Andrew Cohen (b.1955) is an American guru, spiritual teacher, magazine editor, author, and musician who has developed what he characterizes as a unique path of spiritual transformation, called "Evolutionary Enlightenment." He sees himself as working in conjunction with others to bring about a new stage of human consciousness and culture. Towards this end, Cohen and his students frequently engage with a variety of spiritual teachers, philosophers, activists, and cultural figures. Many of these encounters, as well as Cohen's writings, are featured in What Is Enlightenment? magazine, which is published quarterly by the international organization he founded, EnlightenNext. Guru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Guru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... The word culture, from the Latin colo, -ere, with its root meaning to cultivate, generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... A philosopher is a person devoted to studying and producing results in philosophy. ... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as involvement in action to bring about change, be it social, political, environmental, or other change. ...

Biography

Cohen was born in New York City in 1955. Raised as a secular Jew, he recounts that his life was changed by a spontaneous experience of "Cosmic Consciousness" at the age of sixteen. Haunted by the memory of this event, Cohen abandoned his ambition to become a jazz drummer and began a quest to recapture this experience. Studying martial arts, then Kriya Yoga, then Buddhism from ages 22 to 30, Cohen eventually met the Advaita Vedanta master H. W. L. Poonja in 1986. After spending two weeks with Poonja, and having what he claimed was a deep spiritual awakening, Cohen began to teach, with the encouragement of Poonja.^[1] Nickname: Big Apple; City that never Sleeps; Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. ... A session drummer at practice A drummer is a musician who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... Kriya Yoga is a very specific system of Yoga that was revived in modern times by Lahiri Mahasaya, c 1861. ... Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, Pali: बुद्ध धम्म, the teachings of the awakened one) is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of applied psychology. ... Advaita Vedanta (IAST ; Devanagari ; IPA ) is a sub-school of the Vedānta (literally, end or the goal of the Vedas, Sanskrit) school of Hindu philosophy, the other major sub-schools being Dvaita and . ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In 1988, Cohen founded EnlightenNext, a nonprofit educational and spiritual network committed to creating a new global culture. In addition to small groups of students located in various parts of the world, EnlightenNext has public centers in New York, Boston, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Zurich, Paris, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, and Rishikesh, India. The main center for EnlightenNext is a 220-acre (890,000 m²) retreat venue in Lenox, Massachusetts, where Cohen and his largest body of students currently reside. Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Boston is a town and small port c. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 741,329 (1 August 2006) Demonym Amsterdammer Coordinates Website www. ... Main Station Frankfurt Frankfurt International Airport For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... Location within Switzerland   Zürich[?] (German pronunciation IPA: ; usually spelled Zurich in English) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ... -1... Copenhagen (IPA: , rhyming with pagan (the way the Danes themselves pronounce the name of the capital in English), or , with a as in spa; Danish   IPA: ) is the capital of Denmark and the countrys largest city (metropolitan population 1,211,542 (2006)), at present made up of 16 municipalities. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Rishikesh (also spelt Hrishikesh, another name for Lord Vishnu), in the state of Uttaranchal, is a holy city for Hindus located in the foothills of the Himalaya in northern India. ... Settled: 1750 â€“ Incorporated: 1775 Zip Code(s): 01240 â€“ Area Code(s): 413 Official website: http://www. ...

Shortly after he began teaching, Cohen began to meet with other spiritual teachers in order to share his experience and engage in dialogue about the nature of spiritual enlightenment. In 1991, he founded the magazine What Is Enlightenment?, in order to share and further this investigation. As editor in chief of WIE, he believes that "it is on our shoulders to create the future," and sees the magazine and its associated programs as popular forums for dialogue and inquiry regarding the meaning of spiritual life in the postmodern era. WIE has developed an international speaker’s series called Voices from the Edge, an online multimedia forum known as WIE Unbound, and a partnership with the Graduate Institute (TGI) to offer a master’s program in Conscious Evolution. In 2006, the www.wie.org web site was honored by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences with the Webby People's Voice Award in the Religion and Spirituality category. Postmodernity (also called post-modernity or the postmodern condition) is a term used by philosophers, social scientists, art critics and social critics to refer to aspects of contemporary art, culture, economics and social conditions that are the result of the unique features of late 20th century and early 21st century... The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences was founded in 1998 to help drive the progress of the Internet and evolving forms of new media. ... Presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the Webby Awards are a set of awards presented to the worlds best websites. The awards have been given out since 1996. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ...

In 1998, Cohen was one of the founding members of Ken Wilber's Integral Institute.^[2] He was a featured speaker at the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions,^[3] and was awarded the 2006 Kashi Humanitarian Award.^{[citation needed]} Ken Wilber Kenneth Earl Wilber Jr. ... The Integral Institute is a think-tank founded in 1998 by American philosopher, psychologist, and mystic Ken Wilber. ... There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World’s Religions. ...

