadequate diet, and the surrendering of her children" to Da Free John (Butler 1985a: A1). Other former members accused him of "indulging in long drinking binges, public sex and humiliation, assault, and feasts of caviar and fancy food with his inner circle." In addition, it was claimed that women were made to dress in "naughty lingerie for the guru's pleasure and subjected to nights of psychological and physical abuse" (Butler 1985a: A1).

The leaders of the group responded to these accusations explaining that sexual experimentation had occurred as a spiritual practice, but they denied any wrongdoing. Speaking for the group (which was then known as the Johannine Daist Communion), Crane Kirkbride claimed that "there have been no violations of the law, and nobody has been forced" (Butler 1985c: A3). The group went on to explain that its religious practices draw on the "Crazy Wisdom" traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Tantric devotional practices of Hinduism.

"Crazy Wisdom" traditions are practices in which "teachers may humorously trick and humiliate their followers for their spiritual growth," said Kirkbride (Butler 1985b: A18). It is described by Scott Lowe, who says that certain great teachers are "so profoundly liberated from . . . arbitrary and meaningless social codes that they are free to act in whatever wild, shocking, or bizarre manner they see fit—all in order to shake their followers out of their deadly complacency" (cf. Lowe 1995; Lowe and Lane 1996).

With these accusations, some members became disillusioned and quite a few former members have spoken out about the guru and their experiences as a member. Consider the following few:

In his paper, "The Paradox of Da Free John" (which, as of this revision, is no longer available online) David Lane identifies four major problems with Adi Da's practices. These include: the required membership dues (many followers paid 10-15 percent of their income to the group; cf. Butler 1985a: A16); the lack of public ministry after Adi Da withdrew from all but his closest disciples; the seemingly hypocritical egotism of the guru; and the limitations on all followers from attaining the final stages of enlightenment, so that no one but the guru can ever be truly enlightened.

In "The Strange Case of Franklin Jones" (cf. Lowe and Lane 1996), former member Scott Lowe describes his experiences with the group in the Fiji community. Lowe is quite sarcastic about the group, perhaps because of his expulsion after only a few months (apparently for questioning both Adi Da's practices and his legitimacy). he describes in detail the rigorous diet, hygiene, and meditative practices, all of which appear quite different from those described on the Adidam Home Page. Lowe also refers to the San Francisco Chronicle articles described above (Butler 1985a, 1985b, 1985c), claiming that, while they seem "overly sensationalistic and a bit superficial," with weak documentation of the alleged abuses, he is sure that the allegations are essentially true (Lowe 1995).

Lowe recalls believing that the guru was "physically abusive towards women, pushing and slapping them around on occasion." The abuse was typically regarded as shaktipat, the imparting of divine energy through physical contact, or a kind of divine blessing. Lowe further recounts the story of a pregnant woman who was forced to drink liquor before Adi Da punched her abdomen. He also claims that the guru was "especially hard on his wife, Nina, often kicking her out of the house," and perhaps physically abusing her.

Lowe considers Adi Da "guilty of the most monstrous egotism, unless of course he is truly an avatar, and it turns out that catering to the sexual, financial, and emotional needs of an avatar is of greater cosmic significance than helping the homeless and hungry." he concludes, sarcastically, that while he still believes the guru is a wonderful writer and speaker with some worthy ideas, Adi Da has "become a fat, boozy tyrant, abusing his nine 'wives' and his inner circle" because of his belief that he is free from all social rules and religious regulations.

In two articles which are archived online (1996, 1998), transpersonal philosopher Ken Wilber writes that, while he believes in Adi Da's divine realization and supports the nature of his teachings, he does not recommend that a "typical spiritual aspirant" join the isolated Daist community. Wilber believes, as many others have claimed, that the guru's "crazy wisdom" is taken to an extreme. Yet, he remains supportive of Adi Da's great spiritual insights and teachings.

Years ago, Wilber wrote the endorsement for Adi Da's book The Dawn Horse Testament, as well as an introduction for Scientific Proof of the Existence of God Will Soon be Announced by the White House! More recently, he has written that these are still great spiritual treatises, but he claims the "teaching is one thing, the teacher, quite another" (Wilber 1996).

Internet Links

Official Websites

Adidam—The Way of the Heart Given by Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj
The official website of The Way of the Heart, this site contains a wealth of information about the teachings and practices of Adidam. What should prove to be the most helpful to those who know little about the group is the section entitled "The Principles and Practice of Adidam" from the link to "The Religion of Adidam." Also, the stories written by Adi Da's devotees are very intersting and provide a look at his work without the confusion of Sanskrit terms. This site does not, however, adequately address the movement from an historical perspective.
http://www.adidam.org

The Beezone
The Beezone is a website designed to provide information about The Way of the Heart for people outside of the community of Adidam, and it contains information and links from many different sources, including Ken Wilber and Frank Marrero.
http://www.beezone.com

The Adidam Library
The Laughingman Library of Adidam was founded by Adi Da in the mid-1970s. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive summary of the Wisdom of The Way of the Heart, with many titles personally chosen by the guru.
http://adidam.org/library/home.htm

The Names of Avatar Adi Da Samraj and the Historical Names of Adidam
This website chronicles the many names of Adi Da as well as the different incarnations of the group, from its beginnings as the Dawn Horse Communion to the present Way of the Heart. Explanations, as well as the historical significance, are given for each name.
http://adidam.org/names/home.htm

Adidam Society
On this site, , the entire text of one of Adi Da's most recent writings, on the liberation from the ego and egoic society, may be found. Because this is typical of the writing style in many of his books, this is a good place to start.
http://peace.adidam.org

