--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the new enlightenment, the reason we…" description: "\"In the new enlightenment, the reason we are driven to become one with the life-process is not merely to experience some form of mystical oneness with e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/andrew-cohen-13071_buddhism_in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-a_2327744.jpg" --- # In the new enlightenment, the reason we are driven to… ![“In the new enlightenment, the reason we are driven to become one with the life-process is not merely to experience some form of mystical oneness with everything. We strive to become one with it for the biggest reason there could be - so we can ultimately take responsibility for where it's going.” quote by Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/andrew-cohen-13071_buddhism_in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-a_2327744.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/andrew-cohen-13071_buddhism_in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-a_2327744.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/andrew-cohen-13071_buddhism_in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-a_2327744.jpg) > “In the new enlightenment, the reason we are driven to become one with the life-process is not merely to experience some form of mystical oneness with everything. We strive to become one with it for the biggest reason there could be - so we can ultimately take responsibility for where it's going.” [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We seek unity with life not just for mystical experience but to responsibly shape its future. **In simple terms:** Unity is about responsibility, not just mysticism. Key Takeaway Take responsibility for the direction of life. Themes responsibility unity purpose environment spirituality Mood thoughtful determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - activism - environmental work - leadership - personal growth Key Concepts collective consciousness ethical stewardship Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance personal well‑being with global responsibility? - What actions reflect taking responsibility for life's direction? A Different Perspective Responsibility can be overwhelming and may lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mystical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystical/) [Oneness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneness/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Taking responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [This is our challenge at the beginning of the twenty-first century - we need to find the courage to see our own spiritual yearnings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/this-is-our-challenge-at-the-beginning-of-the-twenty-first-century-we/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [Secular humanism proposes ... the complete implementation of the agenda of modernism ... what is necessary for it to occur is a ... New Enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/secular-humanism-proposes-the-complete-implementation-of-the-agenda/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [“I'm an old-fashioned guy. I believe in the Enlightenment, and reason, and logic, and you know, facts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-m-an-old-fashioned-guy-i-believe-in-the-enlightenment-and-reason/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“The great compromise between the American religious impulse and the American Enlightenment in the 1700s permitted any and every conceivable sect to bud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/the-great-compromise-between-the-american-religious-impulse-and-the/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [I gained nothing at all from Supreme Enlightenment, and for that very reason it is called Supreme Enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/i-gained-nothing-at-all-from-supreme-enlightenment-and-for-that-very/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [“The madness of faith is a very different thing from the madness of Enlightenment Reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-roberts/the-madness-of-faith-is-a-very-different-thing-from-the-madness-of/) [Adam Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-roberts/) > [“I choose to live by choice, not by chance; to make changes, not excuses; to be motivated, not manipulated; to be useful, not used;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-marrott/i-choose-to-live-by-choice-not-by-chance-to-make-changes-not-excuses/) Miranda Marrott > [The vast majority of the American people are hard-working taxpayers who take responsibility for their families, go to work every day, they pay their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-vast-majority-of-the-american-people-are-hard-working-taxpayers/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Blaming is so much easier than taking responsibility, because if you take responsibility...then you might be the one to blame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/blaming-is-so-much-easier-than-taking-responsibility-because-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can recover the truth of what you really are. When you finally see yourself as you are, when you finally take responsibility for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/you-can-recover-the-truth-of-what-you-really-are-when-you-finally-see/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [“...This is the arena in which a spiritualized disobedience means most. It doesn't mean a second New Deal, another massive bureaucratic attack on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-white/this-is-the-arena-in-which-a-spiritualized-disobedience-means-most-it/) [Curtis White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-white/) > [To avoid taking responsibility, I become unresponsive but hang on until the other person leaves me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/to-avoid-taking-responsibility-i-become-unresponsive-but-hang-on/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“Many creatives want to be just the creator, or only “the idea guy.” They like that because it’s sexy and because that’s what comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/many-creatives-want-to-be-just-the-creator-or-only-the-idea-guy-they/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [It is not nearly so important how well a message is received as how well it is sent. You cannot take responsibility for how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/it-is-not-nearly-so-important-how-well-a-message-is-received-as-how/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [I'm attracted to the garden, without a doubt, but I always try and image the wolf that's there, too. And that wolf would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-light/i-m-attracted-to-the-garden-without-a-doubt-but-i-always-try-and/) [Michael Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-light/) ## More by Andrew Cohen > [“If you know only one language, you're a prisoner, stuck in the tyranny of that one language.