Acem meditation

International Newsletter NO. 2 2006

From India to Norway to meditate

it strange to learn a Western form of meditation in India, Kaif does not see it that way.

Increased attention span

Living in a multicultural and multi-religious society, with a Muslim background, I dont question the origin of the technique. It is the quality of the meditation that matters. At the information meeting, I became aware of the psychological aspects of Acem Meditation, and my interest in this area was evoked. After having acquired some experience with different meditation techniques, I chose to continue with Acem Meditation on a regular basis, because it made me concentrate better, and my attention span was increased. Besides, it doesnt leave a feeling of being indoctrinated about spiritual experience or romantic ideas about higher selfstates. Furthermore, increasing my psychological understanding has become more important to me, and I think this method stimulates self reflection and enhances insight.

Continued on page 7

Kaif sailing the Oslo fjord

Inside
The Indian Himalayas Crossroads of Meditation Acem Taiwan 20 Years 40 Years of Inspired Work The Kind of Spirit to Support

Kaif Mahmood, 21 years old, came to Norway for his holiday for two reasons. He wanted to participate in three weeks of deepening retreats in Acem Meditation, and to undergo part of the leadership training to become an Acem instructor in India. Why? Isnt his homeland, India, the cradle of meditation?
I had tried, in vain, to find a method to improve my concentration and attention span in my studies, but did not come across anything that seemed appropriate or promising. In a Google search two years ago, I found Acem Meditation on the Internet, and decided to learn the technique, which I saw was based on a modern, scientific, nonreligious approach, and also encourages existential reflection. At the time, Kaif was preoccupied with reading and searching knowledge about meditation and spirituality. He tried different methods, and while some people might find

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9ACEM

Acem Meditation Retreats

Acem Travels 2007

Friday 28 September - Sunday 14 October

The Indian Himalayas

Meditative silence

Mystical mountains

Trekking in rhododendron forests

Meditation retreat
The tour starts with one week of meditation at an Acem Meditation retreat in Rishikesh, at the banks of the Ganges in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Traditional lifestyles Remote villages

Into the mountains

After the retreat, we will travel by cars into the mountains until we reach Gangotri (3048 meters altitude), where the goddess Ganga is said to have come down to Earth as the river Ganges. We will visit remote mountain villages, rarely seen by outsiders, where the local people still have a traditional way of life. We will walk on mountain paths in rhododendron forests with views of some of the highest peaks in the world.

Torbjrn Hobbel in the middle of Ganges at Gangotri

The guide
The tour organiser and guide is Acem initiator Torbjrn Hobbel, who is the founder of Acem India and has an intimate knowledge of Indian culture. For 25 years he has travelled in Uttaranchal, the areas we will visit.

Shopping in Delhi
Before returning home, there will be ample time for sightseeing and shopping in Delhi. Very good buys are available, including quality clothes, glasses, silver, art and silk.
 Acem Meditation Newsletter 2/06

English is the main language of the retreat. Group activities will also be conducted in Scandinavian languages. Acem meditators from all over the world are invited to participate. For more details: Please contact Acem International or visit Acems web site acem.com.

Crossroads of Meditation
By Carl Henrik Grndahl

Enchanted Forest. Oil on canvas by the most famous Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch, expressing the wonder of entering the unknown.

In the tales of our folklore, the hero comes to a number of crossroads where he must choose a path wisely. Likewise it is in our meditation. Here are some of the crossroads we face. First crossroad
Accept everything or reject what is undesirable? Naturally we would prefer pleasant meditations: a spontaneous activity that we can deal with, without too much trouble, distraction, restlessness and bodily discomfort. If we do not get what we want, we can choose to stop meditating. Or we can get an extra good grip on the meditation sound in order to limit the influx of the spontaneous. This is a choice that does not change anything. The other approach is to accept everything that appears, including that which is disturbing, undesired, unknown or incomprehensible. Meet-

ing this part of the spontaneous activity with a meditation sound that we repeat with a free mental attitude is to create change.

