Philosophy Courses
OUR COURSES
Every course offered in the School is a stand-alone course with its own theme, its own focus and its own transformative practices.
They work together, with each course building on previous courses to open up the diverse field of human nature and the world we live in.
The courses will help you realise the full potential of yourself, help you to understand the world around you and to teach you ways of living more fully, truly and happily.
THE APPROACH
The approach is practical rather than academic. There are no exams to pass. No sitting at desks. The course does not offer certificates or diplomas, but something much more important – a living philosophy that is of real value in dealing with the challenges of everyday life, and developing one’s own potential as fully as possible.
The only requirements are an interest in the subject, an open mind and a willingness to put into practice what is taught each week.
THE BIG PICTURE
The School has developed a sequence of fifteen courses over five years.
The courses are grouped in sets of three and designed to be completed in sequence after completing the Introductory Course - click below to find out more:
THE HEART OF PHILOSOPY
YEAR 1
THE HEART OF PHILOSOPHY AIMS AT THE REALISATION THAT WISDOM, HAPPINESS AND LOVE ARE NOT DISTANT GOALS, BUT ARE OUR BIRTHRIGHT AS HUMAN BEINGS.
The first three courses in the School of Practical Philosophy explore wisdom, happiness and love. These three are grouped together as the Heart of Philosophy.
The introductory course, The Wisdom Within, rouses the memory that wisdom is within and seeks to draw out the memory. The second course, Happiness uncovers that happiness is part of our true nature as human beings but is obscured by attachments and unnecessary pressures. The Happiness course explores these to weaken the hold of these obstacles in our lives. The final course in the first year focuses on Love, how love holds us together, as individuals, societies, as a species and as a part of the universe, and it takes an infinite number of forms.
Read more about each course by clicking the button below:
LEARN HOW TO APPLY PHILOSOPHY
TO YOUR LIFE, NOT JUST THEORY,
BUT IN EVERYDAY MOMENTS.
The Wisdom Within is the first course at Practical Philosophy Australia. It will introduce you to the world's great philosophical teachings, show you ways of accessing a lasting happiness beyond material gain and help you to realise the unifying power of love.
You will consider where true wisdom is found; what it means to come to a greater understanding of yourself and your states of awareness; how justice is relevant to a meaningful life, and what the present moment means in practical terms.
During each session you'll have the opportunity to interact with the tutor as well as your fellow students.
Together you will explore the core questions about life and existence; experiment with exercises in mindfulness and discover how easily you can access the wisdom you already have within you.
HAPPINESS COURSE
HOLIDAYS COME AND GO. CLOTHES WEAR OUT. BANK ACCOUNTS GO UP AND DOWN. THROUGH ALL OF THIS,
THE DESIRE FOR HAPPINESS IS A COMPASS-POINT.
The desire for happiness is hard-wired into human nature because happiness is part of our nature. But something’s blocking the flow. The Happiness course opens the gate and sets you on your way. It builds on everything that The Wisdom Within introduces and focuses on meeting the perennial need for everyone to find the well-spring of happiness through all of life’s changing circumstances.
This course will calibrate your compass, provide a map and refresh your navigation skills.
A prerequisite for enrolment:
Completion of The Wisdom Within Course.
LOVE COURSE
RELATIONSHIPS DEPEND UPON IT. FAMILIES GROW STRONG BECAUSE OF IT. CREATIVE ACTION BEGINS WITH IT.
Love unites and makes whole. But in a world where divisions of all kinds prevail, including those within ourselves, a conscious consideration of love is necessary. Through systematic inquiry and a set of practical exercises, the Love course aims to help students dissolve feelings of separation and become more aware of the pure love that lives inside us all.
What is love? Although it is something we all feel, have you ever stopped to consider what it’s function is? If it is to unify why is there so much division in the world? Can love be increased?
This course, being practical, also considers love and its relationship to the various roles we play in our daily lives, love and work, love and our closest relationships and even love and law.
A prerequisite for enrolment:
Completion of The Wisdom Within Course.
OUR COURSE IN PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY MAKES WISDOM PRACTICAL.
Somewhere along the way, practical philosophy got hijacked by theoretical philosophy. It’s time to take it back. Our courses are for people seeking to understand the nature of existence and the world in which we live.
There are Schools in 18 countries and 50 cities around the world. Click the links below to find available courses.
THE AIM OF PHILOSOPHY
YEAR 2
THE PRESENT MOMENT ILLUMINATES THE WAY TO FREEDOM OF ACTION.
IN THE NOW, YOU ARE FREE TO ACT CREATIVELY INSTEAD OF REACTING HABITUALLY, FREE OF LIMITATIONS AND DOUBT.
