--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <vajradhatu@...> wrote: > > On Apr 24, 2011, at 9:20 PM, Rick Archer wrote: > > > > From: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > [mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Vaj > > > > If you actually listen to what he [Saniel Bonder] has > > to say, you'll hear that he left Adi Da because he felt > > that continuing to associate with him compromised his > > integrity, his sense of morality, honesty, etc. I don't > > know much about Adi Da, but I found Saniel to be a very > > honest, open guy, willing to admit when he was wrong, > > to revise his thinking and approach as his understanding > > and experience mature, etc. In other words, a spiritually > > mature fellow. > > I'd suspect it was that way with many Adi Da students. When > your guru starts putting out cigarettes on women's bodies > as a teaching lesson, it doesn't take a huge amount of > spiritual maturity to know "it's time to move on" and put > on your running shoes (or at least call your attorney).
After the Rama guy died, I was frankly shocked to hear that a number of his former students (who, unlike me, stuck around to the end and had him "leave them" rather than walking away themselves) took up with Adi Da. In retrospect I think that Da's "outlaw" rep kinda drew them to him. >From what I've heard, he took one look at these former Rama students, saw the clothes they were wearing, the cars they were driving, and the good consulting incomes they all had, and started praising Rama up one side and down the other. Natch, a few of Rama's former students piled on to this, and soon thereafter were hit up for money. (To be honest, having to pay big bucks to a spir- itual teacher was probably par for the course for them, and they didn't mind.) The tale from that period that told me the most (IMO) about Adi Da was the "auction" he held to raise money, soon after these (fairly) wealthy former Rama students showed up. One of the items for sale was a Q-tip, used by him, and thus containing some of his Holy Ear Wax. I'm serious. Somebody probably paid big bucks for it as a holy relic. There is crazy wisdom, and then there is crazy wisdom. :-) I was not in the market for a spiritual teacher when I walked away from the Rama trip, and so would never have been tempted by him even if I had liked his vibe. Which I didn't. Never met the guy, though, so he might have had his good points. In my experience, it is not unusual for students of a controversial teacher to outshine their teacher when they start teaching themselves, and to carry with them none of the teacher's bad habits. I can think of several of Trogyam Chungpa's students who fit this description, and a few of Rama's. so Alex's description of Bonder as having escaped the Adi Da thang with his ethics intact doesn't surprise me. Sometimes seeing it done wrong can teach more than seeing it done right.