Second crossroad
Dwell on the spontaneous activity when it is exciting and full of imagery or turn our attention back to the repetition of the sound? Good ideas, pleasant images, nice thoughts and supportive feelings may well arise in the spontaneous activity of meditation. And good feelings are the solution of the times. Excitement and pleasant feelings make life worth living. Why take the chance that the enjoyable feelings may disappear when I resume repeating the meditation sound? Surely we need a good world to be in, but in Acem Meditation having a good feeling means little. What creates changein Acem Meditation as in the rest of lifeis what you actually do. Meditate actively, not as a spectator to the passing show.

If you stand at this crossroad, the right choice is to turn your awareness back to the repetition of the sound. From what happens to what you do. That is when the really exciting things begin to happen.

Third crossroad
Accept that everything that manifests itself in the spontaneous activity is a part of myself or insist that surely there are some things in my meditation that do not have anything to do with me? In modern times, belief in goblins, demons and similar psychic entities outside ourselves has waned. This is a good thing. With the discovery of the unconscious, we became responsible for what takes place inside us, including our aggressive and depressive impulses. Granted, at times we project such things onto others, we deny; we repress. But ultimately, everything that happens inside us when we meditate is, precisely, us. No one else is present.
Acem Meditation Newsletter 2/06 

Very well, but is this not the choice we made beforehand, when we sat down to meditate? We know that what appears inside is us, dont we? I sit down to meditate. With my best intentions I would like a bit of uncomplicated free attitude for a while. Time passes quickly, sitting there is peaceful, the world is good. Then things begin to get knotty. Something starts to work against the free attitude. Everything becomes unclear, messy, rough. It seems like someone is resisting me. Since there is nothing I wish so much as to meditate in an unconstrained way, then this something must be from outsidesomething I surely do not want. Who is it? Well, let us call it the not-me. And so I see myself as one who is striving and struggling, the victim of an injustice brought about by this outsider. This not-me is quite confounding: get rid of it! So we struggle with and get annoyed over this confoundedness. We scold ourselves, get angry, accuse or simply despair. We have then chosen one way at this crossroad. The wrong one. We act as if something in the spontaneous activity does not belong to us. Which means that I am really treating myself very poorly. I say to myself that what is expressing itself in my meditation in this unacceptable way is so undesirable that I cannot even entertain the thought that it may be me. In other words, a part of myself is cast out into the darkness and branded destructive.

What does it mean to make the right choice at this crossroad? A good beginning may be to realise that what is disturbing me in my meditation is also me. Let us turn the alliance for a moment. Lets not remain so uncritical of the one that scolds and struggles and chases away, but also be aware of what it is like to be scolded, struggled against and chased away. Feel a little sympathy for the one we are harrying in ourselves. Allow the visitor a little warmth and comfort, with all the disturbance and uneasiness and sabotage that comes with doing so. Meet this part of me with a free repetition of the sound rather than rejection, with a form of mature security and warmth. In Acem Meditation, conflicts are not resolved through combat and struggle. If we cannot let go of the idea that what disturbs us must be combated and chased away, we change very little. That which is undesirable within ourselves loosens its grip when it is listened to, accepted, met with a free mental attitude.

With this stinging judgement in our ears, we begin to strive even more, or struggle, or give up. The judgement makes us act in ways that cannot create change. This element of the spontaneous activity has a name: Metathoughts. And the metathoughts are quite tough guides. They do not point out the way we are supposed to go. They throw us along, into the struggle, away from the free mental attitude. We do not even understand that we stand at a crossroad. How in the world are we to free ourselves from their grasp and choose differently? Guidance provides good help. Sharing the experience with someone who is not under the influence of the judge can start the questioning process: Perhaps this categorical judgement is not the truth about me? It is not external: it is actually my own judgement over myself, a part of myself that is quite judgemental and does not like me. It not only admonishes me when I feel I have failed to master the performance of my meditation, but it pours its negative judgement upon me whenever my life does not go smoothly. Discovering this crossroad is an important step in liberating oneself from limiting influences. Choosing the right way puts the metathought back where it belongs: it is a part of the spontaneous activity that has as little authority or weight to decide who I am and what I should do as any other whim or chance thought that passes by. The metathoughts are used to meeting combat and frozen attitudes. Upon meeting a free mental attitude, the metathoughts dissolve. This is a small piece of what takes place in the spontaneous activity of the mind. When we practise meditation, there are many challenges, and exciting and liberating encounters that await usat the next crossroad. (See questions for reflection on the next page.) Carl Henrik Grndahl is Artistic Director in Radio Drama, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), and an initiator in Acem.

