SUMMARY

The weather was sweet.

About 130 people attended.

After a short opening session describing the work of IASP since its creation in 1994 and also the birth of the new Israeli Association for Spiritual Medicine and Psychiatry, Prof. Ivor Browne, a professor of psychiatry from Ireland began with a lecture on "Depth of change - Suffering and the growth of love". He essentially described the integration of the dimension of love and spirituality in the psychotherapeutic process.

Next, Patrick Fleury, a therapist of Chinese Medicine in the south of France, spoke about "Human love, divine love - The unique sense and nonsenses of love". He shared his experience of the longing for love, the power of prayer, and from his experience, the major role of the meeting with a spiritual teacher. He described on a metaphysical level the different steps of inner realization.

Ferdinand Wulliemier, M.D., a psychiatrist from Switzerland, spoke about "Which kinds of love for which kinds of healings". He put the emphasis on the necessity of connecting to the higher source of love, called "transpersonal, universal or divine love". From this connection, a real healing can occur.

These three lecturers are preceptors of meditation of the Shri Ram Shandra Mission, following the teaching of the Sahaj Marg, a method derived from the well known Raja Yoga (yoga of the mind), including meditation, purification of the heart and yogic transmission of universal love. Their spiritual teacher, Sri Rajagopalachari, was also present. They were a group of about 100 preceptors coming from all over the world. They attended a 3 day seminar with their teacher before the conference.

In the afternoon of May 8 , Moshe Rafael Seror, a scholar and teacher of Jewish Medicine in Safed, Israel, spoke about "Love as the purest expression of the soul" and gave many insights into the Jewish understanding of healing and love.

Eliahu Benedikt, a teacher from Germany but living in Jerusalem, gave a talk on "What is transcendental love and how to attain it!". His inspiration comes from the spirit of yoga.

Hedva Stahl, an Israeli lecturer and healer shared her personal experience of the self healing of a severe disease (multiple sclerosis) through faith and prayer, and her inner transformation under the guidance of Sathya Sai Baba who advised her and her husband to return to Jewish tradition. Both of them are now observant Jews, but with very open minds and hearts. Soon we will probably open with them, in Israel, a center for the treatment of psychological diseases through spiritual approaches

Dr. Jean-Marc Mantel gave a talk on "That what love is not" to show how the awareness of ego involvement can free love from the psychological need to love and to be loved.

In the evening of May 8, Rabbi David Zeller gave a session of songs and talks on Jewish wisdom, and shared his experience of love with his voice and guitar.

On Friday 9, Sri Rajagopalachari, the spiritual leader of the 55.000 students of the Sri Ram Chandra Mission, gave a talk on the meaning of love in religions and the path of self-realization.

Father Willebrands, a Christian monk in Galilee, Northern Israel, gave a talk on "Friendship, human love and desire of God" and on how the vision of a personal God can be transformed by an experiential feeling of unity with the object of your love.

In conclusion, all the lecturers and participants had a round table discussion on "Personal and impersonal love". It was an opportunity to explore the different meanings of love, from "I love you" to "I love the love in you", the transcending of the personality through the opening of the heart.

A short closing session gave a view of the next projects of the IASP: a conference in Geneva on June 14-15 on "spiritual approach to dependence", a one year training in spiritual psychiatry starting in October in Paris, France.

Sri Rajagopalachari offered the IASP the opportunity to set up such a meeting for professionals in his ashram in Delhi. There will also be an opportunity to prepare something in the area of Boston, where their mission is strongly developed.

A book with the texts of the lectures will soon be available.

PROGRAM

LECTURES

• Pr. Ivor Browne, M.D. - Depth of change - Suffering and the Growth of Love.
• Patrick Fleury - "Human love, divine love - The unique sense and the nonsenses of love"
• Ferdinand Wulliemier, M.D. - "What kinds of love for what kinds of healings?"

• Moshe Rafael Seror - "Love, the purest expression of the soul"
• Eliahu Benedikt - "What is transcendental love - and how to attain it!"
• Hedva Stahl - "The secret of inward peace - Rising above the troubles and hardships of Life"
• Jean-Marc Mantel, M.D. - "That what love is not"

• Rabbi David Zeller - "Jewish perspective on love, healing and religion : songs and talks"

• Father Ya'aqov Willebrands - "Friendship, human love and desire of God"
• Sri Rajagopalachari - "Dialogue on love and religion" (participation still not confirmed)
• Round table - "On personal and impersonal love". With all the lecturers and the public.

