Search results for tag "Poll" - 10 answer(s)

208 Vote

The imperious self (1): definition

Having just celebrated its 10th birthday, e-OstadElahi is launching a new type of thematic series based on “close reading”. The goal is to encourage reflection and interaction around key concepts from Ostad Elahi’s thought through collective analysis and discussion, both from a theoretical standpoint and with a view to drawing practical conclusions. The recent publication, in French, of a new edition of The Path of Perfection (La Voie de la Perfection) by Bahram Elahi provides an ideal resource and reference text for such a project.

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28 comments | Permanent link

196 Vote

Foolish pride, foolish arrogance—feed the fire with that vain Self!

This article completes the series based on Attar’s Canticle of Birds (also known as the Conference of the Birds), following “The nightingale and the rose: from attachment to renunciation” and “Our intimate enemy: the imperious self”. We now turn to an aspect of the imperious self that stalks all spiritual seekers: pride and arrogance in spirituality. Attar evokes it in the form of an earthy anecdote…

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23 comments | Permanent link

178 Vote

Grasping anger (2): family talk

By - Nov 13, 2016 - Category Practice
Burnt tree after a forest fire

An earlier post on the question of anger has allowed us, on the basis of a short scenario, to reflect on the situations that can trigger anger, on what its root causes are, and on whether it is legitimate to give vent to our anger in any judicious or rational way, when we risk letting it run free. The purpose of this second post is to discuss the effects of anger, both on the subject and on those around him or her.

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36 comments | Permanent link

178 Vote

Grasping anger: what do you think?

By - Oct 25, 2016 - Category Practice
Businessman with clenched fist on the desk at office

From mere annoyance to exasperation or fury, anger can express itself in many ways, and in all kinds of situations. Identifying anger within ourselves is generally an easy task, even though it sometimes takes subtle forms that can cloud our judgment. On the other hand, whatever form it takes, controlling it is always a different story. It is rather safe to state that this issue concerns, in one form or another, every one of us. We will thus dedicate several posts to examining it. This first one will allow us, on the basis of a scenario and a few questions, to start reflecting and to share our thoughts, experiences, suggestions, ideas and interrogations.

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69 comments | Permanent link

348 Vote

The right to divine guidance: how can we make it effective? Debate.

By - Feb 9, 2016 - Category Articles
GPS

Human beings aren’t what they are from the outset. Endowed with reason and free will, it is our duty to bring about humanity within ourselves by actively engaging in our process of spiritual perfection. But in order to direct our efforts toward real spiritual perfection, we need a road map to show us which way to go and how to actually get there. In this regard, Ostad Elahi talks about a right to divine guidance, which is the logical consequence of our duty to perfect ourselves.

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21 comments | Permanent link

269 Vote

Cause for reflection. What do you think?

Ostad Elahi has often insisted on the importance of the principle of causality in spirituality. This principle can be summed up in a simple phrase: nothing happens without a cause. The first consequence that follows is that it is—in principle—always possible to trace back the cause or causes that lead to a specific effect. As […]

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45 comments | Permanent link

214 Vote

Two couples on the grill

By - Oct 3, 2015 - Category Practice
barbecue fire

Dealing with others, enriching as it is, often comes along with a few of difficulties. Whoever they may be—a superior at work, a colleague, a member of our family, or a mere acquaintance—others rarely behave exactly like we would want them to, quite the opposite. A colleague stole the credit for my work again, a friend of mine hurt my feelings, my mother-in-law criticized my cooking again, … the list could go on. In such moments, it is only natural to feel the need to share our troubles with someone we feel close to and to seek their support. But here’s the catch: this legitimate need to confide in someone can very easily turn into the desire to speak ill of others. And, whether we are conscious of it or not, it often does. Then, all of a sudden, rather than sharing our difficulties, we start sharing what we think about others, including, if it can make us feel better, all the bad things we think about them…

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43 comments | Permanent link

207 Vote

Backbiting as a main dish? What do you think?

By - May 12, 2015 - Category Practice
Disordered tableware

What is it that makes a dinner successful? Delightful dishes, a nice atmosphere, guests who get along, who feel happy by the end of the evening and, on their way out, sincerely compliment their host… In fact, each guest could easily come up with a different answer. But the more interesting question might be that of the “ethical success” of such an evening, especially when complex dilemmas arise, involving the guests, one’s own ethical convictions and, sometimes, people who are not even present. Juliette had to take into consideration all three of the above in the very interesting anecdote she shares with us here. Her story will be published in two installments. This first post takes the form of a case study, describing the evening, how things got complicated, and inviting you to share your views on the theme of backbiting: What qualifies as backbiting? What doesn’t qualify as backbiting? What constitutes the best course of action in this situation and why? Put yourself in the shoes of our hostess and share your thoughts and personal experiences by answering the poll questions. The end of this real-life story will be shared with you in a second post. Let us note that Juliette did not have the luxury of the couple of weeks of reflection you will get to make a decision: make sure to take full advantage of this virtual extra time to best reflect on your own practical options were you to be faced with a similar situation.

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76 comments | Permanent link

249 Vote

How to rate the quality of an ethical and spiritual practice? Survey.

By - Dec 22, 2014 - Category Practice
Diamond in the tweezers on a black background

A high number of questions received by the OstadElahi inPractice website’s support team seem to suggest that assessing the quality of one’s ethical and spiritual practice is a difficult task. OstadElahi inPractice currently offers two online practical curricula: Toward an in vivo practice and Connecting with the Divine. Participants in those labs can regularly assess their practice of an ethical and spiritual exercise, which they have chosen after several reflection and analysis phases. They can record their daily self-assessment in this window by selecting “success” or “failure” (quantitative aspect) and by grading the quality of their practice on a scale of 0 to 10 (qualitative aspect), and they can use the dedicated text box for some notes or personal experiences

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62 comments | Permanent link

241 Vote

An ethical dilemma on TripAdvisor: what do you think?

By - Aug 24, 2014 - Category Practice
evaluation - vote - review - rate - stars

Read this anecdote submitted by one of e-ostadelahi’s readers, answer the two poll questions and share your comments!

Let us note at the outset that the point is not to reach an answer that would be “right” or “wrong” in the absolute sense. Reality is far too complex to be summarised in that way. While the anecdote reported here is real, the exercise is virtual. This poll is only meant to trigger reflexion and discussion.

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100 comments | Permanent link



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