This article were originally published in The Review, Vol. 19, #18, Fairfield, Iowa, United States, 14 June 2004. All pictures and captions were provided separately by a conference attendee.

Dr. Hagelin speaks to Danish Peace Conference attended by Minister of Defense

By Jim Karpen

Last month John Hagelin, director of the University’s Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy, traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, to speak at a number of events that attracted large crowds, including a conference on peace that was attended by the Danish Minister of Defense.

Dr. Hagelin was accompanied by Oscar-nominated film director David Lynch, who is a Trustee of Maharishi University of Management and a graduate of the Enlightenment Course.

Danish Minister of Defense Søren Gade at the conference. Regarding the use of Invincible Defense Technology to create peace, Defense Minister Gade said, “We share the same goal: Peace and security. There are many ways of achieving peace, I believe that the Peace Keepers of the United Nations is a good way of doing this, but it is important to discuss other methods of achieving peace.”

The national peace conference drew hundreds of participants, including government and business leaders. The Danish Minister of Defense [Soeren Gade] said that the goal of creating peace in Denmark and the world is something he has in common with the other speakers at the conference.

“We have the same goal: peace and security,” he said. He indicated his support for traditional methods but said that it is “important to discuss other methods of achieving peace.”

Dr. Hagelin began his remarks by expressing his appreciation of the openness of the Minister of Defense and went on to talk about the scientific research showing that a group of 500 Yogic Flyers would strongly reduce and even eliminate negative influences in Denmark with its 5 million inhabitants. A larger group of 1,000 would be sufficient for all the Scandinavian countries.

Mr. Lynch spoke about his experience with the Transcendental Meditation® technique for over 30 years and his support for this approach to peace. ‘This could really change everything,” he said. “What I cannot understand is why this has not been done long ago.”

The event received extensive coverage by the media, including a national television broadcast on the Danish equivalent of the Today show and articles in the nation’s leading newspapers, Politiken and Berlingske.

Dr. Hagelin and Mr. Lynch drew capacity crowds at other events as well. An education conference attracted 800 education leaders from schools, colleges and universities around the country. Follow-up efforts are now underway to implement Conciousness-Based^(SM) Education in these institutions.

In the city of Aarhus, Dr. Hagelin and Mr. Lynch drew a crowd of 500, and at a meeting at the School of Architecture in Copenhagen, approximately 600 people attended.

The events were part of a month-long “peace fair” organized by the Transcendental Meditation program Movement in Denmark.

	Danish Minister of Defense Søren Gade shakes hands with filmmaker David Lynch while Dr. John Hagelin looks on.
The Danish Minister of Defense Soeren Gade and David Lynch light a candle as a symbol of inaugurating the group of 500 practitioners of Invincible Defense Technology for Denmark. Reporters from TV2, Politiken, Berlingske and other major Danish media outlets recorded the historic ceremony.