ANNOUNCING SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS

This year, as a special addition to the Being & Becoming Virtual Retreat, Andrew Cohen will be engaging in four unique dialogues with four distinguished spiritual pioneers: Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, Swami Shankarananda, Barbara Marx Hubbard, and Michael Murphy. These dialogues, exploring the profound subtlety of the nature of being and the intricate dynamics of becoming, will provide a rich introduction to Cohen’s uniquely contemporary teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment.

   
Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche    Swami Shankarananda  

   
Barbara Marx Hubbard        Michael Murphy      

On day one (Feb 19), Andrew Cohen will highlight two of the world’s preeminent voices on the nature of consciousness and the meaning of emptiness. Tibetan Lama Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche is the ninth incarnation of the venerated line of Traleg tulkus and an internationally-recognized representative of the Buddha Dharma in the West. American-born Swami Shankarananda, a direct disciple of the revered Swami Muktananda, is a highly-respected master of Kashmir Shaivism, yoga, and meditation.

Day two (Feb 20) features dialogues between Cohen and two of the founding pioneers of contemporary evolutionary spirituality. “Grande dame of conscious evolution” Barbara Marx Hubbard is a visionary futurist and social innovator who sees every aspect of life through the lens of evolution in ways few others have ever done. Human Potential movement trailblazer Michael Murphy, in the tradition of Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga, has a matchless appreciation for spiritual development as an infinite process of becoming, in every facet of our being.

Listen to Andrew Cohen describe how he will be working with these four spiritual teachers during the Being & Becoming Virtual Weekend Retreat.

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A POWERFUL LIFE-CHANGING OPPORTUNITY

Over the last twenty-five years, thousands of people have participated in retreats with Andrew Cohen. It is a thrilling journey into the leading edge of what’s possible for humanity—many describe the experience as life transforming.

In the past, to work intensively with Andrew Cohen, you would have to travel in person to a retreat—and we know that’s not always possible. Today, you don’t need to be at the retreat location itself in order to have a life-changing experience.

For several years, EnlightenNext has been pioneering the most powerful ways to use new technology in the service of spiritual development. On this Being & Becoming Virtual Retreat, you will benefit from more than just a single virtual weekend of engagement with evolutionary spirituality—you will experience the cumulative momentum of development that is being generated through a comprehensive annual cycle of spiritual and cultural inquiry guided by Andrew Cohen.

EnlightenNext is thrilled to invite you to our second annual two-day, Being & Becoming Virtual Retreat on the weekend of February 19 & 20, 2011.

How does it work? You simply call in via telephone, or tune in using your computer and an internet connection.

SPEND TWO DAYS WITH ANDREW COHEN
AND AWAKEN TO THE EVOLUTIONARY IMPULSE

During this second annual Being & Becoming Virtual Retreat, you will be guided through one of the most powerful and leading-edge models for individual and collective spiritual development available today: the path of Evolutionary Enlightenment.

Evolutionary Enlightenment enables all of us to awaken to who we truly are at the deepest level—to that One indivisible timeless consciousness that exists beyond the mind, and which is inherently free. Simultaneously, we awaken to the creative impulse of evolution in action that passionately strives for perfection in this world.

Awakening to both dimensions of our deepest nature—Being and Becoming—helps liberate our own potential to come together beyond the dividing boundaries of the ego—in order to evolve, and to create the foundations for a new culture.

Imagine: A global culture of Evolutionaries all experiencing unity, purpose, and joy—and then using that shared experience as a platform to create a new future…one that humanity has never seen before…and desperately needs.

That’s exactly what you will experience at the Being & Becoming Virtual Retreat: not only a profound awakening to your own potential as an evolving human being but also the rare opportunity to discover how to consciously create a new culture with fellow Evolutionaries.

Watch this video of Andrew Cohen speaking about the very purpose of life itself from the perspective of Evolutionary Enlightenment:

WORK DIRECTLY WITH ANDREW COHEN, A PIONEERING SPIRITUAL TEACHER

For more than two decades, Andrew Cohen has been one of the world’s most respected authorities and defining voices in the emerging field of integral and evolutionary spirituality.

Cohen founded EnlightenNext, a global network of Evolutionaries and international centers dedicated to exploring and creating the next step in human development. He has pioneered the spiritual teachings of Evolutionary Enlightenment which the entire Being & Becoming Virtual Retreat will explore in depth.

Cohen is also the founder and Editor in Chief of the award-winning EnlightenNext magazine (formerly What Is Enlightenment? ) which has been publishing cutting-edge dialogues for almost twenty years with many of today’s leading spiritual and social luminaries, including  Ken Wilber, Eckhart Tolle, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Jean Houston, and Deepak Chopra.

Countless leaders have praised Cohen’s work. Here is what some of them say:

“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 nothing more than to awaken others to a freedom and fullness that is their own inherent condition.” —Ken Wilber, pioneer of Integral Theory, author of A Brief History of Everything

“Andrew Cohen has arrived at an insight that is crucial for our historical situation. . . Rarely have I encountered such simple, searing wisdom connecting religious ideas about enlightenment with the scientific understanding of an evolutionary cosmos.” —Brian Swimme, PhD, author of The Universe Story

“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.” —Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within

“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 mystic who shines like a light in darkness.” —His Holiness Swami Chidananda, Divine Life Society

Andrew Cohen has worked with thousands of individuals around the world as a spiritual teacher, mentor, and guide. He is endlessly inspired by the possibility of a better future and he works with the passion, leadership, and one-pointedness necessary to bring that future about now, in our lifetime.

