Adi Da's Divine Mahasamadhi and
the Future of Adidam

Adi Da's Successor
Question: Who will be Adi Da's "Murti Guru" or successor?

Brief answer: "No devotee" and "every devotee".

Dead Gurus Can't Kick Ass
Question: Does Adi Da's famous saying apply to Him, now that He is no longer alive?

Brief answer: Adi Da's saying epitomized His Work with devotees during the "Teaching Years". But from 1986 on, it became increasingly clear to Him that "kicking the ass" of His devotees — in other words, submitting to work with His devotees one-on-one in every possible way: being their friend, humanly loving them, answering their questions, reflecting them to themselves, granting them Spiritual experiences of every kind, persuading them to practice, shouting at their lack of practice, etc. — was fruitless for actual growth in the seventh stage Way He was offering. (It might have made a difference in the context of a lesser Way, but not in the Way of Adidam.) It became clear to Him that the only thing that worked was for devotees to submit to Adi Da, through recognition of Him as the Divine, and response to Him on that basis. In other words, in the Divine Way of Adidam, the Guru's Divine Revelation and Transmission is always available and sufficient for growth, and ultimately, Divine Realization. But actual growth in the Way depends entirely on the individual devotee's recognition of the Guru as the Divine, and response to Him on that basis — and not on the Guru "kicking ass".

Use of the term, "Mahasamadhi"
Question: You describe how Adi Da passed away due to natural causes, but you refer to it as His "Mahasamadhi". I thought the term, "Mahasamadhi", was reserved for when Spiritual Realizers, in a moment of their own choosing, intentionally leave the body. But what you describe could just as well fit Joe Smith down the street, dying of a heart attack, no?

Brief answer: The term, Mahasamadhi, more generally indicates the passing of any great Spiritual Master, regardless of what form that passing may take. More specifically, we use the phrase, "Divine Mahasamadhi", to indicate the passing of a human Incarnation of the Divine.

The Way of the Bone: The Addict's Revision of Adidam vs. the True Way
Question: I'm a devotee. While Adi Da was still alive, my whole practice was oriented around Adi Da's newest gifts to us (His books, His image-art, His communications to devotees, etc.) every week. I'm somewhat at a loss as to what to do now, after His Divine Mahasamadhi.

Brief answer: In the relative quiet after Adi Da's Passing, we may finally have the space to feel a fundamental error many of us may have been making in our practice: that the Way of Adidam is not just a matter of receiving Adi Da's Gifts, but is a relationship, characterized by mutual gift-giving. No significant growth in the Way of Adidam will ever happen otherwise.