Posts by Andrew Cohen
Why the World Needs More Spiritual Heroes
Here’s a published dialogue that I did with my friend Deepak Chopra in which we discuss the challenges of standing up for Spirit in a secular culture. Enjoy! __________________________________ ANDREW COHEN: What I wanted to speak with you about, Deepak, is what it really means to be a spiritual hero. This is kind of a
The Brighter Side of Globalization
I’m an amateur jazz drummer. Last night, as I was surfing my favorite drumming site, drummerworld.com, I came upon the most astounding video. Four very young Japanese women all dressed in punk-chic attire playing the most powerfully virtuosic and soulful jazz I’d heard in a long time: Seeing this video really got me thinking about
Tony Robbins and the Buddha Compare Notes
An imaginary round table discussion with Anthony Robbins and Gautama the Buddha on being the best we can be. I was musing upon an interesting idea: What would it be like if the historical master of enlightenment, Gautama the Buddha and the legendary personal development coach Tony Robbins had a conversation about higher human development?
Erasing Death: Dr. Sam Pernia makes a scientific case for consciousness on NPR
I recently listened to an amazing interview on NPR’s Fresh Air with Dr. Sam Parnia, a critical care doctor and director of resuscitation research at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine about his new book, Erasing Death: The Science That is Rewriting the Boundaries Between Life and Death. This is one of the most
Carnism in the UK
I just got back from the UK where the big news story over the past week has been the public outrage about the fact that horse meat has been found masquerading as beef in a lot of their frozen foods, like lasagna, pizza, spaghetti sauce, etc. I find this to be a very ironic example
Zen and the Art of Conviction
There’s always something electric in the atmosphere when someone dares to assert spiritual convictions in a decidedly secular context. It’s almost like, “I can’t believe s/he had the courage to say that!” That’s why I was so interested when I heard that Jeff Bridges, aka “The Dude,” was going to be on The Daily Show
VIDEO: An Old Soul Sings the Blues
I’ve watched this video many times in the last 3 days. Beth Hart’s deep soul and overwhelming vulnerability knocks me out every time. If you listen to it, play it loud!
The Most Profound Discovery
The most profound discovery that I’ve made in my life is that it is possible to be free. The outrageous claims of history’s greatest mystics and realizers about our potential to experience higher consciousness are absolutely true. And having no doubt about this alone can change everything! The Buddha’s profound Enlightenment, the liberating love of
Why It’s Important to Lose Your Mind (at least twice a year)
I just got back from leading a 9-day meditation retreat in the wild and cactus-filled desert of Arizona. And I feel exuberant, inspired, and powerfully awake to the presence of immanent and seemingly infinite potential–simply because I took a sustained break from our modern world and its unspoken cultural agreements and assumptions about what’s real
Two Types of Breakthroughs
You’ll know you’re making progress on the spiritual path when you begin to experience powerful and liberating breakthroughs in the time-honored domains of meditation and contemplation: In meditation, the breakthrough I’m referring to is the exhilarating experience of freedom from time, history, and personality. This feels like peace. But not an ordinary kind of peace.
When the New Year Doesn’t End
The first day of the new year always represents the potential for profound renewal—a new cycle in relationship to the passing of time, a precious moment in which many of us feel we are getting a chance to start over. And for most of us, that chance is usually connected to our highest aspirations, to
A Friend You’ll Never See
I recently read an excerpt from the controversial number one bestseller Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey Into the Afterlife by Dr. Eben Alexander in Newsweek magazine. In it he describes, with a powerful self-confidence, a dramatic near-death experience that occurred after suffering from an extreme form of meningitis. Apparently, within hours of coming down
2013, Or What to Do When the Apocalypse Doesn’t Arrive
I recently published a post titled, “The World is Getting Worse (And Other Lies)” in which I shared some inspiring data and anecdotes that have helped me to embrace what I consider to be “The Good News of Progress.” What does that mean? In short, the world is getting better—not worse, as many often suggest
The World is Getting Worse (and Other Lies)
Like millions of other Americans over Thanksgiving weekend, I went to see Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, Lincoln. I was mesmerized by Daniel Day-Lewis’s portrayal of the great statesman. I was also deeply moved by the thrilling depiction of the moral awakening at the film’s climax, in which the 13th Amendment for the abolition of slavery was
How a New World is Born
The ultimate spiritual revelation is that there is no other. There is only One. When any individual goes very deep into a meditative state, momentarily transcending the separate self-sense or narcissistic ego, this profound singularity at the level of consciousness itself is what he or she will find. There is an uncontainable thrill in those
Meditation is Training for Life
If we want to be free, it is important to learn how to directly experience the unbroken chaos and impersonal confusion of our own minds without being disturbed by any of it. Only if we can bear it will we be able to take responsibility for it. If we cannot calmly endure our own minds,
Should Germany Save the World?
For those of us who are committed to creating a better world how do we respond to the evil and heinous acts of our violent past? I just got back from Germany where, being Jewish, I always find this question to be particularly relevant. I was born into a secular Jewish family fifty-seven years ago.
A State of Constant Resolution
Question: How can freedom and responsibility go together? Answer: You have to think about enlightenment as a state of constant resolution—then you’ll understand how these apparent opposites are completely related to one another. If you want to be free, you must aspire to always live in a state of resolution, an orientation to life where
The Apocalypse May Already Be Here, or. . . “Something Is Rotten in the State of Denmark”
Many people are concerned about terrible fates that await us in the not-too-distant future. Some believe that in December 2012, the world will come to an end. Others point to the near and present dangers of climate change, overpopulation, environmental degradation, and nuclear war in the Middle East, to name just a few.
Overpopulation, Anxiety, and Enlightenment: The Changing Soul of Modern India
**Editor’s Note: The following is the first in a three-part series of articles written by Andrew Cohen during his recent trip to India. Presented in Q&A format, they include Cohen’s reflections on the significant spiritual and cultural changes that are occurring amidst India’s rapid modernization. Question: How has India changed over the years since
Andrew Cohen is a spiritual teacher, cultural visionary, founder of EnlightenNext, and the author of 
