Ben ik een ‘schrijver’? Een ‘filosoof’? Of een soort ‘moderne monnik’? Ik vind alle drie ‘labels’ wel mooi. Op een simpele, vrolijke en diepgaande manier probeer ik mensen te helpen op het pad van wijsheid & compassie. Verwondering, vragen en meditatie kunnen ons hierbij helpen. Niemand wil lijden en iedereen zoekt naar betekenis en geluk in het leven. Door te schrijven en les te geven, met de dharma als voornaamste bron, wens ik een positieve bijdrage te leveren voor alle levende wezens. Over 100 jaar doet het er niet toe wat voor kleding ik droeg, wat voor huis ik in woonde of hoeveel geld ik bezat. Als ik de wereld een klein beetje beter heb achtergelaten dan ik het aangetroffen heb, dan zou ik al heel blij zijn.
Biografie
Hieronder volgt een korte biografie, ik werk nog aan een vertaling naar het Nederlands.
I grew up in a little village on the countryside, in the province Fryslân in the north of The Netherlands (Europe). I was taught to be part of an ethnic group called The Frisians and thus learned two languages: Frisian & Dutch. This experience has always made me sensitive & curious about minorities, diversity & the art of expressing yourself through language.
Religion was strongly part of my childhood in both my education and upbringing in the catholic tradition. In addition, me and my three brothers did a lot of sports and went on many adventures in Europe (e.g. climbing mountains, canoeing on wild rivers) till our parents divorced when I was 13. We continued to live with our mom. Life changed in many ways. Despite difficult times, we were all fortunate to do well in education throughout our childhood.
I decided to study sports-marketing & management (at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences) when I was almost 17. Though I enjoyed that – and also had some part-time related jobs related to it – the big questions of life that I knew from the world of religion were always beneath the surface.
The book Sophie’s world, that I read during my studies, together with contemplating & writing about life as I was living alone in ’the big city’ of Rotterdam, lead me to study philosophy and a strong wish to teach it. After all, an unexamined life was not worth living – according to Socrates. And how, I wondered, can we possibly find meaning and have a happier world if we don’t ask the big questions?
Thus it happened: I studied philosophy (at University of Utrecht) and taught the subject at secondary school for seven years at Wolfert (in Rotterdam); was part of the board of the organization for philosophy teachers for secondary education (VFVO) & Dutch Centre for Philosophy with Children (CKN); published with a friend two books about philosophy and well-being in education & upbringing. I felt very fortunate and joyful.
At the same time when I read Sophie’s world I also learned about Tibet, the xivth Dalai Lama and Buddhism. Meditation became directly part of my life with my my first long relationship that lasted about six beautiful years. We travelled to India in 2011 together and did a Tibetan-Buddhist retreat in Dharamsala. Soon I became a buddhist practitioner. At first this meant that I was looking for ways to make this part of my life in The Netherlands. Among other things, volunteering in prison & becoming a mindfulness-trainer for both adults (tradition of MBSR) & young adults (.b – mindfulness in schools project). During this period I also studied buddhist philosophy as a member of Nalandabodhi and became a student of the founder of that group & buddhist teacher Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
However, all kinds of events brought me in 2017 on the journey that I had wished to make for many years: traveling to Tibet. This gave my life a new direction. Started by a new romantic love I decided to live in Jerusalem and do a master in Jewish studies (which includes the other two Abrahamic religions) at the Hebrew University. I felt at home in Jerusalem, and am deeply affected by the relationship & life I had in ’the heart of the world’. However, my own heart kept pointing in a different direction and I could not ignore the voices within myself…
…Thus now I find myself at NalandaWest in Seattle (United States), one of the centre of Nalandabodhi, on the path of becoming a Tibetan-buddhist monk. I took a leap into the unknown, a bit scary but also joyful, so this is all I can tell you at this moment…
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