The second year of courses in the School of Practical Philosophy are Freedom, Presence of Mind and The Way of Action. These three courses are grouped together as the Aim of Philosophy.
Without awareness in and of the present moment, it’s impossible to see the way forward. We cannot act freely, so we react with knowledge from the past or desire for the future. Either way, we are simply recycling experience. The thing is to be, here and now, instead of constantly becoming something other than what we are.
Only the individual can desire, only the individual can labour, only the individual can know, and only the individual can choose. The Aim of Philosophy aims at awakening the individual’s ability to transform their world by enacting their sovereign freedom in the present moment.
Read more each course below:
PRESENCE OF MIND
Presence of mind is the working surface of practical philosophy. Presence of mind involves a consideration of the faculties of mind that are available to us.
What does it mean to be really present, now?
What is contained in the present?
Can philosophy work at any other time than in the present?
What are the powers and capabilities of a human being living in the present moment?
What can be learned from the past to prepare for the future?
The course also deals with the relationship between the past, present and future, and the relationship between cause and effect which arises out of this relationship.
FREEDOM
Without awareness in and of the present moment,
it’s impossible to see the way forward. We cannot act freely,
so we react with knowledge from the past or desire for the future.
Either way, we are simply recycling experience.
The thing is to be, here and now, instead of constantly becoming something other than what we are.
What is the true nature of freedom?
How may freedom be experienced fully and constantly?
In what ways is freedom lost?
How does this apply both to individuals and to societies?
THE WAY OF ACTION
We tend to spend all day long engaged in action. But what does philosophy say as to how this can take place in a way that is not binding but liberating?
How can we act without any pressure from within or without?
What blocks or hinders action?
What is the effect when we properly attend to anyone or anything?
Is there a way of acting with complete freedom?
What creates, sustains and completes an action?
OUR COURSE IN PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY MAKES MINDFULNESS PRACTICAL.
Somewhere along the way, practical philosophy got hijacked by theoretical philosophy. It’s time to take it back. Our courses are for people seeking to understand the nature of existence and the world in which we live.
There are Schools in 18 countries and 50 cities around the world. Click the links below to find available courses.
THE WAY OF PHILOSOPY
YEAR 3
PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY IS A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY FOR THE BODY, HEART AND MIND.
Every human being has a body for action, a heart for feeling and a mind for thinking.
The Way of Action refines activity, releasing the individual’s talents for the benefit of the world. The Way of Devotion liberates the power of love, allowing the individual to see the whole world as a family. The Way of Knowledge lights the journey from individual to universal, allowing the individual to become the change they would like to see in the world.
When ancient philosophy first began, it was a way of life. It was a mode of existing-in-the-world, which had to be practiced at each instant. Philosophy was a way of life, both in its exercise and effort to achieve wisdom, and in its goal, wisdom itself. For real wisdom does not merely cause us to know: it makes us “be” in a different way.
“Such is the lesson of ancient philosophy: an invitation to each human being to transform himself. Philosophy is a transformation of one’s way of being and living, and a quest for wisdom.” – Pierre Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life
THE WAY OF DEVOTION
When actions become liberating rather than binding the power of devotion naturally opens up in a person. The desire to be devoted lies within the heart of everyone. The devotion may be to anything, for example to a football club, to one’s family, a job, a cause, or to a God. This is an exceedingly powerful force in human life. The aim will be to understand how this power of devotion can help to bring about both an understanding of people’s true nature and an expression of that nature.
What does it mean to be devoted to freedom or wisdom?
How can real devotion be strengthened?
What are effects of devotion?
How can blind devotion be avoided?
How can devotion become love in action?
THE WAY OF KNOWLEDGE
It is through action, devotion and knowledge that the essential nature within everyone may be expressed. They act as channels for this expression.
Plato uses the analogy of a ship sailing safely to its destination to illustrate the need for real knowledge of navigation. Human life also needs to be directed by knowledge as distinguished from mere opinion, belief or supposition
How does knowledge appear?
Where does knowledge come from?
What is the difference between information and knowledge?
How can knowledge be transformative?
What is reason and how does it work?
THE WAY OF LIFE
Every human being has a body for action, a heart for loving and reason for knowing. The challenge that will be addressed in this course is how these three ways can unfold together to reveal a life of great service, love and certainty.
In ancient times, philosophy was not seen as a merely academic pursuit but as a way of living. The French philosopher Pierre Hadot, said: “During this period, philosophy was a way of life … Philosophy was a mode of existing-in-the-world, which had to be practiced at each instant, and the goal of which was to transform the whole of the individual's life.”
What are the principles of day to day living that will withstand pressure and change?
How can philosophy become a way of life?
What is the relationship between balance and rhythm?
How can we live in a large, universal world instead of a tiny house?
