American Guru is a multifaceted account of life in the contemporary spiritual community known as EnlightenNext, and the controversial "teaching methods" of its New York-born founder, self-proclaimed "guru" Andrew Cohen. With contributions from several of Cohen's former students, William Yenner recalls the thirteen-year trajectory of his career as a leader and manager in Cohen's community--his early days as an idealistic "seeker," his years of service on EnlightenNext's Board of Directors, his ultimate disillusionment and departure,and his efforts to make sense of his experiences as a once-devoted follower of a "Teacher of Evolutionary Enlightenment." With wit and insight, Yenner and his colleagues have produced a riveting cautionary tale on the dangers of authoritarian spirituality, and an insider'scase study on the promises and pitfalls of postmodern discipleship. "William Yenner's courageous exposé, American Guru, is a powerful reminder that all of our tendencies toward idealization of dharma teachers must be carefully examined." -William Morgan, Psy.D., member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy,co-author of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy "William Yenner's true, uncensored-and finally ungagged-moving personal story, in combination with the powerful reflections, recollections and contributions of other former community members, makes American Guru an essential source document for the study and understanding of authoritarian spiritual sects." -Hal Blacker, former editor of EnlightenNext magazine "American Guru is not a mean-spirited book. It is, rather, a refreshingly honest one." -David Christopher Lane, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, Mt. San Antonio College Check out the book online at www.americanguru.net
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
80 of 102 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I feel compelled to provide a rebuttal to Roberta's review of Bill's book. I think most of us on the spiritual path will agree that it is the most challenging and difficult work that anyone can engage in. Everything eventually must be looked into if we really want to be free from our conditioning, including those sides of us that are the most painful and difficult to face. I think it is true that whoever endeavors to undertake such a journey must be willing to "face everything and avoid nothing."
But let's be clear what exactly it is that Bill and other ex-students of Andrew Cohen are alleging here: systematic abusive behavior either done by Andrew or under his specific direction, including pressuring people to give large sums of money when they "failed" in some way (Bill personally was "compelled" to give $80,000 when he fell out of favor with Andrew, which he eventually got back after signing a five year gag order), slapping long time students when they commit some "error", and an incident in which buckets of paint were poured over the head of a women who allegedly disappointed Andrew, just to name a few. There have been many, many more examples of this kind of behavior in Andrew's community (go to whatenlightenment.blogspot.com to read more). Roberta, can you please explain to me how these actions can in any way be considered right and ethical? I would really like to hear from you how these actions could be right in ANY context, let alone a spiritual community supposedly upholding a higher standard of integrity. And if you are alleging that anyone outside of a spiritual community are in no position to judge what is ethical and what is not, I profoundly and unequivocally disagree with you.
Simply put, Roberta, what about the specific events that that Bill describes in this book??!! This is not a story of people having their poor, little egos bruised. This is a story of truly cruel and twisted behavior that is being presented as "enlightened behavior." These stories are shocking to read about, and it personally offends me to hear them being rationalized as being done for the "sole benefit of the student's liberation." This could only be true if you consider humiliation and degradation a valid part of the spiritual path.
I was a student of Andrew's for around three years over ten years ago. For many years after I left, I still felt a sense of loyalty to Andrew and what his community was doing. For a long time I have wrestled with these stories and my own personal loyalty to Andrew and his community, but no longer. The documented events are unequivocally abusive acts, and they offend my conscience to the point where I feel I must speak up, for the sake of what's right.
Roberta, I know you personally from my time in Andrew's group many years ago, and recall you warmly. But I think you are doing a great disservice to the truth by insinuating that what this book contains is only Bill's "refusal" to face himself. Are you saying that the events Bill and other ex-students have mentioned did not take place? If not, do you personally condone these events as legitimate actions from an enlightened master solely concerned with the student's transformation?
Enough is enough! I feel that it is time for those of us who disagree profoundly with these abusive, destructive acts to speak out against them forcefully and unconditionally. Personally, my conscience demands it.
- Jared Howe
But let's be clear what exactly it is that Bill and other ex-students of Andrew Cohen are alleging here: systematic abusive behavior either done by Andrew or under his specific direction, including pressuring people to give large sums of money when they "failed" in some way (Bill personally was "compelled" to give $80,000 when he fell out of favor with Andrew, which he eventually got back after signing a five year gag order), slapping long time students when they commit some "error", and an incident in which buckets of paint were poured over the head of a women who allegedly disappointed Andrew, just to name a few. There have been many, many more examples of this kind of behavior in Andrew's community (go to whatenlightenment.blogspot.com to read more). Roberta, can you please explain to me how these actions can in any way be considered right and ethical? I would really like to hear from you how these actions could be right in ANY context, let alone a spiritual community supposedly upholding a higher standard of integrity. And if you are alleging that anyone outside of a spiritual community are in no position to judge what is ethical and what is not, I profoundly and unequivocally disagree with you.
