The Method in Madness Institute

The third method of working with our emotions (...) is to use them as a path of awakening.

The idea is to allow ourselves to experience the energy of the kleshas fully and directly.

In doing so, we discover that they contain all the wisdom we need to wake up.

An unshakable confidence comes from this experience - a confidence that brings fearlessness in life and in death.

PEMA CHÖDRÖN

The third and last event in the MiMi 2024 Spring writing season will explore the third method proposed by a Buddhist "science of the mind" to work with difficult thoughts and emotions (called "kleshas" in Sanskrit).

This time, contrary to the first two methods (see the April and May MiMi events), we learn how to leave these thoughts and emotions exactly as they are. We don't apply an "antidote" to get rid of them, and we don't transform them into compassion. And yet, it's precisely the third method that allows us to cultivate boundless compassion - both for ourselves and all other "sentient beings."

How to do this? By discovering the kleshas' very essence, and in doing so, discovering who we truly are. 

This is why the third method invites us to use kleshas AS support for awakening to the true nature of the mind. And to the extent that we learn to recognize that true nature, we will have found the place inside us in which we can truly rest and relax, no matter how difficult outer circumstances or how stormy our inner landscape may be.

Concretely, the End of Spring Sit Walk Write Retreat will combine sitting meditation, walking meditation, Natalie Goldberg-style writing practice, and the study of passages explaining this third method and coming from the following two books:

• How We Live Is How We Die, by PEMA CHÖDRÖN
• The Joy of Living - Unlocking the Secret & Science of Happiness, by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

By the end of the retreat, you will have a better understanding and a first practical taste of a key idea shared by both Zen and Tibetan Buddhism: the idea that we ARE a buddha already, or that we have all the awakened buddha qualities already, and that the study and practice of Buddhism as a science of the mind merely consists, in the end, of learning how to recognize that.

How can this help writers?

This third method provides THE most powerful tool to practice what Natalie Goldberg perfectly summarized when, in Writing Down the Bones, she wrote: "You are not the poem." 

In other words, the more we can see that we are perfect and whole already, at our very core, the more we will be able to focus on our writing and bring it to perfection without having the "small self leave a trace on our activity," as Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi calls it in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. The more we will stop imagining that imperfect writing must somehow mean that there is something wrong with who we ARE, the more we will be able to fully concentrate on perfecting our writing - and, in the process, access the joy and bliss that can come from the writing process itself.

PRACTICAL INFO

The event begins at

9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET, 5 pm UK, 6 pm Paris-Amsterdam

and ends 4 hours later.

FEE: 49 USD

A recording of the retreat will be available within five days after the event.

The MiMi Scholarship Fund has a limited number of places for those who need financial assistance to be able to benefit from our community's activities too (see below).

This is only possible thanks to the generosity of our donors, so if you can afford it, please add a donation to your order during checkout. Every little bit helps!

FOR WHOM?

MiMi retreats are open to anyone interested in writing, literature, and mindfulness. No meditation or Natalie Goldberg writing practice background is necessary. Whether you're a seasoned writer or simply curious about the intersection of mindfulness and writing, this event is open to any level of experience. All that's required is an open heart and a willingness to explore.

FACILITATOR

Anja Van Rompaey is a published author, philosopher, and certified Trauma-Sensitive meditation teacher (trained in teaching Jon Kabat-Zinn's MBSR, Mark Williams' Mindfulness, and Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach's Awareness meditation programs). She led the writing practice community EU Writing Down the Bones for more than four years and founded The Method in Madness Institute (MiMi), a MindX SRL division dedicated to helping participants learn how to meditate, read the classics in world literature, philosophize, and use writing practice as an authentic Zen "study of the mind" - or to take their practice to the next level.

At this time, Anja teaches The Compassionate Writing Year program as well as a weekly seminar on Suzuki Roshi's classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Passionate about writing, reading, mindfulness, and sharing her knowledge and expertise wherever possible, she has organized more than fifty Half-day and Full-day online Sit Walk Write retreats. She's currently a student of Mingyur Rinpoche.

To apply for a scholarship click HERE. 

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We guarantee a full refund until 24 hours before the day of the event.