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. For other uses, see Guru (disambiguation). ... 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. ... For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... 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. ... What Is Enlightenment? - or WIE? for short - is a quarterly magazine devoted to spirituality and integral thought, published by EnlightenNext, a non-profit organisation. ...

Biography

Cohen was born in New York City in 1955. He has an elder brother, Joshua. 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 initial encouragement of Poonja, until a later personal disagreement created a split between the two. ^[1] New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... Collective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology, and was originally coined by Carl Jung. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... For the comic book character, see Drummer (comics). ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... Kriya Yoga is a very specific system of Yoga that was revived in modern times by Lahiri Mahasaya, c 1861. ... A statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Tawang Gompa, India. ... Advaita Vedanta (IAST ; Sanskrit ; IPA ) is a sub-school of the Vedānta (literally, end or the goal of the Vedas, Sanskrit) school of Hindu philosophy. ... Sri H. W. L. Poonja (Hariwansh Lal Poonja), * 13 October 1910 in Punjab, (now Pakistan, early India); † 6 September 1997 in Lucknow, India; called Papaji“ or Lion of Lucknow“ was an Indian saint of the Advaita Vedanta. ...

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. This article is about the state. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Amsterdam (disambiguation). ...   (German: , English: American English: ) is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a mid-2007 population of 663,567. ... 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. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... For other uses, see Copenhagen (disambiguation). ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... River Ganges in Rishikesh Rishikesh (also spelled Hrishikesh) (Hindi: )is a city and a municipal board in Dehradun district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. ... Location in Berkshire County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Berkshire County Settled 1750 Incorporated 1767 Government  - Type Open town meeting Area  - Town  21. ...

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, and again in 2007, the WIE.org website 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 2000, Cohen became 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, in 2006, was awarded the Kashi Humanitarian Award. Ken Wilber Kenneth Earl Wilber Jr. ... The Integral Institute is a think-tank founded in 1998 by American philosopher, psychologist, and mystic Ken Wilber. ... Chicago Meeting, 1893 There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World’s Religions, most notably the Worlds Parliament of Religions of 1893, the first attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. ...

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. See also authenticity (philosophy) and authentication (which deals only with computer security). ... Look up self in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Big Bang (disambiguation). ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... 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. ...

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." The Leading Edge is a Speculative fiction magazine founded in 1981, located in Provo, Utah, and which has published stories by Dave Wolverton and Orson Scott Card, among others. ...

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. They have released two CDs: Enlightened Dog (2004) and Live at the Iron Horse (2002). Their third album will be released in 2008. Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

Criticisms

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] For other uses, see Charisma (disambiguation). ... Cult typically refers to a cohesive social group devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture considers outside the mainstream, with a notably positive or negative popular perception. ...

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. Another woman, Orit, says about Cohen's work: "He couldn't deliver the goods."^[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. ...

Anti-guru critic Geoff Falk devotes a chapter of an online book to Cohen.^[8]

Related Information

Kohen is the biblical name for the priestly caste of the Torah believed to have started with Moses. Cohen (disambiguation) Position of the kohens hands and fingers during the Priestly Blessing A kohen (or cohen, Hebrew כּהן, priest, pl. ... Template:Jews and Jewdaism Template:The Holy Book Named TorRah The Torah () is the most valuable Holy Doctrine within Judaism,(and for muslims) revered as the first relenting Word of Ulllah, traditionally thought to have been revealed to Blessed Moosah, An Apostle of Ulllah. ... Moses with the Tablets, 1659, by Rembrandt This article is about the Biblical figure. ...

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

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
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 (1997). Mother of God. Autonomedia.
7. ^ Horgan, John. The Myth of the Totally Enlightened Guru.
8. ^ Falk, Geoffrey D. Stripping the Gurus, Chapter XXI: Sometimes I Feel Like a God.

References

• Gruber, Jordan. An Enlightenment Interview with Andrew Cohen
• Schneider, Lisa. Meet the 'Rude Boy of Enlightenment'.

External links

Positive

• AndrewCohen.org - official site - including Cohen's blog and responses to his critics
• What Is Enlightenment? magazine
• Evolutionary Enlightenment Courses Courses on Evolutionary Enlightenment presented by EnlightenNext
• EnlightenNext, Inc. - nonprofit organization founded by Andrew Cohen
• IntegralNaked.org - multimedia dialogues between Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber
• 2006 & 2007 Webby Award honorees - including WIE.org in the Religion & Spirituality category
• Andrew Cohen meeting Amma

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
• 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
• What Enlightenment??! - blog maintained from 2004-2007 by Hal Blacker, a former editor of Cohen's magazine, What Is Enlightenment?, and other ex-students
• Critical Articles from What Enlightenment??!