Ideas

Cohen says that his original spiritual teaching, Evolutionary Enlightenment, is unique for placing the traditional realization of enlightenment in the context of cosmic evolution. By awakening to the timeless "Ground of Being," Cohen maintains, human beings can liberate themselves from selfish motives, or ego, and learn to manifest what he calls the "Authentic Self." This self beyond ego is said to represent humanity at its most wholesome: creative, compassionate, and motivated by an "evolutionary impulse" that is "one with the big bang itself." According to Cohen, when human beings choose to live as the Authentic Self, they can realize their inseparability from the universe and thereby discover a purpose for living that transcends egoism—that is, the "uniquely human" capacity to participate in the evolution of consciousness itself. According to the Big Bang, the universe emerged from an extremely dense and hot state (bottom). ...

Cohen distinguishes Evolutionary Enlightenment from traditional "personal" enlightenment. In Evolutionary Enlightenment, he teaches, enlightenment is no longer the possession of the individual, but instead becomes the ground of relationship upon which a new culture is created. Cohen argues that the creation of this new consciousness and culture is essential for the survival of the race, and says that it is particularly incumbent upon those individuals who are at the "leading edge" of human development to take this "next step."

To assist those who wish to evolve in this way, Cohen has developed a comprehensive teaching, the essential elements of which include "The Five Tenets" and "Six Principles" of Evolutionary Enlightenment. An interactive teaching model summarizes the perspective offered by these teachings.^[4]

Music

In 2001, Cohen re-engaged his passion for drumming and formed the jazz-funk-fusion band Unfulfilled Desires. The band plays original compositions and standards, and performs in Europe and the United States. It has released two CDs: Enlightened Dog (2004) and Live at the Iron Horse (2002). 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Criticism

Some ex-members including his mother view Cohen as a charismatic and manipulative cult leader. Dr. André van der Braak's Enlightenment Blues: My Years with an American Guru alleges that Cohen demanded large cash sums and extreme, unquestioning devotion from his students.^[5] The word charisma (from the Greek word χάρισμα (kharisma), gift or divine favor, from kharizesthai, to favor, from kharis, favor) refers to a rare trait found in certain human personalities usually including extreme charm and a magnetic quality of personality and/or appearance along with innate and powerfully sophisticated personal communicability... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

His mother, Luna Tarlo, wrote a book called Mother of God about her experience as one of his disciples. Tarlo argues that Cohen engaged in cruelty, self-aggrandizement and abuse of her and other disciples, and describes what she maintains was her struggle to free herself from his control.^[6]

American journalist John Horgan questions "the myth of the totally enlightened guru," specifically in reference to Cohen and others.^[7] John Horgan is an American science journalist. ...

In October 2006, Cohen released via his official website "A Declaration of Integrity: An Open Letter from Andrew Cohen to His Friends and Foes," a lengthy response to his critics, in order to "speak out more directly and set the record straight."^[8]

Bibliography

• My Master Is My Self (1989), ISBN 1-883929-07-5
• Enlightenment Is a Secret (1991), ISBN 1-883929-08-3
• Autobiography of An Awakening (1992), ISBN 0-9622678-4-8
• An Unconditional Relationship to Life (1995), ISBN 1-883929-04-0
• The Challenge of Enlightenment (1996), ISBN 1-883929-14-8
• In Defense of the Guru Principle (1999), ISBN 1-883929-27-X
• Freedom Has No History (1997), ISBN 1-883929-17-2
• Who Am I? and How Shall I Live? (1998), ISBN 1-883929-24-5
• Embracing Heaven & Earth (2000), ISBN 1-883929-29-6
• Living Enlightenment: A Call for Evolution Beyond Ego (2002), ISBN 1-883929-30-X

Photography

• Andrew Cohen meeting Amma

Notes

1. ^ Cohen, Andrew Autobiography of An Awakening, Moksha Press (1992) ISBN 0-9622678-4-8
2. ^ Integral Institute. Who is Andrew Cohen?
3. ^ 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions: Programs
4. ^ AndrewCohen.org: Interactive Teaching Model
5. ^ van der Braak, André (2003). Enlightenment Blues: My Years with an American Guru. Monkfish Book Publishing. ISBN 0-9726357-1-8
6. ^ Tarlo, Luna The Mother of God, SCB Distributors (1997) ISBN 1-57027-043-0
7. ^ Horgan, John. The Myth of the Totally Enlightened Guru.
8. ^ Cohen, Andrew. "A Declaration of Integrity" (PDF), EnlightenNext Media, 2006.

PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ...

External links

• AndrewCohen.org - official site
• What Is Enlightenment? magazine - Published by EnlightenNext
• What is Enlightenment Home Page - Published by EnlightenNext
• Evolutionary Enlightenment Courses Courses on Evolutionary Enlightenment presented by EnlightenNext
• EnlightenNext Home Page - founded by Andrew Cohen
• IntegralNaked.org - multimedia dialogues between Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber
• Enlightenment.com interview by Jordan Gruber
• Beliefnet interview: Meet the 'Rude Boy of Enlightenment' by Lisa Schneider
• 2006 Webby Award honorees

Ken Wilber Kenneth Earl Wilber Jr. ...

Critical

• Rick Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults, Groups, and Movements
• Spiritual Counterfeits Project
• Freedom of Mind Center
• Kheper web site article
• Integral World Article--"The Problem of Abusive Gurus" See article, Part 2b, Section iv--Discussion in the context of a critique of Ken Wilber's endorsement of abusive gurus
• Spiritualteachers.org Website on spiritual teachers