THE TWENTY-EIGHT QUINTESSENTIAL QUESTIONS IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AND THEIR SEQUENTIAL UNFOLDMENT

l. What is the meaning of life? Is life nothing more than quickly disappearing pleasures and fear of impending pains? Is there something which brings more lasting fulfillment, and if so, is there a way for me to attain it? Do I need a guide? Are today's guides trustworthy? Are there different guides and paths for different temperaments? Am I an escapist or a genuine seeker -- are my motives pure?

2. Does the spiritual life require self-discipline? Are there moral and ethical prescriptions I need to follow? Why is this process of purifying the body, mind and emotions called "The Long Path?" How does it differ from what is called "The Short Path?" Why is The Long Path paradoxical in nature?

3. Do I need to periodically go on retreat for maximum spiritual progress, and, if so, for how long? Does this need play out differently for people of different temperaments?

4. Are there universal principles for the practice of meditation and, if so, what are they? Are there also different types of meditation for people of varying temperaments?

5. What techniques, practices and routines should I use to maintain the physical body and promote its maximum potential? Can I trust health practices which are generic in nature and treat all people the same?

6. How important is moral and ethical development in achieving enlightenment (finding God in religious terminology)? What negative emotions need to be purified, disciplined and transformed, and how do I do so? What about positive emotions? Can they also be a hindrance to the spiritual quest?

7. What is the role of abstract thought and the intellect in the quest for God?

8. Is the ego good, bad, both good and bad or none of the above? Is the ego real? If not real, how can one rid oneself of something which does not exist, and why bother? Why is the question: "Who am I?" the essence of the spiritual quest? Is the question "Who am I?" different from the question "What am I?" How so?

9. Is there an after-life and, if so, what is its relationship to the spiritual quest? Is the idea of heaven something we find after death or in life? Do I have to accept the idea of reincarnation to make progress in the spiritual life?

10. How do I come into harmony with all the laws of nature and thereby become Whole?

11. Are there such things as evil forces in the world and how do I best protect myself from them?

12. How can I best serve humanity and how does this service relate to my own spiritual growth?

13. How can I best take advantage of ordinary life experiences as a tool for spiritual growth?

14. What is the relationship of the arts to spiritual development?

15. How do I promote autonomy and self-sufficiency in the spiritual life while, at the same time, remaining open to the best of the past and present spiritual traditions?

16. What are the values, dangers and limitations, if any, of mysticism? What distinguishes a mystical approach from a philosophic one? Is there a path beyond mysticism?

17. What is the value of associating with others (called "Group Work" by Gurdjieff and "religious affiliation" by the more exoteric minded) in the practice of the spiritual life?

18. If "Yoga" implies discipline and control, then what is the value of surrender in the spiritual life? Do some spiritual processes tend to be more masculine and others more feminine? How do we reconcile these seemingly contrary energies?

19. How do we learn to begin distinguishing the Real from the not so real? Why is this process important in the spiritual life?

20. How do I begin exploring the Real?

21. All pervasive is the truism that life is one, universal and unified, yet, this is not our everyday experience. We always experience an I inside and a world outside of us, or the classic mind-body split. What are we to make of all of this? Is the idea of Oneness just an intellectual abstraction?

22. What is the short path as distinguished from the long path and what advanced contemplative techniques are offered on the short path to God Realization?

23. What is the role of detachment and equanimity in the spiritual life and how do I gain this "state?"

24. How does the realization of the Real become permanent? Are their stages in this Realization?

25. How do we realize who we are?

26. How do we realize what we are?

27. How do we realize the relationship between the "who" and the "what?" Is there an end to spiritual development?

28. What is the role of grace in the spiritual life?

These are some of the many issues and questions explored in depth in the Home-Study manual entitled "The Art of Multi-Dimensional LivingÒ : The Paragon of Spiritual Science." See the link "Home Study Course in Spiritual Science" for a further description of this course.

NOTE: Each of these 28 questions or issues in the spiritual life are universal in scope and nature; however, there will be 8 different answers to each of the 28 questions depending on which of the "Eight Great Path To God" the person favors.