The first to speak was Sita, Oneness Co-ordinator for Brazil, who has been accompanying groups on Oneness University courses since 2005.

“The journey to get here from Brazil was very long and when we arrived everyone looked tired and worried, a lot different from how they look today: radiant and full of joy.

The teachings of this course are much deeper than in the past, as if what was once taught in the deepening course is now already offered on the first level course.

Some participants have lived strong experiences that have released emotions and suffering from the past. It has been delightful to see the loving care with which the teachers have followed the participants, taking them by the hand day after day, guiding them through the process and taking them to the levels of joy and gratitude that can be seen today on their faces. Compared to other courses I've seen in the past I must say that the acceleration of the growth process is obvious to who, like me, has been accompanying groups for many years.”

Tell us your Oneness Experience story?

“I came across the Oneness Experience in 2005. I had been following for many years the teachings of a teacher, a very important person for my growth. One day he told me he had just come back from Golden City where he had lived and extraordinary experience and had reached such a deep state of peace he had never reached before. After a few weeks he accompanied a group to India and I joined the group on the 21 day course. That's when I started this extraordinary adventure and now twice a year I accompany groups from Brazil on the courses which once were held in India and now are held in Italy.

The Oneness Experience has changed me radically: I always used to be angry; now I'm calmer and more peaceful, I find it easier to apologise and hug others, something which I used to find difficult. I have undergone a deep transformation which is within everyone's reach.”

Now Paulo wishes to tell us something:

“Yesterday, when I became a Oneness Facilitator I looked at my watch and fixed the date and time in my mind and decided that would be my birthday. Because this is what it means to me, a second birth, a new life. I didn't think I would be able to stay still in one place for eight days but I managed. I'm hyperactive and all of my life I have tried to make money and expand my business but in the last few months I felt I could not carry on like that so I started to ask myself what I could do about it. One of my relatives is a Oneness Facilitator so I decided to try it as well. At the beginning my ego was not happy with my choice and opposed resistance but then, slowly, my doubts diminished until in the end I was convinced that I should come here. Now I feel that this experience represents a new start for me: from now on I want to dedicate more time to myself, my family, my wife and three children. I am confident this will happen.”

We asked Gustavo, the group's interpreter, why he offers this service:

“Basically for two reasons: the first one is my personal growth because by taking part in different courses it is as if the teachings go deeper and deeper inside me. Every time represents one step forward in my growth.

The second reason is my passion for Oneness and the desire to contribute and help to diffuse the Oneness Experience in my country. These two reasons are actually inter-related and it is difficult to distinguish between my passion for Oneness and the passion for my growth.

Since I've become a Oneness Facilitator my life has changed a great deal: relationships are easier, everything is more natural and I've noticed people feel at ease with me. The transformation is gradual and often is not noticeable; it is a continuous daily process and if I look back to a year ago I can see there have been enormous changes in my life.”
 

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We exchanged a few words with the participants while they relaxed in the garden during the break, enjoying the sun and peaceful surrounding hills.

George, from Great Britain was the first to speak: “I have been on many courses in my life and on the last day I was always troubled by the same question “When I get back what will happen in my life?”. I kept tormenting myself thinking how things could change thanks to the course. This time it has been different. I am not anxious and I do not have any particular expectations as regards my daily life after the course because I am convinced that the right things for me will happen. It was not easy for me to be here, this is a difficult moment for me, mainly because I am without a job, but now I have more faith in the future and in what will happen in my life starting from today.”

Stacy a young psychologist from Holland, said: “The experiences lived in these days have been very moving. It is as if I have developed a different perception of reality which helps me to distinguish the facts of the real world from my projections of the situation around me. I believe that the Oneness Experience/Deeksha is a very effective way to heal conflicts in our relationships and I can't wait to get back home to share this with my boyfriend, family and friends. Before the Oneness Experience/Deeksha I often felt depressed and lonely, I spent a lot of time on my own; being alone had become a way of survival. Last year I discovered the Oneness Experience/Deeksha and since then things have started to change; I started to open up more with others and I felt the need to become a Oneness Facilitator; it was like a growing drive within me and I knew it would not stop until I did the course in Italy. How do I feel now? I feel loved and connected to the others; I am happy and eager to give to some of the people around me some of the many gifts I have received in these days.”

