The Universe Project
The ground of all being, prior to time and mind, is inherently free from ego or any notion of a separate self. That is why it was traditionally the source of enlightenment. But in a post-traditional evolutionary context, it is the Authentic Self that is the source of enlightenment. The authentic self, which is the evolutionary impulse, is also already free from ego. It is inherently free from fear and self-concern, because it is not an individual. It's a force of nature, a function in consciousness that is wild and fearless and utterly one-pointed, because that God-impulse or creative impulse is on a mission. So when you, the evolving human being, awaken to that powerful impulse, God's mission becomes your mission. When a human being is flooded with the passion of that evolutionary energy and intelligence, he or she is spontaneously liberated from fear and self-concern, because now his or her attention is focused only on the power and the purpose of that creative principle. What is God's purpose? To create the universe, in his or her own image. And what is that image? Consciousness. To create a material universe in the image of God, as outrageous as it sounds, would have to mean nothing less than the enlightenment of all manifestation. That seemingly impossible task is what I call the Universe Project.

Andrew Cohen

How Does God Feel?
I've always wanted to know, how does God feel? What I've discovered is that how God feels is always a paradox: On one hand, from the perspective of the unmanifest, unborn, empty ground of all being that has never entered into the stream of time, everything is always already perfect. Nothing has ever happened, and so God rests eternally—peacefully and blissfully. But for the part of God that has entered into manifestation, that decided to create the universe, the experience is one of ecstatic urgency—a feeling of ecstasy and the simultaneous sense that “I must...” And the intensity behind this ecstatic urgency is emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, philosophically, and physically overwhelming. And what begins to emerge in the human heart and soul, as we awaken to the authentic self or spiritual impulse, is the dawning recognition of the fact that each one of us, at our highest level, is that manifest dimension of God, the same energy and intelligence that originally inspired and initiated the entire creative process.

Andrew Cohen
From a retreat in Rishikesh, December 2005

Cosmic Conscience
As we reach for higher and higher levels of human potential, a completely new kind of moral development enters into the picture, which is what I call “cosmic conscience.” Cosmic conscience is what emerges when the individual awakens to the evolutionary impulse or Authentic Self, and begins to see his or her own capacity for self-awareness as part of a fourteen-billion-year process of development. When you contemplate this nothing-less-than-cosmic context for your very own life, and begin to understand that your own experience of awareness is literally the cutting edge of that vast unfolding process, you realize that the continuation of that process is now completely dependent upon your own willingness to consciously create the future. Awakening to this overwhelming fact puts more pressure on the individual self-sense than anything else ever could. In the face of this ultimate responsibility, either you're going to go crazy or you will very quickly become profoundly sane—because you have no choice, because it's your obligation to do so, because the future is totally dependent upon you. That is cosmic conscience: the realization that “It's up to me.”

The degree to which you awaken to this cosmic conscience is the degree to which you will actually find the wherewithal to handle your own personal experience, however overwhelming it may be, because you realize that who you really are and what you're here for is far greater than any of your personal concerns. That alone is what makes it possible to abandon all unwholesome expressions of self and embrace the ultimately empowering and ennobling qualities of natural dignity, humility, and self-respect that this cosmic conscience potentially engenders in the human heart and soul.

Andrew Cohen

The Fire of Absolute Love
The power of absolute love is a raging fire of uncontainable majesty that consumes any and all who come too close to its flames. That fire burns wildly, aware only of itself. That is why the wholehearted and very conscious participation in the entire process of self purification is always such an integral part of spiritual evolution and transformation. Indeed, in most cases, the extraordinary leap that profound surrender always is will not occur free from the corrupting influence of ego unless our conscious participation in our own purification is intense and deeply committed. What is so miraculous, though, is the powerful recognition that that participation in the process of our own transformation is that raging fire of absolute love in action, moving in our own hearts and minds as the desire for Liberation itself.

Andrew Cohen

When We Are Put to the Test
Who we are and how we perceive our own experience and the world around us depend upon where our allegiance lies. The perspective of the individual who has surrendered the will of their own ego to their spiritual heart is drastically different from the perspective of one who has not. But it is important to understand that because the ego can usurp any calling of the human soul in order to remain in control—even the longing for liberation—it's usually impossible to tell exactly who it is who is claiming they want to be free until that moment when their faith and love for truth alone are put to the test. It is only then that we can actually find out who we really are and what part of our self is pulling the strings of our own destiny.

Andrew Cohen

The Outer Reaches of the Big Bang
When you awaken to what I call the Authentic Self, which is the spiritual or evolutionary impulse, what begins to emerge is the dawning recognition of the fact that each one of us, at our highest level, is that Authentic Self, which is actually the same energy and intelligence that originally inspired the entire creative process. You begin to intuit and feel directly connected to the very impulse that initiated the whole event fourteen billion years ago and is driving it right now. You actually start to feel it working in you, surging through your own mind and body as the mysterious compulsion to evolve at the level of consciousness. When you feel that surge, what you're experiencing is the highest and most subtle and most profound expression of that initial explosion—the outer reaches of the Big Bang. That's the furthest it has gone, as far as we know right now—to where you, the human being at the leading edge, feel this mysterious compulsion to evolve at the level of consciousness.

