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andrew cohen
May 2008 
The truth will set you free!
Posted on Dec 15th, 2006
by 
Arjan
Arjan
Being a student of Andrew Cohen and a teacher of the principles of Evolutionary Enlightenment is by far the best thing that ever happened to me, it is also the biggest challenge I have ever encountered.
Take last night in Utrecht; the topic of this course session was the distinction between (spiritual) ego and what Andrew calls the authentic self; it is a distinction that is not easy to make in our culture since we are so identified with ego, cultural and individual. So standing up in front of a group of people and making that distinction isn’t necessarily a nice thing to do. The ego does not want to be seen as ego, that is what seems to be the problem, yet the authentic self can speak about ego in a free and honest way because freedom from ego is all it is concerned with and the creative impulse is all it is interested in (so it is only interested in itself, just like us :-)).
I had to work hard last night to get people to make that distinction, and also to not give in to my own ego’s tendency to be pleasing everyone and flatten everything out. I believe genuine spirituality is not possible without both the absolute limitless ground where no distinctions can be made and no judgements exist and, in the relative world, the distinctions between right and wrong, good and evil, higher and lower, Self and ego etc. As far as life in the relative world is concerned, it all hinges on this vital distinction, so last night’s success hinged on our ability to make this distinction together.
This fourth class is designed to be a collective investigation, and I had to encourage people to give more, so we could really investigate together. The point with ego and authentic self is; you can hear about it till the cows come home, but unless you start to make the distinction yourself, it will remain theory, which means that when it counts, when the chips are down as they say, you are very likely to give in to the ego’s interpretation of reality (which will always blame others and insist on it’s own good intentions!)
As the evening unfolded, more and more people gave real examples of the difference between ego and authentic self, and as more pieces of the puzzle were added, (like the fact that ego and authentic self are two completely different parts of the self that have nothing in common and that we, you and I, always choose between the two), something seemed to give. I don’t know when and how it happened, but by the end of the evening we seemed to be in a different world, a different dimension. I am inclined to say that the ego lost the battle that night, which is great news for the future of our culture, because as nice a group as we were last night in Utrecht, there was nothing about any of us that gives us special power over ego, besides the fact that we came together in our interest in life, freedom and evolution, so if we can do it…
In response to last night’s class a dear friend of mine who is a journalist attending this (and the previous) course because she wants to write some articles about it, wrote me this email:
I was comparing my notes from both courses [see earlier in this blog] this morning and again I am so astonished and surprised by the level at which everyone’s experience and the insights that result from them, yesterday as well, were being spoken about. There is a sharp precision in the conversation and investigation that could easily be overlooked because we are not used to it, which makes it hard to recognize and acknowledge. Again I see that comparable themes and questions come to the table and that in this second group the answers you give –that are often on the razor’s edge and can, as a result of that, be provocative- seem to land very quickly, which moves the whole forward again. I see how people express themselves and what that does with the interaction; that in all subtlety a bigger context is created from which this can emerge. What a miracle to see all of this happen before one’s eyes. How to express all this in my writings –that is a beautiful practice in itself.
Take last night in Utrecht; the topic of this course session was the distinction between (spiritual) ego and what Andrew calls the authentic self; it is a distinction that is not easy to make in our culture since we are so identified with ego, cultural and individual. So standing up in front of a group of people and making that distinction isn’t necessarily a nice thing to do. The ego does not want to be seen as ego, that is what seems to be the problem, yet the authentic self can speak about ego in a free and honest way because freedom from ego is all it is concerned with and the creative impulse is all it is interested in (so it is only interested in itself, just like us :-)).
I had to work hard last night to get people to make that distinction, and also to not give in to my own ego’s tendency to be pleasing everyone and flatten everything out. I believe genuine spirituality is not possible without both the absolute limitless ground where no distinctions can be made and no judgements exist and, in the relative world, the distinctions between right and wrong, good and evil, higher and lower, Self and ego etc. As far as life in the relative world is concerned, it all hinges on this vital distinction, so last night’s success hinged on our ability to make this distinction together.
This fourth class is designed to be a collective investigation, and I had to encourage people to give more, so we could really investigate together. The point with ego and authentic self is; you can hear about it till the cows come home, but unless you start to make the distinction yourself, it will remain theory, which means that when it counts, when the chips are down as they say, you are very likely to give in to the ego’s interpretation of reality (which will always blame others and insist on it’s own good intentions!)
As the evening unfolded, more and more people gave real examples of the difference between ego and authentic self, and as more pieces of the puzzle were added, (like the fact that ego and authentic self are two completely different parts of the self that have nothing in common and that we, you and I, always choose between the two), something seemed to give. I don’t know when and how it happened, but by the end of the evening we seemed to be in a different world, a different dimension. I am inclined to say that the ego lost the battle that night, which is great news for the future of our culture, because as nice a group as we were last night in Utrecht, there was nothing about any of us that gives us special power over ego, besides the fact that we came together in our interest in life, freedom and evolution, so if we can do it…
In response to last night’s class a dear friend of mine who is a journalist attending this (and the previous) course because she wants to write some articles about it, wrote me this email:
I was comparing my notes from both courses [see earlier in this blog] this morning and again I am so astonished and surprised by the level at which everyone’s experience and the insights that result from them, yesterday as well, were being spoken about. There is a sharp precision in the conversation and investigation that could easily be overlooked because we are not used to it, which makes it hard to recognize and acknowledge. Again I see that comparable themes and questions come to the table and that in this second group the answers you give –that are often on the razor’s edge and can, as a result of that, be provocative- seem to land very quickly, which moves the whole forward again. I see how people express themselves and what that does with the interaction; that in all subtlety a bigger context is created from which this can emerge. What a miracle to see all of this happen before one’s eyes. How to express all this in my writings –that is a beautiful practice in itself.
