Introductory course in High Wycombe

Practical Philosophy

from East & West

Courses in practical wisdom for everyday living.
Practical life skills with enough toughness to last a lifetime.

Discover the Wisdom Within

Starts: Thu 26th Sept 2024

The School of Philosophy Berkshire: is an established centre for mindfulness, teaching and access to meditation / mindful retreats

Philosophy aims to set you free. Free from pressures and worries, free from limiting ways of thinking, free to grow and be yourself. Take your first steps to freedom with our 10 week introductory course.

A Sat Nav for Life: Practical Philosophy and Mindful Living helps you to find direction in life.

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Local Course

Local face-to-face evening courses available in High Wycombe.

Peace of Mind

A safe space with experienced & supportive tutors & others looking to philosophy to set them free.

Practical Wisdom

Courses in practical wisdom for everyday living. Meet with like minded individuals.

Offer only £55

Introductory offer – 10 week course only £55. (Normally £105). Limited spaces. 

This popular course is practical rather than academic and draws on sources of wisdom from East and West, past and present.

theres no greater journey

Explore Life To The Full… through 10 weekly sessions

How the introductory course works

This High Wycombe course offers a practical means to discover fully who we are, understand how to relate to the world we live in and see what gets in the way of being happy, peaceful and free.

  • Students are encouraged to test the ideas put forward in practice for themselves, in the light of their own experience.
  • A tutor presents philosophical ideas, and leads a discussion based on what arises in the group.
  • Practical rather than academic with  the emphasis on personal knowledge and experience.
  • A Tool kit is provided of practical and mindful exercises.
  • Fresh thinking you can put into practice today
  • New insights, Fresh Perspectives, Expertise in good company
“Absolutely loving the course!!"

“Absolutely loving the course!! …Really changing how I think about things and life in general.”

By attending this 10 week course you will learn practical exercises that will help you
  • Reduce stress
  • Understand yourself and others
  • Make better decisions
  • Find contentment and simple happiness
  • Discover the joy of living in the present moment
  • Learn how to harness the transformative power of attention
  • Uncover inner wisdom, potential and purpose

Next 10wk Introductory course in High Wycombe

Practical Philosophy Course Enrolment

Introductory Offer £55.
(Normally £105)

Limited spaces

All our places for our course at High Wycombe for this term have been sold.

Other Options

Depending on where you live you might want to attend at another location: Guildford, Oxford, London or even online.

Mailing List

Join our mailing list to be kept informed of our next course:  Oct 2024 – Dec 2024

Self-enquiry through practical philosophy

Themes included in the course:

The Wisdom Within
These opening sessions consider how philosophy can help us enjoy richer, less stressful lives. What is practical philosophy? ‘What would a wise person do here?’ Philosophy means the love of wisdom. Our course is intended to show how philosophy can help us enjoy richer, less stressful and more useful lives. This opening two sessions consider these aims, and introduces simple exercises in mindfulness and the application of wisdom you can practise in daily life. You can download or listen to the Awareness Exercise, introduced in week one here. To download, right-click, choose ‘Save link as…’ and save the MP3 wherever you want. You can also download a PDF of the Awareness Exercise
Know thyself
Who or what am I? What is my potential? Who am I, really? My body? My emotions? My strongly held beliefs? My soul? Possibly all of these? Possibly none? Such questions have preoccupied philosophers down the ages. We look at practical ways to explore who we really are and how to tap our true potential.
Being awake
What is our state of awareness? Why does it fluctuate during the day? Often the most notable quality of wise people is their alertness to the subtleties of a situation. They are awake, perceptive and curious. We look at deeper levels of awareness, and consider how we may become more awake to ourselves, our surroundings, and the events we meet.
The present moment
Living in the now, mindfulness. What is the potential of the present moment? We review our own experience of attention through a model featuring attention centred, captured, open and scattered, and how these each relate to the past, present and future. We examine the extraordinary brightness and freedom naturally available in the present moment. A straightforward practice is introduced.
Living justly
Plato’s views on justice. What does it mean to live justly? According to Plato, justice and injustice do not start ‘out there’. They begin within us. For justice to prevail, Plato suggests that we must learn to avoid being ‘tyrannised’ by our passions and fears to the extent they overrule our reason. We discuss the practicality of Plato’s ideas on justice in our daily lives.
The Threefold Energy
The Vedic model of three fundamental energies. Sometimes we seem not to have enough energy, or the wrong kind. A wise person can act consistently despite these varying conditions. We consider how to recognise differing energies, how to gain and conserve them and how to use them wisely.
The light of reason
What is reason? How can it enrich our lives? We look at guidelines for Socratic dialogue and how to use them. Developing reason in decision-making and action are also discussed, with practical applications. Obstacles to reason are considered. Everyone has the faculty of reason and we can all use it and develop it.
The power of beauty

