Andrew Cohen current suggested assesment back to alphabetical listing |
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| Tradition | Integral |
| Gurus | HWL Poonja (now rejected), Ken Wilber |
| Category | Nondual |
| Psychology | Narcissist |
| Inspiration | Intermediate zone? |
| Disciples/Devotees | Craig Hamilton (former ed. WIE?), Carter Phipps (current ed.), many others, including perhaps the entire editorial staff of  What Is Enlightenment? Magazine (Need Information). |
| Critics (includes ex-devotees and others) |  What Enlightenment? blogsite created by collective, including ex-WIE? editor Hal Blacker, ex-WIE editor Simeon Alev is another contributor/critic;  Luna Tarlo, Andre van der Braak, Geoff Falk,
John Horgan , Yours Truly,  Bill Harryman |
| Possible Abuses | Sexual - None Financial - Extreme ( here is just one story)Emotional - High Thought - Moderate Antagonism - Mild |
| Assesment | Outer personality sincere and well-meaning, but with narcissist self-delusional attitude, integrity called into question by his hiring of Aum Shinrikyo lawyer; possibly Intermediate zone, helped some but also caused great suffering to others, no understanding of what he is dealing with or the responsibility he has been given; the blind leading the blind |
Andrew Cohen is an American guru, editor-in-chief of What Is Enlightenment?/EnlightenNext, and friend of Ken Wilber. (Cohen regularily features mutually self-congratulatory interviews between Wilber and himself in his magazine, under the heading "The Guru and the Pandit" ). He seems to follow the basic Vedanto-Buddhist approach of many popular and western gurus. There have however been some serious accusations of cultic behavior levelled against him. And Wilber's lack of ability to distinguish genuine from ambigious gurus may be tied up with this as well, see Part 2b of my essay on Integral World. However I was recently contacted by someone familiar with this scene, who has gaven me some information regarding all this.
Cohen came to spirituality through Theravedan Buddhist derived Insight meditation (vipassana). I have been told (I cannot however confirm this information) that he doted on a particular vipassana teacher, but had a traumatic break up with both that teacher and his girlfriend, then possibly on the rebound, went to Lucknow in India.
At Lucknow Cohen met HWL Poonja, the guru whom he claims gave him enlightenment, although this "enlightenment" might much more likely be considered of the nature of the intermediate zone or simply inner/subtle experiences. Cohen's mother Luna Tarlo in her book The Mother of God gives precise descriptions of what appear to have been some sort of subtle energy/kundalini catastrophe that befell her son. Tarlo does not mention having any personal background in yoga, and does not herself name it as such, but her description of how her son changed after he met Poonja resembles reports by others who have endured subtle energy/kundalini upsurges, For more these sort of experiences, see Gopi Krisnna, Living With Kundalini and The Call of Spiritual Emergency by Emma Bragdon)
I haven't read Cohen's Autobiography (and really have no interest in doing so, as I would much rather associate with the Presence of genuine Adepts. But according to someone who has, "The first third of Cohen’s “Autobiography of an awakening” I found intensely exciting. The last two thirds absolutely horrified me, as it reads as a long victim story of how how his guru betrayed him and how hard it is to be a teacher, of how his students, who lack his good fortune to have been totally awakened at once like himself, resist his teaching, how nobody understands the majesty and power of his teaching, etc." ( blog ref). Compare the above with this Cohen anecdote
Very soon after Cohen quarreled with and broke with Poonja, he got involved with Wilber. Perhaps he needed something to keep him going. There is a section in Enlightenment Blues, where Cohen talks of hoping to recruit Wilber. Actually, the reverse seems to have happened, in that Cohen became a convert for Integral philosophy (or Evolutionary Spirituality" as he calls it). There is no doubt that Wilber is the more powerful personality, and Cohen the follower. Cohen began to associate with Wilber, according to one commentator his magazine, What Is Enlightenment? "morphed into a house-organ for Wilber's philosophy and has become increasingly abstract and jargon ridden. It is quite interesting to look at back of WIE issues and see how high the editor turnover has been." (blog ref)
Consider also the ongoing "The Guru and the Pandit" series of What Is Enlightenment?, where Wilber is the dynamic and powerful teacher, and Cohen the sycophantic student whose contributions often involve little or no more than echoing the master's words, or saying "yeah", or asking questions in a very uncritical "please enlighten me" manner. Wilber of course is the compasisonate and magnimanious teacher, as he always is when around people who affirm his ego and don't seriously question what he is saying. So it does indeed seem that Wilber has added Cohen to his list of loyal disciples.
Yet while Wilber is certainly the one who holds the power, the Wilber-Cohen relationship might also be a symbiotic one. Wilber benefits from lots of free publicity in a glossy and professional-looking magazine, and of course the devotional adulation of Cohen and his followers. And in Wilber, Cohen may have a new mentor-advocate who is in a position to send lots of fresh new potential devotees his way, seekers who have put their trust in Wilber's "Rude Boy" endorsement of abusive gurus.
