Andrew Cohen (spiritual teacher)

"Andrew Cohen, one of his [H. W. L. Poonja's] most famous disciples, split up with him after years of deep devotion to his guru. Andrew blamed Poonja that he was jealous of his success and popularity. Poonja had said that he could create a thousand Andrew Cohens, but Cohen could not create a single Poonja. Earlier, however, Poonja had declared Andrew as his beloved, enlightened son."

"There was nothing special about our time with Andrew. We've been members in just another cultish group that make its members feel special. Our experiences are fundamentally no different from countless others in spiritual and political groups. We see clearly that corruption is difficult to avoid when a charismatic individual is given absolute power over a group of followers. All authoritarian groups have more or less the same dynamic. The emphasis on surrender, the initial happiness of merging into something bigger, the dogmatism, the rules and regulations, the suppression of doubts, it's the same everywhere."