In order to meet yourself, you should move step by step towards that meeting. “Sfera” is a school where classes are held and where teachers show certain exercises. Classes are held once a week and in every class a new exercise is being done. Only thing a man needs to do is – practice. Exercises are different and they make people develop and grow. In many schools people practise certain exercises, not for a day, not for a week, but for a year, two or ten years, often a whole lifetime. That tells us that the exercise is not being done properly. “Sfera” is a dynamic development, constant change. After a week the teacher gives a new excercise and then you practice it. And that’s it.
On the 1st of December in Almaty a Serbian-Kazakhstani school for the development of spiritual abilities “Sfera” will open. Ruben Papian, the founder of “Sfera” will attend the opening. The development of “Sfera” began in Belgrade, Serbia in 1993. Today we are talking to Ruben about “Sfera”.
-What is “Sfera”?
-You can say that “Sfera” is a path of human spiritual development. To be honest, that would be trivial, because there always were so many paths of spiritual development and there always will be. What makes “Sfera” different from the rest? The basic and the most important difference is in the idea that all sort of spiritual development schools are suggesting, and that is that spirituality should be found outside of a human. “Sfera” – that is the new point of view towards the understanding of spirituality, that tells us that spirituality is a basic part of people. It doesn’t matter if the person knows it or not. Non-spiritual people don’t exsist. But that doesn’t mean that people are aware of that. They never met their spirituality and they are wasting their life, or a bigger part of it, at finding of that what is called spirituality outside of them. “Sfera” – that is a path that leads people to a meeting with their spirituality that existed inside of them from the beginning. Meeting of people with themselves.
-How does that basically look like?
-In order to meet yourself, you should move step by step toward that meeting. “Sfera” is a school where classes are held and where teachers show certain exercises. Classes are held once a week and in every class a new exercise is being done. The only thing a man needs to do is – practise. The exercises are different and they make people develop and grow. In many schools people practise certain exercises, not for a day, not for a week, but for a one, two or ten years, often a whole lifetime. That tells us that the exercise is not being done properly. “Sfera” is a dynamic development, constant change. You practise one exercise every day, in the morning and in the evening, for 3-5 minutes, no longer. After a week the teacher gives a new excercise and then you practise that. And that’s it.
The school is divided into 10 levels. When we say “level” we don’t mean lower or higher. They are like edges of a diamond. In order to reach your essence and understand it, to understand spirituality, you must meet different parts of yourself – emotional, mental, physiological, psychological part, your past, etc. Every level of training is dedicated to one basic part. And just like that, step by step, the human comes to the 10th level where he meets his spirituality. Spirituality – it’s a connection between your essence and your outer form. That level is called Spiritual Freedom.
-What is “Sfera’s” mission?
-“Sfera” has no mission. “Sfera” is like an ocean – what sort of mission could an ocean have? Ocean is an ocean. It has his own life. You can enter the water and feel like a part of the ocean or you can stay outside. As long as you stand on dry land, you won’t understand how it is to feel like a part of the ocean.
-What is the point of this movement then?
-The point is in giving a human, not any particular human, but every human being, a possibility to meet his spiritual part. “Sfera” – that’s the path. Will you go down that path or some other, or won’t go at all – that is your personal decision, your personal goal. That’s why “Sfera” – it’s not a religion, it’s not learning, it’s not a method. Here, a human is independent of “Sfera” itself. For example, a person started to go to school at the age of 7. Can we say that the person is dependent on school? No, that person will finnish the school and go away. Does the school make sense? Yes, it educates you. The point of “Sfera” is to give a human posibility to meet its own spirituality.
Like when a child finishes school and moves on, the human who goes through all levels of “Sfera” moves on – not depending on it. You’ve met yourself – your life is in your hands. What will you do with it – it’s your own decision. Many learnings don’t have that part – a human starts depending on that learning. The basic concept of “Sfera” is – Freedom, including the freedom from “Sfera” itself.
-How many years does the school last?
-All ten levels reqire 3 years and 4 months of time, because there are breaks in duration of few weeks between levels. They are necessary for the brain and the system of a human to accept new knowledge.
-Why so long?
-Children go to school for 10 years. Is that long? In order for you to meet yourself, only less than three and a half years must pass. The speed of change doesn’t depend only on level’s duration and physical changes, but on mind, understanding and human perception. Human changes very quickly, but becoming aware of it goes slow.
-What did people who went through your training achieve?
-It’s a weird question. What could be an achievement of a person who finnished school? They get to see their own changes, changes in personality.
-Like what, for example?
-For example, they begin to look at their family relations differently, they see them differently. They appreciate what they didn’t appreciate before. They see that they didn’t notice before. They change emotionally – if a human used to react based on judgement whether something is good or bad, now will stop and think: “What is ‘good’? And what is ‘bad’ – is it really bad or should I look deeper into it?” The person will try to understand the person standing there. To really understand. By understanding yourself, it’s easier to understand someone else. That’s why there is no achivement, there is nothing someone could achieve and stop there. It’s everyday growth, finding out something new every day.
-Someone who comes to study can understand that his/her life has changed? Based on what parameters?
-He/she simply understands it. Feels it. I can’t say it’s easier to live. But the life becomes fuller. A lot of changes happen. A human stops struggling. Family realtions improve. Just one of those parameters is enough for a human to feel positive change in all spheres of life – a human will feel happier than yesterday. He begins to see the world differently. He starts understanding the point of everything. The point of his existence.
