Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening

by Andrew Cohen, Deepak Chopra (Foreword)

THE NEW SPIRITUALITY IS ALL ABOUT EVOLUTION

In Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening, Cohen redefines spirituality for our contemporary world* a world characterized by exponential change and an ever-expanding appreciation for the processes of evolution. Based on 25 years of groundbreaking work as a spiritual teacher and the editor-in-chief of the award-winning EnlightenNext magazine, Cohen has synthesized an original path, practice, and philosophy focused entirely on aligning yourself with what he calls * the evolutionary impulse.*

His message is simple, yet profound: Life is evolution, and enlightenment is about waking up to this fundamentally creative impulse as your own deepest, most authentic self* so that you can play an active role in creating the future.

EMBRACING CHANGE AS YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Change is a constant in today* 's world. Technology is accelerating, globalization is making the world more and more complex, and the pace of life seems to be speeding up every day.

While many popular forms of contemporary spirituality offer ways to feel better in the face of overwhelming change* to discover greater equanimity, detachment, or compassion* Andrew Cohen says that change is not something to be avoided, or merely tolerated, but an essential aspect of reality that needs to be consciously embraced.

Through his five fundamental tenets for living an enlightened life, Cohen empowers you to wholeheartedly participate in the process of change as your own spiritual practice. In doing so, he not only makes deep sense of life today; he shows you how to play an active role in shaping the world of tomorrow.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Religion

213 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 2011

About the author

Andrew Cohen was a controversial self-declared American spiritual teacher, who was accused by former students, including his mother, of mental, physical, and financial abuse.

Reviews

[J]

After just coming out of Cohen's Being and Becoming retreats last month, I think that this book is an overview of his whole current teaching. It's the most challenging call to personal responsibility I've ever seen.

Some favorite excerpts:
pg 167
Ego is full of narcissistic self-importance, but it never wants to take on the burden of this kind of awe-inspiring responsibility for evolution, because in so doing it loses its freedom to act in its own self-interest. Awakening to Cosmic Conscience implicates you in the most profound and dramatic way. It says, "The universe is depending on you." And this is why it has the power to completely unseat the ego in a way that I don't think anything else can. The irony, in this case, is that this does not happen in the traditional way, through awakening, in mystical revelation, to the fact of your personal insignificance. In this new enlightenment, ego is transcended through seeing quite the opposite: your cosmic significance. The solution to the exaggerated sense of self-importance that afflicts most of us is not to feel less important but to discover and take responsibility for just how important you really are. There is no greater challenge to narcissism than awakening to Cosmic Conscience: to the fact that the evolution of the interior of the cosmos is depending on you.

pg 149
…the ego likes to create the illusion that everything that happens to you, from the mundane to the miraculous, is a personal affair -- an event that, in some gross or subtle way, means something about you. In this way, the narcissistic separate self creates the appearance of a personal drama with you at center stage. But it's not actually real. In face, if you step back, you realize that the very capacity to experience that personal drama of "me" has been produced by this vast process. So even the fact that the experience appears to be personal is an impersonal evolutionary phenomenon. I'm not denying that your experience feels personal. Your experience feels personal to you. My experience feels personal to me. The whole point, though, is that even that experience of it feeling personal is completely impersonal. We are a process. You cannot stand outside of it. Dare to face this and you will become transparent to yourself.

[Douglas Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an amazing read. Andrew Cohen's new book is a reflection of 25 + years of his teachings. In a burst of singularity his teachings have evolved, and has always been his highest intention, just as consciousness has evolved. This book IS a path to spiritual awakening. Stop a minute and breathe that in. His teachings land with a thud, because they are "here and now." Put in a contemporary context, Cohen's teachings, spring from Traditional Enlightenment. If the Buddha were alive today, I'm sure he too would have a Chapter called "The Postmodern Predicament." I was fortunate to receive an early copy... the book is officially being released on September 26th... It is in pre-order right now. In New York City there will be a book launch party at the Rubin Museum. Not sure if I can post links: The NY Center will host the launch party...
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Enlight... They have a link to receive free chapters of the book etc!