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/if-you-know-only-one-language-you-re-a-prisoner-stuck-in-the-tyranny/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [Spiritual experiences and their results are not meant for the individual. They are for the evolution of the whole race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/spiritual-experiences-and-their-results-are-not-meant-for-the/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [I am already inherently full and complete as I am. Man doesn't need woman and woman doesn't need man in order to experience his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/i-am-already-inherently-full-and-complete-as-i-am-man-doesn-t-need/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [Freedom has no history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/freedom-has-no-history/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [Whenever a human being ceases to live for themselves and begins to care about that which is greater than themselves, the personality begins to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/whenever-a-human-being-ceases-to-live-for-themselves-and-begins-to/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [The executive branch maneuvered this result deftly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/the-executive-branch-maneuvered-this-result-deftly/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [Most men are very attached to the idea of being male, and usually experience a lot of fear and insecurity around the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/most-men-are-very-attached-to-the-idea-of-being-male-and-usually/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [Its taken 14 billion years for matter to gain the capacity to become conscious of itself. If this is true, it wouldn't make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/its-taken-14-billion-years-for-matter-to-gain-the-capacity-to-become/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [Anyone who wants to be truly free must be willing to stand alone in the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/anyone-who-wants-to-be-truly-free-must-be-willing-to-stand-alone-in/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [To campaign against colonialism is like barking up a tree that has already been cut down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/to-campaign-against-colonialism-is-like-barking-up-a-tree-that-has/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [We are all capable of greatness when we know without any doubt that we are directly connected to a higher purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/we-are-all-capable-of-greatness-when-we-know-without-any-doubt-that/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [It is not enough to be well-intentioned; one must strive to put those intentions into action in a capable way. One must consider the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/it-is-not-enough-to-be-well-intentioned-one-must-strive-to-put-those/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [I believe that any individual who has spiritually awakened in our time, to the degree that he or she finds a higher and deeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/i-believe-that-any-individual-who-has-spiritually-awakened-in-our/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [“The dynamic, future-oriented, ecstatically inspired state of the evolutionary impulse is the new enlightenment that I am speaking about. The inner eye has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/the-dynamic-future-oriented-ecstatically-inspired-state-of-the/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [A lot of people in spiritual life use the awareness of difference, and the spiritual glorification of difference, as a justification to indulge in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/a-lot-of-people-in-spiritual-life-use-the-awareness-of-difference-and/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) [Explore all 52 Andrew Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) ## More Buddhism quotes > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/) [Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/) [Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/) > [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/) [Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) [Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the new enlightenment, the reason we are driven to become one with the life-process is not merely to experience some form of mystical oneness with everything. We strive to become one with it for the biggest reason there could be - so we can ultimately take responsibility for where it's going.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Cohen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-are-driven-to-become-one-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Buddhism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-are-driven-to-become-one-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/andrew-cohen-13071_buddhism_in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-a_2327744.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/andrew-cohen-13071_buddhism_in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-a_2327744.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/andrew-cohen-13071_buddhism_in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-a_2327744.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the new enlightenment, the reason we are driven to become one with the life-process is not merely to…” — Andrew Cohen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andrew Cohen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In the new enlightenment, the reason...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-are-driven-to-become-one-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/in-the-new-enlightenment-the-reason-we-are-driven-to-become-one-with/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```