Simply put, Roberta, what about the specific events that that Bill describes in this book??!! This is not a story of people having their poor, little egos bruised. This is a story of truly cruel and twisted behavior that is being presented as "enlightened behavior." These stories are shocking to read about, and it personally offends me to hear them being rationalized as being done for the "sole benefit of the student's liberation." This could only be true if you consider humiliation and degradation a valid part of the spiritual path.
I was a student of Andrew's for around three years over ten years ago. For many years after I left, I still felt a sense of loyalty to Andrew and what his community was doing. For a long time I have wrestled with these stories and my own personal loyalty to Andrew and his community, but no longer. The documented events are unequivocally abusive acts, and they offend my conscience to the point where I feel I must speak up, for the sake of what's right.
Roberta, I know you personally from my time in Andrew's group many years ago, and recall you warmly. But I think you are doing a great disservice to the truth by insinuating that what this book contains is only Bill's "refusal" to face himself. Are you saying that the events Bill and other ex-students have mentioned did not take place? If not, do you personally condone these events as legitimate actions from an enlightened master solely concerned with the student's transformation?
Enough is enough! I feel that it is time for those of us who disagree profoundly with these abusive, destructive acts to speak out against them forcefully and unconditionally. Personally, my conscience demands it.
- Jared Howe
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It has been suggested by anonymous sources, otherwise fearful, to me as a critic of various guru figures, to make public a request that Andrew Cohen step down from his position as 'guru' in the context of his EnlightenNext initiative.
The account in this excellent work is so depressingly clear on the issue of guru abuse that I think some kind of outside intervention or declaration is needed.
The legacy of confusion here has gone on for a whole generation and includes the figures, Da Free John, E.J.Gold, Lee Lozowick and Andrew Cohen. The whole sequence here has been haywire from the beginning.
The account here is of a baffling display of pathological behavior masked by a misleading endorsement of Cohen's reputed enlightenment. The original source of this endorsement is itself entirely suspect and has empowered a very a questionable career of authoritarian behavior.
One of the larger problems here is the lack of any traditional context made clear. What is the canon of the guru? What religion is in the background, Hinduism, Buddhism, ...? The lack of any clear context for a teaching has produced a completely vacuous teaching made up 'as you go along'.
The quest for enlightenment beyond ego is not achieved by (egoic) ego-bashing of 'disciples' by a teacher. Ego cannot be destroyed by castigation and attempts to destroy a person's psyche. It is a misunderstanding to think you can destroy ego, and the task is that of self-enlightening transcendence of ego, by the individual in question, and in the final analysis the guru figure is at best a witness to what the disciple must do. The kind of shenanigans depicted in this book show someone out of control, with no grasp of what is needed.
The Buddhist declaration of the entry to the Path of Enlightenment makes no reference as such to gurus or guruism. The fetish of the guru as absolute authority is a late distortion of the original primordial tradition. Real seekers might well seek the counsel of a wise figure on the way to self-enlightenment. But the decadence of the yogic tradition into the guru royalty phenomenon has no place in a democratic age, and is not needed. In fact it is often a front for reactionary politics masquerading as spiritual practice. The art of being a guru is a hard one, and at best that of a witness to the self-action of those who enter the path.
On the basis of the information given by this book it should be clear that the authority of this impostor is void, and without any basis.
The account in this excellent work is so depressingly clear on the issue of guru abuse that I think some kind of outside intervention or declaration is needed.
The legacy of confusion here has gone on for a whole generation and includes the figures, Da Free John, E.J.Gold, Lee Lozowick and Andrew Cohen. The whole sequence here has been haywire from the beginning.
The account here is of a baffling display of pathological behavior masked by a misleading endorsement of Cohen's reputed enlightenment. The original source of this endorsement is itself entirely suspect and has empowered a very a questionable career of authoritarian behavior.
One of the larger problems here is the lack of any traditional context made clear. What is the canon of the guru? What religion is in the background, Hinduism, Buddhism, ...? The lack of any clear context for a teaching has produced a completely vacuous teaching made up 'as you go along'.
The quest for enlightenment beyond ego is not achieved by (egoic) ego-bashing of 'disciples' by a teacher. Ego cannot be destroyed by castigation and attempts to destroy a person's psyche. It is a misunderstanding to think you can destroy ego, and the task is that of self-enlightening transcendence of ego, by the individual in question, and in the final analysis the guru figure is at best a witness to what the disciple must do. The kind of shenanigans depicted in this book show someone out of control, with no grasp of what is needed.
