If, as normal individuals without extraordinary faculties, we are to carry through to the end the task of self perfection, we should bear in mind that we would not be able to achieve this without drawing sustenance from a transcendent source of energy. By cultivating within oneself a feeling of an omniscient, omnipotent and infinitely […]

It is a function of true understanding to bring back together the dispersed parts of a whole in a coherent context where they become meaningful. Our earthly life is a case in point. As a brief stage in the course of a long and complex journey, it should be carefully reassessed according to this pattern. […]

Ostad Elahi’s conception of spirituality demands that great importance be given to reflection and discernment, not of course of the material kind that we apply to ordinary matters of daily life, but a reflection and discernment rooted in spirituality and nourished by authentic ethical and spiritual principles. Spiritual discernment is also to be considered as […]

The processes of assimilation and growth inherent in the concept of “medicine for the soul” are not mere metaphors. They correspond to something real that must be evidenced by experience. It should be pointed out that education of thought is the backbone of spiritual practice, thought being the stuff we are actually made of. Our […]

Natural spirituality provides us with a framework for a unified discipline that takes into account two interacting human dimensions which are responsible for our progress towards self-perfection. To further clarify this, Ostad Elahi points out that the conjunction of our terrestrial and celestial parts results in the formation of an intricate psycho-spiritual organism, that should […]

The progression towards perfection has often been described by the spiritual traditions of the past as a change of plane, a drastic separation between body and soul, matter and spirit, eternity and impermanence, this world and the other. The reason why they did this is that human beings are bi-dimensional by essence. Ostad Elahi puts […]

The process of self-perfection is decidedly the basic concept and leading thread in Ostad Elahi’s teachings. It is therefore important to understand what it implies. It does not mean developing one’s talents, or attaining perfect mastery of some technical ability. There are many different ways of improving one’s physical or mental skills; but when it […]

Ostad Elahi’s thought could be summed up as the elaboration, both systematic and practical, of a natural spirituality. The term “natural” refers to a spirituality that corresponds to the true nature of humans, their disposition and deeper needs. Ostad Elahi’s approach to this natural spirituality is to have it adapted to the mindset and lifestyle […]

Jean During, a specialist in Central Asia and author of numerous books, here describes the particular characteristics of Ostad Elahi’s music, putting it in relation with his spiritual teachings. The questions examined are the following: Why is Ostad Elahi recognized as the “master” of tanbur? To what extent and how did he reinvent its musical […]

100 Maxims of Guidance, Ostad Elahi, Robert Laffont, 2000 100 Maxims of Guidance is a collection of short extracts and sayings from Ostad Elahi’s books and oral teachings. Beautifully illustrated with collages from Andre Marzuk’s Polylobes, “100 Maxims” presents ethical and spiritual reflections that serve as a brief introduction to the universal thought of Ostad […]