Not-Two Is Peace: The Ordinary People's Way of Global Cooperative Order

by Adi Da Samraj, Ervin Laszlo (Introduction)

Adi Da Samraj wrote this book out of compassion for humanity's current plight. Not-Two Is Peace contains Adi Da's vital wisdom on the root of human the limits and errors of conventional religion and politics. He points to the necessity of re-establishing human civilization based on principles of mutual trust, cooperation, tolerance, 'prior unity', and the limitless participation of all humankind in transforming its own destiny. Also included is Adi Da's 'radical' argument for transcending egoity along with his urgent call to found the Global Cooperative Forum a new type of human order. This forum will allow humankind to become conscious of itself as one great coherent force the only force capable of requiring and implementing systemic changes the world needs. This third edition is essential study for anyone concerned about the state of global affairs. He "The old moral, social, and political 'order' of humankind is now dead. A new and true and right order of humankind is, now, and forever hereafter, necessary. This Free Declaration is the Seed-Utterance of that new and necessary true and right (and truly globally, totally, and universally cooperative) order." Read chapters full of extraordinary wisdom and instruction such --Humankind Is Literally One Family --On The Dangers of The Old 'Tribalisms', and The Necessity For A Global Cooperative Forum Based On The Prior Unity of Humankind --Reality-Politics For Ordinary Men and Women --Wash All The Flags (and Leave All Name-Tags and Placards At The Door) --To Take Moral Responsibility Is To Make Reactivity Harmless --Everybody-All-At-Once --The Three Great Principles of All Truth --I Am Here To Awaken A Bright New Age of Global Humankind New in this enlarged and updated
Final Word , added just before going to press, was spoken by Adi Da hours before he suddenly departed from the body, on November 27, 2008.
Part One, new to this edition, contains seven sets of 'Principles', or summary points, formulated by Adi Da. These Principles are Adi Da's summary of many crucial points regarding the current state of the world and the characteristics of the Global Cooperative Forum he describes.
Part Two consists of essays, many of which are new, in which Adi Da elaborates on and further contextualizes points made in the Principles.
Part Three is devoted to essays (mostly new) on the root-nature of Reality, and, thus, on the ultimate meaning and significance of 'prior unity' and 'Not-Two'. Praise for Not-Two Is Peace Profound wisdom on the root of human conflict, and the path away from a grim destiny. An astonishing gift.
--Professor Jonathan Lynch, Pennsylvania State University Not-Two Is Peace is essential reading for all people who understand the absolutely critical nature of the times we live in, and want to do something about it. This book offers a vision of global change that is a foundation for linking the best of current efforts with the deep-seated 'prior unity' of humankind. What is that, exactly? Read the book. Feel the potential. We can change the disastrous pattern of our times.
--Julie Koler, Cultural Resource Manager, King County, Washington In a world beset with innumerable challenges, Not-Two Is Peace offers a new vision for the future. Adi Da emphasizes 'prior unity' as the basis for our decisions and actions. If we proceed with putting the interests of the whole humanity first, then there is the possibility of growth and development for the nearly seven billion people on the planet, not just a privileged minority. Such wisdom cannot be ignored.
--Sam Pitroda, Chairman, National Knowledge Commission of India

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2006

About the author

Adi Da Samraj (AKA Da Free John), born Franklin Albert Jones, was an American-born spiritual teacher, writer, and artist, widely recognized as the founder of the new religious movement Adidam. His teachings, writings, and artistic expressions were deeply rooted in a commitment to radical nonduality, which he referred to as “the Bright” — the inherent, indivisible reality that transcends the egoic self. Adi Da taught that true spiritual realization is not something to be sought or attained but is already fully present and must be directly realized through the transcendence of separateness and the activity of seeking itself.
He wrote extensively throughout his life, authoring more than 75 books on spirituality, philosophy, art, and global peace. Among his best-known works are The Knee of Listening, an autobiographical account of his early life and spiritual realizations; The Aletheon, a summation of his spiritual instruction; and Not-Two Is Peace, a work addressing the global human condition and advocating for a radically new form of cooperative culture. His writings are considered by followers to be revelatory and are presented not as mere philosophy, but as direct communications of the spiritual reality he claimed to have fully realized.
Raised in the United States, Adi Da studied at Columbia University and later at Stanford University, where he developed a strong interest in literature, philosophy, and theology. Despite achieving academic success, he found intellectual pursuits ultimately insufficient for the depth of truth he sought. This dissatisfaction led him to explore a wide range of spiritual paths, including Zen Buddhism, Vedanta, and various esoteric practices. After years of spiritual searching and intense personal experiences that he described as revelatory, he began to teach others, presenting a radically different approach to spiritual life that emphasized immediate, intuitive recognition of the divine reality.
Central to Adi Da’s teaching was the concept of devotional recognition-response — the spontaneous turning of attention toward what he described as the living presence of the divine. He rejected conventional religious forms and techniques as inherently limited and emphasized a transformative relationship to the spiritual reality he embodied. His community of devotees, known as Adidam, formed around this core relationship and sought to live in accordance with the principles he articulated.
Beyond his spiritual teachings, Adi Da was also an accomplished visual artist whose work spanned photography, digital media, and mixed media installations. He referred to his aesthetic approach as “Transcendental Realism,” seeking not to represent the world but to provide a perceptual portal into the non-dual reality. His art has been exhibited internationally and received attention in both spiritual and contemporary art contexts.
Adi Da spent his final years in Fiji on Naitauba Island, a remote setting he regarded as sacred and conducive to spiritual practice. There, he continued to write, create art, and guide his devotees. His legacy continues through the Adidam community, which maintains his teachings and artistic work, promoting his vision of a new culture rooted in spiritual realization, radical truthfulness, and the transcendence of ego.
His life and work remain a source of devotion, debate, and philosophical inquiry, reflecting a bold and unconventional path toward the ultimate questions of human existence.