BIOGRAPHIES

• Eliyahu Benedikt, Ph.D. - Well-known spiritual authority and teacher for the path of self-realization. He is one of the few Jewish teachers of the foundations of practical, non-orthodox and prophetic Kabbalah and Vedanta, and his style of teaching is very dynamic, based on deep wisdom, tolerance, understanding of the nature and dynamics of the human soul and mystical experiences. Dr. Benedikt is also the founder of an international spiritual fellowship which adheres to the unity of all religions, as well as to a universal brotherhood of mankind, and is commited to serving humanity through various forms of volunteer social work in Europe, Israel and India. He is the author of a two-volume work about the Kabbalah (German language) entitled "Kabbalah 1: Colors, Numbers, Sound and Language" and "Kabbalah 2: The Sefirotic Tree (Hermann Bauer-Verlag, Freiburg), and "Religion versus spirituality" (English, Lotus Publication, Germany).
• Ivor Browne, F.R.C.P.I., F.R.C. Psych., (Harv) ,D.P.M. is Professor Emeritus, University College, Dublin, having retired in 1994. He was formerly Professor of Psychiatry at the University College, Dublin; Chief Psychiatrist of the Eastern Health Board. He underwent his psychiatric training in Dublin, Oxford, London and Harvard. He is a preceptor of the Sarg Marg system of meditation which he has practiced since 1978. Browne has published many books and articles as: "An Experiment with a Psychiatric Night Hospital" (1960); "Psychiatry in Ireland" (1963); "The Dilemma of the Human Gaimily: a cycle of growth and decline" (1966); "Thomas Murphy: The Madness of Genius" (1987),"How does Psychotherapy Work?" (1989), "Psychological Trauma," or "Unexperienced Experience" (1990). His current work focuses on psychological trauma and how the brain processes traumatic experience, living system theory, understanding human groups, conflict resolution, social entrepreneurship and community development.
• Patrick Fleury - Preceptor of Raja Yoga according to the Sahaj Marg teaching. Vice President of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission in France. Acupunctor. Teaches the traditional Chinese energetic.
• Jean-Marc Mantel, M.D. - Psychiatrist. Founder and coordinator of the International Association of Spiritual Psychiatry and the Israeli Association for Spiritual Medicine and Psychiatry. Inspired in his work by non-dualistic teachings, expressed through talks, meditation and body-awareness approaches. Has written numerous articles on spiritual medicine and psychology.
• Sri P. Rajagopalachari - Spiritual leader of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission, a worldwide spiritual organization which has thousands of students (abhyasis), who practise the Sahaj Marg system (the Natural Path), a method derived from the well-known Raja Yoga (yoga of the mind), including meditation, purification of the heart and yogic transmission of universal love (pranahuti). Lives in Madras, India.
• Moshe Rafael Seror - Director of the World Center of Jewish Medicine. Professor of Jewish Medicine at the Safed Regional College and the Israeli College of Complementary Medicine, Tel Aviv. Spiritual teacher and guide at bi-annual seminars in the Sinai Desert. Practices Jewish Medicine and Naturopathy in Safed and Tel Aviv. Specializes in cases concerning spiritual issues.
• Hedva Stahl - Lecturer and healer. Ex-business woman who has returned to Judaism and is now observant on the advice of Sai Sathya Baba. She devotes most of her time to activities of service.
• Father Ya'aqov Willebrands - Born in the Netherlands and from 1936 was a Cistercian (Trappist) monk in his country for 25 years.. He studied in his abbey and at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. In 1961, he came to share the adventure of the Jewish people returning to their own homeland and to serve the local Christians in reestablishing their own monastic tradition. The community started near Nazareth, but moved in 1967 to Mount Netofa near Hararit and Deir Hanna. Lavra Netofa was founded there. Ya'aqov Willebrands is the hegumen (abbot) of the community.
• Ferdinand Wulliemier , M..D. - Psychiatrist, teaches at the Faculty of Medicine and at the "Centre d'Etude de la Famille" in Lausanne. Author of "The role(s) of Psychology in Spirituality" (in press), based on the philosophical principles of the Sahaj Marg, system developed by Shri Ram Chandra and his living successor Shri P. Rajagopalachari. Has practiced meditation since 1985, and tries to integrate and to apply the principles of a spiritualized psychology to his daily life, to his therapeutic practice and to various seminars.
• Rabbi David Zeller, M.A. - Executive Director of Yakar. Teaches at Pit'hey Olam and at the Reidman Center for Complementary Medicine. International singer, lecturer and counselor in psychology, mysticism and meditation. Co-founder and former professor of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, founder of the Network of Conscious Judaism in California. Has recorded cassettes of meditative and healing songs and niggunim.

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