"Live in society, earn your livelihood, and maintain your health, but strengthen and develop your soul to the point that, like a solid tree, nothing can shake you."
-Ostad Elahi
"The intellectual method of spirituality...is completely new and is the result of the spiritual experiences of Ostad Elahi (1895-1974). For the first third of his life, Ostad experimented with classical mysticism (the sensorial method) and was able to dominate all of his imperious desires through difficult ascetic practices that lasted for twelve consecutive years. During this time, practically in full retreat from the world and absorbed in divine love, he devoted the vast majority of his time to spiritual discoveries and meditative contemplation, and thus advanced as far as the sensorial method could take him. Ostad would later recall this period as the happiest in his life:
'When I look at pictures from my youth, a special feeling overcomes me as I remember the exalted state I was in. The world and everything in it meant nothing to me. I was in such spiritual exaltation that even thinking about it now still moves me.'
Around the age 25, Ostad ended his seclusion and gradually began moving in a direction opposite to that of classical mysticism. Determining that life in society was a more suitable environment for spiritual development due to its numerous challenges and temptations, he entered society and began a career in the judiciary. It quickly became apparent that the richness of this new approach to spirituality was incomparable to his previous experience. Ostad concluded that it was by confronting the tests of life in society with the help of a strong will that human beings could develop their celestial reason (spiritual intellect):
'Before I entered government service, I was unaware that all my prayers and twelve years of asceticism on the mystical path had the same spiritual value as a single year working in the government. Each of the years spent in public service, often in sensitive positions where I could have erred at any moment, was equal in vaue to those twelve years of asceticism. It is because of this principle that I say: live in society, earn your livelihood, and maintain your health, but strengthen and develop your soul to the point that, like a solid tree, nothing can shake you.'
Therefore it is with the help of celestial reason and willpower that we can dominate our imperious desires and temptations, not through difficult ascetic practices."
(From "Medicine of the Soul" by Bahram Elahi, M.D.)
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself: An Analysis of the Emotion of Fear
Is fear necessary, or are we better off without it completely?
Very few people would argue that the type of fear that stems from your hindbrain as an evolutionary reactive advantage to potential danger is a completely unnecessary evil that we must all put up with. Quite the contrary, primal fear is necessary as a 3D biological survival instinct. If your heart did not falter at the thought of encountering a situation that could potentially end your life in the process, then many of us would not be here now, as our ancestors would have fearlessly walked into perilous situations that would have necessarily been followed with fatality.
So when does fear become debilitating or even counterintuitive to our own mental health and psychosocial well-being? This is where, again, the Aristotelian ideal of moderation comes into play. The poison is in the dosage; a worn out aphorism perhaps, but true nonetheless.
Ostad Elahi, a Persian mystic who, in our modern times could be likened to a Buddha driving in reverse, was born into a life of mysticism and asceticism where, at the age of 9, he began to fast under the guidance of his father Hajj Nematollah for periods of 40 days straight, with a week of rest in between, followed by continuous 40-day fasting intervals. Unlike Siddhartha Gautama's bacchanalian upbringing and indulgence in a life surrounded by women and wine, Ostad was instead so entrenched in an artificial bubble of purity that he recounts how, when he first stepped into society 12 years after initiating his spiritual journey on the ascetic path, he did not think it was possible for anyone to lie. And contrary to the Buddha's decision to renounce society in order to seek enlightenment, Ostad felt he had extracted as much as he could from the ascetic path and decided to continue his spiritual journey in the midst of society's constant challenges, eventually becoming a judge in an area that was wholly corrupted by influential wealthy families who had a large measure of control over many of the decisions being made in the judiciary through means of bribery, discrediting, and threats.
Ostad has a lifelong collection of spiritual guidance in the form of sayings, remarks, books, and music. Some of these maxims touched upon the subject of fear, and in many cases the primary cause of our fear: the realization that one day we will die. This, however, is only part of the picture. Anyone who has had a spiritual experience, from a moment of Oneness with All, to a dream of an enlightening walk through a mystic Paradise, to a fleeting peek into the mind of the Universal Consciousness, understands that this mortal shell of ours, that which we refer to as our 3D body, is only just that...a shell. We are, after all, souls first! When these bodies expire, we will continue to exist, and in fact our existence will likely be far more pleasant in the next realm, since this body desensitizes us from our spiritual faculties much like a heavy mitt would.
On the importance of not allowing our fears to control us or overwhelm us important it is prudent to share some of the advice that Ostad has divulged regarding this issue. For instance:
"To find inner peace, one should not be overly concerned with such things as unemployment, poverty, death, etc."
"Death does not exist, like a seabird we plunge into the water each time, and resurface elsewhere."
"Rest assured that there is a Creator and a world beyond this one that is the station of souls."
"Divine love renders one free from all wants and desires."
"Even in the course of our daily lives, nothing can materialize until thousands of causes join hand in hand."
