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Andrew Cohen

Profile picture for user Andrew Cohen
Philosopher, author and spiritual teacher
    Bio

    Andrew COHEN is an internationally respected American philosopher, author and spiritual teacher (Mind Body Spirit magazine ranked him among the 100 most influential spiritual teachers in the world in 2012) and the founder of "Evolutionary Awakening". Born in 1955 in New York into a non-believing Jewish family, he undertook an intensive spiritual search following a powerful experience when he was 16 years old. His meeting in 1986 with the Indian guru H.W.L. Poonja (better known as Papaji) himself a student of the great Ramana Maharshi is decisive. Andrew wakes up and Papaji asks him to teach, which he has been doing ever since.

    Based on a traditional Eastern approach, his "Evolutionary Awakening" does not seek transcendence of the world, but aims for a deep responsibility for his personal evolution.

    Andrew COHEN became known for his courage to put aside the sacred dogmas of the spiritual world of that time. His teaching lies in his ability to succeed in the challenge of linking the revelation of awakening and non-duality (eastern concept) to a contemporary Western audience taking into account their sophisticated post-modern cultural and scientific understanding.

    In 30 years of teaching work, he has engaged with thousands of researchers around the world, developing his teaching through direct dialogue with students, professors, scholars and philosophers. The community that formed around him became known as "EnlightenNext" with centers in New York, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Rishikesh (India) and Paris.

    Two books sum up its evolution well (see links below):

    - "Enlightenment is a secret" was published in 1991, its French version "L'éveil est un secret" was released in 1994 by Editions du Relié.

    - “Evolutionary Enlightenment” published in 2011 and its French version “L’éveil Révolutionnaire” in 2012 by Éditions du Relié, are both prefaced by Deepak Chopra. On the back cover you can read:
    "This path aims for the synthesis between two apparently contradictory visions: Eastern wisdom, based on what is eternal in consciousness, and Western science, essentially evolutionary. Its message is simple: life is evolution and waking up today. today is to realize that the creative impulse is the deepest and most authentic part of ourselves. Evolutionary Awakening will make you discover a deep meaning in life and will show you how to actively create the future by your own evolution"

    From 1991 to 2010, he was the editor of EnlightenNext magazine, a recognized and award-winning publication that explored the deepest spiritual questions of our time with some of the world's most celebrated thought leaders.

    In 2013, he was asked to step down from the organization he founded. EnlightenNext quickly disappeared and Cohen began a long period of introspection and deep personal work. He is now returning to public life and resuming a world tour to share a new emerging perspective...