Dr. Baffour Jan was born on Thursday, 10th December 1953 at Dwenem, at St. Mary’s Hospital (New Drobo) in the Jaman District of the Bono Region, Ghana. He was born to the late Francis Kumi and the late Madam Mary Donkor.
He completed the Local Authority Middle School at Dunkwa in 1969 with distinction, followed by Dormaa Secondary School in 1974. Even from these early years, a deep spiritual inclination was already beginning to stir within him.
He later undertook a three-year course in Medical Sciences at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
The search beyond belief
An ardent Christian in his early years, Dr. Jan went on to explore the esoteric wisdom of the Rosicrucian Order during secondary school. From 1975 to 1980, while pursuing his medical studies, he practised Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism.
In 1980, he was initiated into the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) under the name Jiva Goswami — meaning “eternal soul” (Jiva) and “lord of the senses” (Goswami). He soon became the first Ghanaian ISKCON Temple President and rose to become the first Regional Director of the Movement in West Africa.
“Before you ask who God is, ask who you are.”
Dr. Jan during his earlier years of spiritual practice.
The end of seeking, the beginning of sharing
In 1983, Dr. Jan travelled to India, where he pursued advanced courses in Ayurvedic medical practice, Pranic Healing, psychotherapy, hydrotherapy, and reflexology, deepening both his medical knowledge and spiritual understanding.
After years of exploring comparative religion in depth and many spiritual techniques, the decisive movement was not adding more. It was letting go.
In 1986, he let go of beliefs, knowledge, and practices. There and then, realisation dawned spontaneously in the presence of three teachers from the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University.
The heart of the teaching
Since 1986, Dr. Jan has devoted himself to teaching and counselling spiritual seekers. He often explains fulfilment in three movements. The external gives pleasure, the internal gives happiness, and the spiritual reveals bliss. The work is to understand these levels, balance them, and return to the source from which they descend.
“The most worthy knowledge is that which helps to dismantle the Ego in order to reveal the True Self.”
External — Pleasure
The world the senses report — comfort, possessions, the body at ease. It is real, but it passes quickly, and however much we gather, it is never quite enough.
Internal — Happiness
The quieter satisfaction of the heart and mind. Steadier than pleasure, yet it still rises and falls — because, like everything in this world, it has its opposite.
Spiritual — Bliss
The life of the Spirit itself. Bliss has no opposite and nothing to fall back into; it simply overflows. This is the source — pleasure and happiness are only its stepping-down.
Pleasure belongs to the body, happiness to the mind, and bliss to the Spirit. Every joy is that one Spirit, stepped down — and to realise the Self is simply to return to its source.
To teach and inspire sincere seekers to evolve toward self-realisation, so that peace, love, bliss, and service become practical expressions of daily life.
We have learned to live almost entirely on the external side of life, while the internal and spiritual dimensions remain neglected. Dr. Jan’s work is to restore that balance: the outer life is not rejected, but brought under the light of the Spirit.
The teaching begins where people actually live: in family, work, questions, suffering, service, and the desire for fulfilment. From there, attention is guided back to the Self.
Dr. Jan’s work has always joined teaching with practical service: places for study, retreat, counselling, healing, and the steady return to Self-Realisation.
1996 — Hermetic Sanctuary
A sacred space for spiritual practice and teaching in Ivory Coast (La Côte d’Ivoire), West Africa.
2012 — San Bra Enlightenment Centre
A retreat centre in Adjen Kotoku, Ghana, dedicated to inner transformation and Self-Realisation.
2021 — Jan Cosmic Foundation
The foundation in Accra, Ghana, supporting Dr. Jan’s teaching mission and outreach.
Dr. Jan teaching at a Foundation gathering.
Jan Cosmic Foundation
Founded by Dr. Jan in Accra, Ghana, Jan Cosmic Foundation carries the teachings into community life. Its work brings together spiritual practice, gatherings, and service.
For the Foundation’s activities and ways to take part, visit its dedicated website.
