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Andrew Cohen (born October 23, 1955) is an American
spiritual teacher This is an index of religious honorifics from various religions. Buddhism Christianity Eastern Orthodox The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Protestantism Catholicism Hinduism Islam Judaism ...
of
neo-Advaita Neo-Advaita, also called the Satsang-movement and Nondualism, is a New Religious Movement, emphasizing the direct recognition of the non-existence of the "I" or "ego," without the need of preparatory practice. Its teachings are derived from, but ...
. He has been credibly accused of physically and psychologically abusing his students, and demanding money and extreme devotion from his students.


Biography and beliefs

Cohen was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
into an upper-middle class secular Jewish family. Cohen recounts that his life was changed by a spontaneous experience of " cosmic consciousness" at the age of sixteen. At 22 years of age and after pursuing a career as a jazz musician, he began a quest to recover his earlier spiritual experience. He eventually met
H. W. L. Poonja Sri H. W. L. Poonja (; born Hariwansh Lal Poonja; 13 October 1910 (or later) in Punjab, British India – 6 September 1997 in Lucknow, India), known as "Poonjaji" or "Papaji" , was an Indian sage. Biography Early life At the age of eig ...
in 1986, a student of Ramana Maharshi, who taught that no mind effort is needed to attain
enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
"because it is merely the realisation of what one already has". At their first meeting, Cohen realized that he "had always been free". He claimed that Poonja declared him his heir, so Cohen began to teach as a
neo-Advaita Neo-Advaita, also called the Satsang-movement and Nondualism, is a New Religious Movement, emphasizing the direct recognition of the non-existence of the "I" or "ego," without the need of preparatory practice. Its teachings are derived from, but ...
teacher, and gathered a community around him. However Cohen only spent a short time in the presence of H. W. L. Poonja, who later claimed never to have given Cohen permission to give spiritual teachings. Within a few years, Cohen noticed that the ecstatic experiences his students had in his presence were limited. Being convinced that he himself was fully free from
karmic Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
bondage, he began to demand more commitment from his students, insisting on complete "ego-
transcendence Transcendence, transcendent, or transcendental may refer to: Mathematics * Transcendental number, a number that is not the root of any polynomial with rational coefficients * Algebraic element or transcendental element, an element of a field exten ...
". This change in teaching-style led to dissent and a break with Poonja, who Cohen felt had ethical and enlightened behavioral shortcomings. According to Cohen, "Poonja insisted that the realization of the Self had nothing to do with worldly behavior, and he did not believe fully transcending the ego was possible." According to Poonja, "Karmic tendencies remained after enlightenment, utthe enlightened person was no longer identified with them and, therefore, did not accrue further karmic consequences." For Poonja, ethical standards were based on an understanding of duality and the notion of an individual agent, and were therefore not representative of
Advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (lit ...
: "For Poonja, the goal was the realisation of the self; the illusory realm of relative reality was ultimately irrelevant." Cohen did not agree, insisting instead on "flawless behavior" as the manifestation of enlightenment. In 1991, Cohen founded ''EnlightenNext'' magazine (under its former title, ''What Is Enlightenment?''), which "established him as a major contemporary spiritual figure." In 2004, ''EnlightenNext'' magazine partnered with the Graduate Institute in Connecticut to offer a master's program in
conscious evolution Conscious evolution refers to the theoretical ability of human beings to be conscious participants in the evolution of their cultures, or even of the entirety of human society, based on a relatively recent combination of factors, including increas ...
. From 2004 to 2007, Cohen served as a core faculty of that institute.The Graduate Institute, ''Catalog of Program'', Conscious Evolution Program, 2004–07 The magazine stopped publishing in 2011. After the break with Poonja, Cohen's teachings were further developed into "Evolutionary Enlightenment", aiming at an impersonal enlightenment which transcends the personal. Yet, the change in teaching-style led also to "physical force, verbal abuse, and intense psychological pressure against students." The growing complaints from students have been described in several publications from former students and from his own mother. In 2001, Cohen co-formed the jazz-funk-fusion band Unfulfilled Desires, in which he played drums. The band played original compositions and standards, and performed in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. They released four CDs: ''Live at the Iron Horse'' (2002), ''Enlightened Dog'' (2004), ''Punk Funk'' (2008), and ''Plugged'' (2010). On June 26, 2013, Cohen announced on his blog that he would be taking "a sabbatical for an extended period of time", after confrontational exchanges with some of his closest students, who helped Cohen to realize, as he put it, that "in spite of the depth of my awakening, my ego is still alive and well". On May 12, 2015, Cohen posted an extensive apology letter to his former students on his blog, his first writing after emerging from a two-year sabbatical. In it he wrote about the need to embrace the spiritual principle of agape, as well as eros, and expressed regret for the ways in which his lack of the former in his teaching methods hurt and alienated many former students. In September 2016, after over three years' absence from public life, Cohen unveiled a redesigned website. This included an announcement of his intention to return to formal teaching, beginning with a retreat planned for early 2017.


