A Remarkable Consistency
by Aaron
(Blogger name gniz)
I have read a great deal about the Cohen situation, whether it be the books that are available, WIE magazine itself, blogs on Cohen’s website, and the reports on this blog. There is REMARKABLE consistency in the stories that are recounted about the behavior of this group. If there were a trial, I believe there is simply overwhelming circumstantial evidence as to what has occurred on Cohen’s watch.
The similarity of language used by people who are in the fold of Andrew’s group is just astounding. Using those buzzwords (evolution, conditioning, shedding of the ego, the impersonality of enlightenment). It seems to me that anyone using just a bit of discrimination can see that this is a sham. I am sorry to say it that way, to perhaps belittle what is so important to many people in this forum.
Andrew’s new phase seems to be that he is now stating that groups of students are enlightened, but only through their “group mind communication” and only under his direction. Notice his pattern is to make sure that he is the driving force behind everything and that nothing can continue without his help. If he claimed that “individual students” were enlightened, then they could potentially break away and threaten his reign.
But this way he gets to have his cake and eat it too. By proclaiming this new version of enlightenment through group communication, he gets to claim victory (like Bush in Iraq) without actually letting anyone move on and become adults. He is still big Daddy, responsible for making sure that people attain this supposed state.
What is this big evolution that everyone keeps talking about? Sorry, but it sounds like vague New Age bullshit to me. Being conscious of the moment, being present to my life is the only thing that seems sane to me. I don’t need Andrew Cohen or anyone else to do that. I could sit in a 6 foot by 6 foot box and be present. I can do it while I shop for groceries.
The ultimate egotism, it seems to me, is to claim that humans, and particularly this group of humans, are the standard bearers of conscious “evolution” of the universe. Give me a break. It’s just life. Pay attention.
Buy your groceries. Watch a movie. Pay attention. Simple.
No need for dumb gurus.
Sincerely,
Aaron
BTW, I actually have a guru and teacher. He lives miles away, doesn’t expect worship or money and doesn’t tell me how to live my life.
(Blogger name gniz)
I have read a great deal about the Cohen situation, whether it be the books that are available, WIE magazine itself, blogs on Cohen’s website, and the reports on this blog. There is REMARKABLE consistency in the stories that are recounted about the behavior of this group. If there were a trial, I believe there is simply overwhelming circumstantial evidence as to what has occurred on Cohen’s watch.
The similarity of language used by people who are in the fold of Andrew’s group is just astounding. Using those buzzwords (evolution, conditioning, shedding of the ego, the impersonality of enlightenment). It seems to me that anyone using just a bit of discrimination can see that this is a sham. I am sorry to say it that way, to perhaps belittle what is so important to many people in this forum.
Andrew’s new phase seems to be that he is now stating that groups of students are enlightened, but only through their “group mind communication” and only under his direction. Notice his pattern is to make sure that he is the driving force behind everything and that nothing can continue without his help. If he claimed that “individual students” were enlightened, then they could potentially break away and threaten his reign.
But this way he gets to have his cake and eat it too. By proclaiming this new version of enlightenment through group communication, he gets to claim victory (like Bush in Iraq) without actually letting anyone move on and become adults. He is still big Daddy, responsible for making sure that people attain this supposed state.
What is this big evolution that everyone keeps talking about? Sorry, but it sounds like vague New Age bullshit to me. Being conscious of the moment, being present to my life is the only thing that seems sane to me. I don’t need Andrew Cohen or anyone else to do that. I could sit in a 6 foot by 6 foot box and be present. I can do it while I shop for groceries.
The ultimate egotism, it seems to me, is to claim that humans, and particularly this group of humans, are the standard bearers of conscious “evolution” of the universe. Give me a break. It’s just life. Pay attention.
Buy your groceries. Watch a movie. Pay attention. Simple.
No need for dumb gurus.
Sincerely,
Aaron
BTW, I actually have a guru and teacher. He lives miles away, doesn’t expect worship or money and doesn’t tell me how to live my life.
posted by the Editors at
9:45 AM
10 Comments:
Hello to all the people i used to know around andrew cohen. i disappeared about 10 years ago after initially asking for permission to join the community. when i returned home to pack my bags and return to foxhollow, i very quickly found myself in a very confusing rush of doubt about andrew's intentions. so i basically retreated into an investigation into why i was feeling the way i was. what a relief to now hear that so many others were and are feeling much similar conflicting emotions about andrew.
So, thank you for doing this blog and helping me to see that i am not the only one out here trying to make sense of devotion, committment and fear about letting myself be bashed about in my spiritual search.
sincerely,
steven elliott
stevenelliott806@hotmail.com
The gist of it is--Andrew Cohen's no Tilopa.
It's a shame he thinks he is.
One of the best ways of stopping Cohen is this blog, and all other sources of the truth about Cohen's tactics and goals, such as Luna Tarlo's book Mother of God, and Andre Van der Braak's book, Enlightenment Blues.
If real information were not such a threat, then there would be no need for Cohen to so tightly control the kinds of information available to his community.
Therefore the best way of stopping Cohen is to spread true information about him: think letters to the editor of newspapers and magazines (how about Tricycle, Yoga Journal, Boston Globe), letters to friends, postings on other blogs, hey - start your own blog and further help get the word out!
