A Cohen Teaching

Cohen's dress sense might be insightful; let me set the scene;-

He wore a mid brown velvet suit with long brown Velvet jacket in the style of Wyatt Earpe with fancy pockets lined to the lapel with orange silk very tightly fitted almost like a girdle. Strong padded shoulders with wide lapel and an orange silk business shirt. Red tie done with a thick knot.

1970's Starsky and Hutch hair and slightly flared brown velvet pants and a Mark Spitz moustache. He looks to have been prepared by the stylist on a Mike Myers film.

Almost a sense of 1970's stage magician about him, with his charts either side and a big book with lots and lots of place holders.

He entered through a side door when everyone was seated, he would always leave directly after a talk and retreat to a private room. He certainly didn’t seem to want to interact with anyone outside of the intensive other than his inner circle.

So a German lady asks : what about love in your teachings?

He asks aggressively back so what love do you mean? She says “universal love”, he says Do you mean the love of men and women?

He goes in into the persona of baritone male and turns across the stage “I love you my dear and we will live happily ever after”, he turns and hunches and in a Michael Jackson falsetto and says : “Oh my love, I love you so much we will make each other happy.”

Cohen stops and turns facing the German lady and sneers. "So is that what you mean by love?", and does that funny Prairie Dog laugh, and scans the audience as he speaks to the woman, “you mean the kind of love that causes all suffering?” That is not love it is attachment, do you mean that kind of love he demands!

The German lady forthright woman that she is, stands her ground. Well I meant love in all its manifestations, there are many.

“Well which one do you mean?” She says I have told you. He proclaims to the audience after much haggling with the German lady: All love of this kind is attachment that causes suffering and clouds truth. It is in fact lusting not love.

Next question please.

-from a post on Integral Naked