Fourth crossroad
Keep certain kinds of judgements outside the spontaneous activity, or accept that everything that appears in meditation is part of the spontaneous in us. This crossroad resembles the previous one. Something in our spontaneous activity appears that we do not recognise as our self. But in contrast to the previous crossroad, this time we are not struggling with a rejected and quarrelsome child. Rather, the source of our troubles resembles a strong authority figure that lays down the truth for us while we are struggling and are unable to cope. I sit in my meditation and feel dissatisfiedwith my performance, with the spontaneous activity, with myself, with the world. This is when the judge appears. With considerable weight and indisputability the judge passes judgement over me: You are incompetent. You are shirking. You are small, stupid, and completely incapable and we basically lack the space or strength or self-confidence to question this categorical judgement. For it states the truth. This is the way I am.

Carl Henrik Grndahl

 Acem Meditation Newsletter 2/06

Questions for reflection

Based on Carl Henrik Grndahls article Crossroads of Meditation. 1. According to your spontaneous subjective judgement, what is a good meditation? What is a bad meditation? Why? Is there any discrepancy between your spontaneous subjective judgement and an assessment based on careful reflection? 2. Is it important to get to know unpleasant parts of yourself, or are some things better left alone? Why? Try to base your answer on examples from your own experience. 3. Can you recognise elements in your own meditation that you easily treat as if they were not a part of you? How do you usually treat them? How could you treat them better?

Continued from page 1

Sharing
The first time Kaif participated in one of the annual week-long retreats in India, he was not used to discussing his meditation experience in a guidance group, and felt a bit shy about sharing personal matters with others. The next time, he was more familiar with how the guidance works, and found it easier to use the group for his benefit. The discussions during retreats may contribute to further self exploration.

Important life issues

He is excited about what the three weeks of deepening retreats will be like. I expect to be dealing with important themes in my life, and to discover more about my own psychology, perhaps going into past unresolved issues, which, hopeful-

Kaif Mahmood
ly, will increase my self knowledge. Maybe it will also be a bit unpleasurable? If it helps me gain more insight, it is worthwhile. Reading philosophy and psychology does not in the same way help me grasp the deeper aspects of my own experience.

Acem Taiwan 20 Years

Summer of Meditation

The 20th anniversary of Acem Taiwan was celebrated at National Taiwan University in Taipei on April 16th. The event not only coincided with the 40th anniversary of Acem International, but also with the last day of Acem Travels tour of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Among the audience of 200 people, almost 80 came from Europe. It was an unforgettable Eastmeets-West experience for every-

one, featuring artists with excellent performances of traditional Chinese music, song and dance. A central theme was sound, with a variety of creative and deeply moving events. Sound is also a central element in Acem Meditation, commonly shared across cultures. The highlights from the history of Acem Taiwan and Acem International emphasised the bonds between meditators in the East and the West.

During two months in the summer of 2006 Acem arranged 12 week-long meditation retreats. Alltogether the participants meditated 13,000 hours.

Acem Meditation Newsletter 2/06

Forty Years of Inspired Work

By Tor Hersoug
When Acem was founded in 1966, there were only a handful of students. Forty years later, Acem Meditation is taught in many countries around the world, and Acem has centres and course venues in several countries in Europe and Asia.
The initiative to establish Acem came from Are Holen, then a 20year old student of psychology. He became the leader of the organisation. Today he is the head of Acem International. Dr. Holen is a psychiatrist, and also the Vice Dean and Dean of Education at the Faculty of Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Both in his professional work and in Acem, he is known as an inspiring lecturer and a skilful administrator.