A QUARTER CENTURY OF SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

For twenty-five years, Andrew Cohen has guided thousands of people into the timeless depths of enlightenment and awakened them to the transformative power of the Evolutionary Impulse.

Here is what some of last year’s participants said they found most valuable in the first Being & Becoming Virtual Retreat with Andrew Cohen:

“I appreciated discovering a deeper understanding of the principles of Evolutionary Enlightenment, and a shift in my own consciousness, that led to a change in the way I act in the world.” A.F.

“It’s always a pleasure and an illuminating experience to be with Andrew Cohen, and the virtual format is delightful, since I’m in Brazil!” B.G.

“I’ve been to two longer retreats, one shorter one, and now the virtual one. In all of these retreats the time with Andrew is the most memorable, so the virtual retreat loses nothing there. I also specifically valued the virtual retreat format, because during a longer retreat you’re gone from ‘your life’ and are fully immersed in Evolutionary Enlightenment, and so the contrast can’t be bigger when returning home. But that was not the case after this virtual retreat. It was a fantastic event and I hope for more in the future.” W.R.

“I gained a basic understanding of the principles of Evolutionary Enlightenment and the importance not just of learning these principles, but of engaging with others in the process of moving forward towards the future evolution of our world.” C.J.L.

These participants’ experiences exemplify how Andrew Cohen creates a powerful structure for virtual retreats–one that inspires, empowers, and compels individuals to meet the challenging call of our times.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT ON FEBRUARY 19 & 20

You will explore how Evolutionary Enlightenment can help you evolve at the deepest level of self, beyond the limiting beliefs of the ego, and connect with your potential to act as an agent of change. You will discover the profound significance of what it means to be human in the twenty-first century and your potential to directly impact the direction and evolution of consciousness and culture.

Your retreat will be made up of two sections, Being and Becoming—the two fundamental pillars of the teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment.

The first day (Feb.19), Being, will be dedicated to the practice and perspective of meditation. You will learn about the Ground of Being, which is the deepest part of who you already are. It is the ground of consciousness itself and the liberating experience of enlightened awareness, utterly free from any sense of limitation or constraint. When you awaken to this part of yourself, you will instantly feel the exhilarating joy and freedom of your own true and infinite nature—and recognize your own inherent wholeness and perfection.

The second day (Feb.20), Becoming, will be devoted to identifying, investigating, and directly experiencing the cosmic creative impulse that Cohen calls the Authentic Self.

The Authentic Self is the creative force of the universe that initiated the entire evolutionary process, which you can directly experience in your own being as a surging “YES” to life. By awakening to this dynamic force within each of us, you will find yourself inspired and empowered to co-create a new and enlightened culture for our common future.

BEING & BECOMING VIRTUAL RETREAT FORMAT

• Each day will consist of a combination of teachings, dialogues between Andrew Cohen and invited spiritual luminaries, and Q&A for retreat participants with Andrew Cohen.
• You will begin both days at 10:00 am EST and break at 1:00 pm EST.
• The retreat will resume at 2:30 pm EST, and end at 5:00 pm.

That’s 10 full hours of transformative engagement over two days!

How to Participate

• To listen to Andrew Cohen’s teaching sessions on Feb. 19 & 20, you can either listen by phone or tune in via webcast.
• For all Q&A sessions you can only participate via conference call.
• Prior to the retreat you will be sent all the practical details you will need to join the event by phone and webcast.
• MP3 recordings for both days will be available for free to all registrants after the weekend.

Organizing or Attending a House Party

House parties are a great way for people to share in the investigation of these virtual retreats. If you would like to open your home to others by hosting a house party, we have a special host fee as well as reduced rates for house party attendees.

Hosting: If you would like to coordinate a house party, please ensure you have at least three additional guests registering for your party. Please use the House Party registration link below and register yourself as the host. You will then be contacted with guidelines on how to organize the weekend.

Attending: House party attendees should enter the name of their host in the “comments section” of the House Party registration page. You can find a list of all the house parties taking place around the globe here.

Register Below

You can register for the full two-day Virtual Retreat, for Saturday only, or as a host or attendee of a House Party. Discounts are available for EnlightenNext Evolutionaries and University Students and will appear on the registration page. Please register by 6:00 pm on Friday, February 18, 2011. Registrations after this date will be charged an additional cost of $25.00. » Full Two-Day Registration: Being & Becoming, Saturday and Sunday, Feb 19 & 20. » Saturday-Only Registration: Being, Saturday, Feb 19. » House Party for Host & Attendees Registration: Being & Becoming, Saturday and Sunday, Feb 19 & 20.

If you have any questions please email intensives@enlightennext.org
You can also reach us by phone at 413-637-6058 or 413 637 6116.

Cancellation Policy: Written cancellation requests for the Being & Becoming Virtual Retreat received before February 1, 2011, will be charged a $30 cancellation fee. No refunds will be provided for cancellations after this date.