The Buddhist declaration of the entry to the Path of Enlightenment makes no reference as such to gurus or guruism. The fetish of the guru as absolute authority is a late distortion of the original primordial tradition. Real seekers might well seek the counsel of a wise figure on the way to self-enlightenment. But the decadence of the yogic tradition into the guru royalty phenomenon has no place in a democratic age, and is not needed. In fact it is often a front for reactionary politics masquerading as spiritual practice. The art of being a guru is a hard one, and at best that of a witness to the self-action of those who enter the path.
On the basis of the information given by this book it should be clear that the authority of this impostor is void, and without any basis.
33 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By Daniel Shaw
Format:Paperback
Congratulations and thanks to William Yenner and all the contributors to this exceptionally clear, important book, American Guru.
It is an open secret that followers of Andrew Cohen are subjected to abuse and exploitation that has nothing to do with spirituality, and everything to do with the pathological narcissism of Andrew Cohen. Former followers have spoken out, in this volume, with great courage and honesty.
It would be wonderful to see such honesty and courage demonstrated by other leaders of the New Age movement. Instead of rationalizing and minimizing the extent of these abuses, instead of ignoring and dismissing the experiences of former followers, wouldn't it be wonderful if people like Ken Wilber, Genpo Roshi, Rupert Sheldrake, Deepak Chopra, Bernie Glassman, etc, could have the courage and the integrity to pay attention, to take up the cause of Cohen's former members, and confront Cohen publicly?
If such celebrities of the New Age do not have this kind of courage and integrity, at least William Yenner and the authors of this book do - and their work will be of enormous benefit to those who have been cruelly violated and betrayed by Andrew Cohen, in the name of spirituality.
Daniel Shaw, L.C.S.W., author of Traumatic Abuse in Cults: A Psychoanalytic Perspective
It is an open secret that followers of Andrew Cohen are subjected to abuse and exploitation that has nothing to do with spirituality, and everything to do with the pathological narcissism of Andrew Cohen. Former followers have spoken out, in this volume, with great courage and honesty.
It would be wonderful to see such honesty and courage demonstrated by other leaders of the New Age movement. Instead of rationalizing and minimizing the extent of these abuses, instead of ignoring and dismissing the experiences of former followers, wouldn't it be wonderful if people like Ken Wilber, Genpo Roshi, Rupert Sheldrake, Deepak Chopra, Bernie Glassman, etc, could have the courage and the integrity to pay attention, to take up the cause of Cohen's former members, and confront Cohen publicly?
If such celebrities of the New Age do not have this kind of courage and integrity, at least William Yenner and the authors of this book do - and their work will be of enormous benefit to those who have been cruelly violated and betrayed by Andrew Cohen, in the name of spirituality.
Daniel Shaw, L.C.S.W., author of Traumatic Abuse in Cults: A Psychoanalytic Perspective
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoughtful book written with integrity
Yenner does an outstanding job answering questions I've had about why intelligent, thoughtful people feel the need to follow people like Andrew Cohen. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Marija Sanderling
5.0 out of 5 stars
lots of talk about ego and spiritual toughness in these reviews
Apparently rage and anger in Andrew Cohen's world are manifestations of an arrested or underdeveloped "ego" UNLESS and UNTIL the guru is the subject of an unflinching critical... Read more
Published 10 months ago by *denotesmeaning
3.0 out of 5 stars
guru blues
It's hard being a guru these days, it would seem. I think Andrew Cohen probably has had good intentions, but just can't deliver the goods. Read more
Published on July 14, 2010 by Leonard Sarki
1.0 out of 5 stars
american guru
The fact that this book may discourage people from meeting Andrew truly saddens me. I have known Andrew since 1994. Read more
Published on January 27, 2010 by Birgit L. Chasin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sullied from the start
As someone who spent little more than a year in Andrew Cohen's community (1988-89), I have mostly kept myself apart from the online rumble. Read more
Published on October 30, 2009 by Douglas I. Wallace
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well, this is quite a storm...
I have read this book, and many other accounts of Andrew Cohen and his community, in addition to several of Cohen's own books. Read more
Published on October 21, 2009 by Marc Beneteau
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking, important book
If you are interested in the workings of a modern day cult, please read this honest, balanced, compassionate and generous book. Read more
Published on October 17, 2009 by healthywoman
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Personal Vendetta
This book needs to be seen in its appropriate context, because in this day and age we tend to look at the whole concept of a student/teacher relationship through the eyes of our... Read more
Published on October 16, 2009 by E. Mishory
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Ego Strikes Back
American Guru reads like a court case: Yenner vs. Cohen, ie., the state of William Yenner's ego versus Andrew Cohen, teacher of Evolutionary Enlightenment, Andrew's teachings on... Read more
Published on October 14, 2009 by Loring S. Palmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Teachers v Learners
Life is about learning and expansion. There will always be teachers and learners and they have to find a way to co-exist. Read more
Published on October 9, 2009 by Dragan Matijevic
