ABSTRACT
This 'Eastern' chapter on individual development would not be complete without a voice from India, perhaps the world civilisation that has dedicated most time and effort to the spiritual development of the individual self. Selecting one out of India's countless saints and sages for this chapter was a difficult task. This chapter turns to the South Africa-based Iraqi Sufi Master Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri and his work The Journey of the Self and conclude with insights from the fascinating life, work and global impact of Swami Vivekananda. It focuses with regards to our own inner development, and to which target do we direct our outer development energies, thereby concretely contributing to a specific development context. This chapter provides culturally specific explanations of how the world has come to be and they function as role models and ethical codes for how to live an honourable life, how to behave, communicate and interact in this lifetime, and how to die in dignity.