Jon comes from Norway; his smile and sparkling eyes say it all: “I feel great inner peace, a sense of gratitude and I feel connected to other people and the divine. The silence of this place is unique and has helped me a great deal to enter this state of well-being. Once I get home I think I will be able to live everyday situations using my heart more. I want to share my joy with the people who are important to me: my family and my girlfriend. We only grow if we can help the others. My girlfriend and I have a secret dream: to go to Africa and make real a solidarity project we have for those who live in extremely difficult conditions. It is not something simple but now I feel closer to being able to make this dream come true. I have not come on the course only for myself. I want to commit myself to something great which can help the others because I have received so much that now I want to give.”

We now move to the Campus in Povegliano where the German speaking Level 1 course is coming to an end. We take advantage of a break on the last day to have a chat in the garden with Marion and Micheal, a course participant and course helper from Germany.

Marion: “This course represents the beginning of a new page of my life. About eleven years ago I started the search of my inner self and I have had strong experiences which I would definitely describe as true moments of awakening in my life. Unfortunately however this state of grace only lasted a few hours, or a few days at the most then it disappeared. This course is magical and I feel as if this state could become my natural condition. Since I've experienced the Oneness Experience/Deeksha my inner conflicts have become a lot less. Now I feel happy and I know that my condition can influence others: my friends and the people I love and care for. For many of these people I am like a relief valve in the sense that when they do not feel well they come to me to talk about their problems. Now I know I will be able to help them by giving them something of what I have received here and by sharing the wonderful teachings received. I have wanted to do this course for a long time but I could not go because I have three small children and until January of this year the course was held in India. Then the course moved to Italy so here I am with my heart full with joy and gratitude.”

Michael: “I am a Oneness Trainer and I have been accompanying German groups on Oneness University courses since 2005. What can I say.....the first thing that springs to mind is that here there are fifty people who feel well! The course is perfect and so are the teachers. I wouldn't change anything. I think that the smaller size of this Campus compared to the large Campuses in India makes the process more intense for the participants, helping them to be within themselves. I have always liked accompanying groups and I must admit that I have really enjoyed myself here in Italy. Thanks to the Oneness Experience/Deeksha I feel at ease with myself. I feel lucky, surrounded by the love of many people who care about me...and I have changed a lot...for the better I hope! (He laughs)"

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“It was an extraordinary experience. Until now I had helped on Oneness Experience courses held in my country but here it was completely different. I came here without any particular expectations and everything went really well. I'm happy!”

Were you impressed by something in particular of this course?
“It was very interesting to see how the participants changed as the course went on. At the beginning they were curious and nervous; then day after day they became more involved in the process and started to work at a deeper level in a contemplative state”.

The atmosphere at the Campus was in fact very peaceful during the course, filled with long silences.

“I think for us Germans it is particularly easy to be silent when asked to do so by the teachers”

When did you first learn about the Oneness Experience/Deeksha?
“I learnt about the Oneness Experience/Deeksha in 2006 when a friend told me about it. I went with him to a few evenings where I directly experienced the Oneness Experience/Deeksha and after having read the book “Awakening into Oneness” by Arjuna Ardagh I decided to go to India to do the course but I had financial problems. I started to pray asking for my dream to come true. After a week something incredible happened: my insurance sent me a cheque for damage compensation which I had asked for a long time before, I had already given up any hope of receiving anything; at this point I was ready to go."

Has your life changed after the Oneness Experience/Deeksha?
“The change occurred gradually: you don't just wake up one morning ‘awakened'! I noticed that in everyday life, day after day, I was able to handle what happened in a better way and I was able to live everything, even the smallest thing, with more awareness. This awareness is like a long wave which, as it grows, increases my ability to see what is happening within me. I am calmer and I feel like an observer of the situations that used to overwhelm me making me feel anxious. In the past, in my relationships I always tended to blame the others for what was happening to me. Now everything is within me; I've brought the steering wheel inside myself. I am aware that the external world is a reflection of my internal world.”

