#Bahram Lofty

[hell-yeahfilm]

FUNDAMENTALS OF THE PROCESS OF SPIRITUAL PERFECTION

Ostad Elahi (1895-1974) was a true 20th-century Renaissance man: a distinguished judge who promoted women’s rights in Iran from the 1930s through the ’50s, an acclaimed musician whose tanbur recordings were celebrated at a 2014 Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit, and a metaphysical philosopher. In this book, his son, Bahram Elahi, offers readers a “condensed handbook” for the practical application of the elder Elahi’s teachings of spiritual perfection. Like his father, the author—who’s a medical doctor and surgeon by training—embraces a “new medicine of the soul” that eschews “in vitro” spirituality that prioritizes theoretical conjecture in favor of an “in vivo” spiritualism that emphasizes “concrete, personal practice carried out in real-life situations.” Drawing on personal observations and anecdotes from his father’s life as well as his own previous publications and oral teachings, the author provides an approachable version of Ostad Elahi’s esoteric philosophy of self-realization. While at times frustratingly repetitious, the book does provide ample text-box vignettes, contextual footnotes, and bulleted talking points to ease readers into the spiritual practices that the author asserts will ultimately lead to spiritual “perfection” and “total bliss.” Perhaps most helpful are a series of drawings and diagrams at the beginning of the book that introduce the complex jargon of the philosopher’s ideas relating to the human psyche and the nature of the human soul. Originally written in Persian and French, this uncredited English translation generally succeeds in its quest to condense the philosophy into accessible prose. In doing so, it offers thoughtful answers to the persistent questions of humanity, such as “For what purpose are we here?” and “Where do we go after this world?” In a world in which too many spiritual leaders fail to practice the lofty ideals they preach, this book’s focus on intentional actions is more than welcome.

from Kirkus Reviews https://ift.tt/kLbhjyP