Related Works

Fundamentals of the Process of Spiritual Perfection: A Practical Guide

By: Bahram Elahi, MD

​This Practical Guide, together with its four upcoming volumes, offers a fresh and pragmatic perspective on the meaning and purpose of our life on earth: completing the fundamental stage in our process of spiritual perfection. This initial stage in our spiritual development is summarized in three main points—examining and mending one’s faith, developing one’s sound reason, and cultivating one’s humanity. Presented as a concise yet comprehensive handbook, the Practical Guide provides readers of all backgrounds with an accessible roadmap to the rational pursuit of spirituality in contemporary life through the practice of correct divine and ethical principles. For more information and an interview with the author, visit practical-guide.com.

Maxims of Guidance: Principles of Universal Wisdom

By: Ostad Elahi

Compiled and translated by Bahram Elahi, MD, this revised and expanded pocket edition provides an introduction to Ostad Elahi’s universal maxims of guidance, which are based on a lifetime of personal observation and experience. Extracting the core principles shared in common by all the great religious traditions, these words of wisdom are rooted in the practice of ethical principles that are adapted to modern life. Ultimately, they are intended for further reflection and concrete practice, with the objective of actualizing one’s humanity.

La Voie de la Perfection:
Introduction à la pensée d’Ostad Elahi

(The Path of Perfection:
An Introduction to the Thought of Ostad Elahi)

By: Bahram Elahi, MD

Initially published in 1976, the latest edition of La Voie de la Perfection: Introduction à la pensée d’Ostad Elahi has been completely revised and expanded by its author. Addressing the perennial questions of humanity—Why are we here? What should we do? Where do we go after we die?—this book presents a clear and precise summary of Ostad’s Elahi’s innovative and practical approach to spirituality, one that is grounded in the great faith traditions while at the same time adapted to the lives and mentalities of modern human beings in the 21st century.

Words of Truth

By: Ostad Elahi

A selection of Ostad Elahi’s oral teachings drawn from two volumes of such sayings posthumously compiled by his son, Bahram Elahi, MD. Presented in simple and accessible language, this collection of informal conversations with family and friends focuses primarily on the ethical and spiritual aspects of Ostad Elahi’s philosophy and school of thought, ranging from the longing for transcendence and the stages of self-knowledge to the role of contemplative practice and the evolutionary process of spiritual perfection.

Malak Jan Nemati

By: Leili Anvar

Malak Jan Nemati (Ostad Elahi’s sister, affectionately called “Saint Jani”) adopted her brother’s teachings and devoted her life to the service of others. In an environment legendary for its male supremacy in every facet of life, this blind and frail woman courageously arose as a champion of women’s equality and rights with little more than the strength of her character and the depth of her convictions. Her wisdom and resilience are as instructive in today’s modern world as they were in her remote village in Iranian Kurdistan so many years ago.

Asar ol-Haqq, Vol. 1 (Traces of Truth, Vol. 1)

Compiled by: Bahram Elahi, MD

In addition to his scholarly works, Ostad Elahi also conveyed his oral teachings in cordial and informal gatherings with family and friends. On the basis of notes that had been transcribed during those sessions, which spanned a period of roughly ten years, his son Bahram Elahi, MD, compiled and published two volumes entitled Asar ol-Haqq (Traces of Truth). Focusing on the ethical and spiritual aspects of his philosophy, these sayings retain the conversational tone in which they were conveyed, highlighting the simple language with which Ostad Elahi always communicated, without resorting to any philosophical jargon or literary embellishment.

The Path of Perfection

By: Bahram Elahi, MD

Presented as a handbook of what he has termed “natural spirituality,” Bahram Elahi, MD, introduces a summary of Ostad Elahi’s innovative philosophy, addressing the specific questions and needs of human beings in the 21st century in simple language and accessible terms. In laying out a concise roadmap that shows us how to achieve our psychological-spiritual perfection step-by-step through the integration of natural spirituality into our daily lives, The Path of Perfection enables us to obtain tangible results that will encourage and motivate us as we advance along our journey of self-knowledge and discovery.

The Spirit of Sounds

By: Jean During, PhD

An exceptional musician and an unrivaled master of the sacred art of tanbur, Ostad Elahi considered his music above all as a means of delving within, discovering truths, and reaching the stage of divine love. Born and raised in a remote village steeped in centuries of classical mysticism, Ostad eventually transcended the traditional repertoire of the tanbur and the ancient hymns that accompanied it, renewing and elevating this music to an entirely new level. Drawing on a number of diverse sources, the author succeeds in bringing the uniqueness of this intricate art into relief by analyzing it in its original context and tracing its genesis and development through a series of biographical elements, rich anecdotes, and detailed accounts by those who were close to Ostad.

