Andrew Cohen

[hermit]

Hi All,

The Teacher/Guru I am most compelled by these days is Andrew Cohen.

His teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment is, for me, really profound and powerful and has great significance for the tipping point times we live in, because it is so all-embracing. However, I have been somewhat concerned and confused based on some books and a blog written by former students claimed he is a tyrannical abusive guru.

I recently can across a very interesting site written by former close students of Andrew Cohen that gives a fascinating inside look into his community and teaching methods,

Check it out: www.guru-talk.com

[Shawn]

This is just the kind of b.s. I've come to expect from Cohen and crew. "Hermit" is one of the contributors to the GuruTalk blog and assuming a pose for his posting to this forum. I know because I can check his registration info. I won't reveal his name, but it is listed on the GuruTalk bios page.

The GuruTalk blog is obviously nothing but an attempt to whitewash criticism of Cohen.

If you want to know what's happening with Cohen and the other post-modern hipsters, just thumb through a copy of their magazine EnlightenNext. If that sort of make-believe appeals to you, then good luck.

[hermit]

Hi Shawn and others,

I apologise for acting as a "plant" here as that clearly wasnt the right thing. I did so because I thought if I was upfront about wanting to present some "positive" views of former students, many of whom left Andrew several years ago like myself, I would be erased because your page on Andrew Cohen is so biased toward a very negative view. However, I realize that I should have been transparent and given you the benefit of the doubt.

I am not concerned with hiding my identity, my name is Pete Bampton (although I always use hermit as my forum pen name) and I was a close student of Andrew for 13 years. While I dont regard him as flawless, he is an extraordinary teacher, and I have been radically tranformed through my involvement with him as have many others. Most of what is written my negative former students is entirely taken out of context and missing important aspects (ie what they didnt want to face in themselves that ultimately caused them to leave).

So you can keep this up or delete me, it is up to you, but if your site is open to all points of view then I request you include the link to www.guru-talk.com on your Andrew Cohen page, so that people who are interested have access to different views from former students and can make up their own mind.

[Peter]

You've got to be pretty upset with a former teacher to want to write a whole book about it. Especially when the teacher is your son.

I found this section in Wikipedia interesting:

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 philosophical disagreement created a split between the two.

It would be interesting to know which teachers decided to start teaching immediately following a deep experience. It's like the ego jumps in and 'claims' the experience. At least, that's how it seems to me.

The tactics used to influence people's opinions are getting more and more sophisticated all the time. Blogs that are really adverts, "reviews" by paid writers, people paid to talk about products in bars, product placement in films & tv. And don't get me started on subliminal advertising. We have these rickshaw bikes in my city that were advertising Virgin TV with the line "Lose yourself in Virgin TV" which I'm sure has the subliminal message "Lose your virginity" in it. ie Sex sells. OK, I can't prove that one, maybe it's just me.

Edit: Whoops, sorry Pete, I didn't see your acknowledgement before I posted there, thanks for explaining. I read your bio; 13 years with a teacher is quite an investment! As I see it, absolutely people should be allowed to read all points of view. Wikipedia seems quite balanced, I see both your site and Shawn's are listed in appropriate sections. If you're asking Shawn to link to you, are you offering to reciprocate?

But really, what does it say about what you're doing (and who you're doing it for) that you need to be deceptive about it? It sounds like an awful lot of your time and energy is currently going into fighting a propaganda war.

[anonji]

Sept 18, 2009 4:04:52 GMT -5 Peter said:

It would be interesting to know which teachers decided to start teaching immediately following a deep experience. It's like the ego jumps in and 'claims' the experience. At least, that's how it seems to me.

That is a real trap in the spiritual journey. I've seen it countless times in which an individual has a powerful awakening experience and then jumps right into guru mode. It takes time to integrate a deep experience regardless of its type. I think Cohen was anointed by a guru and then felt himself to be some kind of superior spiritual person. Bernadette Roberts wrote about this phenomenon in one of her books where she details the traps that one can get into when living a spiritual life.

This is not to say that Cohen is without value. His words, and those in the Integral Enlightenment movement all sound good as words: humanity needs to wake up and now is the time. And we should get a running start before 2012 arrives. I wish them well.

[lightmystic]

The thing that's obvious to me about Andrew Cohen, is that he doesn't understand that once one is Enlightened, then the whole world gets Enlightened with you. The growth of "world awakening" takes care of itself. He doesn't seem to actually have direct experience of what Enlightenment is.

