caption death_date death_place birth_place other_names birth_date known_for image article_title name occupation
adi da samraj 27 november 2008 naitauba , lau islands , fiji new york , new york , united states franklin albert jones 3 november 1939 founder of adidam avataradidasamraj2008.jpg adi da
 adi da samraj spiritual teacher , writer , and artist
adi da

adi da samraj , born franklin albert jones -lrb- november 3 , 1939 -- november 27 , 2008 -rrb- , was an american spiritual teacher , writer and artist .
he was the founder of a new religious movement known as adidam .
he changed his name numerous times throughout his life ; these names included bubba free john , da free john , da love-ananda , da kalki , da avadhoota and da avabhasa , among others .
from 1991 until his death , he was known as adi da love-ananda samraj or adi da .
adi da initially became known in the spiritual counterculture of the 1970s for his books and public talks , and for the activities of his religious community .
his philosophy was essentially similar to many eastern religions which see spiritual enlightenment as the ultimate priority of human life .
distinguishing his from other religious traditions , adi da declared that he was a uniquely historic avatar -lrb- incarnation of a god or divinity in human form -rrb- .
as such , adi da stated that henceforth devotional worship of him would be the sole means of spiritual enlightenment for anyone else .
in the mid-1980s , allegations by former followers of false imprisonment , brainwashing , sexual abuse , assault and involuntary servitude received international media attention .
these allegations resulted in lawsuits or threatened suits on both sides .
adi da wrote many books about his spiritual philosophy and related matters , founding a publishing house to print them .
he gained praise from authorities in spirituality and philosophy , but was also criticized for what were perceived as his isolation , controversial behavior , claims toward exclusive realization , and cult-like community .
