Sulūk Academy Europe: 2011-2013

Overview

Sulūk Academy takes its name from an Arabic word, Suluk, which means journeying. Our path is a path of spiritual travel. We are here not to add to the sum of our knowledge, nor to collect more facts, but to undergo a different kind of experience, an experience of travel, a journey within, moving through the terrain, the landscape within our own mind, within our own heart, within our own soul, to return to the centre of ourselves. Pir Zia Inayat Khan

The course is based on the essential practices and teachings of Pir O Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan. It provides a methodical and heartfelt approach to the time-honoured disciplines of prayer, breath, sound, and light, following the four stages of Concentration, Contemplation, Meditation, and Realisation.

The Curriculum

The initial emphasis will be on the essential stages of purification and awakening of heart and mind. To complement these disciplines, significant consideration will be given to the training of the ego, the art of personality, and the cultivation of the heart quality, to provide for an integrative and transformational spiritual experience. All studies will draw upon the prose and poetry of the Masters, Saints, and Prophets throughout the ages and across traditions.

Sulūk Academy’s programmes are intended as a supplemental training to one's spiritual practice and are not a replacement for the unique relationship one has with one’s personal spiritual guide. Due to the scope of the training it is recommended that prospective students discuss attendance with their spiritual guide or mentor who must also write a reference letter. Those not actively working with a guide or mentor are still encouraged to apply and will be expected to work with a guide during the programme.

Programme Structure

During the sessions, the class meet each morning for the teachings with the faculty (Pir Zia Inayat Khan throughout the course plus one other faculty member for each stage, see faculty page for details). In the afternoons, students meet in assigned mentor groups, facilitated by teachers in the Sufi Order, with the purpose of building community and exploring the practices in a more intimate setting, and then those mentor groups divide again into smaller groups called pods where students meet just with each other. Each person is encouraged to be fully present to themselves and others during both groups, putting into practice the ideals of moral culture and respect taught by Pir O Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan.

The curriculum is developmental in nature and at the time of admission, all students are asked to commit to full attendance. As part of the Academy’s curriculum students receive practices and assignments to be explored during the interim period. These will include reading, journaling, spiritual practices, contemplations, and essays. Mentors are available throughout the period between session dates to answer questions and to support home study.

The Programme

It is a forty day programme with each stage (Concentration, Contemplation, Meditation and Realisation) lasting 10 days. See important dates for further information

Applications

All prospective students in the programme must apply, and admission is not guaranteed. The application form is available on the website in French, German and English.

Venue

The nearly all of the sessions will be held at Prieure Saint Thomas, Epernon, France (40 minute train journey from Gare Montparnasse, Paris). The venue for the second session is Kapellenhof near Frankfurt, Germany. For further details please see http://www.seminarhaus-kapellenhof.de.