A. H. Almaas
Submitted by nelo on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 17:06.Tags:
Biography
A.H. Almaas is the pen name of Hameed Ali, a spiritual teacher and an author.
He was born in Kuwait in 1944. At the age of eighteen, he moved to the U.S. to attend the University of California at Berkeley where he studied math and physics through a scholarship from the Kuwait Ministry of Education. Later, while working on a Ph.D. in physics, he reached a turning point in his life that led him to inquire deeper into the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature.
He eventually pursued a Ph.D. in psychology specializing in Reichian Therapy and developed a unique spiritual and psychological theory and practice known as the Diamond Approach®.
Hameed has written many spiritual books.
Teachings
The Diamond Approach®
The Diamond Approach is a teaching developed by A.H. Almaas that incorporates a variety of mystical teachings, including Sufism, Buddhism and modern depth psychology.
It is described as a synthesis of the spiritual and psychological, using psychological methods and insights to gain understanding of the personality and the ego, with the aim of spiritual unfoldment and integration.
For example, the method of inquiry is used to explore aspects of the self. Object relations theory is used to examine the development of the personality and the ego.
The Diamond Approach also utilizes the Enneagram of Personality, the concept of the lataif (subtle capacities or organs of perception in the Sufi tradition) and various forms of meditation.
Diamond Approach work typically involves a combination of group work, breakout exercises with one or two other students and private, one-on-one sessions with teachers of the Ridhwan School.
The Diamond Approach, according to its followers, can be called a Phenomenology of Being that offers a precise description of the various aspects and dimensions of Spirit or Being and is also a very efficient spiritual psychotherapy, healing the wounds of the soul by reconnecting it to Spirit.
Books & Media
Essence with The Elixir of Enlightenment: The Diamond Approach to Inner Realization
(Paperback)
Essence has been combined with The Elixir of Enlightenment, a short introductory text directed toward students on the path who are frustrated by either the spiritual or psychological barriers that Western life can present. Discusses the values and shortcomings of spiritual training, and explores why an impasse may occur. Reveals how a precise understanding of your own personality can free your inner resources so that your essential being can lead you toward enlightenment.
Diamond Heart, Book One: Elements of the Real in Man (The Diamond Heart Series , No 1)
(Paperback)
This four-volume series presents a collection of talks given by Almaas on topics such as faith, commitment, nobility and suffering, truth and compassion, allowing, and growing up. Through these talks, Almaas offers valuable guidance and advice for those on a spiritual path, and he explores the challenges and psychological barriers faced by those seeking self-realization.
The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence
(Paperback)
The keys to self-knowledge and deep contentment are right here before us in this very moment—if we can simply learn to live with open awareness. In The Unfolding Now, A. H. Almaas presents a marvelously effective practice for developing the transformative quality of presence. Through a particular method of self-observation and contemplative exploration that he calls inquiry, we learn to live in the relaxed condition of simply \"being ourselves,\" without interference from feelings of inadequacy, drivenness toward goals, struggling to figure things out, and rejecting experiences we don\'t want. Almaas explores the many obstacles that keep us from being present—including defensiveness, ignorance, desire, aggression, and self-hatred—and shows us how to welcome with curiosity and compassion whatever we are experiencing.
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