Building Acem Germany from scratch
How one instructor brought Acem Meditation to Europe's most populous country
Acem International
Newsletter no 1 2004
One grey morning in April 2001, a Norwegian who had taken
some days off from work was observed in the grounds of Hamburg
University distributing leaflets announcing a course in Acem
Meditation. The initial response was far from encouraging: only
one person turned up. Now, three years later, the same Norwegian
is in charge of a vast array of Acem activities in Germany,
with courses being held in about 20 German cities. Courses are
often overbooked. Several hundred Germans learnt Acem Meditation
during the past year. Many also participate in long meditations
and weekend retreats. In Hamburg, for example, groups of meditators
meet regularly, and long meditations are arranged 4-5 times
a year. This summer the first one-week retreat will be held
in Germerode in central Germany. The retreat is open to all
German-speaking practitioners of Acem Meditation. Germany is
the fastest growing country in the Acem family.
Cultural trend
"I had never believed the interest in Germany would take off
like this," says Ole Nygaard, the Norwegian in charge. A senior
political correspondent by profession, Mr. Nygaard has taught
Acem Meditation on a voluntary basis since 1975. With the help
of other instructors, he is spreading knowledge of Acem Meditation
to large parts of Europe's most populous country. This rapid
growth led Norway's leading newspaper, Aftenposten, to publish
a two-page article about Acem's expansion outside Scandinavia,
concluding that Acem courses had become a notable Norwegian
export to a number of countries around the world. Hamburg is
Germany's second biggest city, with 1.7 million inhabitants.
From the autumn of 2002, Acem's courses appeared regularly in
the programme of the city's Volkshochschule, a kind of college
of adult education. The Volkshochschulen of most other major
cities followed suit, as did the sports programme of universities
in Hamburg and elsewhere. Relaxation, fitness and well-being
feature prominently in their course catalogues, and Acem's neutral
and non-religious approach fits wel with these goals. The trend
is spreading to other German-speaking countries: this autumn
wil see the first Acem courses in Austria. "Germans are quick
at picking up new and serious cultural trends," comments Mr.
Nygaard. "The country has an exceptionally strong philosophical
and cultural tradition. Just think of Goethe, Kant, Heidegger
and Beethoven. This is probably part of the reason why people
take an interest in an existentially oriented meditation technique.
And the Germans are good at recruiting. They often bring friends
and family members along to the courses. And as soon as they
have learnt to meditate, they recommend Acem Meditation to friends."
Quit smoking
"I feel less stressed now," says Roland Schäfer, a director
in a pharmaceutical company from Karlsruhe, who learnt Acem
Meditation a little more than a year ago in his home town. He
has taken a great interest in the meditative process. Last summer,
he attended both the First World Retreat of Acem Meditation
and the following international deepening retreat in Oslo. He
plans to participate in this year's summer retreat in Germany,
as wel as Acem's tour of South India in January next year. "The
World Retreat made me understand better the simplicity of Acem
Meditation. Before I went, I was tangled up in concern about
what to do with my breathing during meditation. At the retreat,
I learnt to handle it in a more natural and straightforward
way. My understanding of the meditation process changes steadily.
The retreats gave me a deeper experience of what meditation
can be." His daily life was affected in a very concrete way:
he quit smoking. And he did not find it difficult to stay away
from cigarettes even after he returned to his everyday activities.
How did he, as a foreigner, experience coming to a retreat in
Norway? "I did not feel like a foreigner. The atmosphere was
international. The activities of such a retreat touch upon the
core of the human condition. Meditation transcends culture.
Whether you come from India, Taiwan or Europe, everybody has
the basic meditative experience in common. There were lots of
opportunities for contact: going for a walk, making food together,
doing yoga, and participating in guidance groups, seminars and
workshops. In addition, I was surprised by how much Norwegians
know about German culture and language." Mr. Schäfer now contributes
to the growth of Acem in Germany, especially through the translation
of articles on Acem Meditation. For him and other contributors
to the project, the goal is to have an Acem book in German within
a year or so. Acem Germany is clearly here to stay.