Personal experience
One reason why so many people have devoted time and energy to work for Acem is the fact that the organisation has been more concerned with each meditators personal experience than with preconceived ideas about philosophy or spirituality. In the long run, using meditation to cope with the real challenges of ones everyday life is more inspiring than lofty, but too often empty ideals of cosmic consciousness and mystical states of mind. In the 1960s and 70s, Acems approach contrasted sharply with most other meditation groups, which were often centred around a guru personality with authoritarian traits and a spiritual or religious message. In the first years, Acem cooperated with one such

organisation, the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement, but the differences became increasingly clear, and the cooperation ended in 1972. Based on the experiences of thousands of meditators, Acem developed its own user-oriented psychology of meditation. Much emphasis was placed on the concept of a free mental attitude, and on how meditation reflects our personality. By helping us overcome inner tension, Acem Meditation paves the way for improved quality of life. In 1995 began a new development in Acems approach to meditation. Regular courses and retreats were supplemented by deepening retreats of one, two or three weeks. On deepening retreats, the long hours of meditation (more than six hours every day) enable us to

 Acem Meditation Newsletter 2/06

in India, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and South Africa, with a mixture of local initiatives and support from Acem International. Courses in Acem Meditation are given sporadically in many other countries.

Donations for Acem Taiwan and Acem International

I have seen Acem Taiwan being built from almost nothing into a solid organisation, and this has made a great impression on me. At the beginning, it wasnt at all evident that it was going to succeed, on the contrary, one was often left with the impression of a lot of work with little result. But today Acem Taiwan has its own centre and its own instructors. The work has borne fruit. This is the kind of spirit that I would like to support. Steve Tseng explains why he decided to donate 200,000 Taiwanese dollars ($6200) to Acem in connection with Acem Taiwans 20th anniversary and Acem Internationals 40th anniversary. He is well aware that Acem Taiwan has received much help and support from the international organisation, and while half of the money will go to Acem Taiwan, the other half will go to Acem International. Mr Tseng learnt Acem Meditation in Taipei several years ago, and his wife Chunchen Lin is one of many active members who have contributed to making Acem Taiwan a mature and stable organisation. Their generosity has inspired others. Arve and Karen Breen, who have worked for several decades to build Acem in Norway and other countries, decided on the spot to donate 20,000 Norwegian kroner ($3200) to Acem International. For Acem, these are significant contributions in a period with many important challenges.

Economic basis
From the beginning, Acems greatest asset has been the dedicated work of its members. Acem has never received much support from the government, and it is only recently that donations have begun to play a role in the funding of the organisation. Still, while keeping course fees low, Acem has been able to acquire local centres in a number of countries, as well as large retreat centres in both Sweden and Norway. In the 1970s and early 80s, the most important source of income was the annual flea market, which gradually developed into Norways largest. This enabled Acem to buy its first house in Oslo in 1976, as well as retreat centres and office buildings later. Much voluntary effort in refurbishing and redecorating helped to keep the costs low. In addition, some of the space was rented out to others, and rental income has helped to establish an economic basis for the activities of the organisation. Much has happened since Are Holen and a few other students came together to establish Acem forty years ago, but the basic driving force remains the same. The dedicated members who spend much of their spare time working for Acem draw their inspiration not from high-flown ideas and visions, but from a genuine interest in the human condition and in the processes brought about by Acem Meditation.

Tor Hersoug
grasp subtle aspects of our existence and to bring about fundamental changes in the ways we relate to ourselves and the world around us.

