My Work on Beezone
and
My Relationship with Adi Da
Ed Reither
I was asked to explain why I do my work in relation to Adi Da and his teachings on Beezone. The primary reason is simple: I find Adi Da to be an extraordinary teacher. However, who he is as a person is a different matter—one that is deeply personal and inseparable from his teaching, yet distinct in my approach. My work is not about professing any special relationship with Adi Da, nor am I claiming any authoritative knowledge about him. Instead, the portion of Beezone dedicated to Adi Da is a reflection of my own effort to understand his teaching.
In the process of trying to grasp Adi Da’s words—taking “word” in the most inclusive sense—I have employed various methods and approaches, some of which overlap with others’ work, while others are uniquely my own. My intent is not to dilute, modify, or distort his message but to engage with it as directly and honestly as I can. Whether my efforts are accurate or not is not for me to judge—that will become evident in time. I am not here to convince anyone of my understanding; my interest lies in the process of inquiry itself.
As a teacher by profession, I have a natural inclination to communicate what I understand when asked. Adi Da did not exist in a vacuum—his teaching emerged within a cultural context spanning the United States, India, and beyond. My work on Beezone is, in many ways, my “homework” with Adi Da, an ongoing effort to deepen my comprehension and to express it in a way that may serve others who resonate with similar questions. He is not easily understood, and if my work assists even a few people in grasping his message more clearly, then it serves its purpose.
However, beyond Adi Da himself, my engagement with his teaching is ultimately about something much larger—it is about my own understanding of who I am, where I stand in the world, and how I relate to others and the environment. I recognize that I live in a time and culture shaped by countless influences beyond my comprehension. In this vast context, trying to pinpoint exactly why I do what I do is, in some sense, an absurd endeavor. To explain my motivation would presuppose that I fully understand it myself—an assumption I find questionable at best.
This is no different from attempting to describe, moment by moment, what happens in deep meditation. Can one truly track and explain every unfolding moment of awareness? I doubt it. My work on Beezone in relation to Adi Da has convinced me of something—not in an intellectual sense, but in an intuitive one. That conviction, however, is not something I can neatly package into words.
To conclude, I find my work on Beezone—particularly as it relates to Adi Da—to be profoundly beneficial in deepening my understanding of both the person and his word. The community of devotees, students, and followers is another matter entirely, one that deserves a separate discussion. But I will end with this: should you be fortunate enough to encounter Adi Da in any form, I hope that Beezone serves, in some way, to aid your understanding of who he is.
Ed Reither
March 12, 2025