Ultimately, when confronted with information that rattles or unnerves us, it is perhaps a spiritual test to overcome a weakness within ourselves; one that can only be overcome by becoming cognizant and aware of our tendency to overreact with fear in situations that do not necessarily warrant such an emotion. Fear is useful only to preserve one's life and not to keep us entrapped within a sphere of anxiety that is the product of our own failure to face the reality that it is we who must overcome the unnecessary fears in our lives, rather than being overcome by them. The knowledge that we are immortal souls, that the universe is run by very precise laws, and that we are constantly watched by a loving, caring, nurturing, and ultimately very involved Creator who will always warn us and guide us, should eventually lead to a realization that fear is truly an illusion; one often perpetrated by our impaired perspectives, our own insecurities, and the feebleness of human nature.
In conclusion, I want to remind all of a scripture from Psalms, which should bolster your courage when your fortitude wanes, and remind you that regardless of anything you encounter in your life, God is always...always with you.
Peace, blessings, and good tidings to all who have read this message of spiritual consultation in its entirety:
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
(Psalm 23, KJV)
Very few people would argue that the type of fear that stems from your hindbrain as an evolutionary reactive advantage to potential danger is a completely unnecessary evil that we must all put up with. Quite the contrary, primal fear is necessary as a 3D biological survival instinct. If your heart did not falter at the thought of encountering a situation that could potentially end your life in the process, then many of us would not be here now, as our ancestors would have fearlessly walked into perilous situations that would have necessarily been followed with fatality.
So when does fear become debilitating or even counterintuitive to our own mental health and psychosocial well-being? This is where, again, the Aristotelian ideal of moderation comes into play. The poison is in the dosage; a worn out aphorism perhaps, but true nonetheless.
Ostad Elahi, a Persian mystic who, in our modern times could be likened to a Buddha driving in reverse, was born into a life of mysticism and asceticism where, at the age of 9, he began to fast under the guidance of his father Hajj Nematollah for periods of 40 days straight, with a week of rest in between, followed by continuous 40-day fasting intervals. Unlike Siddhartha Gautama's bacchanalian upbringing and indulgence in a life surrounded by women and wine, Ostad was instead so entrenched in an artificial bubble of purity that he recounts how, when he first stepped into society 12 years after initiating his spiritual journey on the ascetic path, he did not think it was possible for anyone to lie. And contrary to the Buddha's decision to renounce society in order to seek enlightenment, Ostad felt he had extracted as much as he could from the ascetic path and decided to continue his spiritual journey in the midst of society's constant challenges, eventually becoming a judge in an area that was wholly corrupted by influential wealthy families who had a large measure of control over many of the decisions being made in the judiciary through means of bribery, discrediting, and threats.
Ostad has a lifelong collection of spiritual guidance in the form of sayings, remarks, books, and music. Some of these maxims touched upon the subject of fear, and in many cases the primary cause of our fear: the realization that one day we will die. This, however, is only part of the picture. Anyone who has had a spiritual experience, from a moment of Oneness with All, to a dream of an enlightening walk through a mystic Paradise, to a fleeting peek into the mind of the Universal Consciousness, understands that this mortal shell of ours, that which we refer to as our 3D body, is only just that...a shell. We are, after all, souls first! When these bodies expire, we will continue to exist, and in fact our existence will likely be far more pleasant in the next realm, since this body desensitizes us from our spiritual faculties much like a heavy mitt would.
On the importance of not allowing our fears to control us or overwhelm us important it is prudent to share some of the advice that Ostad has divulged regarding this issue. For instance:
"To find inner peace, one should not be overly concerned with such things as unemployment, poverty, death, etc."
"Death does not exist, like a seabird we plunge into the water each time, and resurface elsewhere."
"Rest assured that there is a Creator and a world beyond this one that is the station of souls."
"Divine love renders one free from all wants and desires."
"Even in the course of our daily lives, nothing can materialize until thousands of causes join hand in hand."
Ultimately, when confronted with information that rattles or unnerves us, it is perhaps a spiritual test to overcome a weakness within ourselves; one that can only be overcome by becoming cognizant and aware of our tendency to overreact with fear in situations that do not necessarily warrant such an emotion. Fear is useful only to preserve one's life and not to keep us entrapped within a sphere of anxiety that is the product of our own failure to face the reality that it is we who must overcome the unnecessary fears in our lives, rather than being overcome by them. The knowledge that we are immortal souls, that the universe is run by very precise laws, and that we are constantly watched by a loving, caring, nurturing, and ultimately very involved Creator who will always warn us and guide us, should eventually lead to a realization that fear is truly an illusion; one often perpetrated by our impaired perspectives, our own insecurities, and the feebleness of human nature.
In conclusion, I want to remind all of a scripture from Psalms, which should bolster your courage when your fortitude wanes, and remind you that regardless of anything you encounter in your life, God is always...always with you.
Peace, blessings, and good tidings to all who have read this message of spiritual consultation in its entirety:
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
(Psalm 23, KJV)
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