PHILOSOPHY AND NATURE
YEAR 4
PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY WORKS WITH NATURE, NEVER AGAINST
Just as the natural world is ordered and balanced by discoverable laws and regulations, so is human nature.
The three courses in this fourth year of Practical Philosophy open the realm of nature to practical discovery. The first course, The Law of Three, explores the ancient sāṃkhya teaching of the three fundamental substances running through everything and reveals how this teaching can help to bring harmony and balance into life. The second course, The Five Kosha, seeks that essence which is beyond the laws and regulations of nature and looks at how it can be revealed.
The final course in this fourth year, Harmony, brings The Law of Three and The Five Kosha together in a discovery of how an event unfolds in harmonious steps, very like the seven progressive steps in the musical octave. Harmonious action means action in harmony with things as they are and includes the idea of universal harmony as well as harmony between human beings.
“Nature is a unity in diversity of phenomena; a harmony, blending together all created things, however dissimilar in form and attributes; one great whole animated by the breath of life. The most important result of an inquiry into nature is therefore to establish the unity and harmony of this, to comprehend nature, to lift the veil that shrouds her phenomena.” Cosmos Alexander von Humboldt
“Such is the lesson of ancient philosophy: an invitation to each human being to transform himself. Philosophy is a transformation of one’s way of being and living, and a quest for wisdom.” – Pierre Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life
THE LAW OF THREE
This course takes a more systematic and practical look at the three guṇāh, introduced in the introductory course. The knowledge of the guṇāh is the key to self-mastery. Knowledge of their play brings greater understanding to all aspects of life, providing perspective, understanding and the opportunity to respond freely to every situation we meet.
Ultimately, such knowledge leads to transcendence and freedom from the influence of the guṇāh. The Bhagavad Gītā says that this knowledge releases us from bondage and carries us to liberation.
“I shall declare that supreme knowledge, the best of all forms of knowledge; by knowing which, all the sages have passed from this world to the highest perfection.”
(Bhagavad Gita 14.1, Swami Chidbhāvānanda)
THE FIVE KOSHA
The five kosha work much like clouds when they cover the sun. The sun does not stop shining and is unaffected by the clouds and yet, when covered, its light appears much dimmer. When the clouds depart the sun is seen to be shining in all its glory still.
So it is with the essence of our being. It can be hidden from sight, but this does not mean that it has ceased to be. There is a story in the Taittirīya Upanishad Knowledge about how these five kosha are like nests for being. Although the five kosha can conceal the self from view, they can also be the very means for displaying the glory of the self.
Each kosha is progressively more refined and more subtle than the one before. Understanding their nature means being free of their limits. Being free of their limits makes it possible to know your self as you truly are.
HARMONY
The very idea of harmony has its origins in the principles of music. In musical composition, seven principal notes are arranged and re-arranged according to time and rhythm. The variety of musical forms testifies to the infinite potential available to anyone who knows about the octave and follows the rules of music.
Just as music has rules, so does the realm of action. Nature creates mountains, builds rivers, carves out continents and regulates the ebb and flow of the oceans, all because it’s built to follow rules. Human beings, however, have the freedom to choose – if they know about how to act harmoniously, they can do so. Our minds can act in harmony with our hearts and our actions can act in harmony with the needs of the actor, the needs of others and the needs of the universe.
The result is internal harmony, harmony with the world around us and harmony with the universe.
“EVERYTHING IS GOVERNED BY THE LAW OF THREE AND THIS LAW OF THREE WORKS FROM THE TOP TO RIGHT DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF OUR CREATION.”
(Śrī Śāntānanda Sarasvatī, 1967)
There are Schools in 18 countries and 50 cities around the world. Click the links below to find available courses.
LEVELS OF EXISTENCE
YEAR 5
PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY BROADENS THE HORIZONS OF LIFE
Just as we can live in a small house or a large house, so we can live in a small world or a large world.
The three courses in the fifth year of Practical Philosophy provide access to this larger world. The first course, The Absolute, explores the level of absolute existence which lies behind relative existence, supporting everything in our mundane world without imposing itself. The second course, Practice, Devotion and Service presents ways of exercising philosophy in such a way that the individual connects freely and easily with the universal, giving his or her life a purpose beyond the mundane.
The final course in this fifth year, The Three Lines of Work, redefines the idea of work by setting out the principles of how to work on one’s self, how to work with and for others and how to work for the work’s sake. All three courses open our view on life and work and not only broaden the field of our vision, but give us the tools for realising a life that is lived for the benefit of all as well as one’s self.
“Philosophy does not consist in teaching an abstract theory – much less in the exegesis of texts – but rather in the art of living. It is a concrete attitude and determinate life‐style, which engages the whole of existence… It raises the individual from the inauthentic condition of life, darkened by unconsciousness and harassed by worry, to an authentic state of life, in which he attains self‐consciousness, an exact vision of the world, inner peace and freedom.