[Eugene Pustoshkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s difficult for me to reflect upon this book in a comprehensive way. I recognize that most of the ideas and understandings (and even transmissions) are adopted from the theory of Integral nondual spirituality proposed by Ken Wilber. At the same time, to me personally the vision and the territory that Wilber describes is far more nuanced and powerful. Yet this book is a good achievement because it tries to chart the same advanced territory, and most people who are new to the field would benefit from being introduced to the notions of classical enlightenment, evolutionary impulse, creative tension, and intersubjective nonduality. At the same time I recommend to dig deeper and actually start learning about both authentic tantric philosophy and evolutionary formulations proposed by such mystical thinkers as Wilber and Aurobindo.

[Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of spiritual hand-waving that, if actually true, I would only believe after I experience it for myself.

[Lana Shomali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it very much, very inspiring.

[Santa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will definatelly read again in few years. Very eye opening.

[Willa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is going to be a classic, as it is the first and only work on the new spirituality of the 21st Century, by the spiritual teacher who has most to say about it.
Andrew Cohen manages to not only explain evolutionary spirituality with amazing freshness, logic, and clarity; he also includes the traditional nondual enlightenment in a way that honors and builds on the great masters of all times. Whether you want to open up to traditional enlightenment, or the new evolutionary enlightenment; this book takes you there, in fresh, simple language, without any lingo. And more than that, it also is the first fully integral book that explains the entire integral view without using any integral lingo.
This book is a must for everyone who has spiritual or integral interests; it binds it all together in the most accessible, creative way, making all the connections that will open up our view to what it means to be alive in the 21st century, and how we can make sense of life building on all the wisdom of thousands of years. Or, in other words, if you are interested in spirituality, depth, life, or consciousness, and you don't read this book, you are a fool as you will miss out the most accessible way into all of this!

[Danielle Baudouin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Cohen introduces us to a new mysticism that is poignantly relevant to our time. He does not let you off the hook, but opens up a perspective that recontextualize life at this moment in history when science has demystified myth; yet, at the same time Cohen transmits a powerful experience of the non-dual nature of existance, bridging the gap between science and traditional spirituality. The depth of his mysticism and the breath of his evolutionary philosophy take you on a journey far from the restricted lense of the personal self and a culture than has run aground on its own narcissistic pathology.
Andrew cohen gives us a map and the tools to create a better future.

[Steve Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a former student of Andrew Cohen, who was a prominent guru figure between 1986-2013, my own view of him and his writing has been significantly affected by his enforced withdrawal from his teaching role in 2013. The reasons behind that withdrawal (largely to do with power and abuse of his position, though NOT, I wish to make clear, of a sexual nature unlike some other guru-like figures) mean that I cannot unreservedly recommend this book and others he has authored. This is not to say he does not write lucidly and has also introduced some original and interesting ideas into the Western spiritual scene.

[Durwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cohen is a controversial spiritual teacher because he tended to be autocratic in his leadership style which didn't really fit the Western democratic context, and nor should we accept such a style from spiritual teachers any longer. However, he did take risks and pioneer new understandings, spiritual states and an approach to inter-subjective communications that many people benefited from.

[Jacob Nordby · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a brilliant book. Liberating, future oriented, refreshing... Anyone who has wondered about enlightenment--and perhaps wandered down one of the myriad paths offered by traditional religions--will be relieved and invigorated by this book.

Viva la Evolution!

[L. Thrussell · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far what I've read I am really enjoying it. Causing me to stop and think.

I love books that don't insult my intelligence or slander my beliefs / thoughts, but open me up to the possibilities of another way of thinking...

[Vaudeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book I will keep as I travel on my spiritual path.

[Egor Azanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES! THIS IS OUR MANIFESTO!