...love must be directed to its aim; and this direction is supplied by knowledge. The lover must know for certain Who and What he loves, or else all his energy will be squandered in the wrong direction.

Historical Notes

In the early 1960’s a revolution in consciousness began which was to give rise to a sea-change in our awareness of ourselves. Though predominantly located in the west, this movement had world-wide implications and global effects. Its signs included the questioning of the established order, the growth of feminism, political unrest, student power and anti-war demonstrations, a profound change in race relations, which led to world-wide protests against apartheid, and gave momentum to the civil rights movement in the US, and a new kind of music, to mention just a few. Above all was the feeling that there was another way of living, another way to be than simply following the accepted mores of previous generations. There was also more than a little acknowledgement of the Reality of Love, the real Flower Power behind the scenes.

One of the places where this revolution began was England, and it was to England that Bulent Rauf, later to be Consultant to the Beshara School, was directed in the mid-1960’s. Born in Istanbul, Bulent had received a traditional Ottoman education. He then went on to receive the best of Western education at Cornell and Yale. All this came on top of what he called an ‘atavistic’ esoteric education, his family on both sides steeped in the inner, esoteric knowledge of the Unity not only of God but also of the Unity of all Existence. He did not know why he had to come to England but soon he came to understand that it was with those who were declaring that "all you need is Love" that he must begin. Yes indeed, he agreed, but love must be directed to its aim; and this direction is supplied by knowledge. The lover must know for certain Who and What he loves, or else all his energy will be squandered in the wrong direction. Bulent recognised the need for education and took a keen interest in the establishment of the Beshara School.

To summarise a long and intricate story, Beshara came about to promote the knowledge in this world of the Unity of Existence. This knowledge is the essential factor in the esoteric development of each person, so that first he knows that he has an aim and then that he reaches this aim. This aim - our purpose here in this life - is to come to know our real identity and consequently to know God, the Real. It was for this reason that the Beshara School was established in 1975. At the School the fact and truth of the Unity of Existence has been studied and lived ever since, by some hundreds of students from many different religious and social backgrounds and from many parts of the world.

Peter Young, (Principal, Beshara School), extract from:
The Spirit of the Millenium
MIAS Symposium, Chisholme 2000