Ajahn Metta was born 1953 in Germany. She became an Anagārikā in ‘93 at Amaravati and took higher ordination as a Sīladhāra in ‘96. During her monastic life she has been involved in many areas of the community. She is one of the group of senior nuns leading the Sīladhārā community. For the past few years she has been teaching meditation workshops and retreats. Prior to monastic life she worked as a secretary and office assistant. She is a mother of a grown-up son and was living a family life before entering the monastic path. She has been practising meditation since ‘84 and has experience of living in other spiritual communities in Europe and Thailand (Wat Suan Mokkh).
Encouragement to bring awareness towards taking from the retreat that which what will continue to nourish you, to integrate even more into your life, as a field of protection. This way of practice will take care of you.
One aspect of the inner critic is the constant commentator. It shamelessly criticizes you regardless of what you do or don’t do; you will never get it right. Like the story of the demons who visit the home of Sakka, the way we relate to our inner demons is to relate to them with kindness. Without resistance and negative emotions, they will shrink away.
Trust can support us in our practice. Trust in terms of inspiration, aspiration, what brings us here and keeps us here practicing. Trust isn’t something that comes easily for everyone because of our past disappointments. Yet trust grows stronger by going through difficulties disappointments and expectations that are not met by staying with things in the moment. Then things are always alright, always manageable.
What we are doing by coming together, practicing with the overall framework of the Dhamma, is developing spiritual friendship. Over the short period of a retreat period as we meet and connect in the silence, our energies come together and we become unified as a group and find support.
