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About the workshop
The Path to Inner Knowledge is a 6-week workshop made of selected topics from our program.
We will meet on Wednesdays, on a weekly basis.
When? Starting May 3rd, 2023
Where? The Atrium (next to Vroman's bookstore)
709 E Colorado Blvd,
Pasadena
If you want to get a taste of our sessions, then join us on Wednesday, April 19, or Tuesday, April 25, in a free session on Happiness and Virtues. Click one of the RSVPs on the right/below to see the details.
The session will include an outline of our philosophical approach and a review of The Path to Inner Knowledge workshop.
If you like it, you can sign up for the full workshop, which starts on
May 3rd, 6.30 - 8.00 pm, and continues every Wednesday for 6 weeks.
Full workshop price- 90$
* Discount for the workshop will be given to participants in the Free Sessions
the topics
Below are some of the topics that you will encounter through the workshop.
Welcome Session - It's OK to Be Good and Happy
Some people have a spontaneous tendency toward being good and acting with virtue. It is not because of religious beliefs or social expectations but as a marvelous inner compass guiding them through life. Perhaps it is not surprising that these people also demonstrate high happiness levels.
In fact, the ancient Greeks considered it to be the best—and most logical—way to live. They regarded it as the way of the hero, the powerful connection between the life of humans and those of the gods…
(And the ancient Greeks were very wise. That's why we use so many of their ideas)
In this session, we will:
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See how 'Know Thyself' can make you stronger
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Understand why ethics produces happiness and well-being
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Get the Eastern perspective on 'Who You Are' (yes, the West missed a few things)
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Explore why being authentically good is the best practice for your consciousness
Session 1 - The Inner Warrior
Each one has an Inner Warrior. Sometimes this warrior is sleeping and unavailable; sometimes, we forget it's even there. But, the warrior is always there and ready to serve if we only know how to spark them off.
We dedicate this session to the Inner Warrior within you.
Also, we will unlock the breath taking Indian myth of the warrior Arjuna (Mahabharata) and see how precious teachings sometimes hide within stories.
In this session, we will:
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Uncover how to take many challenges and reduce them to one basic workable scenario
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Discover how your Inner Warrior functions and what spurs her/him to show (so you become the captain of your life)
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Realize how far we can get when we know how things work within us
Session 2 - Finding Destiny
Have you wondered what your destiny is? Your vocation? Whether you have a significant role to play in your life? Or–
What work will you happily do without any promise of reward?
The word Dharma describes perfect—even mathematical—harmony in the cosmos. Everything has its place, and everything fits perfectly together. My place in this cosmic harmony is my destiny (it's much simpler than it sounds).
According to Eastern thought, moving towards destiny is gratifying more than any reward and is the essence of life.
Another session topic will be understanding why specific things happen to us (Karma). Albert Einstein famously said that God does not play with dice. Einstein was a genius…
Why, then, do most people believe that what happens to them is a coincidence?
In this session, we will:
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Figure the mind-blowing Eastern notion of Dharma and destiny
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Learn what Karma is and how it influences our every move
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Ponder about the Theory of Reincarnation
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Engage in the valuable day-to-day practice of karma-yoga to align with destiny
Session 3 - Overcoming
No obstacle can stand in the way of a trained mind. We already know that the mind is a formidable tool, but the fact is that we rarely use it.
Siddhartha Gautama, known as The Buddha, left his comfortable life as a prince to seek a solution for human suffering. The result is simple and effective instructions to utilize the mind, a manual, if you'd like. Using this eye-opening manual makes the practitioner resilient and able to face life's challenges successfully.
In this session, we will:
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Practice the art of concentration
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Tackle the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path of Buddhism
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Understand how crisis can become a steppingstone for inner development
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Illuminate the secret of The Middle Way, the principle that paved the Buddha's way to enlightenment
Session 4 - Fortitude
In the last decade, we are witnessing an enormous revival of stoic philosophy. These ancient Greco-Roman teachings prove very practical for today's world. They are rational, clear, to the point, and accessible to everyone.
More than anything else, the Stoics give us ways to gain control over our lives and develop inner peace in the face of adversity.
This is the first of two sessions dealing with the Stoics. The other session belongs to The Path to Inner Knowledge—Part II.
In this session, we will:
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Realize why "nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear" (Marcus Aurelius)
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Break down Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus
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Find out what it means to be a Citizen of The World
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See how happiness results from building a character and mastering oneself
Session 5 - Breaking the Chains
Is it possible that we spend our entire lives in a dark cave? Well, not a physical cave but a psychological one, according to Plato. Acknowledging that there is a cave is the first step out.
"Free your mind" is not just a nice expression, but the best advice. Plato teaches us to reflect on our lives and free ourselves from mental shackles. Then, he challenges us with the question, "once you are out, would you go back to the cave to rescue your friends?"
In this session, we will:
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Get a glimpse into the life and wisdom of Plato
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Unlock the meaning of the famous Allegory of The Cave
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Self-observe to discover what limits us
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Soul search— am I willing to give just because it is the right thing to do?
Session 6 - The Hero of Your Story
Do you feel that your life is meant to be more meaningful? Do you have the urge to overcome your weaknesses and discover your potential? Do you wish to be able to help others? If the answer to these questions is YES, you are ready to become the HERO!
George Lucas made the Hero's Journey famous when he took the concept from Joseph Campbell and created Star Wars in its shape.
In this session, we will:
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Learn the steps that make a hero out of an ordinary human being
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Have fun with examples from movies and share ones from real life
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Engage in implementing the process in our lives
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Contemplate how your journey helps other people in your life
Completion of the Workshop
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Consistent with the completion of the workshop participants may request a certificate of completion.
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Successful completion is a pre-requisite for attending The Path to Inner Knowledge—Part II.
The Path to Inner Knowledge—Part II
Upon successful completion of the first part of the workshop, participants are entitled to continue to the second part. The second part lasts about 4 months and is sensitive to the pace of the group. Payment is on monthly basis.
The topics include:
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Confucius—Change the World by Changing Yourself
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Initiation according to the enigmatic Tibetan text The Voice of the Silence
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Self Sufficiency by Aristotle
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More on the Stoics
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Education vs. Self Education
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The Weighing of the Heart and other symbols from mysterious Egypt
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The Blind Men and the Elephant and The Transmission of Wisdom
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Predicting the Future by Knowing Myth and history
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Freedom and Destiny revisited
New Acropolis reserves the rights to admission to the workshop
Get a Glimpse of our Activities
New Acropolis Los Angeles
The Atrium
709 E. Colorado Blvd
Old Town Pasadena
CA
