The Ehvam - International Spiritual Center for Peace ( he, אֶוָום - מרכז רוחני בינלאומי לשלום) also known as the Arava Spiritual Center ( he, מרכז רוחני ערבה), which is located in the southern Arava region in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

, and non-political organization founded in 2007 by Dvora Tzvieli. It is funded by donations through the "Shita Vechochma" ( he, עמותת שיטה וחוכמה) (Method & Wisdom) NPO.

History

The ''Ehvam - International Spiritual Center for Peace'' was established in 2007 by Dvora Tzvieli, known to her students as Lama Dvora-Hella, a student of Lama Sermey Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tarchin, whom she met in 1998. Tzvieli, a veteran of the '' Diamond Mountain Retreat Center'' in

Phoenix Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

where she spent 3 years in solitary retreat in the late 2000s, has devoted her life to the study, teaching and practice of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

and traditions of the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

Goal

The main focus in the establishment of the center was to act towards sustainable peace in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and thus contribute to World Peace.

The meaning of Ehvam

The name "Ehvam" is composed of two

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

syllables and has a deep symbolic meaning in the Buddhist tradition. Amongst other things it conveys the ultimate enlightened state of complete freedom, purity, and wisdom. It also conveys the inseparability of a pure and peaceful world with peace and purity in the hearts of its inhabitants and the attainment of inner purity and peace which is ultimately reflected in the environment around us.

Activities

The center facilitates study programs on the topic of

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

and

Meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

courses and workshops, workshops led by both local and guest speakers, retreats, joint activities between Israeli Jews, Arabs, Palestinians and people from around the world. In 2019, the center hosted Lama Gyume Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa, a

Lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...

globally-known for his Buddhist teachings. That same year, the center hosted world-renowned meditation researcher

B. Alan Wallace Bruce Alan Wallace (born 1950) is an American author and expert on Tibetan Buddhism. His books discuss Eastern and Western scientific, philosophical, and contemplative modes of inquiry, often focusing on the relationships between science and Buddh ...

. On January 8, 2021, the center initiated a year-long silent retreat workshop which will conclude in January 2022. During this silent retreat, participants are completely devoid of any communication with the outside world. This workshop is thought to be the first of its kind conducted in Israel.

Controversy

A report published in ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

'' highlighted criticisms, made by at least ten past students and students' family members, of the unconventional methods endorsed in the center. Those include the unreserved loyalty demanded by Tzvieli, services students felt expected to provide to the teacher, such as feeding, cleaning, massage, and monetary donations, and a practice of boycotting students who decided to leave. Some students turned to the Israeli Center for Cult Victims after a period in the center. The report described an incident in which a student's marriage nearly terminated following an episode of "tantric relationship" with Tzvieli.

External links

*
Method & Wisdom NPO website

Arava Spiritual Center
*

References

{{reflist, 30em Organizations established in 2007 Spiritual retreats Non-profit organizations based in Israel Buddhism in Israel Yoga organizations Spiritual organizations Community-building organizations Peace organizations