An Update on the Case of Adi Da (Da Free John)
Written by Ken Wilber on August 28, 1998
Over the years I have made numerous very strong and sometimes contradictory statements about Adi Da, mostly because he is a very strong and sometimes contradictory personality. In the Foreword I was asked to write to his book Scientific Proof of the Existence of God Will Soon Be Announced by the White House!, I stated my opinion that Da was one of the greatest spiritual Realizers of all time, unparalleled in his grasp of many profound spiritual issues. Yet in "The Strange Case of Adi Da" (posted on this web site), I called attention to the fact that, even though Da might be highly spiritually realized, he seemed to have several problematic, perhaps even pathological, aspects to his personality and the way he was running his community. Yet again, in an open letter to his community (which was posted on the KW Forum), I again affirmed my belief in Da’s great spiritual realization. Contradictory? Perhaps, but only because Da is contradictory. Contradictory and problematic—deeply problematic.
This is why, as a blanket statement, I can no longer—and do no longer—recommend Da’s community for the typical spiritual aspirant, and I have asked his community to cease using my name in this regard. Nonetheless, for those individuals who realize full well the extremely risky nature of the adventure, but who feel a strong pull toward complete and total surrender of their lives to a spiritual Master, I can certainly recommend Adi Da—with all the caveats of which I have written.
The real difficulty of "the strange case of Adi Da" is that the guru principle is neither understood nor accepted by our culture, and therefore anybody entering into Guru Theater does so at great, great risk. Added to this is the fact that—as I mentioned in "The Strange Case of Adi Da" (and explained at length in The Eye of Spirit—individuals can be at a relatively high level in their spiritual development but at relatively low levels in other lines of their development, and this mixture can be very problematic. This is true for many, perhaps most, people, and I believe it is so with Adi Da as well.
When I point this out, the typical response of members of Da’s community has been to point to faults in my own character—as if that had anything to do with the faults in Da. I accept my faults and admit them. Let us hear Da and his community do the same for Da.
In the meantime, I affirm all of the extremes of my statements about Da: he is one of the greatest spiritual Realizers of all time, in my opinion, and yet other aspects of his personality lag far behind those extraordinary heights. By all means look to him for utterly profound revelations, unequalled in many ways; yet step into his community at your own risk.
Ken Wilber
August 28, 1998