What I'm speaking about here is the development of the interior dimension of the cosmos. The exterior dimension of the cosmos is what you see if you look through a telescope—you can apparently see back to the earliest beginnings of our universe. But the interior dimension is the dimension of consciousness. So when the evolving human experiences this mysterious spiritual compulsion, that is the interior of the cosmos itself trying to develop through you. It's not a metaphor; it's literally true. The cosmos is not just “out there,” it's “in here,” and there ultimately isn't any difference between the two. So when you experience the spiritual impulse or the authentic self, you're experiencing the Big Bang as a surging compulsion for interior development and growth. The innermost regions of the cosmos are aspiring to actually evolve and be developed in and through you. The authentic self is the Big Bang, which is that initial burst from nothing to everything that you participated in, fourteen billion years ago. And you are still participating in it, right now, to the degree to which you awaken to the authentic self.

Andrew Cohen

Alone With God
When you experience pure consciousness, you will discover that one of its qualities is the sense that “I could stay here forever.” There is no impetus, no desire to do anything. And yet there is more to it than that. If there was simply no desire, that would be the absence of a certain quality. But the desirelessness of consciousness is connected to its fullness, to the overwhelming presence of a knowing that is everything and nothing at once. This pure knowing is so profound that we could use the word God as a metaphor for its absolute nature. When we begin to meditate upon consciousness and become compelled by this mysterious sense of absolute fullness that is empty, we can have the experience of being aware of or in touch with God. When you are giving your attention to this experience and you feel the sense that “I could stay here forever,” you will begin to understand why men and women throughout history have spent years, even lifetimes, meditating in caves. When you directly experience the nature of consciousness, it is so compelling that you will understand that mysterious longing to be alone with God forever.

Andrew Cohen

A Doubtless Conviction
Fourteen billion years ago, something came from nothing. The energy and intelligence that initiated that explosion is the same energy that is driving this whole process right now. It is what I call the evolutionary impulse or creative principle. And at the leading edge of development, that same evolutionary impulse emerges in human awareness as the spiritual impulse, the urge to become more conscious. It is experienced as the mysterious longing to develop spiritually, the ecstatic compulsion to become more awake and more aware. That impulse is what I call the authentic self. And anybody who experiences this authentic self will realize, upon reflection, that it is a completely different part of the self than the ego. The ego and the authentic self are parallel lines that never meet.

The ego is full of unresolved issues and unfulfilled desires, deeply fearful and ambivalent about the very fact of being alive. But the authentic self is only interested in creating the future. And that part of your self and that part of my self is not self-conscious and is not afraid of life. In the authentic self, there's not a trace of ambivalence. There's no hesitation. There's no doubt. There's no existential confusion. And it's not a choice that needs to be made. The authentic self, in you and in me, once we awaken to it, is already completely committed. Absolute conviction is inherent in the nature of the authentic self, and that is why when any one of us awakens to that self, we experience an intoxicating joy and confidence, a fearless passion and pure doubtless conviction about being here and doing things right in order to create a better future. Why? Because we recognize that that is the very reason we are here.

Andrew Cohen

When the Future Emerges in the Present
The evolutionary potential of enlightenment, which means consciousness beyond ego, only emerges in a collective or intersubjective context. That's when you see the value of it, the significance of it, the power of it. If we want to create a new level or stage of development, that egoless enlightened consciousness is a place we have to enter and engage with together. Stages of development are intersubjective structures that are created in consciousness. So if we can transcend ego, not only individually but collectively, what we will be creating is a new enlightened culture.

When two or more individuals come together who have awakened to the authentic self, the future is going to be created now. In the moment that they meet, heaven will come to earth, because heaven is a place in which the ego has been defeated. Then the future, at the level of consciousness, literally emerges in the present. The future is not some vague utopian fantasy world thousands of years away—at the deepest level, at the most interior dimension of the cosmos itself, it emerges in real time when one human being meets another in an engaged, creative, egoless context.

Andrew Cohen

God Is Evolving
Last year, I visited a wonderful Indian swami in Denmark—a beautiful older man, surrounded by many loving and devoted students. We gave a teaching together, and afterward I had a conversation with one of his close disciples about the nature of God. I explained that when seen in an evolutionary context, who and what God is can no longer be taken as fixed—that from a developmental perspective, God is also evolving, just as we are. And it was quite a moment because this man had initially had a very loving, angelic expression, but as I was speaking, I literally saw his face drop—he became frightened, terrified, even a little angry. Abruptly, he got up and walked away. Now this was an individual who had obviously experienced higher states of consciousness and as a result had deep confidence in the absolute dimension of life. Yet he was threatened at the deepest existential level by the suggestion that his fixed notion of God maybe wasn't a given at all.