Reviews

[Morgan Blackledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Adi Ada’s writing.

Most of it.

But I’m with Ken Wilber in the sentiment that Adi Da was a once in a lifetime unparalleled genius level spiritual thinker/author. And there are some very problematic aspects of his work and community. Da became very authoritarian. A cult atmosphere emerged around him. Particularly his later life.

And people were harmed.

Any reader of Da needs to be an informed consumer. This is not “safe” material. It’s not ment to be safe. Enter at your own risk.

Given all that.

This book wins my - Oh dear God please make it so, it would be so dang great if even 1% of this awesome, awesomely awesome awesomeness could happen award for 2025.

🥇 10/5 stars (⭐️ x10) + a double rainbow 🌈 🌈

This is the first (and perhaps last) book to win this award.

I guess we’ll just wait and see what happens in 2026.

Anyway.

Last year I read Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. It won my - 2024 most totally awful, horrible, horrible, horrible, shit-your-pants-and-die, awful, awful nightmare book award.

This year, that same venerable distinction will go to If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky.

It’s a dystopian paranoia fest about how AI will end humanity as soon as it is able (🤖 = ☠️).

Ironically, and almost completely by happenstance, I read both books at the same time.

I read this book in the morning (for God-shots and inspiration).

I read Yudkowsky in the evening (for some reason… ???).

To compare these books is ridiculous.

So that means I’m definitely going to do that.

“Not-Two Is Peace argues that humanity’s core problem is the illusion of separateness (“two-ness”) and that our global crises—war, ecological collapse, injustice—stem from this ego-based division. Adi Da proposes a shift to “prior unity,” a non-dual recognition that all beings and worlds are already inherently one, and calls for a new form of cooperative global order and leadership grounded in that realization rather than in nation-state competition or partisan politics.”

That was completely written by AI. 👆

“If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies argues that if anyone successfully builds advanced superhuman AI under current conditions, it will almost certainly lead to human extinction—because aligning such a system to human values is vastly harder than building it, and once created, a misaligned superintelligence would rapidly gain power and optimize the world in ways that destroy us.”

That was also completely written by AI. 👆

Anyway.

The thing that both of these books have in common is:

Both books posit that we’re completely 100% fucked if we keep doing what we’re doing. And both books make EXTREMELY compelling arguments for this (IMO) super obvious fact.

✔️ Check.

Both books also claim that the ABSOLUTELY and VERY LITERALLY only solution is for the entire globe (including everyone) to come together, lay down our differences, and cooperate.

Ummm 🤔

I completely agree.

And…

It seems like that could never ever happen.

Ever.

So…

I guess we’re fucked?

As completely wonderful and inspiring as this book is, after everything is said and done, it kind of leaves me as hopeless as the other one.

It’s a really WILD feeling.

Given all that, I’m personally going to do my absolute best to BE the change that Not-Two Is Peace seeks to achieve.

I just loved this book.

Oh dear God, please make it so. It would be so dang great if even 1% of this awesome, awesomely awesome awesomeness could happen.

10/5 stars (⭐️ x10) + a double rainbow 🌈 🌈

NOTE: As enthusiastic as I am to all the above (except for the we’re all fucked part). The HUGE/INSURMOUNTABLE problem for me is. Adi Da claims to be the embodied supreme being. And his prescription for suffering is for everyone to become his devotees. That’s an obvious problem. If it’s not a problem for you. I’d say that may be a bigger problem for me. Just saying. So please don’t take this 5/5 star review as a whole cloth endorsement of the Adi Da GURU/CULT thing. It’s not. This book is for adults only. If you read Da. You need to be a discerning critical thinker. You need to take the good. And leave the bad. Da is not for everyone. Consider yourself warned 😜

[Bruce Michael Hubbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quote;

The human world has become a kind of insane sporting event, at which people threaten one another and carry on in an insane manner - something like the gladiatorial contests in Rome. It is madness.

[Italian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not an easy book at first. But if one can relax and allow oneself to enter into feeling, it gives and gives, and every time one reads something it is a new revelation, a profound intuition and a magnificent source of inspiration.
The "working-presumption of prior unity" is not something esoteric, every single one of us can enact it in our daily life. And what a different world this will be when we do!
Thank you for this masterpiece.