We may not ask the question, ‘why am I so happy today?’ However, we often ask the question, ‘Why me?’ We usually take our good fortune for granted and only focus on disturbing things. It is common to analyze and pass on blame on others and hold others responsible, that which is not right in our lives.

This course, however, gives a new approach to it altogether. The course will help reflect on various aspects of life to understand some universal principles of virtue, wisdom, and happiness in the light of the Philosophy of Stoic Seneca and the Bhagavad-Gita.

This course studies the concept of ‘a Wise Person’ in Seneca and the Bhagavad-Gita’, based on the book ‘Sapiens and Sthitaprajna’ by Ashwini Mokashi. It will explore how in both systems, a wise person is endowed with virtue and wisdom, is moral, detached from passions, makes right judgments, and takes responsibility for actions. A wise person always enjoys happiness. The course will look at the guidelines provided by Seneca and the Gita and see how wisdom paves the path to individual happiness and societal well-being.

Agenda:

• Introduction to the Indian Philosophy and the Gita
• The Concept of the Sthitaprajna
• Introduction to Stoic Seneca
• The Concept of the Sapiens
• Strategies for Emotional Control in both Philosophies
• Wisdom Vs Non-wisdom in Seneca and the Gita
• Comparison of Sapiens and Sthitaprajna
• Happiness, Sukha, Shanti, Eudaimonia

Based on the Book: Sapiens and Sthitaprajna by Ashwini Mokashi, D.K. Printworld, Delhi, 2019