The Big Questions

A 10-week program of spiritual development through observation and self-awareness

About the Big Questions Program

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  • The program is based on the premise that knowledge is not something that is imparted from one person to another, but something to be discovered by each of us through honest observation and examination of our own life experiences.


  • Consequently, the format of the program will be that of a moderator asking questions and participants responding to the greatest degree possible based on their experiences, and not their beliefs or opinions.


  • The program will comprise 10 meetings in small groups one evening a week for 90 minutes, punctuated by observation tasks during the intervening seven days. 

 

Program Content

How does the creative process work?

Although we may not view many of our activities as such, we are constantly creating. Organising an event, cooking a meal, writing an essay, texting a friend may not be generally viewed as creative acts in the same vein as writing a poem, composing a song or painting a picture, yet they follow similar patterns from conception through to completion. The objective of this session is to examine the creative process and attempt to identify stages of development.

Is there a purpose to my life?

Are we here on this earth as a consequence of a chain of events set in motion by a Creator with vision and intention or do we exist as an unintended consequence of random events? If the former,  can we uncover what purpose, if any, the Creator had in creating us? If the latter, do we conclude that life has no purpose?

Who am I?

How do ‘I’ perceive myself and others? Am ‘I’ a body with mental functions arising as a result of chemical processes in the brain or am ‘I’ a spirit dwelling in a body? Here we investigate our perception of ourselves, and the relationship between consciousness and our senses. We also ask whether self and identity are one and the same.

Is death the end?

Death comes between one moment and the next. What does that mean for each one of us? Does all consciousness cease once the body ceases to function? All living things must die. In what way, if any, are humans different from plants and animals? It is through exploring such questions that we may come to a greater understanding about the meaning of life while coming to terms with our own mortality. 

Does true love exist and, if so, can I find it?

Love is a word that is used interminably, but do we know what love is? How different or similar is the love between a parent and a child, a husband and wife, a brother and sister, or faithful friends? Can love be learned or does it arise naturally? Here we investigate the prerequisites to finding true love and ask if we are up to the task of doing so! 

Do I have the capacity to willfully harm others?

Do only people commit acts of conscious and deliberate harm to others? Although we can readily identify acts of great evil in history, in books, movies and the everyday news, to what extent does the capacity to commit such acts, even on a tiny scale, lie within ourselves? In this session, we attempt to distinguish between acts of goodness and their opposite, and determine where the lines are drawn within ourselves. 

Do I get what I deserve in life?

“Why do bad things happen to good people?” is a difficult question to answer, especially if one posits the existence of a benign Creator. Some simply resolve this conundrum by denying that such a Creator exists. Meanwhile, certain eastern traditions take the viewpoint that lives span multiple incarnations and we are now paying for or reaping the rewards of acts performed in past lives. In this session, we examine whether there is any evidence of a connection between our thoughts, feelings and actions and the things that happen to us. 

How can I heal broken relationships?

Relationships fall apart for various reasons. Sometimes the direction of peoples’ lives change and they just drift apart. In other cases, we do or say things, perhaps even unknowingly, which damage another’s heart resulting in a sense of betrayal. This is usually followed by a distancing of one from another. It is these latter occurrences that we seek to identify and explore whether there are ways in which such relationships can be repaired. 

How free am I?

It has been said that man has free will but no choice. We like to think of ourselves as free and uninhibited. But to what extent are the choices we make shaped by our likes, dislikes, hopes, fears and past conditioning? In this session we explore repeating patterns of behavior and cycles of temptation. We also ask the question whether freedom incurs some responsibility.

Is there such a thing as fate and if so can I change mine?

Often the words destiny and fate are used as if interchangeable. Are they really the same thing? Is there a qualitative difference between actively taking control of our life and passively responding to events around us? In this final session, we ask the question whether we can actually change the course of our lives. 

Events

Upcoming events will be published here. If you are interested in attending a "taster" evening in North West London, please get in touch using the "Contact Us" form below. 

 

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Big Questions

Pinner, Middlesex, United Kingdom