Also, the shear number of complaints about him seems to be a serious red flag.

[pshapiro]

I don't understand why people like Andrew Cohen are still teaching people that they're enlightened except because they're trying to make money from their followers.

People with truth do not sell their teachings or books and they don't tell vague things without any substance in them .

It's simple to verify whether or not the teaching is true. What result in reality can people obtain through the teaching?

There have only been very very few people who opened eyes to truth and taught to human beings and if you hear a teaching from those few men then it's easy to understand when you hear from them. It's not easy to understand and see the teaching when you listen and try to know from someone who doesn't really know.

You can take this and verify any master's teachings easily. The few Enlightened beings who have appeared in the world have given good teachings to people freely which reveal the reality of the matter so that anyone can see if they have even a little bit of interest in verifying.

It's not a question of opinions for or against a master to determine if they are enlightened. Indeed it's a verifiable fact, and you have to take care when learning from someone who claims to be Enlightened as someone who really doesn't have truth can make his followers practice a way that makes them get worse. On the other hand a good teaching makes you get better.

Hope this helps you all.

edit: grammar

[billyen]

Hello,

I was a long term student of Andrew Cohen, and have just published a book about him and his organization:

American Guru; A Story of Love, Betrayal and Healing - former students of Andrew Cohen speak out
by William Yenner and contributors

The book details both the early promises and the eventual demise of a dream of spiritual fulfillment, and will be helpful to anyone searching for a true spiritual teacher. The abuses revealed in the book will shock you and make you wonder why some still defend Cohen.

The book website can be found here: www.americanguru.net
There is a book review by Professor David Lane posted on Integral World: www.integralworld.net/lane9.html

From the book jacket:

“William Yenner’s true, uncensored—and finally ungagged—moving personal story, in combination with the powerful reflections, recollections and contributions of other former community members, makes American Guru an essential source document for the study and understanding of authoritarian spiritual sects.”
—Hal Blacker, former editor of EnlightenNext magazine

“Authoritarian religion is one of the greatest dangers facing humankind in our world today. Whether that authoritarianism be Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist makes no difference. In each case, an elite group claims absolute authority on the basis of a text or a mystical revelation, then seeks to impose that authority on others as the only way to achieve personal and collective salvation.”
From the Foreword by Stephen Batchelor

[lehmann108]

I've read many negative things about Andrew Cohen and I'm sure they are all true. So what? If you judge any spiritual teacher through the lens of your personality/ego you will find some that please you and some that don't. I'm sure even back in the day their were plenty of people that thought Jesus was a jerk, Krishna was an idiot and Buddha was a complete asshole. That being said, it doesn't mean you should tolerate their nonsense. If you tire of their personality, leave. Free yourself of the cult of personality that surrounds all spiritual teachers great and small.

The important thing regarding any spiritual teacher is their impact on you and you alone. Forget other peoples' experience. Rating a guru is the height of arrogance (as if your experience is the standard for everybody else). Be with a teacher that awakens you to whatever degree possible. That is all that matters in the context of awakening.

[billyen]

Readers will find a new commentary I have written about the predicament of Cohen's former students, and the phenomenon of some who continue to defend even his most dubious conduct, on Integral World:
www.integralworld.net/yenner1.html

Peace,
William Yenner

[billyen]

ENLIGHTENNEXT SELLING ITS ASHRAM

EnlightenNext, the non-profit which owns the 220 acre Foxhollow estate located in Lenox, MA, has decided to put the property up for sale. According to the broker, EnlightenNext is trying to relocate to smaller facilities and into the Connecticut River Valley town of Northampton. Foxhollow, described by EnlightenNext as its "World Center", was purchased in 1996 for $2.8 million; it's now being marketed for nearly $7 million.

During its tenure in Lenox, EnlightenNext has been subject of considerable controversy about its founder and spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen. Over the years multiple allegations of abuse of students have come to light including three books, one of which, The Mother of God, was written by Cohen's mother, Luna Tarlo.

In the fall of 2009 another book by another former student was published: American Guru, by William Yenner and contributors. In December 2009, American Guru was selected as one of 10 Best Non-fiction Books, by P2P Foundation, a media think tank.

The controversies about Cohen and EnlightenNext include many well documented allegations from many witnesses of physical, emotional, and financial abuse.

Recently some of the public figures whose contributions Cohen has solicited for publication in EnlightenNext magazine have come forward to express their own concerns about the situation at Foxhollow; their statements can be seen on the American Guru website.
www.americanguru.net