a course in Peace: Habitual Detachment

I say that habit's but a long practice, friend,
and this becomes your nature in the end.
Aristotle

The German philosopher and mystic, Meister Eckhart wrote that, "He who would be serene and pure needs but one thing, detachment.” This is also the central teaching amidst all the eastern religion practices, summed up by the influential Zen Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, in the statement, "the essence of the Way is detachment".

The principle of detachment is actually found in every major spiritual tradition. It essentially means living with our whole being, in the here and now. When we get attached to the past and the times that are gone, or when we get attached to the future, setting our mind on expectations good or bad - we loose the gladness and centeredness that the present moment offers.

Attachment essentially creates a loss of our peace of mind and corrupts our ability to enjoy anything. From feeling guilt and regret found in past events, to worries and fears about the future things to come, when we get attached to these - we loose our power to choose and thus become reactive, miserable and addicted to more of the same.

Real happiness in life comes from habitual detachment. By surrendering wholly to the present moment - without trying to hold on to the joys and pleasures possible, nor the hurts and pains also possible - we find the constancy of our highest self, our mind of peace, our heart of innocence. This is the secret of all spiritual masters.

In fact when evaluating what distinguishes the highest form of mental and spiritual health, from the states of mind that the average experience, experts time after time come back to this quality of 'equanimity' . To be in a state of inner equilibrium and peace of mind amidst the varying range of emotions, is commonly agreed to be the culmination of a self-actualized individual.

'a course in Peace' provides you with fresh strategies for enhancing and mastering this state of being, by habitualizing the ability to detach, increasing the ability to tolerate, and building your resilience in the face of adversity.

The saying goes, 'The sage rests, truly rests and is at ease.'
This manifests itself in calmness and detachment, so that worries and distress cannot affect him, nothing unpleasant can disturb him, his Virtue is complete and his spirit is not stirred up.
Chuang Tzu

What You Can Realize
Through daily lessons, meditations and small-group conferences, the course supports participants in transcending their reactive nature and the triggers that launch certain states of mind. From classical rationale and monastic tools, to modern techniques based upon new research in neurosciences, participants will explore their best practices to come in closer harmony with themselves.

Your Course of Habitualization
Through a series of self-awareness exercises, ' a course in Peace' presents a set of comprehensive habitual practices that help participants master their emotional range and reach a deeper sense of happiness. The course integrates practical lessons from the fields of positive psychology, moral philosophy, and cross-cultural metaphysics.

When Dr. Wayne Dyer asked Abraham Maslow, "What do you mean when you say self-actualization?", he answered, "There are just two things to remember: One is to learn to become independent of the good opinion of other people, and the second is to master the art of being detached from the fruits of your labors." This is the essential habitualization practice of 'a course in Peace'.

Prerequisite: a course in Influence: HABITUAL LEADERSHIP

Love consists not in feeling great things but in having great detachment and in living for the Beloved. The soul that is attached to anything, however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of Divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast; for until the cord be broken, the bird cannot fly.
St. John of the Cross

1. Habitual Health | 2. Habitual Passion | 3. Habitual Diligence
4. Habitual Leadership | 5. Habitual Detachment