The academic journal Resuscitation recently published the results of a large-scale international study involving 2060 cardiac arrest patients. Sponsored by the University of Southampton (United Kingdom), the study was conducted by a medical research team under the direction of Dr. Sam Parnia, the author of Erasing Death: the Science that is Rewriting the Boundaries between Life and Death. Among the cases reported, the most disturbing are those—very numerous—of patients considered to be “brain-dead”, but who reported, once resuscitated, states of consciousness and even perceptions that seem to have taken place while they were suspended between life and death. The neurosurgeon Eben Alexander gave an account of his own spectacular experience in his 2012 best-selling book Proof of Heaven. It has become clear that such cases are not so uncommon, and they are now also better understood. According to the article published in Resuscitation, one case of verifiable conscious awareness was even attested to in the absence of any clinical evidence of brain activity.

John Schaefer showcases an excerpt of the special commemorative CD-book issued by the Metropolitan Museum and Harmonia Mundi for the exhibit, “The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi”, on the New Sounds programme of 30 September 2014 (Episode #3643), on WNYC.

An exhibit opens this week at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, wholly devoted to the musical heritage of Ostad Elahi.

The exhibition runs from Aug. 5 2014 to Jan. 11 2015. Exhibition Location: The Hagop Kevorkian Fund Special Exhibition Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In all areas, real progress requires theory to be repeatedly put into practice. Ethics and spirituality are no exceptions. As often pointed out on e-ostadelahi.com, it is only through practicing ethical and spiritual principles and thus assimilating them that we can transform ourselves. But it isn’t always easy to move from theory to practice. Motivation is key, of course, but a good method and appropriate tools are also needed. This is what inspired the creation of a new website with a focus on spiritual practice: ostadelahi-inpractice.com. We have had the chance to test it for you and, let us say it upfront, it has been a very successful experience!

This post is a follow-up to a previous post entitled “Ethics in a delicate situation: what do you think?”, which presented a hypothetical case study together with a poll, to which you can still participate if you haven’t done so yet (you might want to do so before reading further). Let us begin with a few remarks about the poll results: On both the French and the English versions of the site, choice e (There are no fundamental differences between helping others and devoting sufficient time to one’s spouse: Jack could have spent that evening exclusively with his wife and still be practicing ethics) has been by far the most popular, followed by choice b for the French version (The well-being of one’s spouse should always take precedence. It should be preferred to the well-being of others and even to one’s own well-being) and choice a for the English version (Efforts of generosity always meet obstacles that must be overcome to allow progress: Jack should have expected Kelly’s opposition and prepared himself better for this test in order to prevent any conflict).

Hadj Nemat, Ostad Elahi’s father, passed away on 28 February 1920. The following two documents honour the memory of this great spiritual figure who also happened to be an inspired mystical poet. The first is Renaud Garcia-Fons and Claire Antonini’s musical tribute based on Hadj Nemat’s “Monajat”: it was recorded a the Maison de Radio France on February 25th. The second document, a poem entitled “Unfaithfulness of the World”, is one of the masterpieces of Hadj Nemat’s The Book of the Kings of Truths. The English translation we republish here was done by Martin Hoffman, on the basis of Leili Anvar’s French version.

I noticed recently, as I was listening to one of these debates we all too often get to see on TV or hear on the radio, how little Truth is expressed in these exchanges. Perfectly malleable minds, weaving through this verbal universe; ideas and concepts going back and forth, one after the other, but carrying no weight, relieved of all reality, emptied of all knowledge.
Why is that? Because knowing, truly understanding, involves more than this mere game of ideas and theoretical scaffolding, no matter how ingenious and brilliant. Knowing involves a personal experience of reality, it involves the challenge of confronting our convictions and beliefs to reality.

What better way to honour Ostad Elahi’s memory, than through the account of those who have met him in person? The following testimonial, among others, was made available by ostadelahi.com. The Editorial Board would like to thank ostadelahi.com for sharing it with us.

I first met Ostad Elahi on an autumn day in 1963 in Tehran (I am French and at the time had been living in Tehran for 5 years). It was in the spring of 1964 that I really became his student. At first, the gatherings did not take place on fixed dates or at regular intervals. Gradually, a group formed that would convene once, sometimes twice a week; occasionally larger gatherings were also held in which many people participated. These larger gatherings would usually form to commemorate religious celebrations. In addition to these gatherings, some people used to visit him on certain evenings. I prefer to mostly talk about those informal gatherings, for it was during those sessions that Ostad Elahi would convey the majority of his teachings.

If one quality had to be singled out as being primarily required to live an ethical life, it would without question be courage. This courage Aristotle considered to be “the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.”

Indeed, so many good intentions get crushed by the fear to expose oneself or to break the bonds that tie us to others! So many ambitious programs are carefully reflected upon and put forward only to wane and erode away in the face of weariness! Because courage is essential every step of the way: to make the inaugural move that marks the beginning, to dominate the fear of exposing oneself, to spontaneously assert one’s freedom while remaining loyal to the initial impetus, and finally to survive the long solitary struggle against despondency.

“The cause of everything that happens to you is in you; you should therefore look within yourself to find the cause.”

My reading of this maxim by Ostad Elahi triggered a number of thoughts that I would like to share by way of this article. A hearty thanks to e-ostadelahi.com for the opportunity to share with their readers.

We tend to spend a lot of time blaming “the world” for our misfortunes. On the other hand, we consider anything good to be the fruit of our own doing. But as always, giving it a little thought can make us realise that reality is a lot more complex.