Workshop De-Minding^TM
by Daniël Yuno

Saturday 23rd january 2010, Stichting Solvitae, Voorburg, Netherlands

Our need for control, the need to perform, to be good enough, to satisfy others, to feel better etc is the primary cause for using our brains (minds) such a tremendous amount of time in our lives. We do our very best to understand and ‘get it’ all. Our need to understand arises out of the fear to lose control. The fear to lose control blocks our potential to experience.

Instead of creating an experience, we create the ‘image’/picture of an experience. Understanding or ‘getting’ something is not the same as experiencing it. Experiencing is taking part of an event without having control over the event. There are things that cannot be understood, only experienced: sensations, emotions, dancing… Talking about love is not the same as experiencing love. You cannot teach love. You can read a thousand books on it, talk about it, you can understand it, but you can’tfeel love nor experience it through reading a book.

Most people have replaced experience with understanding. This also happens in the spiritual life: people are busy with words, ideas, holy books, traditions, zen stories, methods and courses. Most people are stuck in the phase of understanding. This blocks their full selfmanifestation and spiritual development.

There is a great need in people to obtain tools that they can utilize in their daily lives to by-pass their Mind, their thought processes. Tools that will offer them the opportunity to act and respond without the ‘safety-filters’ of the mind.

This bypassing of the mind is necessary to move beyond the iron grasp, control and understanding of the mind and to achieve a real, full and long-term spiritual development.

A Zen-teacher who was dying, asked his beloved student to come to him. When he came to his bed, the teacher spoke: “I have chosen you as my successor and I assign to you this whole temple and this notebook”. Then the teacher handed his student a very old, large notebook.
“This book contains the wisdom of 7 generations of zenmasters. It was given to me by my master, I added my own words to it in the course of my life and I pass it along to you now.”
The student took the book, bowed, walked to the fireplace and threw the book in the fire.”
“What are you doing?” asked his master.
The student answered: “The moment that Zen is written it is worthless”.

For whom is this workshop:

• Spiritual walkers who want to get rid of their repressive and tyrannical thought processes;
• People who feel their mind is limiting them in their spiritual growth;
• People who feel  they are being taken too seriously and/or are taking themselves too seriously;
• People who want to transform understanding into experiencing;
• Partners that wish to recapture/bring back fun and playfulness in their relationship;

Time: from 11:00 AM to c. 17:30 PM.
Participation: € 75,- p.p. For members of Free Alliance: € 50,- p.p.
You can sign up by sending us an e-mail or by using the contactform. After signing in you will receive a confirmation and additional information (route description, times, etc.).


Make sure you bring:
•    Comfortable clothing (non-cramming) in which you can move freely
•    A bottle of water
•    Two towels: one large to sit on and 1 for personal use

TAKE NOTE: There is a risk connected with this workshop – you won’t take yourself so seriously anymore.