The Call of the Absolute

hat do you gain when you see the face of God? The answerJs simple: absolutely noting. This is what we dis- cover for ourselves in spiritual revelation. But because we have been brought up to be materialists, we assume that the purpose of life is to get, to have and to accumulate. And unknowingly, when we embark on the spiritual path, most of us bring this deeply embedded materialistic rela- tionship to life along with us. We want a transcendent power to bestow divine grace upon us sojhanve can have it for ourselves. But what we don't know is that that pow^r is rnor£ materialistic than we are. If we are lucky enough to experience its mysterious presence moving in, around and through us, we will discover the terrifying yet magnetic attraction of absolute love that asks for nothing less than everything from us. Every single breath that moves in and out of our lungs, that presence wants only for itselj. Those who have had this experience either have been over- whelmed with ecstasy by the unimaginable intensity of its The Call oj the Absolute absolute nature or have become paralyzed by their own fear of it. "I want all of you for myself" is the unending call of that mystery. Those who are the luckiest among us find themselves choicelessly compelled to respond from the depths of their being when they hear that call. Even when the whole world is screaming, "No, you mustn't do this—^you shouldn't give yourself to that which the mind cannot understand," they fall on their knees ready and will- ing to die. Spiritual experience that has the power to transform gives nothing to us; it only takes everything away The over- whelming austerity of this simple truth, when we recognize it for ourselves, brings us to the very edge of the known. And what we discover out there at the edge is that the power of absolute love to affect this world, so overcome with self-created pain and misery, is entirely dependent upon us. There is a reservoir of unimaginable strength and energy, always unknown to the mind, that flows spontaneously from the surrendered heart into this suffering world when we have responded to that call with trust rather than fear. But if we have become hypnotized by the insatiable needs of the ego, that miraculous power will either remain trapped inside us forever or, even worse, will be used to affect the world for the egos own unwholesome purposes. Indeed, the ego can easily usurp the yearning of the spiritual 1 00 Embracing Heaven & Earth heart by masquerading as that same heart if our attraction to absolute love isn't free from the desire for personal gain. The death-defying leap into the unknown that the move- ment of profound surrender is, is the most powerful shift of energy and attention that can occur withinhuman conscious- ness^ther than the falling away of the physical form. That is why the actual consequences of that kind of leap are always so extraordinary Once that leap has been taken, the traditional boundaries of the personality have been shattered, expanding the sphere of self sense in all directions. The enormous risk that must be taken for this kind of transformation to occur requires a degree of courage and trust that is inconceivable to most. That risk will be taken for only one reason: an intense desire to be nobody or an equally intense desire to be somebody. The notion of surrendering to the power of absolute love is, from the ego's perspective, completely terrifying. But if the ego usurps the sincere desire for surrender in pursuit of the promise of divine selfhood, the result will not be a self finally free from the chains of ego, but rather an ego that has become enlightened. The power of absolute love is com- pletely impersonal and its unending magnetic call to all who would hear it is equally impersonal. That means that that mysterious power accepts any and all who are willing to respond wholeheartedly to its call for submission no matter what their condition may be. The Call of the Absolute Surrender, when it is final, instantly brings personal evolution to a halt because that individual then becomes a messenger of the divine. Whatever the motivation of the one who has taken that leap, the condition of the personality becomes fixed forever at the moment of surrender. That is why it is so important that the purification of the vehicle be sincerely and systematically cultivated—only then will the personality be released from the ego-driven desire to be some- body prior to the catalytic event of unconditional submission to the Absolute. The power of absolute love is a raging fire of uncon- tainable majesty that consumes any and all who come too close to its flames. That Are burns wildly, aware only of itself. That is why the wholehearted and very conscious par- ticipation 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 recog- nition that that participation in the process of our own transformation is that raging hre of absolute love in action, moving in our own hearts and minds as the desire for Liberation itself. 1 02 Embracing Heaven & Earth. The Impersonal Enlightenment Fellowship Founded in 1988, the Impersonal Enlightenment Fellowship is a nonprofit organization that supports and facilitates the teaching work of Andrew Cohen. It is dedicated to the Enlightenment of the individual and the expression of Enlightenment in the world. The Impersonal Enlightenment Fellowship has centers in the United States, Europe, Australia and India. For more information about Andrew Cohen and his teaching, and the Impersonal Enlightenment Fellowship, please contact one of the centers listed below or visit our website at www.andrewcohen.org. Impersonal Enlightenment Fellowship World Center PO Box 2360 Lenox, MA 01240 USA tel: 413-637-6000 or 800-376-3210 fax: 413-637-6015 email: ief@andrewcohen.org Impersonal Enlightenment Fellowship London Centre Studios Englands Lane London NW3 4YD UK tel: 44-207-419-8100 fax: 44-207-419-8101 email: ieflondon@andrewcohen.org /.y Eastern Spirituality/Religion Embracing Heaven & Earth is an contemporary expression of the timeless wisdom of Enlightenment. The fruition of Andrew Cohen's fifteen years as a spiritual teacher, this book presents a radical psychology of Liberation. It takes the reader on a journey of Self-discovery that reveals not only the liberating fact of our true nature, but the way to live that truth in this world. Andrew Cohen is the author of numerous books on spiritual awakening and founder of the award-winning magazine What Is Enlightenment? "Andrew Cohen lays hare the process of spiritual growth, revealing the workings of ego and the path to freedom with crystalline clarity. He speaks with the resounding simplicity of all true masters. The wisdom of the ages, freed here from cultural trappmgs, is delivered with lightning bolts of uncompromising psychological insight. Any seeker, whether grounded in a tradition or weary of religious convention, should read this remarkable, enlightening book." -Miranda Shaw, Ph. D., author of Passionate Enlightenment: Women in Tantric Buddhism "Andrew Cohen invites us to awaken from our mental hut and ego's prison, and enter into the mansion of freedom, self-knowledge and completeness. The ring of truth in this book is like an alarm clock—it remains up to each of us to bring ourselves to actually wake up. There is really no other way." _^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ Awakening the Buddha Within "Embracing Heaven & Earth is an authentic and uncompromising mvitation to experience directly the ultimate simplicity of living at one with the flow of creation." -Duane Elgin, author of Voluntary Simplicity and

"Andrew Cohen is an important voice that needs to be heard. He brings a fresh and profound approach to spirituality grounded in his own awakened awareness, and he seeks nothmg more than to awaken others to a freedom and fullness that is their own inherent condition." ,.,.,, t a d ^r -Ken Wilber, author of A Brief i "In some rare cases the fullest illumination occurs spontaneously to some fortunate being. Such a being blesses the generation in which he or she happens to live and act. Andrew Cohen is one such being. He is a modern Western mystic who shmes like a light m darkness." -His Holiness Swami Chidananda, President, Divine Life Society "/ have confidence that Embracing Heaven & Earth will bring great benefit to readers and seekers in their spiritual practices." -His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, Head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism $14.95 MOKSHA PRESS