Garbage And The Goddess

by Adi Da Samraj

Crease in front cover, cover rubbed and showing edge wear, text clean, small amount of writing on front end paper

Genres: Nonfiction

2 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1974

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

[Steven H · Rating 1 out of 5]

A BOOK FROM ADI DA'S/JONES' 'CRAZY WISDOM' PERIOD

Adi Da Samraj (1939-2008) was born Franklin Albert Jones, but was also known as Bubba Free John, Da Free John, Da Love-Ananda, etc., until from 1991 until his death he settled on Adi Da Love-Ananda Samraj [or just "Adi Da"]. He became a famous and controversial spiritual teacher beginning in the 1970s counterculture. His movement has been criticized as cultic, abusive, etc., although his followers remain devoted to him, and often live in one of his five "Adidam" churches (including his main one on an island in Fiji).

He says, "You are not going to heaven from here. You are going to die: literally and absolutely. Not just a little bit. It is not just your body that is going to die. YOU are going to die, and that is the truth. All of those consoling philosophies try to make you assume that only your body is going to die, and somehow you, the same as you are now, are going to pop out and zap around in some wilderness of light. That is absolutely not going to happen. You are going to DIE. So you must realize, during life, that real and prior Condition of existence which is always already transcending psycho-physical life..." (Pg. 12-13)

He states, "the cult of marriage is a principal obstacle in the affair of the spiritual CommuNity, because the common theatre of marriage is a fundamental instrument for locking out the life-energy, the ecstatic life-communication, from other beings." (Pg. 31) He adds, "At times alcohol and the common social forms of celebration serve to break down the illusory time-space separation between these two dimensions. There have been a number of occasions when, because I had been drinking, my subtle presence and the presence of others on the subtler dimension began to become visible to others who were in the room." (Pg. 90-91)

But in a few months, "By the middle of May several months of extravagant eating and drinking had begun to take their toll on health... Bubba returned from a short visit to San Francisco and declared a number of changes in the Ashram's present style of life. Everyone would resume a straight lacto-vegetarian diet the following Monday, and fast for seven to ten days a week later. Bubba said that he intended us to continue this phase of Ashram life until early July, a period of about six weeks. That same day Bubba told Sal and Neil to move out of his house, and back to their wives. So everyone began to prepare for the new regime, after what seemed like months of continual partying. Even so, that weekend Bubba held the most uproarious extended party this Ashram has ever enjoyed." (Pg. 135)

He told a devotee, "So the Guru's perfect function is to undermine all this, to make the world show itself. He makes the Goddess pull down her pants, and then you see her a_____e.... Let her face you with her b____ts falling out... The Goddess used to say, 'Yield to me,' and I f____d her brains loose. I've never listened to anyone. Perhaps I should have!" (Pg. 106-107) Then, "Bubba began to ask certain women to move into his household. Eventually, all of them performed practical functions in the community, but their primary function was that of 'gopi,' or one who adores the Lord in human form, and this was something new to the Ashram." (Pg. 134)

He explains, "I will not remain personally in contact with the Community or any devotee after my death... I will remain only Perfectly Present... Therefore, what will remain behind me will be a Community, not a cult. The Divine will remain immediately and directly Present through the agency of my total Community of devotees. Among all future devotees I may be acknowledged as Teacher.... and recollected along with the body of Teaching. But no cultic relationship to my possibly continued personal presence after death will be necessary or appropriate in order for devotees to enjoy the Siddhi and Person of the Divine which will always remain in the Satsang of the Community." (Pg. 206)

He admits, "the Guru has no sense of identification even with his present life. I have no more sense of identity with Franklin Jones or Bubba Free John than any of you does. I have the same sense of identity with all of you that I have with Bubba Free John." (Pg. 292)

He asserts, "But people want the Guru to be the Avatar. They want that exclusive God image, whereas God doesn't exist in the exclusive sense... Outwardly, this Community appears like any other. There is no reason why you should think it has to look extraordinary. Be ordinary, be happy. Don't worry about all that b______t. Live sadhana." (Pg. 336)

He adds, "When I say my work to reveal the Teaching is complete, I mean that I will no longer serve the child or the adolescent in those who come to me. Those who would approach me must come to me through my Ashram, my Community of Devotees." (Pg. 346-347) Furthermore, "I still live in the Ashram. I come and sit in Satsang. I talk. I see people. A certain dimension of theatre of being present as an object for disciples must be maintained, at least for now. But fundamentally, my work is now of that third or perfect kind. I am waiting for devotees. And when they come I live with them in Truth." (Pg. 357)

Adi Da definitely doesn't appeal to everyone. Still, his earliest books (such as this one, "Method of the Siddhas," "The Knee of Listening," etc.) are perhaps of more interest to the average "seeker" than his later ones.

[About · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love is basis of sex