Foreword

F o r e w o r c Nine years ago Andrew Cohen came into my life like athunderbolt and instantly my life caught fire. Even though 1had been on the spiritual path for along time, meeting him was something Icould not ever have been prepared for. In one moment, as we sat together in his sparkling November afternoon, everything that Ithought Iknew, the entire fabric of my known universe, exploded in the recognition of my own true nature. Iknew without any doubt that my search was at an end, and yet 1was soon to discover that an extraordi¬ nary life had only just begun. r o o m o n a Andrew Cohen is that rare phenomenon in any age, atruly enlightened human being and areal teacher of Liberation. As aresult of his powerful awakening and complete surrender to the Truth in 1986, his own life since that day has been an expression of what is possible for anyone who truly wants to be free. Grounded irrevo¬ cably in that unknown mystery at the core of Life itself, yet soaring freely, guided only by asingular passion for the Truth, he is an evolutionary fire, acatalyst in this world of time and space for revolutionary transformation. From the moment Andrew began to teach nine years ago he immediately had an extraordinary impact on those around him, exactly as he had on me. His constant 1 1 1 message that Enlightenment is utterly realizable right here and now and the absolute authenticity of his condition carried atransmission which was electrifying and spoke straight to the heart. Many, many people who came to see him had explosive, spontaneous realizations of the undi¬ vided nature of Life which were to alter the entire course and foundation of their lives. As word of these miraculous events spread far and wide many began to gather around Andrew in an ecstatic and magical atmosphere of bound¬ less freedom and Self-discovery. At the same time Andrew's absolute and uncompromising relationship to the Truth and his passion in questioning everything to that end, including many of the spiritual paradigms of the time, from the very beginning gave him acontroversial reputa¬ tion in the spiritual world. After some months passed however, it became clear to Andrew that in spite of the fact that so many people around him had experienced asimilar revelation to that which had completely transformed his own life, it hadn't succeeded in permanently liberating them in the same way The real foundation of Andrew's teaching began his discovery that even an explosive experience of the Absolute was not enough to liberate an individual from the power of their i n own conditioning as long as they remained divided to any degree about their desire to be free. Indeed this, he discovered, was the condition of most seekers. The question of the fundamental intention of the individual in relationship to absolute transforma¬ tion was to become the foundation, the cornerstone of his teaching.

Independent of any spiritual tradition, guided solely by his own recognition and passion for the Truth and his ever-deepening understanding of the human condition, Andrew began to uncover the fundamental principles that lie at the heart of the spiritual endeavor. In time, a fully comprehensive spiritual teaching began to emerge, which could clearly and unambiguously convey to the serious seeker both the Goal and the Way. E?i/ig/itenment Is aSecret consists of excerpts from teachings Andrew gave between the years 1986 and 1990, which have all been finally selected, arranged and edited by Andrew himself. In the hands of anyone open to be touched by the Unknown, Enlightenment Is aSecret brings us immediately to the very edge of our under¬ standing, opening up aboundless vista before us. Since its publication in 1991, this flawless and unadorned transmission of the enlightened vision has awakened in thousands of seekers across the world an immediate recognition of that perspective that often remains as only the shadowy intimation of an unthinkable possibility. Every page of this remarkable book reverberates with a transcendent emptiness. Every word echoes the sacred Mystery out of which it was conceived. Stripped away from the familiar reference points of spiritual tradition, time and practice, its utterly authentic and deeply pene¬ trating expression of liberated understanding plunges the reader into adirect contemplation of the possibility of Liberation here and now, evoking in an open heart the whispering of adeep knowing beyond the mind. Absolutely mystical in nature, Enlightenment Is a Secret is simultaneously utterly pragmatic, illuminating with astonishing clarity asubject that for many has been safely shrouded in mystery and superstition. Like no other book 1have read, Enlightenment Is aSecret is an exact and complete guide through the perilous territory of the spiritual Journey. It addresses with extraordinary insight and in avast and impersonal context, all of the essential aspects of spiritual life. It is in fact ablueprint of Awakening, of Goal and Path, constantly meeting in very real terms the dichotomy between our enlightened potential and the complex and divided nature of our very human condition. This is not an easy teaching to keep asafe distance from. It meets the spiritual seeker head on, immediately bringing us face to face with exactly where we stand, here and now, in relationship to the possibility of going all the way. Andrew challenges us to come to aclear and final resolution about our desire to be Free, pointing out that it is not spiritual experiences in themselves that have the power to truly liberate us, but only the degree to which we are willing to respond, in every aspect of our lives, to the implications inherent in them. Andrew confronts us throughout the course of the book with the absolute nature of the spiritual quest and the tremen¬ dous sacrifice involved, revealing the utterly volitional nature of the division within ourselves that too often allows us to fall short of that perfect death he is calling us to. Supremely challenging, this rare compilation of excerpts demystifies what has always been involved in

true awakening, putting the responsibility for our own Liberation entirely on our willingness to truly change. Andrew's teaching points to the goal as being not merely an inner perspective, but the total transformation of our human life, an event which has profound evolutionary significance for humanity as awhole. Dare to let this book penetrate your heart. Its explo¬ sive and liberating call to awaken has the power to set you Free. Steve Brett