Dear Andrew Cohen; Spiritual Inquiry and the Evolution of Consciousness

"The Truth cannot be formulated, it cannot be defined - it is to be lived."

- The Mother

In the spirit of spiritual inquiry;

Please read Andrew Cohen's post Spiritual Inquiry and the Evolution of Consciousness

In holding to that call I offer;

From Andrew Cohen's A Declaration of Integrity

“Ego is the deeply ingrained, compulsive need to remain separate and superior at all times, in all places, under all circumstances. In contrast to the inherent freedom of the Self Absolute and the fearless passion of the Authentic Self, ego is experienced as an emotional quagmire of fear and attachment. It is the part of you that has no interest whatsoever in freedom, feels victimized by life, avoids anything that contradicts its self-image, is thoroughly invested in its personal fears and desires, and lives only for itself. Ego is an anti-evolutionary force of powerful inertia in human nature—attached to the past, terrified of change, and seeking only to preserve the status quo.
Ego is the one and only one obstacle to enlightenment. If we want to be free, if we want to be enlightened, we have to pay the price. The great wisdom traditions have always told us that the price is ego death, and in evolutionary enlightenment it is no different: if the Authentic Self is going to act through us as the uninhibited expression of evolution in action, then our attachment to ego must be transcended.”

Dear Andrew,
I have to engage this position because the stakes are so high. What part of me engages this position? Could I possibly be wrong? Could you possibly be wrong? Could it be that the deeper Truth can only be known dialogically though enlightened debate & in Mutuality with other realizers. Could it be that this ego itself is necessary for evolution to occur? Could it be that these incessant internal wars are a microcosmic reflection of the macrocosmic external wars? Maybe that is not necessarily a problem & perhaps this tension itself is in a way exactly what needs to be. The evolutionary tension seems to be created by the very sense that “something is wrong”. It is at the core of our very existence. Maybe there is nothing wrong with that sense that “something is wrong”. Maybe that Core Crux is the hallmark of evolutionary development.

“It may sound good in theory, but the ability to recognize ego for what it is, in all its gross and often very subtle manifestations, to “accept” it and simultaneously not act out of it, requires a level of self-mastery that, to be brutally honest, is attained by very few.”
Andrew

What if this level of self-mastery were possible in the context of Mutuality? What if the overcoming of the “ego” you speak of is a level of self-mastery that maybe none have ever achieved? What if it isn't possible?

If fear, attachment, & inertia are entered into with full consciousness & not denied, suppressed, or “transcended”, perhaps they have lessons to teach & will self-dissolve as opposed to becoming split off as shadow that comes to bite you when you are not looking. Isn’t fear of fear, fear? Isn’t attachment to an idea of acting authentically or ridding ourselves of attachment, attachment? Might there not be a time when the feeling of inertia is a prompt from Being that a deeper truth is at the core and our own incessant need to get away from this “inertia” is what keeps us in the quagmire? Could it be that you are really on to something so profound & beautiful, but the communication & skillful means being used are preventing some from really getting this? Personally, I have gained so much from your teaching & I carry your transmission with me. I find myself constantly defending what you are doing & I think it is a crucially important piece of the unfolding of Mystery. I am sincerely engaged with the realization of the Secret Intention. I ask that you consider these statements. I am drawn to your passionate & relentless inquiry. Perhaps you could devote a future issue of WIE to the subject of Upaya & Skillful Means.

For ALL OF US,
John