Believe me, the only way Cohen's kind of indoctrination can exist is in a shadow, where its assumptions are not aired out in full daylight.
Roy
If you ever have the oppotunity to view the documentary titled, Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary, I highly recommend it. The dynamics of how the holocaust happened are clearly revealed and will feel eerily familiar to anyone who has ever been involved in a cult. This lady points out that everyone was working for the "Greater Good" and gave over their own personal conscience in the process. Hitler had no interest in the welfare of people's personal lives and was obssessed with the purification of the race, a raging inferno which was fed with the lives of innocents. This documentary is a powerful expose.
To Pissed Off Old Man,
The financial picture of Cohen has been discussed earlier on this blog – see the post “Karma Will Literally Cost You” http://essentialwhatenlightenment.blogspot.com/2005/06/karma-will-literally-cost-you-and.html
Here is a quote from this article:
“It is not unusual for nonprofits to ask members for contributions. But it is unusual to obtain such contributions through psychological manipulation and the use of shame and guilt, as occurs in Andrew's community. A glance at the finances of EnlightenNext do not appear to show the need for using extraordinary measures to obtain contributions. According to EnlightenNext’s 2003 Federal Income Tax Form 990 (the latest one viewable at the Guidestar web site (www.guidestar.org ), obtainable by doing a search for EnlightenNext), Cohen’s organization had total revenues of over $4 1/3rd Million Dollars in 2003, with a net over expenses of $2,184,927.00. Its total assets exceeded its liabilities by $7,653,439.00.”
Obviously with a net income of over $2 million and net assets of $7.6 million, Cohen really didn’t need the $28,000 from your grand-daughter. But what Cohen does desperately need is the total submission of all his students. Thus your grand-daughter was only doing what a good student should do – hand it over!
P'Od Old Man writes some very interesting things in his last post.
I think he's correct in that it would be very interesting to REALLY dig into some of the financial doings of Andrew's group.
The fact that he appears to regulary attempt to extort money from his members indicates that there may be plenty of other shady dealings.
Does anybody out there know more about this issue? Especially ex-members. Did any of you ever pay attention to this aspect of things?
Cohen is living in a house of cards, it will crumble-- probably within the next five years or so.
-Aaron
Dear Pissed Off Old Man
Love to your grand=daughter
please know that she will heal
please ask her to trust
to trust in the great spirit
to trust in her initial seeking that led her to andrew
to trust in love itself.
Ask her not to allow her experience
to create a long shadow in her heart
She is too precious for this
Life needs her in her full beauty
to shine shine shine.
To the Blog Owner (Hal, etc)
I hope you create a posting specifically calling for ex-members who know about the financial dealings and inproprieties of the Cohen organization to come forward.
This is really the area that you could do something about. Yes, it is great to have a forum to deal with the psychological trauma, but if you really want to have an effect--to stop what Cohen is doing--the pocketbook is clearly his vulnerability.
Cohen has demonstrated that it is money which motivates him, money and power. PO'ed Old Man made some good comments about having a CPA look at this stuff, and writing to the IRS to merit an investigation.
Want to make Cohen really uncomfortable? Have him audited.
-Aaron
Wow! This tax return info is really dynamite! Just look at the holdings and real estate in the 2002 return! I quite agree that an investigation would yeild a great deal of shady financials. And what about the income and expenses generated by the band "Unfullfilled Desires?" - they perform all over the US and Europe. Are their financials under the same tax exempt umbrella?
As a former longtime member of Cohen’s cult – err oops, I mean community - I agree with many of the comments about his vulnerability on financial issues. Without the IRS tax exempt status, he would be seen as a self promoting business man, which is much closer to the reality. And that would make it quite a bit more difficult to entice the young and idealistic to join in the “mission.” (Thanks Wendyl for that term!)
Who knows which straw will finally break the camel’s back….but keeping up this investigation and reporting will bring results sooner or later.
There are 2 significant vulnerabilities lurking over the EnlightenNext non-profit status. (Excuse me, but doesn’t that name sound like a hybrid of an electric company and a trendy phone company???)
First there is the issue of Cohen’s strong arm extortion tactics in fundraising that have been reported about at length here on this blog. But there are many more cases I am personally aware of that haven’t yet been reported here – Perhaps there are more individuals with stories to tell? In any case, this pressure tactic must be at odds with the rules governing non-profits.
Second, the concept behind getting tax exempt status is that the entity is a charity – defined as “benevolence or generosity towards others”, not just to serve some individual’s personal or professional ambitions. Here Cohen is also quite vulnerable if you were to look carefully at what his organization really does, which is promote and promulgate the philosophy and methods of Andrew Cohen. It has no other point, and as he is often glad to announce, he cares not for the fate of the individual. This blog has carried the sad stories of many who have found out the hard way that this is entirely true. This point could be much more fully investigated and brought out into public awareness and in the process will only further undermine his claim to being a legitimate non-profit organization.
I really appreciate the comments of the PO’d Old Man, but disagree that he’s “too old to do anything about it”… PO’d Old Man, I think you have gotten a few of us up off our chairs and into action! Thanks.
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