Our Introductory Course in Practical Philosophy
Due to the prevailing state of the pandemic and the large-scale disruption and uncertainty of the Omicron variant it has been decided that all School activities will necessarily remain online until further notice. This term’s Wisdom Within introductory course offerings will proceed as scheduled, but will begin the term as online classes. These will revert to face to face classes when deemed safe to do so. All scheduled philosophy classes will resume in the new term as online Zoom classes.
‘The Wisdom Within’ introduces you to some of the great philosophical teachings from around the globe and allows participants to look at life and its meaning, the world and its causes. It asks what holds us back? What sets us free? and importantly invites students to see life as a place to test the words of the wise. Are they applicable now, centuries later? As companions on this exploration, we have concepts and ideas put forward by some of the greatest minds; Socrates, Plato, Confucius, Buddha, Epicurus, Emerson, Vivekananda and a modern exponent of the philosophy of Unity, Shantananda Saraswati.
‘THE WISDOM WITHIN’ course also explores ways of bringing humanity’s great philosophical insights into our everyday lives, placing the emphasis on learning from our own experience, that most powerful of teachers. It poses the question Who am I? and gives practical ways to explore the answer.
Themes explored in the 10-week practical course include:
The nature of wisdom
Self-discovery and self-knowledge
Different levels of awareness and wakefulness
The power of mindfulness and the present moment
What it means to live justly
The nature of energy and how to best use energy
The light of reason & The nature of beauty
Finding unity in diversity
There is no attempt to cover all philosophical systems, but there is plenty of opportunity for anyone interested to engage in lively discussion of the big questions of life and the world around us. Previous students have discovered a more mindful presence and effective action in work, study and every aspect of daily life.
Locations
Note: Online sessions are approximately 1.5 hours and when returning to face to face, sessions will run for 2.5 hours including a tea-break.
In the first few weeks there were a lot of people but it warmed my heart to hear people being so open and honest about their lives. The facilitation is through open ended questions, not saying this is the answer.
Not only did the practices calm me and allow me to see the natural world and gain some sort of inner stillness but it also created an opportunity for me to think differently about my place in the world…
What the course has actually helped me to do is to be not so rigid in my thinking and been able to use some of the Philosophers teaching in the way I approach problems and everyday life.