About MARLIES MYOKU
Adyashanti recently gave Marlies the Japanese Zen name Myoku which means wondrous emptiness. For the time being she will be using Marlies Myoku.
Marlies brings a potent invitation into the deep Silence that we are. She invites seekers to wholeheartedly look inside and see who is really in there. Marlies is dedicated to the service of others. She loves to be with people in the precious unfolding of Truth and Love. She says, “In my life I have encountered many severe sufferings. I have come to know from direct experience that Freedom lies not in escaping from difficulties but rather in completely welcoming and receiving all that the Mystery presents. No matter what happens we kiss our humanity and stay home in the Silence of our Being!” Marlies studied with Osho and Barry Long before meeting her root teacher, Adyashanti, who asked her to teach in 2000. “With Adya the bottom fell out. I deeply knew I am not this body, mind, thought or psyche. At the same time I also deeply knew I am all these things as well. There was no in or out. I knew all is One.” THE JOURNEY HOME Marlies was born and raised in Amsterdam. She now lives in Santa Cruz, CA. The driving force of her whole life has been a passion to know Truth. If there was any religion in her family as she grew up it was soccer. Every Sunday they gathered to watched soccer and Marlies loved it. All the other days of the week she played field hockey and loved it just as much. Still, she felt something was missing and so her search began. She visited many churches and temples, but nothing quite resonated. At the age of 14 dreams of being a Tibetan monk came to her. Even though she had never read anything about it, she knew these dreams were about another time. This inspired her to start reading books about Tibet, Nepal and India. Soon she knew, “I have to go there!” Getting there took until 1986. In the middle of her psychology studies she left for India where she met her guru – Osho. For the first time in her life she became completely inward and arrived Home. For almost one year she steeped in Osho’s presence. A lot of old pain was released. Big openings happened and there came deeper tastes of the Sweetness of Being. “In Poona with Osho I felt for the first time in my life truly loved and cared for.” In her teens Marlies was raped on three different occasions. These were traumas, which she had kept hidden deep down under the personal carpet. Finally, in Poona, in the safe surroundings of Osho and the very loving arms of many people the lid came off. What a relief that was! “It was quite a dramatic experience because I couldn’t keep myself standing up. For weeks I would literally fall on the floor and cry for hours. It was so freeing to let it all out and be held so lovingly. I felt I was being emptied of lifetimes of unhappiness”. Back in the Netherlands, Marlies graduated in Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. In addition, she trained for a year in the Humaniversity in Holland, which is a therapeutic community. She then went to France to work with troubled teens and adults who had experienced family abuse. During this period she studied with Barry Long, an awakened Australian tantra teacher. “With Osho I was broken open and experienced Home for the first time. Barry helped me to not doubt myself any more and to deepen resting as Silence.” Within the Osho community her interest in sexual lovemaking was deepened. Marlies entered the world of Tantra. It felt like such a familiar arena to her. She began a deep exploration into sexuality and silence. When Barry Long came into her life he brought ground to what true love between two people is. He taught about the Making of Love. It was very inspiring and deeply touching. Marlies also studied with Carla and Viram Verberk, who helped to deepen her practice of Tantra. Later, in the United States, Marlies studied with Charles and Carolyn Muir who certified her as a Tantric educator (CTE). In 1994, Marlies moved to Santa Cruz, California. Where she was trained as a certified Hakomi therapist. In Santa Cruz she met her root teacher Adyashanti. Adyashanti is a teacher from the Zen Buddhist tradition. “With Adya the bottom fell out. I deeply knew I am not this body, mind, thought or psyche. At the same time I also deeply knew I am also all these things as well. There was no in or out. I knew all is One.” In 2000 Adyashanti asked Marlies to teach the dharma, which she does with all her Heart. “The Silence that I AM deepened in being with Adya and imbues all the Satsangs, retreats and individual meetings I offer. I have no words for the deep love and support that Adya has given me. He is an example of living an ordinary life as an awakened householder.” Marlies is also inspired by:
Marlies loves dance, and this love of dance permeates all her work. She especially loves West-African and traditional dance from Congo Brazzaville. In dance as in all areas of her life she moves as Stillness. She gives thanks to her dance teachers: Debbie Nargi-Brown, Alasane Kane, and Vivien Bassouamina. “In deep gratitude for all that is given and taken away” |