Andrew Cohen

The Very Edge of the Possible

I am endlessly compelled by the notion that higher stages or levels of development do not preexist, that is, they are not “given” but are literally created by brave individuals who actually venture into new, uncharted territory, laying down “grooves” that others follow, which eventually become actual new structures or stages. The fact that the future, even at the most subtle metaphysical levels, literally does not yet exist challenges our most fundamental spiritual/religious notions in every possible way, but if we're ready for it, it can be the source of enormous inspiration and promise. I think potentially what's the most thrilling for the postmodern self is the discovery that we are literally creating the future, which means we are not separate from the creative principle or God-impulse itself—God is evolving as we evolve. And this moment itself, assuming that one is leaning into it with all of one's being, reaching for the future, is potentially the very edge of the possible.

Andrew Cohen

The One

Spiritually, the enormous challenge for each and every one of us is to look directly into what it actually means to be the one who is going to consciously evolve for the sake of our collective salvation and transformation. From the absolute or nondual perspective that emerges in spiritual revelation, there is only ONE. There literally is no other; there is only one without a second. To truly understand conscious evolution, we have to grapple with the profound implications of that absolute fact. I believe we can only consciously evolve to the degree that we have actually realized at the deepest level of our being that we are that one without a second. Facing into the truth of nonduality—that the many is the one and that the one is ultimately who we always are—in an evolutionary context forces a confrontation with any relationship to the life process that is less than whole, complete, and fully committed. To consciously evolve is to surrender unconditionally to the truth that there is no other and at the same time to accept responsibility for what that means in an evolving universe—a cosmos that is slowly but surely becoming aware of itself through you and me. That one without a second is simultaneously awakening to itself as it develops, as it evolves, and it is that one, as you and me, alone, that can now begin to take responsibility for endeavoring to consciously create its own future.

-Andrew Cohen

 

Vertical Development

Inherent in human nature is the quest for certainty and the sense of security that is its reward. So there is always going to be a clash between the evolving self's aspiration for certainty and the necessity to relinquish that need in order to be able to keep moving up to higher stages without ever halting one's vertical development. The authentic self is the _expression of the evolutionary imperative itself, within the human heart and mind. It is a perpetual, unending, and always ecstatic impulse in consciousness that strives only to create the future. But in order for the authentic self to function uninhibitedly, the individual has to be willing to continually let go and embrace ever more of the world of form in every moment. It's only a rare individual who actually is going to have the courage, the authenticity of interest, the fearlessness, and the liberated awareness to be able and willing to continually let go in that way and at the same time have his or her own deepest sense of confidence in the nature of being and in life remain absolutely unthreatened. What I am saying is that it's possible to be deeply certain, to have the absolute conviction that is the hallmark of enlightened awareness, together with a profoundly open and vertically aspiring self-sense or evolutionary impulse. At an existential level one can be absolutely convinced and still be vertically reaching, groping, learning, inquiring, and growing eternally.

Andrew Cohen

Responsibility for the Future

If we want to change the world in a significant way, if we're serious about creating a better future for us all, then we have to face the fact that the only way it's going to happen is the only way it's ever happened: through the evolution of consciousness itself. And for the universe to evolve at the level of consciousness, you and I have to be the ones to make sure it happens. We have to be the ones to create the future. There's no one else who is going to save us.

To accept responsibility for the future means we know without a doubt that it is on our own shoulders—each and every one of us—to create that future right now. And now means NOW. Those of us at the leading edge have to stop waiting, stop hiding, and stop pretending. We have to be the ones to take this leap—because there literally isn't anyone else to do it. We have to be the ones to carry this process forward at the deepest and highest level, to consciously evolve in the biggest way possible for our collective salvation and transformation.

Andrew Cohen

Everything and Nothing in One Breath
Consciousness is not an object, so you cannot say it is something. And yet it is not nothing. Nothing is void; it has no attributes, no qualities. Consciousness is empty of any thing, and yet there is something endlessly compelling in that emptiness. When you contemplate consciousness, you discover a mysterious sense of knowing that is both knowing nothing and knowing everything at once. Whatever you are becoming cognizant of, its nature seems to be everything—fullness, completeness. The emptiness is full. That's why the emptiness is compelling, because it is full of the knowing of some mysterious everything that is not a thing. It's everything; it's nothing—you can go on forever: everything, nothing, nothing, everything, always meaning the same thing. If you could say everything and nothing in one breath, perhaps you could capture the paradoxical nature of consciousness.

Andrew Cohen

Conditional Love
Unconditional love has no value whatsoever if you're interested in the evolution of consciousness. I know that this ideal is very popular in the postmodern spiritual marketplace. But let's just think for a moment about what the phrase implies. It means “I'll love you absolutely and forever, no matter what you do and no matter what you have ever done—whether you are the greatest saint or the worst sinner that the universe has ever produced.” That's love without any conditions whatsoever. But what use is a love like that? The only individual who wants or needs to be loved unconditionally is a sinner who has absolutely no intention of repenting! An individual who truly intends to change and transform doesn't need or even want love without conditions. If you have stopped playing games and have finally chosen to take yourself and the precious life you are living seriously for the right reasons, you take responsibility for the evolution of consciousness at the deepest and highest level. You make the heroic effort to cultivate soul-strength, which is the capacity for integrity, transparency, and most important of all, authenticity. Because you aspire to evolve morally, you just don't need to be loved unconditionally. In fact, you have awakened to a kind of love that is highly conditional, a love that demands nothing less than everything from each and every one of us. If you want the universe to evolve through you, the last thing that you need is to be loved without conditions.

Andrew Cohen

A Cosmic Orientation
When enlightenment is seen in an evolutionary context, the challenge for the individual is tremendous. You recognize that your own liberation is no longer the goal of the spiritual path, but merely the starting point from which you must boldly endeavor to take responsibility for the evolution of consciousness itself.

It is truly an awe-inspiring task, but I believe it is possible for anyone who is deadly serious to do this. The willingness is all it takes, but it must be nothing less than a heroic willingness—a willingness that is unconditional. You have to realize the dramatic scale at which this process is operating. When you awaken to the fact that the spiritual impulse is moving at a species level, you will begin to see your own choices, including your relationship to your own mind and emotions, to time, and ultimately to life itself, on a literally cosmic scale. You will see your own presence here on earth in relationship to the evolution of the cosmos itself, at the level of consciousness.

If your orientation is not that big, you are always going to fall short. Our habitual ways of thinking are just too small-minded, petty, and painfully personal, and that is why we keep slipping back into an unenlightened perspective and wondering why we aren't making any progress. It's simply because of where our attention is. So in order for authentic, profound, and meaningful transformation to occur, we have to make the effort to see all of our choices in light of this literally cosmic context. And that is evolution. That's what our next step is: awakening to a cosmic orientation in relationship to being a human being, here on earth, right now.

Andrew Cohen

The Freedom to Not Know
Something extraordinary occurs when we allow ourselves the freedom to not know, because it is then that everything opens up. It is then that the experience of life becomes profoundly joyous and unthinkably mysterious. When we surrender the need to know, we discover that things often work out in marvelous and unexpected ways that we could never have previously imagined. Only when we transcend the need to always be sure of what's going to happen in the future will there be room for that which is extraordinary and miraculous to be known.

What would the experience of life be like if we were no longer seeking for any security whatsoever from the future? Everything would open up, everything would become possible. Why? Because we wouldn't be waiting any longer for the experience of life to become complete. When we realize that everything is possible, then the way we respond to life begins to literally break boundaries. Suddenly, all that seemed fixed is undone, and that which was previously unimaginable reveals itself.

Andrew Cohen

Conscious Commitment Is an Evolutionary Tool
The foundation of the spiritual path, in the way that I teach it, is commitment—a conscious commitment to your own liberation, and ultimately to the evolution of consciousness itself. Commitment is what saves you, and all of us, from the fickle ego and its fluctuating fears and desires. When you make a commitment, it's no longer a matter of how you happen to feel this afternoon or tomorrow morning or next week. In order to be victorious, your commitment to unconditional liberation has to be bigger than your ever-changing, moment-to-moment emotional and psychological experience.

Conscious commitment is an evolutionary tool. It's a deliberate, freely chosen position—a stand against the ego, no matter what. It means you do the right thing because that is the direction that you have chosen to go in, even though it may not feel comfortable. How you feel becomes irrelevant, because you already have an obligation—a freely chosen, self-created moral obligation. And when you remain true to that obligation, you win some degree of real autonomy, some genuine independence from the fears and desires of not only your own ego, but also everybody else's. You will begin to discover soul strength, spiritual strength—the strength to take responsibility for your own destiny and follow through on your intention to be free.

Andrew Cohen

Enlightenment Is a Secret
Enlightenment is a secret that very few people know about and even fewer understand. Why is it a secret? Because Enlightenment does not exist in time. That's why it's a secret and that's why it will always be a secret. Enlightenment is a vision that cannot be held or grasped in any way. Beyond this world it's a mystery that is exploding. A fire that is burning. It's a fire that a person is either going to jump into or run away from. This fire burns beyond the mind. No-time is the place where this secret abides. Realize that and you realize the Self you are when there's no mind and no time. Realize that, and cling to that alone as your own Self.

Andrew Cohen