In all areas of a human exsistance, changes begin. It’s like music. Imagine it was quiet. And suddenly it went off. And where is it? It’s everywhere. In fact, every particle in space has changed under the effect of that music. It’s the same with “Sfera”. With every exercise a particle in space that surrounds a human changes under the effect of music playing inside him. And the music is not monotonous, it changes every week, because both you and your environment change. Changes are constant and dynamic.
-Who will be teaching in “Sfera”?
-A sertified teacher from Serbia for a start.
-Can you stop at a certain level, without losing what you’ve learned?
-Yes. But life will bring you back to where you were. By the word “life” I mean environment. It’s not bad – but it’s just the way it is. A human starts learning, some changes happen, and then he decides to stop. And what affects what – does he effect his environment or does the environment effect him?
-They affect each other.
-Yes, but who’s effect is stronger, what is bigger?
-Environment is stronger because he is only one. Environment is everywhere.
-Exactly. In fact, if you don’t achieve your personal inner freedom and force, you must depend on environment. And with time, environment will return you to where you were. Because certain parts of you didn’t change, and exactly through those parts will enviroment push back those parts that did change.
For example, you suffer from angina. You started taking antibiotics, but you didn’t take them long enough – you stopped half way there. You went back for a check and it looks like bacteria stayed in certain places, they are multiplaying and soon the disease will come back.
-Well, can you stop, and later continue?
Yes. It happens. If for some reason a human comes, and then his financial or family conditions change for some reason, he stops, but he continues later.
-“Sfera” and you – are you one and the same or is “Sfera” independent from you?
-“Sfera” must function seperately from me. Me and “Sfera” – those are two very different things. You asked that question because in most of spiritual schools the founder continues to be a spiritual Teacher, a guide and everything depends on him. “Sfera” is not depending on me. Sfera is working by itself. Yes, I founded the “Sfera”, I have a name, they aknowledge me, I am there. But I am no different in “Sfera” than someone who came there to study.
-Like a personality cult of Master?
-People are dealing with that cult. There are those sort of founders, leaders. They create a school, learning or a movement, to create a name for themselves. Those who go there fall under their influence. But let’s remember, the highest level of “Sfera” is called Spiritual Freedom. I personaly, my spirituality and my freedom, value very much. And I am the one who is not weak enough to become a slave of my own personality cult. I want to develop further.
-How are the relations between the students of “Sfera”?
-Lovely. People at “Sfera” trust each other. They come to “Sfera” and the first emotion they experience is – joy.
-In many sects people feel joyful like that.
-No. Here in “Sfera” there is laughter and joy, but not because you are a part of a closed society, simply the atmosphere is in harmony and a man feels good. People are different. But they are all in harmony.
Here, you are going to a humoristic show. All sorts of people came there, they all came to laugh and they laugh. Is that a sect? It’s the same with us. It’s a special atmosphere, which doesn’t calm a human down – it adjusts him.
-To what?
-Ultimately to optimism. To the idea that there is honor, codex, moral, humanity. People improve their human qualities step by step. Understanding that changes your moral already. The society itself dictates the perception of morality – for example, a forger understands moral differently than students – in “Sfera”. Understanding moral and codex of society is conditioned with the quality of people themselves.
-Many seek for spirituality because of the atmosphere you are talking about. Because they can’t find that atmosphere in their life.
-Exactly. You can use drugs with a group of your friends, you can use heavy drugs and your atmosphere can also be like that. I can’t say if what a man is doing it right or wrong. Everybody seeks for their own. I can’t say it’s better in “Sfera” than somewhere else. No. Sfera is not for everybody. A drug is maybe best form of spirituality for someone. It’s not mine to judge. But there are people who don’t use drugs, there are those who want to meet their spirituality in a way different than senseless joy. On another level. Because they have intellect, they read and they know a lot. They can go that way. In “Sfera” your intellect develops, which is the opposite of what happens in some other schools, where intellects is left somewhere on the side.
-Why are there so many courses that aren’t meant for intellect development?
-So emotions could dominate, not intellectual part. There is an emotional part, no matter how we call it, is it spirituality or faith. It excites people, they are happy, they feel joy. That means you must reach that emotional part. In what way? That doesn’t matter. In “Sfera” there is not only one emotional condition. “Sfera” teaches you to be much richer. Nature gave you a huge amount of emotions and you need to learn how to understand them and not become their slave. There are a lot of different mutual interests here. And students learn from each other too.
-What, for example?
-Music, for example. In “Sfera” lectures are organized. For example, a student talks about genetics. Or physics. It seems to you that there’s nothing do be done in “Sfera”? There is a lot of it. What we talk about in lectures – those are basic human parts. You as a human should know it, it’s interesting to know it. You have to be spiritual and developed in all areas to the maximum.
-Who do you adivise to study at “Sfera”? Is there someone who needs to study there?
-I would ask the opposite question – is there a 7 years old child that shouldn’t go to school and study? Is there? They all need to go? Yes, they do. Because we are trying to create a society of educated people. That is, society wants to make a human that will find his place in that society. “Sfera” – that is a school that will supplement someone’s education in order for that person to be successful part of, not only today’s and tomorrow’s, but society of the future too. And that’s why I recommend “Sfera” to all those who understand and feel that life isn’t that simple and boring, to all those who believe that there are more possibilities in them than they can see.
Source: “Время – В сфере духовности”, 2011 November, Kazakhstan
Ruben Papian 
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