Practical Philosophy

Just to bring you up to date with events at The Secret Of Life HQ, our protracted house move is (very slowly) continuing, so as I mentioned previously, I'm still going to be limited to occasional posts only for the time being. Sorry about that. But as the start of a new term is approaching, I do want to grab a few moments to draw your attention to the course in Practical Philosophy For Everyday Living at the School of Philosophy. I've been attending this course for three years now, and I find it to be an invaluable way of staying in touch with the kinds of ideas we've been talking about on this blog. To give you an idea of what it's about, here's a short extract from their latest publicity leaflet:

The basis of the philosophy presented is that there is a common 'consciousness' or 'being' behind everyone and everything and that this is the essence of who we are. This is described as the philosophy of Unity.

The school receives guidance from Sri Shankaracharya from the Holy tradition in India, a person who has realised this wisdom.

Day schools for children, classes for parenting skills, economics and promotion of the Arts are all offshoots of this work.

Tutors are all students too and no one receives payment.

This is not, then, a course in comparative philosophy, but is for those who would like to apply certain philosophical principles to enhance their everyday lives. Though Vedic teachings and their principle of Unity are central, the material draws upon many sources including the ancient Greek philosophers, the Renaissance philosopher Marsilio Ficino, Christian teachings, and Shakespeare. The ideas are presented in the same way as I try to do in this blog: not as inviolable truths which are to be accepted without question but as subjects for consideration and debate. It might be argued that ultimate wisdom lies beyond logic, but if you agree that an inquiring mind is a useful place to begin the journey, then this course may be for you.

The course may also appeal to those who are drawn to some of the ideas we discuss in this blog but are uncomfortable with the 'new age'  trappings which sometimes go along with them. Those who prefer a more conventional ambience will find the school to be free of such things as tarot cards and crystals, for instance!  It is much more redolent of garden fetes and cricket on the village green. Taking a step inside the school is like stepping back in time by several decades: to an older, politer world in which men still tend to wear suits and ties and address each other by surnames. Some might consider this bizarre enough in itself, but others might find it a welcome oasis of sanity.

(Don't worry - the suits and ties are not compulsory. Well, not so far anyway. After three years, our class remains as informally dressed as ever.  Though I do sometimes wonder if we'll turn up one day to find a tailor there waiting for us with a tape measure, ready to fit us all out - and a black bag in which to deposit our scruffy jeans.)

Perhaps the most useful thing about the class are the practical ideas which are suggested each week to take home and apply in our everyday lives. The idea of connecting with one of the senses to come into the present moment (which I wrote about in an earlier post) is one such idea I have taken from the school. Another is the use of the Sanskrit word "netti!", meaning "not this!", which can be applied whenever we are in the grip of negative emotions. As I've previously observed, such emotions can sometimes seem to take us over entirely. To say "netti, netti" or "not this, not this" is a way of reminding ourselves that we are not that emotion. We are something very much grander and more powerful, if only we can remember that. This technique can sometimes take instantaneous effect, springing us out of the emotion and into the calm of the present moment. You might like to give it a try.

If you would like to know more about these classes in Practical Philosophy, here's where to look:

The School of Economic Science runs practical philosophy courses in most parts of the UK and there are links on the site to courses worldwide. Courses in other parts of the UK (including my own) are run by the associated School of Philosophy, which covers Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. The School of Practical Philosophy is an associated US site. Though this may vary worldwide, new courses in the UK start three times a year on the basis of the usual academic terms, so the summer term will be starting very shortly. If you decide to give it a try, do let me know what you think...

(A reader has left a comment about his own negative experience of the School of Philosophy at two centres in the US. Please see here for his comment (and my response).)

 

Comments

[Mr Zip]

Very interesting and I might have been tempted to find out more. Unfortunately it seems that enlightenment does not extend to darkest Tyneside.

[Pam]

I just signed up for the course in York.

[Mr Zip]

Blimey! You'r already so enlightened I'll be able to see you from here, Pam.

[Simon]

Hmm, maybe I should have discussed a rate of commission before I placed that post... But seriously, well done, Pam, and commiserations Mr Zip - I'm sorry that you're outside the school's catchment area. Leeds does seem a little southerly for the northernmost tip of the north-east and I see that the whole of Wales is also excluded. I haven't enquired how the school evolved but I suspect that it may been through the enthusiasm of individuals in specific areas - and indeed countries - hence these seemingly random gaps in coverage.

[alexis]

I love your blog. I am really into spirituality. I also practice positive thinking. Whenever I start feeling negative or get into a slump, I go to Karen Salmansohn's site: www.notsalmon.com. She is a best selling author, who has her own radio show called Be Happy Dammit, which is on Sirius. Thanks for the enlightening thoughts!

[Michael]

I was a member of the School of Practical Philosophy for 8 years (in Boston and New York). Beware, this is really a cult NOT a school. The first few years are mostly filled with classes, but as time passes the School will demand more of your time, energy and commitment - to the exclusion of any other part of your life. I've seen too many empty shells of human beings after spending a few decades in the School.

A lot of this is enforced with the promise of enlightenment if you just do what your tutor tells you along with the rigid hierarchy that tempts one to please the "senior level" students in hopes of rising in status within the organization. Any life decisions such as changing jobs or getting married must be first approved by the tutor.

Any form of questioning of the School dogma is immediately suppressed. They will tell you, "Do not accept or reject anything, but simply try it out in your own experience." However, the tutor has already decided on the answer. Students either accept the existing dogma or are asked to leave.

The introductory material in the School definitely has some great components. Just beware of being sucked in too deep into the organization.

[Secret Simon]

Hi Michael - I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience of the school. Obviously I can't make a judgment based on your comment alone. But what I will say, speaking generally, is that any endeavour, however noble its original intention, can readily be subverted by the human ego's desire for power and status. In other words, an organization is only as good as the people who are running it.

Your comment certainly bears no relation to my own experience of the school in Leeds, UK - and Pam (see comment above) tells me that she greatly enjoyed her first term at the nearby centre in York. Certainly, I have been encouraged to help the school with such things as painting & decorating or serving tea & coffee for other students, but there has been no coercion, and these activities are presented to us as opportunities for spiritual practice. I have to say that if people are indeed preoccupied in trying to rise in status in the organization, then they are flying in face of the teachings of the school as they have been presented to me.

Thank you, however, for making this comment, and I am eager that visitors to this blog should have a chance to see it alongside my own material, so I shall put a note about it in the post.

One more general comment as a postscript: if anyone tells you that one specific path will lead you to enlightenement, then my advice is to get the h*ll out of there. I truly believe that the path to enlightenment is to hear the teachings of others yet follow your own wisdom. (And I think my tutor at the school would agree with me!)