Before saying good-bye is there something you wish to add?
“Yes. I would like to say that before knowing about the Oneness Experience/Deeksha I had practiced Reiki and meditation for many years, trying to involve my friends in these activities so that they could obtain some of the well-being I was experiencing but I never managed to do so and in the end I felt lonely because I could not share my experience with them. With the Oneness Experience/Deeksha everything has changed! Many of my friends who have been to a Oneness Experience/Deeksha evening still continue to go regularly and the great thing is that some of them went to the evening of their own accord; I did not even have to invite them. Now, together with other six or seven Oneness Facilitators we have created a large group that meets every week in my town. We are one big family and we are truly experiencing what Oneness means in our everyday life: a feeling that brings well-being to everyone!
 

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After the initial worry about possible interferences due to the double translation everybody relaxed in an atmosphere of fraternal friendship.

On first level courses the novelty of the experience sometimes creates great expectations while on second level courses the atmosphere is more relaxed right from the start because everyone knows what to expect even though there are continuous changes and it depends on the teachers present who always add their personal touch.

Let's see how this course went through to the words of the participants:

How was it for you Stephen?

“Wonderful. I experienced the Oneness Experience/Deeksha in my country, Korea, last November and a month later I embarked on the adventure of the first level course. I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I got back from the Fiji islands, where I went as helper on a course for Koreans, I decided to fly to Europe to come and do this second level course.

What will you take back home with you?

“The joy of seeing how the Oneness Experience/Deeksha works for everyone, Koreans, Germans and Italians and how we all share one same heart. It would be nice if everyone could travel to various places going beyond language barriers. As far as I am concerned I've learned to love myself more and accept myself as I am. “

What do you expect once you get home?

“I'll see when I get back to Korea: I am very curious. I am sure that the frankness with which I looked into myself will help me at work, with my family and to have a more global vision. My desire to help others in my country has grown thanks to the gratitude I feel at the moment towards the divine, the teachers and helpers who have accompanied me during my process of growth. I have learned a great deal in these days. And the growth happens on its own.”

And what will you take back home?

Paco: “I want to tell you about a wonderful experience born from a simple teaching: "To think you need a language”. I was walking under the portico when I clearly saw the great difference between my thoughts – based on concepts and words – and the reality that was there before my eyes, vivid, vibrant, which seemed to call me as soon as the noise of my thoughts stopped. I don't think I will ever forget the deep insight I received in that moment.”

Vito: “I will take home something which occurred in a very natural way. Unlike on the first level course, on this one I concentrated a great deal on myself; I was able to see the difference between reality and how we usually perceive it.”

Do you think that this journey within yourself will lead you to being more open towards others?

“Yes. Definitely.”

Franca, what do you expect when you get back?“I expect to be more mindful, to be able to respond to the situations I will face instead of reacting as I used to especially at school, in class, with the children....and why not...also with colleagues. I would like to take the space I experimented here during meditation also in my daily life. I would also like to put right my relationship with my parents.

What difference did you find between the first level course and this one?

“Myself: I am different. On the first level course I had no idea what was going to happen, on this course I feel the difference given by a year of Oneness Experience/Deeksha and practice of the teachings received. Even the other people who were on my course in India are different. We have got a lot closer and this is mainly due to the fact that my approach towards them is different and they respond positively to this new approach.

I would be curious to see what the difference will be in a year's time.”

Yes...maybe you will be ready for a future and much awaited third level course!

What is your Oneness Experience/Deeksha story Yashu?

“Last year, in December I received the Oneness Experience/Deeksha; in March I was here for my first level course; now I'm here for the second level course after a period spent in Golden City in India. For me it is a continuous deepening which has led me closer to my real self and more open towards others. Every day on this course I felt a growing sense of inner peace thanks to the deep insight into my main patterns of behaviour in life. Before knowing about the Oneness Experience/Deeksha I needed a long time to understand and dissolve certain emotions such as guilt, here everything is simpler and faster. Now I am ready to go back to my country with less fears and expectations. I know I will have to face difficult situations and challenges but I have a lot of faith and this makes me feel calm because I know that life will support me. I also know I now have a precious instrument: the important thing now is to put it into practice every day.”

