Inspiring places
Andreas Salcher finds new ideas through reading and traveling. These have taken him to Tibetan monasteries and places of power such as Esalen and Tassajara. He regularly attended TED conferences to learn from the best scientists and undertook research trips to Silicon Valley.
The Benedictine monastery of Melk Abbey in Lower Austria
The Benedictine Melk Abbey has been a spiritual and cultural center known far beyond Austria's borders for more than 1000 years. It has one of the most important libraries in the world, which also served as the model for Umberto Eco's famous novel "The Name of the Rose".
From 2004 to 2008, Melk Abbey hosted the "Waldzell Meetings", which brought together the world's leading thinkers and visionaries with decision-makers from business and the media. The Waldzell Meetings reached their climax with the participation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from September 17 to 19, 2007.
The Walddenke on the Semmering
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More informationWith the "Walddenke", Thomas Plötzeneder has created a retreat for people looking for inspiration for a project or simply some well-picked time. The "Walddenke" is located an hour away from Vienna in a magical area that has inspired many great minds. For those who want to know more, pictures or a poetic video say more than a thousand words.
The Rongpu Monastery in Tibet
This monastery is located near the base camp of Mount Everest. Against this impressive backdrop, even Europeans quickly understand why the Tibetans have always seen themselves as an integral part of creation and never as its stewards or even rulers. Andreas Salcher visited the monastery in 1993: "Not the technological, but the "magical mastery" of the world was the Tibetans' adequate response to the difficult living conditions that can be experienced here."
The TED conferences in Vancouver/Canada
Andreas Salcher enjoys taking part in the TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design). Scientists, inventors, artists and visionaries such as Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos meet there to exchange ideas. The talks are also presented on the website www.ted.com and have already attracted more than one billion visitors. With over 35 million viewers, Ken Robinson leads the way with his legendary lecture "Why schools are killing our creativity".
Read Andreas Salcher's interview in the Kurier about his experiences at the 2015 TED conference here.
Esalen in California
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More informationEsalen in Big Sur is a place of power named after an ancient Indian tribe, a place where the New Age movement was significantly shaped. Special people from Susan Sontag to Joan Baez, from Henry Miller to Jack Kerouac, from Julia Cameron to Jane Fonda met here. Legends such as Fritz Pearls, Aldous Huxley, Fritjof Carpra, Moshe Feldenkrais, Carlos Castaneda, Deepak Chopra and Joseph Campbell taught at Esalen. Where there used to be a "wild" commune, the myth still lives on today and the dreamlike location overlooking the sea is unique. The workshops focus on Gestalt therapy, spirituality, bodywork and art.
An article in the Standard entitled "Harvard for those seeking meaning" by Andreas Salcher provides an introduction.
The Zen monastery Tassajara in California
The oldest Zen monastery in the USA is located in the Californian mountains of Carmel Valley and was founded in 1966 by Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. In summer, Tassajara is open to visitors and offers the unique opportunity to live with the monks - 50 percent of whom are women - and take part in meditation workshops. Andreas Salcher's interview with Ed Brown, one of the leading Zen priests and a student of the founder Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, provides an introduction.