Access: Public
hi arjan, good to see you back on zaadz!
This blog is such a good opportunity to reach all those interested in what is happening in the field of consciousness…! So your hard work can even continue to bear fruit online!
cool to read you writing about the distinction of the absolute and the relative world. My own experience of this absolute world started in the amsterdam EE course where I first got introduced to this infinite evolutionary context. Through this perspective I am able to interpret my experiences so that they are actually recognised as REAL insights which make sense by being able to place them in that vital context. Vital because by not (knowing how to be) doing this (interpreting your experiences through a BIG context) I think higher development is extremely difficult!
I became a practicing member after the EE course, to keep myself involved in an environment in this context.
This has resulted in so much progress already in my understandings of my experiences through this new perspective! I experience less and less doubt and fear in making this distinction between the absolute and the relative. Every moment of choosing the authentic self and not my ego contributes to this proces of increasing understanding and clarity of intention.
I am actually starting to find out what spiritual practice can be like!
AND….I am experiencing the truth IS actually setting me free!!
hi Arjan, I appreciate that you also write about your experience not only principles because sharing the first, in the blogopshere, has a potentially more profound impact than declaring the second. It is also more inviting to conversation and relationship, through which new patterns of consciousness may emerge, even in cyberspace.
You wrote:
> The ego does not want to be seen as ego, that is what seems to be the problem, yet the authentic self can speak about ego in a free and honest way because freedom from ego is all it is concerned with and the creative impulse is all it is interested in…
Exactly. A self that is authentic not only can speak about ego freely, just like any other subject, but actually, seeks out and enjoys receiving information about the ego part of the self because it has nothing to protect and has no higher purpose than becoming free. When that information is provided and instead thanking, the person becomes all emotional and finger-pointing back to you, it’s a sure sign that further conversation is a waste of time: no learning can happen, the ego doesn’t want to see himself as ego.
> The point with ego and authentic self is; you can hear about it till the cows come home, but unless you start to make the distinction yourself, it will remain theory, which means that when it counts, when the chips are down as they say, you are very likely to give in to the ego’s interpretation of reality (which will always blame others and insist on it’s own good intentions!)”
What I would add to that is something about your distinction of “distinction.” We need to be able to recognize the distinction between ego and Authentic Self, lower and higher stages of development, not only as cognitive distinctions but also in our emotional experience because only then we'll be able to to make the right choice under stress and pressure.
The models of Ego and Authentic Self in the teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment are clear and coherent, and they need to be coupled by transformative practices so that they can do their job in freeing us from the integrated bunch of “bad habits” we call ego. The highest value of those practices are the ones that we can use in situations that are particularly challenging emotionally, physically, morally, or otherwise. I would love to hear a story from you about any challenging situation, in which you blew it, where ego won, and another one where Authentic Self won. If you could add what made the victory of Authentic Self possible, that would be super.
as i learn from this conversation
(although not a member of the courses referred to)
being in a parallel universe
there could be a message inside the experience …
let me sample the words:
provocative - relation - ego - authentic self
if on the sharp edge a human experiences “a provocative situation” …
what can be understood in the relational sphere regarding the ego and the authentic self ?
simple to say that even this contribution may resonate to a provocation - but then we may ask ourselves … was this contribution meant to be provocative or is it created in a kind of mutual love sharpening the swords so they would do less harm while slicing to the next level … in growing & blowing enlightened … together?
who can tell the individual perspective, who can energize the mutual one and is there a group space serving the collective?
thanks to arjen’s blog et all being there
Hi Arjan,
The truth will set you free…
That is what is so astonishing. Wrestling through all that is untrue (fears and desires from the ego) is really setting me free more and more. It is sometimes difficult and it makes me feel stirred and shaken, but the moment I realize “hey, this thought or action comes from ego and it is keeping me away from being authenticly present” it sets me free. It is like I can raise my hand and wave through the “heavy state” in life and everything becomes clear.
But is a constant day-to-day practise. Even now, when I'm reacting on your blog I'm investigating “what comes from ego and what comes from something completely different - authentic self”. And doing that because of the bigger perspective, not because I only want to free myself, but there is this bigger evolutionary purpose to contribute to. It is my responsibility to free myself more and more from ego-attachment so that it won't stop my availability to participate wholeheartedly in the evolutionary process.
The sharp distinction you refer to is so essential. That's why coming togehter, talk, share, teach is so important. Making that distinction (e.g. between ego and authentic self) myself on a day-to-day bases is not that easy. If we practise/work together, profound things happen.
Thanks for facilitating that.
Warm regards,
Irene