Foreword

I was fortunate enough to be present during the retreat where Andrew Cohen delivered the talk from which this book has been created. As he came in, sat down and began to speak, it seemed that he had come before us that day without a plan, without any partic- ular preparation, without even a notion of what should or shouldn't take place. I listened with awe, fascination and rapture as he plunged fearlessly into an unimagin- able mystery. It seemed he was reaching deeply, deeply into the unknown, and with calm precision and passion proceeded to slowly and delicately draw forth the threads and the pieces of a serene, overwhelming and absolute dharma. A light so bright shone forth that

cannot describe it. A light so healing in its totality and embrace that it streamed out to touch the living heart of anyone who dared to truly let it in. This was no unassuming spiritual talk, nor the simple opinion of one man speaking his mind. Seated among the throng that day, we were all given the chance to peer farther than we could have imagined into the exact nature of what and who we are. We were offered on outstretched hand the key to the riddle of how to be whole—and therefore free—in this challenging human life. Reading for the first time the written version of the talk, as I leaned far forward, breathlessly in my chair

found myself overwhelmed by the sensations I experi- enced that day in Bodhgaya. It is my heartfelt wish that you, the reader, having deeply considered the contents of these pages, will find yourself also disarmed and uplifted by the profound innocence which they evoke, even as you may be startled by their absolute challenge and unyielding perfect logic. In its few pages, it speaks volumes. Within its close covers, is contained a universe. No matter where on the path any of us may be, the sheer magnitude and timeless relevance of what lies beyond this introductory page is an unwavering beacon to guide us on the Way. It shines with the strength of a love that has no limit in its embrace of all humanity and for the potential Liberation which lies at the cen- ter o{ this, our shared existence. Richard Klein