Teachings


Influences

When beginning to teach, Cohen was influenced by
H. W. L. Poonja Sri H. W. L. Poonja (; born Hariwansh Lal Poonja; 13 October 1910 (or later) in Punjab, British India – 6 September 1997 in Lucknow, India), known as "Poonjaji" or "Papaji" , was an Indian sage. Biography Early life At the age of eig ...
, who offered a "deinstitutionalized and experiential Advaita," comparable to
Ramana Maharshi Ramana Maharshi (; 30 December 1879 – 14 April 1950) was an Indian Hindu sage and ''jivanmukta'' (liberated being). He was born Venkataraman Iyer, but is mostly known by the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. He was born in Tiruchuli, Ta ...
's teachings, which differ from the traditional
Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hinduism, Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the Āstika and nāstika, orthodox Hindu school Ved ...
of Shankara. He likewise credits the "integral philosopher" Ken Wilber, with whom he conducts frequent public discourses, with helping him form the theoretical framework of his teachings. He has also been influenced by the Spiral Dynamics theories put forward by Don Beck as an extension of the
emergent cyclical theory Graves's emergent cyclical levels of existence (E-C theory or ECLET) is a theory of adult human development constructed from experimental data by Union College professor of psychology Clare W. Graves. It produces an open-ended series of levels, Co ...
of
Clare Graves Clare W. Graves (December 21, 1914 – January 3, 1986) was a professor of psychology and originator of the '' emergent cyclical theory'' of adult human development, aspects of which were later popularised as '' Spiral Dynamics''. He was born in ...
. Cohen was also inspired by
Swami Krishnananda Swami Krishnananda Saraswati (25 April 1922 – 23 November 2001) was a disciple of Sivananda Saraswati and served as the General Secretary of the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India from 1958 until 2001. Author of more than 40 texts, ...
of the Divine Life Society in India, and his call "In unity there is strength; come together, come together."


Evolutionary Enlightenment

According to Cohen, "traditional" enlightenment is the realisation of the transcendental aspect of God, and it often goes hand in hand with the realization that the world is an illusion. Cohen says that he has discovered a different form of "enlightened awareness," which he claims to be unique. He first called this "impersonal enlightenment" to reflect the fact that it was a realization shared between people rather than an individual attainment. He later changed the name to Evolutionary Enlightenment, both to reflect his belief that it indicates the next stage of the evolution of enlightenment and to convey the creative, world-embracing vision of spiritual awakening as an unending process of individual and cultural development. A fundamental aspect of Cohen's Evolutionary Enlightenment is the distinction between what he sees as two fundamental, yet opposing, aspects of the human psyche: the "
ego Ego or EGO may refer to: Social sciences * Ego (Freudian), one of the three constructs in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche * Egoism, an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of morality * Egotism, the drive to ...
" and the " authentic
self The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhood ...
",
In his teaching, ego is defined as "the deeply ingrained, compulsive need to remain separate and superior at all times, in all places, under all circumstances."
The authentic self, on the other hand, is defined as "the urge to become more conscious". According to Cohen and Wilber, "enlightenment" does not refer to an unchanging state, but has to be in accord with an ongoing evolution of humanity, which is the "Authentic Self." According to Cohen, individuals need to recognize that their own spiritual transformation is essential for cultural evolution. To achieve that, in Cohen's view, an individual should strive to realize his or her true self as being "one with the timeless Ground of all Being and with the evolutionary impulse that is driving the entire cosmos." According to Wilber, evolutionary enlightenment means "the realization of oneness with all states and all stages that have evolved so far and that are in existence at any given time." Cohen believes that individuals need to transcend egoism to express the "Authentic Self." Through identifying the evolutionary impulse as their own Authentic Self, individuals can transcend ego, and find a deeper self-sense without relying on asceticism or solitude. Cohen's ideas are co-inspired by Wilber's Integral Theory, offering an integral vision of the integral evolution of matter and consciousness. According to this theory, human development parallels the evolution of all being.


Award

In May 2013,
Watkins Books Watkins Books is London's oldest esoteric bookshop. It specialises in esotericism, mysticism, occultism, oriental religion and contemporary spirituality. The book store was established by John M. Watkins, a friend of Madame Blavatsky, in 1897 ...
listed Cohen at Number 28 on their "Spiritual 100" list for 2012.


