Course Syllabus and Dates

Week 0: Introductory in-person weekend in London – 27-28th September
Week 1: Being alone and loneliness: what are we to learn from them? – 6th October
Week 2: What are the myths of happiness? Wisdom from celebrities – 13th October
Week 3: Greek philosophy – 20th October
Week 4: Indian spirituality – 27th October
Week 5: China and Taoism– 3rd November
Week 6 Review and reflection – 10th November
Week 7: Christianity and mysticism – 17th November
Week 8: Islamic mysticism – Sufism – 24th November
Week 9: Consciousness and science – 1st December
Week 10: Review and group-based practical exercise – 8th December

Live Zoom meeting dates: Mondays, 19:00–20:30 BST/GMT

Course basis

The course is based on the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’. These are five evidence-based actions that have been shown to help improve a person’s mental health and wellbeing:

1. Connect (social connections); there is an introductory in-person weekend in London followed by weekly opportunities for connecting on Zoom 
2. Be active (physical activity); there are exercise videos to follow
3. Take notice (mindfulness, meditation); there are guided meditation videos/audio links
4. Keep learning (studies, learning something new); core part of the course
5. Give (service, volunteering); homework

Weekly meetings

The course consists of ten weekly live sessions on Zoom. We will meet on Mondays (19:00 – 20:30 UK time) to study and discuss each week’s content. Sessions will begin with a short meditation to free the mind from daily distractions. There will then be a review and discussion of homework from the previous session. Then we will move on to the particular topic of the session (see the course syllabus). This will be introduced by watching a short video or reading a short text. We will then together explore the meaning of the video/text.

Assignment

You will be invited to complete one piece of work at the end of the course (e.g., essay, reflective diary or video presentation) of approximately 1,000 words or 1-2 pages/10 minutes. The assignment will be about what you learned from the course and how you linked the practices with the weekly study contents. Alternatively, or similarly, you can also write about how you connected the different ancient wisdom traditions with each other as well as the wisdom that celebrities and alike put forward. We believe that the assignment will provide an excellent learning experience because it requires you to think and reflect on your learning.

Certificate

You will receive a Certificate of Study to acknowledge your successful completion of the course. In order to receive the certificate, you will be required to produce a piece of work as part of the assignment, satisfactorily complete the weekly homework, and attend a minimum of 80% of live classes. The certificate will include all topics studied, hours spent and the homework and assignment completed and may be useful as non-accredited prior learning for other courses.

 Homework

Between the weekly meetings, you will be sent video and audio links and asked to take part in physical activities and guided meditations. You will also be required to respond to short reflective questions and complete a weekly diary recording some of your experiences and thoughts. Sometimes you will be offered an extra short video or text to study. All of these activities should be easy to follow.

Your commitment

This means that in addition to the 90-minute sessions each Monday, you will need to spend between 1.5 to 2 hours spread over the week for your ‘homework’. Homework is a key part of the course where you get to reflect and ‘practice’ the teaching.
You should also aim to attend all the weekly sessions but of course circumstances might mean you have to miss one. Recordings may be made available for you to watch again or to view if you unfortunately could not attend. This will depend on all the participants giving consent for the sessions to be recorded.

What sets this course apart is that it addresses all of you: your heart, your mind, your body. There won’t be much conventional teaching either. Rather than giving you something to read and then telling you why it’s important, we will ask you to discover for yourself what wisdom there is in it. So, the most powerful learning will be through what you yourself experience during this course.

We intend that you will end this course happier and wiser than you began it. We will ask you to complete a short questionnaire on wellbeing and loneliness before and after the course to see if indeed the course has made a difference to you. We will also want your feedback – what did you like about the course? What could be done better?

The introductory weekend 27-28th September in London (Zoom attendance also possible)

Location: Study Society, Colet House
Time:  10am – 5pm
Colet House is easy to reach, it’s just a short walk from Barons Court Tube Station
The introductory sessions will be held from 10:00am – 5:00pm.

Outline of the weekend:

• Introduction to the course
• Introduction to Five Ways to Wellbeing framework
• Reading and discussing articles on happiness and each of the Five Ways to Wellbeing: Social Connections, Learning, Exercising, Meditation, and Service/volunteering
• Introduction to meditation and daily group meditation sessions
• Bonding activities and connecting with other link-minded people
• Engaging in meaningful conversations and informal chats

There will be breaks in between sessions for refreshments and lunch (at your own cost). At the end of each day, we’ll adjourn to a café, pub or restaurant for further, more informal chats.

You are strongly encouraged to attend the in-person weekend. If you really can’t, then we will offer a Zoom link so that you can join us virtually for the sessions.

There are a number of relatively cheap places to stay near Colet House: Fairholme Studios; Hotel Lily; and Earls Court Garden Hotel. You can find details of these on Booking.com. There are many other places to stay in London but they will be further away (but remember, the underground can bring you to Colet House from anywhere in London).

A limited number of discretionary grants to help you meet the cost of staying in London are offered by the Beshara Trust. If you wish to be considered for such help, please mention this on the application form.

The course will be led by Richard Gault and Sam Fardghassemi.

Richard Gault (Ph.D.) is a retired academic who has taught at universities in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands where he now lives. His main interest was the history and philosophy of science and technology. He has had a long association with the Beshara Trust. Following his retirement he was Principal of the Chisholme Institute, a school itself long linked to Beshara education. He is a regular contributor to the online Beshara Magazine.

Sam Fardghassemi has a Ph.D. in psychology exploring young adults and wellbeing. He has been a student of Beshara for the past five years and is also a Trustee with the aim to make the knowledge of higher and universal principles of life more accessible to people. On the whole, Sam has a keen interest in spiritual education and growth to help people live a more meaningful life.

“The course has been an enriching and nourishing experience for me. It has enhanced my appreciation for everyday life, helped me feel more connected to the world and the people around me, and deepened my spiritual awareness. I thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of ancient wisdoms alongside contemporary ideas. The course inspired and empowered me to find meaning and purpose in both small and significant ways in my life.” Female, Scotland

“Being in this valuable space, with this group of people, felt Divine. It felt like the answers truly did come from within, and just needed to be brought to light.” Female, Scotland

“I will remember this course big leap closer to where I’m supposed to be as I found personal growth in myself spiritually and emotionally. Richard and Sam were fantastic facilitators of a personal journey into the essence of existence. Thank you so much.” Male, England/Cayman Islands