(Pierre Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life, pp 82‐3)
THE ABSOLUTE
The word ‘absolute’ is from the Latin word soluere which means ‘to loosen’. It gives us the words ‘absolve’ and ‘absolution’. When things are ‘absolved’ or receive ‘absolution’, they are set free. This is why the word ‘absolute’ has come to mean unlimited, infinite, and complete. Combining these two meanings, the word ‘absolute’ signifies that which is unlimited, infinite and complete and that which brings freedom.
‘Absolute existence’ is that level of existence which makes individual existence possible. Each individual comes into existence for a time and then goes out of existence, just as a flower or anything else comes into existence for a time and then goes out of existence. Everything exists in absolute existence.
PRACTICE, DEVOTION AND SEERVICE
In this course, ‘practice’ is taken to mean the persistent effort to establish that state of stable tranquillity which reflects the natural state of your highest self. Such persistence is supported by discipline and knowledge, but mostly by the power of love. We can love all sorts of things, but when love is focussed on the very best of things, it turns into devotion and lends our practice a singular energy for transformation.
Practical philosophy broadens the horizons of life. As those horizons open, we start to live in a much bigger world. We begin to see how we can be of greater use and how to respond to the need in the present moment. Acting to meet the need right now is the very definition of service and is the natural outcome of practice and devotion. We become truly useful people.
The three elements are essential. Without one or more of the elements of knowledge, meditation and practice, what we hear in these groups would remain a completely abstract theoretical matter; nice ideas but of no practical benefit.
THREE LINES OF WORK
Spiritual work begins with work with and on one’s self: discovering who one really is; refining and developing one’s talents; strengthening confidence; releasing enthusiasm; and building courage. This is the first line of work, and this begins with the first touch of practical philosophy.
The second line of work is with and for others. This is a natural outcome of the first line of work. Our natural talents are released for the benefit of the world; we get a glimpse of the whole world as a family, and we start to become the change that we would like to see in the world.
The third line of work is described as work for the work’s sake. It is a natural consequence of the perfection of the second line of work. A person working in this way has a universal outlook. The person sees what the need is and responds to that fully and freely, as much as may be possible.
There are Schools in 18 countries and 50 cities around the world. Click the links below to find available courses.
ONLINE COURSES
ABOUT THE ONLINE PROGRAM.
The School of Philosophy is affliated with schools following the same teaching across the globe. And now we can also offer the Introduction to Practical Philosophy and further courses via Practical Philosophy Online.
This isn’t a text-based chat-room, but an enjoyable, interactive format which allows the entire class to be heard and seen via the internet. The introductory series of 10 sessions is offered three times a year: In January, April and September. The online course, at one hour per week covers the first five weeks of the traditional two-hour classroom syllabus.
Whether you’ve been a student at a School before or would like to learn about Practical Philosophy for the first time there are time-zones that will suit you. At present students attend the online classes from several continents (North America, Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe) and time-zones from Pacific (GMT-8) to Eastern Europe (GMT+2) to Australia (GMT+10).
MINDFUL WISDOM ONLINE
The Introductory Course is a ten-session course designed to encourage students to regain their natural sense of wonder, gaining greater access to their inner happiness, wisdom and strength.
It is not an academic survey of great philosophical ideas as one might find in a university. Rather it is an introduction to a series of proven principles that enable students to attain greater self-knowledge and better their lives through reasonable, compassionate living. The proof of Practical Philosophy’s effectiveness is found in personal experience.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
a) You need to have a broadband (i.e., cable or DSL high-speed) internet connection with a minimum of 512 kbps upstream, 4 mbps downstream. You can test your connection here: http://www.speedtest.net/
b) A decent quality headset is preferred but built in speakers and a built-in microphone or webcam-microphone will work just fine.
c) Your computer must be relatively new (less than 5 years). Windows users must be Vista or higher (Windows 7 or higher recommended). Mac users must be at OSX 10.8 or higher. iPads and iPhones at IOS 6 or higher are now supported but are not recommended when a Mac or PC are available. Android (4.4 and greater) devices are now supported.
d) You will need a webcam or built-in webcam.
Here is a link to some recommended equipment.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write to info@practicalphilosophyonline.org.
OTHER ONLINE COURSES
Practical Philosophy continues after the Introductory Course with classes that advance and guide students to open their awareness more fully and connect more deeply within themselves.
Following the first 5 terms and the introduction to meditation, the School’s philosophy curriculum expands. Emphasis is placed on a variety of areas including the refinement of meditation. Students have the opportunity to meet one on one with another student who is well practiced in meditation to discuss questions or difficulties that the practice brings to light.