The PURPOSE of Now
Posted on Apr 9th, 2007
by 
Soulplex
Soulplex
My teacher, Andrew Cohen, lets it rip as he explains why Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, Tony Parsons, Jeff Foster, Wayne Liquorman, Ramesh Balsekar, Gangaji, et al., are all slightly out to lunch:
"Being and Becoming" with Andrew Cohen (Boston, 2006)
Access: PublicTagged with: Andrew Cohen, Evolutionary Enlightenment
andrew cohen
September 2007
Don’t you think Andrew’s critique misrepresents Tolle & Adyashanti? Neither of these teachers has suggested that we transcend our worldy existence and stop there. On the contrary they both have suggested that an appropriate response to whatever arises in life shows up when any expression is consciously rooted in what Andrew calls the “Ground of Being.” From this wisdom springs an engaged compassion. The danger, as I see it, is that people skip the work necessary to uncover the Ground of Being all the time. This leads to all manner of egos that think they are awake.
-Michael
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your comment! No, I don't think Andrew's critique misrepresents them, though he's definitely oversimplifying things for the sake of making the broader point (which is what the models he's using are for–giving a broad, helpful orienting framework for one's not-as-clear-cut, real-world experience). You said Tolle and Adya have “suggested that an appropriate response to whatever arises in life shows up” when we're rooted in the nondual Ground of Being. But I think THAT is an even bigger oversimplification of things, because it rather completely overlooks what Andrew was speaking about–the fact that no matter how in touch with the Ground we are, we are all, without exception, thoroughly conditioned beings (physically, biologically, culturally, psychologically, karmically, etc.). So someone from a medieval Christian context would express their awareness of that Ground in a completely different way from someone in a contemporary secular context. And some contexts, of course, are broader, higher, deeper, and more inclusive and evolved than others.
What all that means is that how you are conditioned in the manifest world–and the cultural, moral, and philosophical context you're living in–might even be a more powerful determining factor for your behavior than any deeper state awareness could ever be. (Ken Wilber writes a lot about this in his excellent new book Integral Spirituality.) Especially when you consider that the Ground of Being has no relationship to the manifest world of space and time. In the Ground, the world of multiplicity and duality does not exist as a distinct, perceivable phenomenon. There's no distinction–there's nothing–it's emptiness. So you have to be at least 1% “removed” from the Ground, anyway, before you can make any inference about how it relates to the manifest world, or how your awareness of it informs your behavior in the manifest world. And at that point, well, you might as well take it all the way and admit that how your parents treated you as a child (for example) might be shaping how you're speaking about the Ground just as much as, if not more than, your awareness of the Ground itself.
I wrote an article about this phenomenon (the “let the Ground of Being flow through you like the Force” idea) a couple of years ago here: http://www.wie.org/j31/translucent.asp. I'd be interested to hear what you think of it…
Yours,
Tom
Hello,
I watched a bit of the Andrew Cohen video and it appears to me that he has not directly experienced the state of consciousness that Eckhart Tolle, for example, is describing. If one has not personally experienced a state of pure consciousness (for lack of a better term) then one could rationally conclude that any thought or action during this consciousness would automatically return one to a “conditioned” mind as Cohen states. However, it doesn't work that way. While it is true that a thought, statement or action is expressed through the form (to use Tolle's term) its place of origin is from pure soul consciousness rather than ego consciousness. You are “being spoken” rather than speaking. You are “being acted” rather than acting. It is a state of non-being because your ego has dissolved and you have become an instrument of the source of all things. Once the thought or action has occurred you immediately (and automatically) return to silence. When another thought or action is required it occurs spontaneously and only for what is required at that instant with again … immediate return to silence. You, as a conditioned ego, are no longer involved in the process. Again, with all due to respect to Mr. Cohen, as I watched and listened to him it became immediately apparent that he hadn't experienced this state of consciousness directly so could not have an understanding of what Mr. Tolle (and others) have stated in this regard.
- Craig
Um, don't be so sure. :)
Craig, I'll get back to you on this when I get a moment. Promise.
-Tom
Sure thing. Looking forward to it.
Craig
Hey Craig,
I wrote so much in response to you that I thought I might as well share the inquiry with the masses, so I posted it on the main page here.
We can continue commenting linked off that one, I think (and if you want to), and maybe more people will join in the fray. :)
Yours,
Tom
Great. I'll shift to the other page and continue the discussion.
Craig
I think Andrews teaching is useful - I found it very useful as I did with Wilber…
experiencing the ground of being is a wonderful experience - prolly the best that a human can experience right? would we not all agree?
but as you may or may not have already found out… it don't last
shit happens - life happens
even if you go away to a monestary or on a extended solo retreat
maybe you can kinda stay in it for a few days maybe even weeks… but…
round come the ego
old Andy and Wilber aint enlightened - they are brilliant beautiful beings
but there egos just kept sticking around like the rest of us poor saps so… maybe they are… I mean WE
we are all evolving!!! and the world is gonna be some wonderful beautiful enlightened place er something….
its a really seductive sentiment
You gotta tell the troops something after 10 years of banging yer head against a wall!
its that or either you begin to suspect that perhaps the universe doesn't have our best interests at heart
What you describe is the problem with 99.99% of new age (for lack of a better term) teachings. They provide techniques for tasting the ground of being, but it is not permanent. They are much like fad diets that allow a person to shed some weight on a temporary basis, but most not only gain the weight back, but actually become heavier. It is the same with most current spiritual practices. The ego is supressed for a short time or it retreats under a specific technique and then comes bouncing back as strong or stronger than ever. Losing weight or the ego requires a fundamental change in one's life attitude, connection with the gnosis/ground of being and a slow dissolving of the ego to be replaced by a new, spirit-soul. If there is nothing to replace the ego … it's not going to go away.
Best regards,
Craig
yes dead on accurate on the 99.99%
-“Losing weight or the ego requires a fundamental change in one's life attitude, connection with the gnosis/ground of being and a slow dissolving of the ego to be replaced by a new, spirit-soul. If there is nothing to replace the ego … it's not going to go away.”
the fundamental change you speak of seems to obviously happen in folks who are enlightened - I don't know or think/feel that there is any way/specific path to bring about that change though - I've tried a couple ; )
show me one that works and I've got a business proposition for you!!!! =)
-“ego… replaced by a new, spirit-soul. If there is nothing to replace the ego … it's not going to go away.”
I wouldn't say replaced… but perhaps the dissolving reveals the simple truth ie. ultimate reality - which sounds too esoteric - cuz its not - its way way simple. the seeing of this simplest of realities is usually painful or uncomfortable at some point because the ego is contingent upon the claim/involvement that it is the doer (so to speak) and if you look deeply it/you are not the doer - so then yer fucked