This is one of the most challenging courses where the participants will progressively gain insight into subtle aspects of philosophic-spiritual tradition and gain understanding how philosophical thinking would lead to spiritual insight. We will explore how philosophical discourse deepens our understanding of the spiritual realm. Besides, it helps us to realize the importance of recognizing and pursuing higher values and ideals of life. This course will help us to understand how meaningful life is and how to be positive.

In this course, we discuss the issue, ‘how philosophy helps to transcend religious ideologies while seeking spiritual experience’. We discuss some of the epistemological issues in knowing realities of the world along with the meaning of the term, ’Spirit’, and explore the concept ‘spiritual’ and ‘spiritual experience’. At the end of the course, participants will be able to distinguish between religious belief and spirituality.

Is self-Knowledge an oxymoron, a contradiction in term? What is self-inquiry? Don’t we know ourselves? We know how we look like; we can know what is going on in our mind; about our birth, parents and how we have been brought up, our education, desires, vexations, anxiety, fear, goals, love relationship and our family circumstances etc. We also know that one day we will cease to exist. Can self-knowledge provide any significant understanding about us? Is there anything that can be called as self-knowledge separate from the identity with which we live? This is one of the most challenging sessions.

The answer is a resounding, ’No’; it cannot be unreal. How the world in front of us is an illusion? Does the world which is in front include me? Yes, sure, I am a part of it, very insignificant part. No, that is incorrect; I am significant for I know about things that are not even presented to my consciousness. When the world disappears, cease to exist, what will remain? Just empty space? Yes, just space, but to say that there is nothing but space, my presence is required. Otherwise, who else will say there is space? So am I included in space-time? Can I experience space without considering me as a part of space?

This is another baffling question many have spoken and written. Who is that born when one dies; of course it is not the physical body. Is the soul that is subject to birth and death? No, it cannot be. According to most of the schools of philosophy and the general consensus of certain religious preachers, soul never dies. In that case how can we say rebirth is possible? If at all we are going to be born again, does it make any sense to spend time to find answers to these questions. Does it matter if I come to know that I am going to be born as a donkey in the next life? Lots of theoretical explanations go around and most of the people believe in it. If we are authentic, we need to conduct inquiry; but how can we conduct an inquiry in these matters?

Life and death are considered as the two sides of the same coin. Some say that death is an inevitable consequence of life. This answer seems to be correct for it suits to our experience. However, we need to look little deeper into the realm of life in order to know about death. We have to think impartially and thoroughly to know about our life in which we have been involved so deeply and emotionally. We think life is the beginning and death is the end. If death is a real end, can we consider that life has any continuity? If life does not have a beginning, how can death be the real end? We need to investigate and inquire. If both life and death happen to us, we can, with little more effort and awareness, see and experience both life and death while living. Is that possible? If so how good is that!