September 21, 2012
How Do You Handle Skepticism?
During his current tour of India, Andrew was interviewed by a Pune-based newspaper, The Sakaal Times. You can read the full interview here.
Question: Why is there so much skepticism about spiritual masters in the U.S.? How do you handle people who do not believe you?
Answer: There is much skepticism in the West for two reasons. Number one, the cultural values in America are both secular and materialist. That means most people don’t believe in that which they can’t see. And also, too many teachers have fallen from grace due to bad behavior. This has created a lot of cynicism and doubt. I handle people who do not believe me with kindness and encouragement.
You can follow Andrew’s journey to India, September 14th-23rd, by going to his Facebook page.
If you’d like to see Andrew’s full schedule, you can do so by clicking here.
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Andrew Cohen is a spiritual teacher, cultural visionary, founder of EnlightenNext, and the author of 
It takes a lot for people to realize the truth, and I think that’s a good thing. Even when realizing the truth, it shouldn’t be because they believe what the master taught, but because they realized the truth from within. So I have an issue with that question: “How do you handle people who do not believe you?” The Buddha taught to question everything, including himself. Doubt is good because it keeps us questioning and questioning to the point where we can discern for ourselves rather than take what someone else says to be the truth.
I know the experience of being disappointed by spiritual teachers which is one of the many reasons I’m deeply thankful for having discovered Andrew a couple of years ago. On many occasions I have seen him work with skeptical people in a kind and patient manner.
Also, Andrew does not insist that people believe in his teachings. On the contrary, he encourages people to test them out, try them on for size. He and his students are the most transparent and authentic spiritual group I have encountered in 50 years of searching.
In my life I also experience a lot of skepticism, cynicism and resistance. Even my own husband is very much against my beliefs. He almost cant accept that I meditate on a daily base. That I believe in a evolutionary worldview, that I believe that inner wisdom is much more important than money and material stuff. My question: I struggle for a long time with is, should I stay with this man, he doesn’t respect my way of looking at things, although I don’t push him in my direction. I accept his way of living and looking at things. I read in many books and heard from many teachers that the partner you are with is the perfect partner for you. Well its because of him I developed my spiritual insight and knowledge, because he is a very dominating person, he can also be hard en almost violent, I had to find a way to survive in his company ( it worsened since he is retired). So because of that I discovered meditation and living in a much more spiritual way. I am very grateful for that opportunity he gave me. But now I feel I have to go further and because he is so much against everything I do, I think I should leave him. But I still doubt about that. What would you advice me to do. I am 59 years old he is 70.
Thanks Tanni
Hi Tanni,
I think you probably know the answer but are tentative about taking the step to leave your Husband. I would recommend putting any thoughts and ideas regarding Sainthood and Guilt aside, which are tough areas for Women to deal with.
This will help bring objectivity into the palm of your hand. From there you should be able to make a decision.
I know it can be intimidating to take steps of this magnitude, but you might find ‘new vistas’ appearing as you accept that change is needed.
I think I understand where the Teachers are coming from ‘I read in many books and heard from many teachers that the partner you are with is the perfect partner for you.
Easy to say when they don’t need to live in an environment similar to yours on a daily basis.
My response is based on radical common sense which I have found aligns well with some Spiritual Teachers.
Trust yourself, and go from there…
In my present working life and for the last 30 years I have experienced first-hand the way people interpret life and deal with daily reality. I have discovered over the years people live their life as if reality is based upon the biological brain. Although many profess a belief in a spiritual realm its not really an integral part of their life. Working in an industrial manufacturing career is a great place to put to the test some of my theories about conscious reality and the human mind. Since my 1989 transformation mentioned in my book “The Kindgom Within,” it is been quite easy to live in the industrial environment. One of my experiments with conscious fields resonance is to see if I can influence people indirectly to search for deeper meaning to their lives. My recent 8 years of research applying my theories of conscious radiation, I beginning to see the levels of their reality change. This is part of ongoing research where the vibrations of higher consciousness can and do effect people that you come in contact on a daily basis. Since my 1989 transformation I have a field of energy that can be experienced by people I come in contact with. As you may know, in the yogic tradition this field was experienced and understood as the Kundalini awakening. I have discovered the Kundalini awakening is just the beginning of a series of transitions to a higher vibration. The higher vibrations bring with it the fact there are conscious fields of reality that exist and can be detected by sensitive individuals. All people are connected to some level of this conscious vibration. My research is complimentary to your theories of evolutionary reality.
Most people are skeptical because their conscious vibrations are too low to contextualize higher reality. The potential of spiritual teachers is to spread their conscious vibration to as many people as possible during their lifetime so as to exponentially increase cosmic consciousness. I don’t pay much attention to skeptics nor cold science academics. Most skeptics and academics have never experienced higher reality so are in no position to offer true wisdom of this level of reality. The future lies in movements such as yours and the new emerging science of morphogenic fields, quantum entanglement theories, and mind/body medicine. We especially need spiritual teachers who can modernize old teachings into a vibrant new platform of spiritual enlightenment while being respectful of the wisdom from the past. It’s an exciting time in the evolution of consciousness! L E Madden