HUNTER LIGUORE

During this one- to three-day workshop, participants will learn how to apply the concepts shared in The Modern Art of War: Sun Tzu’s Hidden Path to Peace and Wholeness to their life through a series of discussions, written exercises, and direct-observation practices. The Modern Art of War: Sun Tzu’s Hidden Path to Peace and Wholeness presents a new interpretation that deals specifically with creating “gentle” lives in harmony with the world—the “battle” Sun Tzu writes about is the fight for control over the mind and the thoughts that rule it. Participants will learn how to “conquer” the mind through direct experiences, including the wisdom of frailty, specific to Sun Tzu’s school. To that end, students will engage the root of conflict (war) that begins “within” to carry it forward in peace.

Engaging Sun Tzu's hidden path to peace and wholeness, we'll chart a course to establish space in our lives for nurturing space. We'll learn how to dedicate a single day to solitude and go without noise, and times to be unconnected and unavailable. When we allow space to ruminate our life, we can consider our dreams and hear our intuition. We'll create an agenda for a Sun Day and more.

By creating a practice of reciprocity, we gain more than an intellectual understanding that "I will treat others with the same respect I want to be treated with." It goes much deeper and implies: who I am on the inside is the same as what is on the inside of others—and if that’s true, we can experience and discover for ourselves the delicate thread that connects all people. Just like when we discern frailty, when we meet others, we can do so with an awareness that their suffering is our suffering, felt and experienced the same way; and through empathy—through not wanting suffering for ourselves—we will not want it for another. Thus, we will seek harmony and peace in all our words, actions, and relationships.