A lot of Cohen's early converts were also practitioners of the same tradition of Vipassana meditation. What is interesting is that Andrew didnt seem aware of any significance in making a switch from Buddhist practice, which denies any sort of atman or essential self to a teacher of neo-advaita (Poonja), a belief system which would teach that there is atman/essential self. In keeping with the standard pop-Advaito-Buddhism that is also taught by Wilber and others, they seemed to roam between traditions with totally incompatible belief systems, yet saw no contradiction in doing so. This may simply refelcet the difference between teh Western eclectic/perennialist nonduality approach and the more traditional orientation.
I find Cohen's "Evolutionary Enlightenment" particularily insipid (much as I love the name, his presentation of it dissapoints). All he has done is taken the ideas of Sri Aurobindo, Briane Swimme, Ken Wilber, and possibly also Peter Russell (The Global Brain), and mixed it with his own brand of Advaito-Buddhist New Age-ism and Abusive Guru narcissism. Many people have it seems been inspired by what Cohen says, but they would do better to look at the original source of these ideas in the evolutiomnary spiritualities of Sri Aurobinod and Teilhard de Chardin. But perhaps people want dumbed down stuff; thr result of immersion in TV and internet is short attention span; therefore idiot philosophies flourish because no-one has the patience to plough through the heavy spiritual density of the early 20th century originals. Certainly this is the secret of Wilber's success. Thus much of the modern Integral Movement is based on the watered down synthesies and plagarisms of Wilber and Cohen. Cohen's greatest contribution is probably his magazine EnlightenNext, which is an important, if biased and devotional, voice in the Integral Movement.
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by Andre van der Braak |
Review of "Enlightenment Blues - My Years With An American Guru" - a review by a Cohen devotee which is highly critical of van der Braak.
The following is a powerful review posted on Amazon com by "rain cloud". The comparison with Ramana Maharshi, a genuine sadguru, is revealing.
Courageous, Laudible, a Classic., May 29, 2004
This book is harrowing and took a lot of honesty to write. Andrew Cohen is a guru who underwent something like two weeks training with a teacher in India--supposedly in the lineage of Sri Ramana Maharshi--before being turned loose on the public. He's so out of control that his own mother wrote an expose' of him (Luna Tarlo and her book, "The Mother of God", is available on amazon). I suppose the people who believe in Cohen are just good but immature kids. And for those still capable of hearing a dissenting voice, I offer this anecdote.
I once knew an American who was a direct disciple of Ramana Maharshi. In the late nineteen forties he flew to India at age 17 and arrived at Ramana's ashram unannounced. The Maharshi was in the meditation hall sitting on a slightly raised dais, as always. He greeted the american kid warmly, asked some questions about his hometown of new york city (for example: "Are the buildings really that tall?") The Maharshi already had advanced cancer and could only hobble around painfully with a cane, but he personally got up, took the kid's hand, and led him to a dilapidated cabin where he could bed down. Having made certain the kid was comfy, Ramana left. My friend then practically fainted from exhaustion (trans-oceanic flights then were still endless propeller-driven marathons).
The kid was awakened nine hours later by a soft tapping at his door. He opened it. There stood Ramana, all alone, holding a palm leaf filled with food. Ramana sat down, like a good dad, and watched the half-starved boy scarf the meal. Apparently satisfied that the boy was recovering, Ramana Maharshi slowly stood up and limped back to his seat in the meditation hall.
This is a true story. (The man was the Gnani Robert Adams and his book "Silence of the Heart" is available on amazon. He died in 1997 with the same nobility with which he'd always lived).
This book I'm reviewing tells a parallel story. Andrew Cohen kept a whole restaurant full of his devotees waiting for lunch while he piddled around, becoming extremely late. Finally they ate without him. When Cohen arrived he threw a HUGE TEMPER TANTRUM how DARE they eat before him?
Now, here's the punch line: does this sound like Sri Ramana Maharshi to you?
Ramana probably would have insisted they all eat FIRST then would have painfully limped around freshening everyone's drink. Don't kid yourself, being degraded never sped anyone to enlightenment. (Ignore Ken Wilber, Cohen's big defender, ALL he knows is books).
However, buy this book and decide for yourself. By all means, think for yourself.
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Links | |
I've inclosed both pro and anti Cohen links; as always in these cases, it is upto the reader to review the evidence presented by both sides and make up their own mind on these matters.
Andrew Cohen - home page
What Is Enlightenment? Magazine - Exploring Spiritual Transformation in the 21st Century.
Andrew Cohen - wikipedia page
Two threads on the Integral Naked forum (#11798 Andrew Cohen and #21922 Andrew Cohen/Personal Experiences Anybody?) - which I linked to here but didn't make a copy of, have since been removed
WHAT Enlightenment ??! - A pull no punches blog criticizing Andrew Cohen, founded by ex-devotee Hal Blacker. See also Enlightennixt for the important archives and early posts constituting the essential WHAT Enlightenment ??! blog articles. Neither blogs are currently active
Sometimes I Feel Like a God - chapter on Andrew Cohen from Stripping the Gurus: Sex, Violence, Abuse and Enlightenment by Geoffrey D. Falk
The Myth of the Totally Enlightened Guru
by John Horgan - a sceptical overview of his personal experiences with the enlightenment community including an interview with Andrew Cohen.