Controversy

H. W. L. Poonja Sri H. W. L. Poonja (; born Hariwansh Lal Poonja; 13 October 1910 (or later) in Punjab, British India – 6 September 1997 in Lucknow, India), known as "Poonjaji" or "Papaji" , was an Indian sage. Biography Early life At the age of eig ...
, also known as Papaji, the Indian Guru who Cohen claims called him his "heir" stated publicly that Cohen only spent 25 hours in satsang before proclaiming himself as enlightened. Papaji describes Cohen's claims as the arrogance of his ego and never acknowledged Cohen as a master or heir, but rather described him as a messenger. The mental, physical, and financial abuse Cohen perpetrated against former students, which he justifies as "crazy wisdom" are documented in books such as ''American Guru'', ''Enlightenment Blues'', and ''Mother of God'', as well as popular blogs such as ''What Enlightenment?'' and ''EnlightenNixt''. Poonja himself has been sharply criticized for too easily authorising students to teach: Some of Cohen's former followers, including his mother, Luna Tarlo, have viewed him as a manipulative spiritual teacher. Tarlo wrote a critical book, called ''Mother of God'', about her experience as one of his disciples. In a ''Psychology Today'' article, published in 1998 entitled "Crimes of the Soul", Tarlo recounted how she became a disciple of her son who told her "to give way to him or their relationship would end" and forbade her "to express an opinion on anything". Tarlo said she "knew if I seriously objected to anything, I'd be kicked out" and stated that her son, formerly the "sweetest, sensitive kid, had changed into an unrecognizable tyrant." André van der Braak's ''Enlightenment Blues: My Years with an American Guru'' alleges that Cohen demanded large sums of money and extreme and unquestioning devotion from his students. ''American Guru: A Story of Love, Betrayal and Healing'', by William Yenner and other former Cohen student contributors (foreword by
Stephen Batchelor Stephen Batchelor may refer to: * Stephen Batchelor (author) (born 1953), Scottish-born author of books relating to Buddhism *Stephen Batchelor (field hockey) Stephen James "Steve" Batchelor (born 22 June 1961) is an English former field hockey ...
), allege authoritarianism, financial manipulation, physical and psychological abuse in Cohen's community, and discusses the challenges of healing after leaving the community. Over the years, there were many indications that Cohen's group was in difficult financial straits. In 2011 it officially ended publication of its magazine ''EnlightenNext''. In the summer of 2013, Cohen was accused of being a cult leader. As of early 2014, the EnlightenNext organization's main building on its property in Lenox, Massachusetts, which had been on the market for years, remained up for sale. In 2016, over 240 of Cohen's former students signed an online petition titled "Stop Andrew Cohen teaching again", including detailed explanations of why they believe him to be unfit to teach others.


Works

Cohen has written for ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' ''
Big Think Big Think is a multimedia web portal founded in 2007 by Victoria Brown and Peter Hopkins. The website is a collection of interviews, presentations, and round table discussions with experts from a wide range of fields. Victoria Brown is the acting ...
'', and ''Speaking Tree'',


Bibliography

*''My Master Is My Self'' (1989), *''Enlightenment Is a Secret'' (1991), *''Autobiography of An Awakening'' (1992), *''An Unconditional Relationship to Life'' (1995), *''The Challenge of Enlightenment'' (1996), *''In Defense of the Guru Principle '' (1999), *''Freedom Has No History'' (1997), *''Who Am I? and How Shall I Live?'' (1998), *''Embracing Heaven & Earth'' (2000), *''Living Enlightenment: A Call for Evolution Beyond Ego'' (2002), *''Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening'' (2011),


See also

*
Integral theory (Ken Wilber) Integral theory is a synthetic metatheory developed by Ken Wilber. It attempts to place a wide diversity of theories and models into one single framework. The basis is a "spectrum of consciousness," from archaic consciousness to ultimate spiri ...


Notes


References


Sources


Printed sources

;Primary * * * * * * * * * ;Secondary *


Web-sources


External links

*
Manifest Nirvana, Andrew Cohen's new online venue


* ttp://www.spiritualteachers.org/andrew_cohen.htm spiritualteachers.org, ''Andrew Cohen''* The Atlantic (2016)
''Holy shit, we're in a cult!''
profile on Cohen and his former followers {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Andrew 1955 births American spiritual teachers American spiritual writers Integral thought Living people Neo-Advaita teachers Spiritual teachers