The end of enlightenment

See this article where John Horgen talks about former guru Andrew Cohen. Horgen said:

"I just watched a remarkable short documentary, “How Well-Meaning People End Up in a Cult.” Produced by The Atlantic, the film tells the story of the rise and fall of the guru Andrew Cohen, whose followers believed he had achieved the state of supreme mystical bliss called enlightenment. I interviewed Cohen in 1999, when his following was at its height, while researching my book Rational Mysticism. I didn’t use the Cohen material in my book, but I posted it on my website. I’m publishing an edited version here because many rational people—especially those attracted to Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation and other religions that advocate meditation--still believe in enlightenment. I once did, too, but no longer, in part because of my encounters with Cohen and other spiritual know-it-alls."


I know, one could counter that different lines account for this phenomenon. I still find Heron's old rebuttal applicable, particularly on participatory spirituality. And also this Edwards' post. For some context, back in '08 in the Gaia IPS forum we discussed "the end of enlightenment."