Stefan, what is the most precious thing you have received?

“I have really learned a lot about myself: how I work, why I behave as I do, what lies behind my actions. Above all I have learned to accept what I see; in a few words I have learned to fully experience myself.”

What effects do you foresee in your everyday life?

“At work I think it will be easier to meet challenges and relate to others. In my private life, with friends, family, intimate friends I feel I will enjoy life more. I don't actually expect much. I simply hope that my awareness will grow and that I will be able to break away from by old behaviour; I just want to live my life! Nothing more.”

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“An experience you should not miss”, said many.

Playing, laughing, joking! Throwing water at each other and then running to make it on time for the lesson all wet from head to toes. Nothing similar has ever been seen in previous courses! They were bursting with such joy while playing with water… A joy which is difficult to explain in words!

A few of them had expectations of what could be expected from the course but none of them had any idea of how surprising it was going to be and what this experience could give them. Most of them had only heard things about the adult courses from friends, parents, relatives but this course was so different!! The youth courses deal with topics specific for their needs and are conducted, presented and structured in such a different way from the adult courses that they could never have guessed what it would be like!!

“It has been an adventure !” “ I did not expect anything like this!” “Awesome!” These are just a few of the comments.

They arrived with many fears, lots of hidden emotions, many feelings only half experienced, all abandoned in a corner of their hearts. All of this has come to surface with the course. Whoever may have been oppressed by these thoughts before the course is now free of this oppression!

Who before felt sad, not able to see further than his own dilemma, is now flying, moving between serenity, calmness and the ability of observing things as they are.

Even the 5 helpers described the experience as incredibly inspiring:

“It has been organized in an amazing way! The teachings are oriented towards the challenges of someone that has a future to built, from a very practical point of view and not just theoretic.”

“Slowly the guides are understanding the west: being here they understand better our world and all its issues”, they comment with a smile! Everything ended in a great party, with music and improvised performances from the participants along with the staff.

Besides the great teachings received, the youth had the opportunity to practice English, that was used almost by everyone even if it was not their mother tongue and only could share the essential! Incredible how in 1 week life can change adding value to what we have in our hands without knowing it!

We leave the last words to our participants: “ Everything is full of energy here, its amazing ! When you have fun time seem to fly!”.

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You can see them cocky, super simple and of a few words, as usual between us guys. No complicated speeches on what you expect from a course like this. Fresh minds without pre-concepts about the what, the why and the how of things. There is a fantastic atmosphere!

Within half an hour of being together at the Campus, we're already one group: thirty-six guys coming from Korea, Sweden, Italy, China, Germany, Holland, United States, Great Britain, Russia and Switzerland! We are the world! As many languages as our ability to assimilate English concepts and somehow understand each other.

Who arrived by train, who by car and who even with a couple of planes! But at the end we all arrived to destination, a little phased out but after a good supper at the splendid restaurant of the Campus, it was as if none of us had travelled to come here. In the evening we were full of energy! Beneath the starry sky of this little patch of earth we laughed and joked, each one with everybody else! Like we just said, the group created itself even before starting!

We foresee a very “cool” course, as the youth generation would say!

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They themselves are a little sad to have to leave but, at the same time, anxious to restart a “normal life” already beginning to taste the change that will permit them to live the normal situations that will arise with a totally new view.

“I love myself now, and I can start loving the world.” ”This course opens your eyes but, mostly, changes the way you look at the world and your self.” ”The things you see could be the same as before. The difference is that you watch them from a totally different angle”. These are some observations of the participants. It looks as if something has opened their eyes. “The world is full of fantastic things”, they say, “but there are also things that aren't so fantastic. It's just like that! You can decide to live in indifference or make yours both.”

Now, with a such new vision of the world, they are packing, ready to start this new adventure called life! And certainly they will not live in indifference. It's now an established fact, it works !

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