A. H. Almaas

A. H. Almaas, born A. Hameed Ali in Kuwait in 1944, is an American author and spiritual teacher. He developed the Diamond Approach, a system for spiritual development that integrates modern psychology and therapy. Almaas, who uses a crutch due to polio contracted in infancy, moved to the U.S. at 18 to study physics before shifting his focus to spiritual and psychological inquiry. He is the spiritual leader of the Ridhwan School, which disseminates his teachings. Initially, his books were published by the Ridhwan School under the Diamond Books imprint, but they are now released by Shambhala Publications.

The Diamond Approach is described by Almaas as a response to a need for a spiritually informed psychology or a psychologically grounded spirituality. It does not separate psychological and spiritual experiences, viewing depth psychology and spiritual work as interconnected rather than distinct fields needing integration. This approach is not a synthesis of modern psychology and traditional spirituality but rather a perspective that inherently understands them as unified. The Diamond Approach aims to address the truth of human nature and the fundamental nature of reality through its unique framework.

The Diamond Approach conceptualizes reality as comprising three elements: Being/Spirit/God, Soul/Self, and World/Cosmos. Being is understood as the fundamental source and true nature of existence, echoing concepts like Dharmakaya or Brahman. It consists of five boundless dimensions: Divine Love, Pure Presence, Nonconceptual Awareness, The Logos, and The Absolute. Soul is the individual consciousness connecting the world to Being, akin to concepts in ancient Chinese philosophy, experienced as a living presence holding one's thoughts and feelings. The World represents the tangible, physical manifestation of reality.

A key concept is Essence, which represents the individual manifestation of Being, similar to the Hindu idea of Atman. Essence is the true, personal nature of the soul, experienced as a flowing Presence that can differentiate into various essential qualities like compassion, strength, joy, and peace. The Diamond Approach posits that individuals become alienated from their Essence through the development of personality patterns or ego structures. These patterns create 'holes' by disconnecting one from specific essential aspects. The method involves exploring these structures to confront and move through these 'holes,' thereby retrieving the lost essential aspects.

The Diamond Approach employs methods influenced by Claudio Naranjo, who was a student of Oscar Ichazo. Almaas' background in physics informs the emphasis on rigorous self-inquiry. Practices include 'presence,' which involves sensing the body and focusing attention on a center in the abdomen (the 'kath center,' 'dantian,' or 'hara') to enhance grounding and facilitate the experience of Essence. 'Inquiry' is a central practice of investigating the self, experience, and perception. It encourages an open-ended exploration of present experience, acknowledging preconceptions while seeking direct understanding, blending phenomenological reduction with psychodynamic exploration to transcend subject-object dichotomies and achieve self-awareness.

“Almaas is the Arabic word for "diamond".”

“The Diamond Approach is described by Almaas as a response to an important need that is being felt in many quarters, a need for a spiritually informed psychology, or conversely, for a psychologically grounded spirituality. This perspective does not separate psychological and spiritual experience, and hence sees no dichotomy between depth psychology and spiritual work... This body of knowledge is not an integration or synthesis of modern depth psychology and traditional spiritual understanding. The inclination to think in terms of integration of the two is due to the prevailing belief in the dichotomy between the fields of psychology and spirituality, a dichotomy in which the Diamond Mind understanding does not participate.”

“In the Diamond Approach, reality is seen as consisting of three elements: God/Being/Spirit, Soul/Self and World/Cosmos.”

“Being is understood as the inner source and true nature of reality, which is the focus of the great spiritual traditions of both East and West, and is known as Dharmakaya, Shunyata, Brahman or Tao. Being is understood as consisting of five co-emergent "boundless dimensions": Divine Love, Pure Presence, Nonconceptual Awareness, The Logos, and The Absolute.”

“Soul is understood to be the individual consciousness that connects the world with Being, an idea found in ancient Chinese philosophy. It is believed in the Diamond Approach that the soul can be experienced as a living presence that contains the thoughts, feelings and sensations usually called our "self".”