The Daism Forum - Adi Da discussion at What Enlightenment? - Lightmind discussion.
Andrew Cohen, Evolutionary Enlightenment and EnlightenNext - is it a cult? - from Adventures in Rewlationship/Community blog.
WHAT Enlightenment Uncensored $$$ - "A closer look at the suspected motives of the faceless micro-managers behind the supposedly "uncensored" Andrew Cohen exposé-blog called "WHAT enlightenment??!"" - this blog, a response to WHAT Enlightenment ??!, is no longer active (most recent post Dec 2005). I am probably quite biased, but I cannot but feel that the accusatory tone here is strongly reminiscent of Sathya Sai Baba abusive devotees Moreno and De Witt - shadow projection, emotional invective, and all.
A Legacy of Scorched Earth. Much more interesting than shrill attack blogs like WHAT Enlightenment Uncensored $$$, this is a discussion/argument in which both sides get to make their case. Decide for yourself.
Towards a Larger Definition of the Integral, Part Two, Wilberian paradigm – a fourfold critique. - my essay on Integral World - presents the thesis regarding absusive gurus and the intermediate zone
The Abusive Guru: Andrew Cohen - Tuesday, July 11, 2006 entry in William Harryman's Blog Zaadz mirror - based on part of my essay and comments critical of that
Some reflections on abuse and Andrew Cohen - on What Enlightenment? blog - quote of the relevant section of my essay and intelligent commentary
In Sri Aurobindo's account of the "internediate zone" he describes it as a region or rather a stage in which light and dark, truth and falsehood are inextricably mixed. The following words by an ex-devotee (ex-student) of Cohen (posted on WHAT Enlightenment ??! blog) seem to be referring to this as well, although it may well be that this is just standard Astral Plane Light/Dark duality.
Hal Blacker's recent very thoughtful posts to this blog have inspired me to send a contribution, also nonanonymously. I was a student of Andrew Cohen for ten years, and worked very intimately with him for many years in my work as a writer and editor for What Is Enlightenment? magazine and other Moksha Press publications. I have witnessed or experienced everything reported in this blog and a great deal more. I left Andrew's community a little over 3 years ago, and while I am busy with new academic, career, and spiritual goals, I am still "digesting" my experience of my relationship with Andrew and my time in his community.
Bottom line, I experienced so much that was truly profound and transformative—and that I will forever be grateful for—and also so much that was really abusive and twisted—and that still deeply saddens me. The lightest light and the darkest dark. Both. All tangled together like miles of black and white yarn entwined in a big ball at the pit of my stomach. I guess for me, I feel my work is to digest the whole thing, tease it apart, and try to come to some real maturity and wisdom about it
Discussion on the strongly pro-Wilber and pro-Cohen Zaadz (since renamed Gaia but does not seema s vibrant) community regarding Cohen. Most responses were naively devotional, although there were also a few critical voices. In the course of discussion, the critics asked for clear replies from Cohen loyalists concerning whether the violent acts reported on What Enlightenment? actually happened or not. Cohen loyalists responded with glowing testimonials or in some cases, psychological projection and ad hominem attacks. Finally some of the Cohen loyalists demanded that the thread be closed for further discussion, and the thread was locked by the moderator while the discussion was still active. This should not be seen as an example of deliberate censorship, but rather the inability of the current Integral movement, and for that matter the alternative / spiritual movement in general, to come to terms with the paradoxical nature of the intermediate zone where highly abusive behaviour can be found with genuine experience.
Cohen has responded to criticism of his behaviour with a long, rambling, and highly narcicisstic blog post, entitled "declaration of integrity": I found out about this thanks to one of Bill Harryman's (WH) blog post.
WH has favourably adopted my thesis of the "abusive guru" (even if he doesn't talk about the Intermediate Zone, he seems like a very decent guy who like me is appalled at the behaviour of some of these so-called gurus). Soon after, a good friend of mine who had independently read Cohen's blog sent me a long rant which conatined a lot of spiritual insights, as does all the material written by this person (who will remain anonymous for now). I edited it and posted it here; it makes, I think, a nice counter-response to and refutation of the claims of self-appointed gurus like Cohen.
See also What Enlightenment??! blog posts - A Response To Andrew Cohen's "Declaration of Integrity" By Simeon Alev (Former What Is Enlightement? magazine editor), and Part 2 – A Response To Andrew Cohen's "Declaration of Integrity"
See also Andrew Cohen and the Corruption of Power by Jane O'Neil. Especially revelaing is this comment in the above thread:
The interesting piece is that after the cult leader, Aum Shinrikyo, had his disciples poison the subway with sarin gas killing and harming innocent people. http://www.holysmoke.org/report/homicide-defense.htm Andrew's lawyer was one of the American attorneys who went to Tokyo to defend the cult's religious freedom and challenge the authorities That is the type of lawyer Andrew chooses. INTEGRITY?????? Who on this earth would use a lawyer such as this?
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