Expansion and internationalisation

In the first years, Acem was a student organisation, and its popularity on Norwegian campuses was so great that at times, demand exceeded capacity. After the break with the TM movement, Acem began to expand into all layers of Norwegian society. Its down-to-earth approach attracted the interest of a large number of people who might otherwise never have thought of learning meditation. Then, from the second half of the 1970s, came the first wave of internationalisation. When Acem instructors went abroad for work or study, they often spent their spare time teaching Acem Meditation. This was how Acem started its activities in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Taiwan. All these countries have had regular course activity ever since and have long had their own instructors and, in the case of Denmark and Sweden, initiators. The second wave of internationalisation started in the second half of the 1990s, when a large number of instructors began to travel abroad with the specific aim of establishing a new Acem centre. So far, regular activities have been established

Steve Tseng exploring a Norwegian mountain cave

Tor Hersoug is Director of Economic Research at The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, and an initiator in Acem.
Acem Meditation Newsletter 2/06 

Weekend Retreats Autumn 2006

For those who have learnt Acem Meditation, a weekend retreat is an opportunity to practice long meditations beyond the 3-hour limit. This enhances the meditation process, gives more energy for work, studies and personal reflection, and often provides insights with long-term impact on ones life. Small guidance groups led by experienced instructors and evening lectures exploring the psychology of meditation help to optimise the effect. Many say they never really understood the potential of meditation before they tried longer meditations in Acem retreats.

Spain

31 Oct. - 5 Nov. 2006 in Castalla, near Alicante. Extended weekend retreat led by initiator Tor Hersoug. Arrive when you wish between 31 Oct. and 3 Nov. Course language: English, with translation into Spanish. Venue: Casa de Espiritualidad de las Obreras de la Cruz, a peaceful monastery near the picturesque village of Castalla. An introductory course in Acem Meditation will also be offered. The Alicante Airport is easy to reach from many European airports, with modest fare prices. Transport to the retreat will be arranged.

More energised after the weekend retreat

The peacefulness was stunning. Over the two and a half days there was a really well organised mix of activities. Most importantly, there was plenty of time for meditation and for me to be alone and just be. But with 50 other people also meditating, I was never far from someone else. I was initially daunted by the prospect of a 3 hour meditation but the time went surprisingly quickly and each meditation was accompanied by a small guidance group where you could discuss the experience with a trained instructor. Over the weekend, through the many social activities, including walking, eating and discussion groups, I met lots of great people, the nice thing being that there was a good opportunity to talk with new meditators and very experienced meditators in between sessions. We were fortunate on this retreat to have a series of lectures by the founder of Acem, and his style and approach was very informative and friendly. I took away a key message that the meditation is process driven and not goal driven. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend retreat, which left me energised and more empowered to carry on meditating. It gives me perspective and stops events overtaking me and stops that feeling of being swept along by events, powerless to influence them. I feel mentally refreshed and ready to start the day after meditating each morning. Nick Tedstone, Reading

The Netherlands

10-12 Nov. 2006 in Eerbeek, near Apeldoorn. Led by initiator Sigrun Hobbel. Course language: English, with guidance groups in Dutch. Venue: ABK-huis, a wonderful place in beautiful surroundings, further stimulating the processes induced by Acem Meditation.

Taiwan

10-12 Nov. 2006 in Danshui, near Taipei. Led by initiator Halvor Eifring. Course language: Chinese. Venue: St. Benedict Retreat Center, on top of a hill inside a wonderful garden, within easy reach by metro from Taipei City.

Scandinavia

See www.acem.no, www.acem.se and www.acem.dk.

9ACEM
School of Meditation

Head office: Postboks 2559 Solli, NO-0202 Oslo, Norway Tel. +47-23118700 Fax +47-22831831 Email: acem.info@acem.com Web:www.acem.com Go to www.acem.com/info/centres.html to locate addresses in other countries. Contributors: Halvor Eifring (ed.), Torbjrn Hobbel (layout), Folke Gravklev, Eirik Jensen, Anne Grete Hersoug.

is a non-profit organisation which helps people develop existentially by means of a mindful, reflective process known as Acem Meditation.

 Acem Meditation Newsletter 2/06 Check acem.com

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