What is beauty?

Is there such a thing as absolute beauty?

Beauty has the capacity to open the heart and bring delight. In this session we discuss our direct experience of beauty in its different form: of the sensory world, of thought, of feelings, of the inner nature, and of conduct.

We consider Plato’s idea of there being ultimately one beauty – beauty absolute – ‘not knowing birth or death, growth or decay’.

Unity in diversity
Looking for the common thread in life. What is the effect of finding unity? When we look around, we see enormous diversity in nature. The wise person looks for the unifying factor: that which allows all this apparent diversity to be seen as part of a single whole. Seen in this way, life then has the best chance of being led freshly and openly.
The desire for truth
What is truth? How does the desire for truth show itself? Practical philosophy is about discovering the truth of things – not theoretically, but in our own experience. In this final session we look back and ask ourselves how our search for truth has fared as the term has progressed. We discuss what has been discovered and how, in our own way, we may continue to develop it in our daily lives.

Location

Date & Time

"...helped me..."

"The knowledge and experience that I have gained from the philosophy classes has helped me to discover more about myself and better prepare for dealing with life's daily surprises and challenges."

Frequently asked questions

The course is practical in the sense that it takes philosophical ideas and shows how they can be of direct use in our everyday lives. The intention is to stimulate enquiry and through this expand the way we look at the world and ourselves.

Online or by calling 01628 947 848.

If you register online, you will receive a confirmation email with your day of attendance. If you register by any means other than online, you will receive a receipt confirming your registration.

Yes, we have a local venue at High Wycombe HP11 1BJ. There are also many other local venues in other parts of the UK where you can attend the course face-to-face.

No, all you need is an open and enquiring mind. The course is intended for everyone, regardless of education, occupation, race, political or religious belief.

First you need to enrol on a course. The in-person courses are available in High Wycombe and at many other local venues up and down the UK. A local High Wycombe map can be found on this page.

If you have any questions simply call us on 01628 947 848 or by emailing [email protected]

What some of our students say...

“Absolutely loving the course!!"

“Absolutely loving the course!! …Really changing how I think about things and life in general.”

“...I am benefiting greatly ..."

“...I am benefiting greatly from the content and the practical nature of it. Thank you, it is enriching my life.”

“I feel more relaxed...”

“The daily awareness exercises … have changed my thinking and I feel more relaxed about situations in the media and other aspects of my daily life.”

"...helped me..."

"The knowledge and experience that I have gained from the philosophy classes has helped me to discover more about myself and better prepare for dealing with life's daily surprises and challenges."

Course Prospectus: A breakdown of the 10 week course

Plus 11 life transformational practical philosophy quotes.
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Prospectus P1 (#4)

TRANSFORMATIONAL

Many of our students tell us how life transformational our courses are.

So as a way of giving back and making our transformational ‘Introductory 10-week course’ affordable for as many people as possible, we are allowing you to enrol for this ‘FULL 10-week Introductory Course’ for…

…only £55, nothing more to pay!

(The equivalent of £5.50 per week).

Please note: This offer gives you a risk-free opportunity to experience our transformational courses first-hand. NOTE: Due to this low introductory pricing these introductory courses do tend to get fully enrolled in advance.

berkshire school of philosophy

Enrol on the course below

High Wyc P1 Enrol Eventbrite (#8)

High Wycombe in-person course

Friends Meeting House, 25 London Rd, High Wycombe, Bucks HP11 1BJ (entrance on Stuart Rd)