School
for The Work

The following blurb has been modified by BKI to better support the anonymity of the writer:

I have just finished the nine-day School and I cannot begin to put into words how life- changing this has been. I am in tears writing this, thinking about how much it will benefit the communities that we work with. I am already planning how we are going to incorporate the work into our daily youth programs and our youth mentor and staff programs throughout New Zealand and Latin America, at the orphanages where I work and with marginalized youth and communities in NZ.

We already use the work with our programs, but coming to the School I have seen just how powerful The Work can be and how much more I want to focus and share it with our beautiful people. I have so much more compassion for those who have harmed and continue to harm our children, which for me is saying something. I never thought I would have empathy towards someone who harmed one of our kids, but now I see it so differently and feel I can take action without hatred and be clearer and more loving in our vision moving forward and I hope it will have a ripple effect.

I cannot thank BKI enough for their support. It has really floored me. Your generosity will help me to support so many others. I can't believe how much I learned in just 9 days. You are all amazing, and I hope that Byron Katie and her staff and everyone who receives this message will know how grateful I truly am. I cannot wait to tell everyone to come to the School. Thank you for showing me that my natural state is happiness and for giving me so much inspiration to share The Work in the world with those who really need it.

I would love to thank BKI and the people who register without help, as this is what allows The Work Foundation & BKI, the two organizations that gave me the scholarship, to continue to support those like me who are without the necessary funds to attend. Please let me know if there is anything at all I can do to better support this amazing work.

I have done a lot of work on conflict resolution with young Serbians and Albanians in Kosovo and on conflict resolution in general, on resilience empowerment with teachers, parents, and vulnerable groups. Before I came to the School, I knew it was going to be a very valuable experience and that I would benefit from it, as would all the people I work with, but I had no idea…

Throughout the School, I had a living feeling that I was being invited into greatness. There were times when it was hard, when I felt I was wrestling with an invisible force that was causing me excruciating pain, but nevertheless, the feeling never left me—that I had come across something so valuable and so precious and that I had an opportunity to partake in the greatness of that which IS and of which I am a part.

What fascinated me during the School is how you have organized the program in such a holistic way—activities followed one another in a way that created a massive learning curve. I am aware that what you do in The Work is beyond educational paradigms, and I am not saying this from a position of an evaluator, but as a professional interested in how people learn, I was amazed at the way you fit the content—the hard-to-explain, what is beyond what we are used to—into a perfect methodology that follows all the rules that experts on holistic education talk about.

With endless gratitude,

Before I did the School, I thought it was laziness that kept me from doing The Work; now I understand it was my ego’s way of holding me back from becoming a more fully realized me. Doing The Work with others in mindfulness gives me the discipline to go deeper. I found once I got used to writing out Worksheets and taking the time with a facilitation partner, it automatically became harder to tolerate any slight shitty feelings like doubt, resentment, etc. Sometimes the stories are obvious, like when anger wells up, but sometimes it can feel like an uneasiness or a slight misgiving about a person or situation. For me it can show up in a tight stomach, fatigue, listlessness, or I distract myself with social media and answering email. I may not notice that I am swimming upstream, but decision-making feels like heavy lifting. Ego likes this; it feels at home here.

The Work shows another way. If I slow down enough and sit mindfully with what is, I begin to notice cause and effect, and learn to track my inner movements. In this space with others, I take the time to focus on what it is I am thinking. The Work doesn’t get rid of thoughts, but it de-fangs them, makes them harmless. I love that.

I’ve been to many workshops and retreats in my life, but I’ve never been to anything so masterfully designed, diverse, and profound as the adventure of this course. It is stunning and beyond belief. As a result, I am clearer, cleaner, and wiser at living my life. I find it virtually impossible to be a victim anymore, and my skill in facilitating The Work has become razor-sharp. I originally thought the course was expensive, and I see it now as priceless. This kind of love can’t be bought.