Sites Critical of Adidam

"The Strange Case of Franklin Jones" by Scott Lowe
Written by a former member, this paper presents a personal account of life in the Dawn Horse Communion, as the Way of the Heart was known during Lowe's brief membership in 1974. While there is considerable bias and sarcasm apparent in his essay (no doubt as a result of his expulsion from the group), Lowe attempts to support all of his assertions with evidence, and present his views as those of an intellectual, not merely a disgruntled ex-group member. The essay describes life as a devotee in quite different terms than that depicted on the Adidam website.
http://www.american-buddha.com/franklin.jones.htm

Research Bibliography

Primary Texts

Jones, Franklin. 1972.: The Knee of Listening. Los Angeles, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. 1973.: The Method of the Siddhas. Los Angeles, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Bubba Free John]. 1976.: No Remedy. Lower Lake, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. 1978.: The Enlightenment of the Whole Body. Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. 1978.: Love of the Two-Armed Form. Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Bubba Free John]. 1979.: The Eating Gorilla Comes in Peace. Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Bubba Free John]. 1980.: Scientific Proof of the Existence of God Will Soon be Announced by the White House! Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Da Free John]. 1982.: The Bodily Location of Happiness. Clearlake, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. 1982.: Crazy Da Must Sing, Inclined to His Weaker Side. Clearlake, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. 1984.: The Transmission of Doubt. Clearlake, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Heart-Master Da Free John]. 1985.: The Dawn Horse Testament. San Rafael, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. 1986.: The Holy Jumping-Off Place. San Rafael, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Heart-Master Da Love Ananda]. 1989.: The Basket of Tolerance. Clearlake, CA: Free Daist Communion.

Jones, Franklin. [Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj]. 1998.: Aham Da Asmi (Beloved, I am Da). Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj]. 1998.: Da Love-Ananda Gita (The Free Gift of the Divine Love-Bliss). Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj]. 1998.: Eleutherios (The Only Truth that Sets the Heart Free). Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj]. 1998.: Hridaya Rosary (Four Thorns of Heart-Instruction). Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj]. 1998.: Ruchira Avatara Gita (The Way of the Divine Heart-Master). Middletown, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Jones, Franklin. [The Ruchira Buddha, Avatar Adi Da Samraj]. 1997.: See My Brightness Face to Face. Clearlake, CA: Dawn Horse Press.

Secondary Texts

Butler, Katy. 1985a.: "'Sex Slave' Sues Guru." San Francisco Chronicle (April 4).
Butler, Katy. 1985b.: "Guru's Fiji Haven called 'Paradise'." San Francisco Chronicle (April 5).

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

Lee, Carolyn. N.d. "The All-Surpassing Revelation of The Divine World-Teacher Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj"; online

Lowe, Scott, and David Lane. 1996. Da: The Strange Case of Franklin Jones. Walnut, CA: Mt. San Antonio College

Wilber, Ken. 1996. "The Case of Adi Da." Available in the online archive at http://wilber.shambhala.com

Created by Anne H. Smith
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements, University of Virginia, Spring Term 1999
Last Modified: 04/01/04 (Douglas E. Cowan, University of Missouri-Kansas City)

Name:	Adidam, The Way of the Heart The group has undergone many changes in name, often accompanied changes in doctrine. Previous names include Dawn Horse Communion, Free Communion Church, Free Primitive Church of Divine Communion, Crazy Wisdom Fellowship, Johannine Daist Communion, Advaitayana Buddhist Communion, and Free Daist Communion. For the remainder of this profile, the names "Adidam" or the "Way of the Heart," the most recent incarnations of the group, will be used.
Founder:	Franklin Albert Jones, also known as Bubba Free John, Da Free John, Dau Loloma, Da Love-Ananda, Da Avadhoota, Da Kalki, Santosha Da, Da Avabhasa, Adi Da, and currently Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj. Franklin Jones has changed his name many times. For the remainder of the text, the name "Jones" and "Adi Da" will be used, for simplicity. Where appropriate and where such information is known, the correct name for a given historical context will be applied. If you would like to see the complete listing of names recognized by the Adidam followers, and the historical significance of each, click here to visit the site which chronicles these many changes.
Date and Place of Birth:	November 3, 1939 Jamaica, New York
Year Founded:	1970
Sacred or Revered Texts:	Franklin Jones has written many books throughout his career, beginning with The Knee of Listening (1972). More recently, The Basket of Tolerance (1989), one of his most popular works, was published. Of the twenty-three primary texts he has written so far, all are published by his own publishing company, The Dawn Horse Press. Five of these are considered central, and best represent his teachings. These constitute "The Heart of Adidam Revelation," and it is on them that most beginning study is focused: Aham Da Asmi (Beloved, I am Da) Ruchira Avatara Gita (The Way of the Divine Heart-Master) Da Love-Ananda Gita (The Free Gift of the Divine Love-Bliss) Hridaya Rosary (Four Thorns of Heart-Instruction) Eleutherios (The Only Truth That Sets the Heart Free) While these texts are not the primary focus of religious worship, devotees are expected to study from them at least once a day in order to combat the natural tendency towards egoism. Because meditation on the image of the guru is a major focus in the Way of the Heart, several photo albums of Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj are also available for devotees to use in meditative practices. It is believed that meditating on these images is one of the most direct ways to overcome the egoic self.
Size of Group:	According to Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions (1996: 852), as of 1991 there were approximately 900 members in the United States, 100 in Canada, and several hundred overseas. A different source (Occhiogrosso 1996: 67), cites approximately 3000 adherents as of 1996. Some of the devotees currently live at the residential retreat center in the Fiji Islands.
Religious Family:	Hindu
Remarks: