When it has all been said and done what perspective will we relate from? I learned from Andrew early on that we always do what we want. Everything is volitional. We all joined Andrew because we wanted to, and we all left because we wanted to. Simple. No one could have anticipated the wonderful and sometimes terrifying ride we were in for. Continue reading…

By Steve Brett

I met Andrew in England in November 1986 soon after he began teaching. Even though I am not an ex-student as such, as I am currently running his EnlightenNext Centre in Rishikesh, I am very much on the periphery of what is happening around Andrew at this point.

The first time I met Andrew was in a small cottage in Devon, England where he was living with his soon to be wife Alka and a few close friends. We sat together in his room upstairs and he asked me about my spiritual life. In the middle of our conversation my mind stopped completely. I was suddenly overtaken by the realization that Life was One Whole undifferentiated Being that was Alive and its nature was Love. Andrew said to me at the time, “You have jumped in the river and now you are standing on the shore. Now you have to decide if this is what you want. But you may not have any choice.” Continue reading…

By Rivka Attal

I met Andrew when I was 25 years old through a school friend whom I respected a lot. I was studying accountancy in Israel. He had then been a student of Andrew for two years and even though I thought one day he might return to ‘being normal’ (leaving behind his spiritual teacher), I appreciated some of the views he shared with me regarding the true nature of thoughts and feelings, which later I learned were coming from his association with Andrew. Continue reading…

By Rivka Attal

Is Andrew Cohen an abusive teacher whose main purpose to gain power through using his position and authority and abuse his students trust in him, as is expressed by a few ex-students who have gone public with their conclusions whether through book or blog? Or is there something else going on and, if so, what is it?

Continue reading…

By Pete Bampton

I think it is significant that most ex-students who have chosen to publicly portray Andrew Cohen as a dangerous and abusive Guru, left before (and have heard from hearsay), or during, the period around 1999-2001, when all of the women formal students, and then later the men, went through a collective “dark night of the soul” ordeal of epic proportions. Continue reading…

By N. Schmidt

I met Andrew Cohen in 1991 in Amsterdam. A friend had told my husband and I about Andrew Cohen, this remarkable young teacher. The ‘Satsang’, as it was then called, took place in someone’s living room. Andrew was simply sitting in front of a crowd of about 30 people, answering questions. I had no particular expectation or intention; I just wanted to meet this man to make up my own mind. Continue reading…