Freedom Has No History [Paperback]

Andrew Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1997

Written with an unwavering conviction that the possibility of profound transformation is never far away for anyone who is deeply serious, "Freedom Has No History" inspires us to abandon a small-minded approach to our liberation and take up a life of real heroism. Not the kind heroism that ends up in glory for the individual, but the kind that expresses a profound recognition of how much depth and meaning a human life can truly have.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Freedom Has No History is a call. It's a call from the awakened heart and mind to take an extraordinary leap. For anybody who aspires to true spiritual freedom in this life, this remarkable book holds a key. Like a mirror, it clearly reflects how we limit the way we see, the way we think, and therefore the way we live. Shattering so many of the ideas and beliefs that shape our lives, it renders us defenseless, our minds and hearts opened so wide that we cannot help but dare to peer into an unimaginable possibility. The possibility of truly awakening in this life. Freedom Has No History is a highly recommended contribution to all religion and Eastern Spirituality reading lists, personal and library collections. -- The Midwest Book Review, June 1997

For a spiritual teacher who experienced cosmic consciousness when he was barely 16 and took up the task of enlightening the world when he was 30, Andrew Cohen's latest book is out of this world in more ways than one.

It is a book about freedom of the soul. He says: "The individual who is truly free has no idea who he is." It is a negation of the self, negation of past memories, and a breaking free of all attempts to achieve something.

What this book demands is absolute commitment. There is no place for options or half-hearted attempts to reach God. Either you surrender totally to the experience of the 'now' or you drop the idea altogether. There is also no place for thinkers here. For example, in answer to the question: "How do you know if your actions are the right ones?", Cohen says: "All anyone has to do if they want to see how appropriate their actions really are, is to look back." In other words, you can know the right and wrong of an action only after you're through with it.

Simple and easy to read, this book by the founder of What Is Enlightenment? magazine, relates more to the experience of enlightenment than to the process of reaching it. -- Life Positive, India, October 1997

Freedom Has No History is a call. It's a call from the awakened heart and mind to take an extraordinary leap. For anybody who aspires to true spiritual freedom in this life, this remarkable book holds a key. Like a mirror, Freedom Has No History clearly reflects how we limit the way we see, the way we think, and therefore the way we live. Shattering so many of the ideas and beliefs that shape our lives, it renders us defenseless, our minds and hearts opened so wide that we cannot help but dare to peer into an unimaginable possibility. The possibility of truly awakening in this life. Freedom Has No History is a highly recommended contribution to all religion and Eastern Spirituality reading lists, personal and library collections. -- Midwest Book Review

If you are only curious about the spiritual path, this book may not be for you. But if you believe, or at least suspect, that there is such a thing as enlightenment, or higher consciousness, and if you want to live in an enlightened way, it may be perfect.

Cohen is telling us that we can become enlightened, so long as we are willing to pay the price. If we are willing to make the necessary effort and sacrifice, our lives will become fresh and extraordinary instead of dull and repetitious. In his freedom from religious jargon, and his insistence that each of us change to create a better world Cohen reminds this reviewer of Krishnamurti. If you really want to experience the possibilities that life offers, let this book launch you in that direction. The point of all spiritual teaching is simple. The question is whether we are willing to accept it. -- Bodhi Tree Book Review, Summer/Fall 1998

The title of this short volume conveys the flavor of its contents: precise, pithy, and uncompromising. Chapter he --Inner Journeys, Summer 1998

From the Publisher

This powerful collection of excerpts from talks given by spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen unravels the timeless mystery of true spiritual awakening. It answers many traditional spiritual questions -- how should we relate to our minds and the process of thought, what does it really mean to hold on to nothing, what are true surrender and absolute trust? While other more unusual and unexpected topics -- the birth of spiritual conscience, abandoning the future, cynicism is an obstacle to liberation -- capture a profound and original approach to spiritual exploration. The direct experience of awakening unfolds before the reader's eyes and is explored with a depth of subtlety and simplicity that makes this book accessible to anybody. As each chapter illuminates a different facet of "the jewel of enlightenment," what is revealed over and over again is that freedom truly has no history -- it is always right in front of us waiting to be discovered. We simply have to awaken to our heart's deepest desire and then open our eyes to see it.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Moksha Press (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883929172
• ISBN-13: 978-1883929176
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,382,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andrew Cohen is a spiritual teacher, cultural visionary, and founder of the global nonprofit EnlightenNext and its award-winning publication EnlightenNext magazine. His original teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment redefines spiritual awakening within the context of cosmic evolution and highlights a new understanding of God or Spirit as the creative impulse toward change in both self and culture. After a transformative meeting with the renowned Advaita Vedanta master H.W.L. Poonja in 1986, Cohen began teaching internationally and almost immediately started reshaping the larger cultural conversation about the purpose and significance of enlightenment in our time. He founded EnlightenNext magazine almost twenty years ago as a forum for serious spiritual and philosophical inquiry, and has since become known for his unique capacity to foster culture-changing dialogues among leading thinkers from a wide array of traditions and disciplines. 

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Challenge, November 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Freedom Has No History (Paperback)

Every time I sit down with this book it challenges me in a way that no other experience or person has ever done. I feel a challenge from something within, something that only Andrew Cohen has been able to evoke. For anyone who is serious about discovering the truth of thier own experience, and living in a way that expresses true human integrity there is no other author that I know of that can point you to that end. Andrew is a true Master.