Medicine of the Soul

By: Bahram Elahi, MD

In the latest volume of Foundations of Natural Spirituality, Bahram Elahi, MD, continues to build upon the analogy between the physiological processes of the human body and those of its intangible counterpart, the soul or “psychospiritual organism.” Juxtaposing the science of medicine with that of the soul, the author presents a striking and innovative paradigm in which the anatomy, nutrition, hygiene, and therapy of the psychospiritual organism is discussed in clear and concrete terms. The result is the unraveling of spirituality as a vague and abstract realm, and the elevation of its status to an experimental, verifiable science adapted to today’s human beings.

100 Maxims of Guidance

By: Ostad Elahi

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 Elahi. Far from a series of general aphorisms, 100 Maxims provides practical precepts that invite the reader to engage in a daily practice of self-balance and self-control, thoughtfulness, and compassion.

Spirituality is a Science

By: Bahram Elahi, MD

Through a series of innovative and thought-provoking studies, the author redefines spirituality as an experimental science that is rooted in concrete and empirically verifiable realities. “Though the fundamental laws of true spirituality remain constant,” the author explains, “the practical application of its principles must be adapted to the intellectual and social developments of our time. In the quest to understand the metaphysical, one must not renounce reason and individual will, nor readily accept the arbitrary, for authentic spiritual laws always have a rational and satisfactory justification.”

Foundations of Natural Spirituality

By: Bahram Elahi, MD

Professor emeritus of pediatric surgery, Bahram Elahi, MD, uses medicine and its terminology to examine the metaphysical dimension of human beings in unprecedented fashion. Drawing sharp and vivid analogies to cellular biology, the immune system, and ecology, the author presents spirituality as a precise and experimental science, complete with its own axioms, laws, and theorems.

Le Spirituel: Pluralité et Unité

(The Acta of the Symposium “Spirituality: Plurality and Unity”)

To commemorate the centennial of Ostad Elahi’s birth (1895-1974), a symposium entitled “Spirituality: Plurality and Unity” was held at the Sorbonne in Paris under the patronage of UNESCO, the Department of Culture, the Department of Health, and the Academy of Paris, with an Honorary Committee comprised of distinguished academicians such as Maurice Bejart and Jacques Couelle, the Abbe Pierre, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, and the Nobel prize-winner in Physics, Dr. Abdus Salam. Providing a complete account of the events that took place between September 7 and September 10, 1995, the Acta captures the symposium’s rational and multi-disciplinary approach to the often enigmatic concept of spirituality. To preserve the spirit and spontaneity of the original debates, editorial changes by the authors have been kept to a minimum. The multitude of themes that were examined during the course of the symposium have been divided into the following categories: The Unity of Religions, Religion and Spirituality, Science and Spirituality, Art and Spirituality, Man’s Spiritual Need, Ethics and the Law, Ostad Elahi’s Thought, The Music of Ostad Elahi, and The Professional Ethics of Ostad Elahi.

Words of Faith: Prayers of Ostad Elahi

By: Ostad Elahi

Published in 1995 on the occasion of the centennial of Ostad Elahi’s birth, Words of Faith focuses on an essential aspect of any spiritual practice: prayer. The different elements of Ostad Elahi’s conception of prayer are presented in the first section of this book, while the second features a collection of his sayings and recommendations on the subject. In the last third of the book, the reader finds translations of supplications and spiritual poems recited or written by Ostad Elahi at different stages of his life.

Unicity

By: Ostad Elahi

Published in 1995 on the occasion of the centennial of Ostad Elahi’s birth, Unicity presents a short biography that traces the development of Ostad Elahi’s system of thought and his practical teachings, along with a variety of landscapes, manuscripts, and portraits that visually complement the text. Together, they invite us on a journey through the main phases of Ostad Elahi’s life as a mystic, jurist, philosopher, and musician.

Asar ol-Haqq, Vol. 2 (Traces of Truth, Vol. 2)

Compiled by: Bahram Elahi, MD

As with its predecessor, the second volume of Traces of Truth presents a sample of Ostad Elahi’s thought as it was conveyed in friendly and informal gatherings. Arranged in chronological order, the sayings offer a glimpse into the atmosphere that permeated those gatherings and bear witness to Ostad Elahi’s wisdom, experience, and knowledge, both in the context of theoretical discussions wherein he would convey complex philosophical subjects in simple terms, and in the analysis of his own personal experiences that he would share with others.