Meditation does not solve all problems but it does quickly begin to change the way we understand them. By helping us to see how our actions are so often directed by our conditioning, by our preoccupations and our desire for power, prestige and possessions, meditation breaks the hold that our conditioning has on us. It helps us to stand back and see the bigger picture. It makes us aware of who we are at the deepest level of our being, rooted in God, the ground of all being. When we truly apprehend this truth it changes everything.
Given the many urgent crises facing humanity today, a fresh, unfiltered way of seeing reality is necessary at all levels. Breaking into this perception is the essential meaning of contemplation. Contemplative vision is generated through contemplative practice – meditation – which then translates naturally into contemplative styles of living, decision-making and work across the whole spectrum of personal and social life.
Contemplative consciousness is first learned, developed and applied through meditation but also through study, dialogue and life-practice. WCCM has developed a programme of inter-disciplinary study in the context of contemplative practice which it offers through the WCCM Academy.
The study programme lasts for two years and is open to everyone who wishes to deepen their contemplative approach to life through a combination of study and practice.
The Academy year is composed of three eight-week terms. Classes, seminars and meetings with tutors are usually online. Three study and practice weeks at Bonnevaux will be part of the annual programme at the beginning and end of the year and all students and faculty are encouraged to participate in person.
The first two-year cycle of the Academy will launch in March 2023 and conclude in Spring 2025. In the first run, we expect a group of 30 – 35 students. As personal growth is central to the combined approach of study and practice, each student will have regular meetings with a tutor. An important part of the programme is a three-week residency in the Bonnevaux, the international meditation and retreat centre of the WCCM, near Poitiers, France.
For more information about the program, click on the image opposite.