The Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology
was founded by Bhakti Tirtha Swami,
in Washington, DC in 1988.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami was a Vedic psychologist, scientist, philosopher, prominent public figure, and a governing body commissioner of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He founded the Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology (IFAST) in Washington, D.C as a nonprofit, nondenominational organization whose membership represents a variety of spiritual paths and professional backgrounds.
Bhakti-Tirtha Swami’s books are used as reference texts in universities and leadership organizations throughout the world. Many of his books have been printed in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Macedonian, Croatian, Russian, Hebrew, Slovenian, Balinese and Italian.
A specialist in international relations and conflict resolution, Bhakti-Tirtha Swami constantly traveled around the world and has become a spiritual consultant to many high-ranking members of the United Nations, to various celebrities and to Several chiefs, kings and high court justices. In 1990 His Holiness was coronated as a high chief in Warri, Nigeria in recognition of his outstanding work in Africa and the world. During Nelson Mandela’s precedency of South Africa, Bhakti-Tirtha Swami met several times with the leader to share visions and strategies for world peace.
In addition to encouraging self-sufficiency through the development of schools, clinics, farm projects and cottage industries, Bhakti-Tirtha Swami conducted seminars and workshops on principle centered leadership, spiritual development, interpersonal relationships, stress and time management and other pertinent topics. He was also widely acknowledged as a viable participant in the resolution of global conflict.
HH Bhakti-Tirtha Swami passed away on June 27th, 2005. He was suffering from advanced melanoma cancer. His realizations during the year he was fighting cancer are amazingly deep and profound, they can be read in the book he wrote during this time – “The Beggar IV, Die Before Dying” and in the many letters and classes that he gave. His passing was like his life, a deep expression of love and compassion, and a lesson for us all.
In 2008, Mallika-mala and Chaitanya Chandra Charan created an offshoot of the Bhakti Tirha Swami’s Institute in Almaty, Central Asia. In 2014, the IFAST began to offer online courses of study to Russian-speaking students. As the knowledge spread and the IFAST begun to receive requests from students all over the world, a decision was made to make this life-changing program available to all in English.
InterIFAST is a training platform of the IFAST which provides online education for international students all over the World.
