Daism as fundamentalism and a form of ideological totalism
Posted by Daism Schmaism on Aug-6-03
Burton Daniels,
according to his website (burtondaniels.com), is at present a Daist living at
the Northern California 'sanctuary'. As his writings indicate, he is scholarly,
intellectually intelligent, and well-educated. At the end of the essay linked to
below he writes, “Ultimately, God-Realization is a matter of being absorbed into
that which is truly Unmanifest. The traditions have, at most, only intuited the
seventh stage of life. They have not fully Embodied it, as is the case with
Avatar Adi Da. This is precisely why Avatar Adi Da is the unique and only means
to seventh stage God-Realization-for He Is That Very Reality which is to be
Realized.”
Daniels' last sentence reveals in a nutshell what is wrong with Daism and Daists
and why it is IMPOSSIBLE to carry on an open-ended discussion with Daists: Their
thinking is a form of ideological totalism. They believe that "Avatar Adi Da is
the unique and only means" to true awakening. They believe that Da is "the
Truth," not only "the Truth" for them, but universally, for everyone.
This is no different than Jerry Falwell believing that accepting Jesus Christ as
Lord is the only and universal way to salvation, except that Daism is of course
much more sophisticated than Falwell's fundamentalism.
But in both cases all counter-arguments are closed out by the circular argument
at the heart of the belief system, which is that they are in possession of "the
Truth." (Note that only those who believe that they must be "saved" would even
entertain Falwell's argument that Jesus is the only way to be saved. Falwell's
arguments about salvation do not appeal to people who are attuned to Eastern
ideas, but Daist arguments do, and this is part of what makes Da's spider's web
both attractive and 'sticky' to certain kinds of flies.)
Falwell meets all arguments by ultimately falling back to the argument that if
you don't see things his way, then you don't see things God's way, and Falwell
claims to know this is so because of how he interprets the Bible, which he
insists is the word of God. Case closed. There is no way to debate Falwell on
certain religious, ethical, and political matters, as his fundamentalist mindset
closes him off from consideration of views that he doesn't already hold.
Daists are much more sophisticated, and as you note, they use deception to hide
the fact that the bottom line in Daism is exactly what Burton has written, which
is that they believe that Da is the "only means." If they put that on the covers
of their books, their books would only sell to the same kinds of mush brained
idiots who buy books that proclaim on their covers that Jesus is the "only" way.
So instead they use every trick in the sacred technology and
humanistic/transpersonal psychology toolkit to soften people up (Charles Manson
simply gave people LSD and would manipulate them while they were tripping and he
wasn't), and when the newbies have the wondrous openings that MANY paths and
approaches offer access to, they are told that their experiences are unique and
are only possible via the "Grace of My Company" and all the rest of that total
BULLSHIT.
IOW, first they soften people up with the head tripping, all the intellectual
stuff, then with the effects that changes in diet and lifestyle result in, then
with the more pronounced effects that result from the more spiritual disciplines
and from devotional surrender, and then the newbies are told that Da is the
"only means." If the only time you've felt that open and that good in your life
is via Daism, you will believe it. I doubt that Da will have everyone drink
poisoned Kool-Aid or release sarin nerve gas in an urban area, but the dedicated
Daist who would say that he would not do either of those thing if Da (who is the
"only means" and "Is That Very Reality which is to be Realized") demanded it, is
either a liar or is entertaining a level of doubt that is verboten in Daism.
(In any case, Daists have already drunk the Kool-Aid, for once you believe that
any way or path is the "only means," your mind has been poisoned. Note that
believing that you possess "the Truth" or are privy to the "only means" is not
only a belief about your chosen path and your teacher but is a form of
self-inflationary elitism. "Team Z is the best. I am on the Z team. Therefore I
am one of the best.")
To those who post here who defend Daism I ask: Do you agree with the quote from
Daniels above, that Daism in effect surpasses all other traditions and that Da
is the "only means" to full enlightenment?
If the answer is yes, they my response would be to respond the way I've
responded when Jehova's Witnesses would ring my doorbell on a Saturday morning
and would try to sell me copies of The Watchtower. "No thanks, goodbye."
If the answer is no, then I would question the commitment to Daism of the Daist
defender who would say no. Daism is not a half-way proposition.
To the Daist defender who would attempt to counter by asking me what tradition
embodies the seventh stage as much as Da or what means other that "Avatar Adi Da"
is available in the world today, I would respond the same way that I would
respond if the Jehovah's Witness asked me if I knew of any way to be saved other
than through Jesus Christ. "No thanks, goodbye."
That is the response that former Daists must eventually make in the face of all
fundamentalist or totalistic thinking, including remnants of it in themselves:
No thanks, goodbye.