metta and meditation

i attended the metta facilitator workshop over the weekend and it was fun. we had friends from all over malaysia, singapore and sri lanka participated. it's a workshop on how to create and facilitate a metta circle among our small community. a metta circle is where a group of like minded individuals come together to meditate on loving kindness regardless of race and religion. we guide the group on how to radiate love to all beings, to humanity and to mother earth. in this time of great change and transition, we really need to share love to ourselves and all out there. big love.


we were taught and guided by bhante mahinda on metta meditation and the deep meaning on the power of loving kindness. it was simply amazing! i am in deep gratitude that i am able to attend and learn. perhaps it is not my time yet to lead a circle, but non the less i am meditating and radiating metta whenever i can. the second half of this year is going to be quite a ride both inward and outwardly, the world is changing very fast. it is a necessity now to focus on love and not on fear. collective consciousness will decide on where we move forward as a species. if you would like to know more about this, you can visit metta round the world to get more info.  


here's the good news that i have been keeping for a while now. remember my retreat back in march? here's the secret... i am going to sri lanka for a three and a half week retreat next month!!

during the retreat last march, i told my teacher about the history of my meditation practice and the experiences that i have been going through and also about how my friend wanted to sponsor by retreat to burma, and spontaneously he said he would be happy to also sponsor my retreat, i had a choice of australia or sri lanka. i was speechless at that moment. after i got home, thought about it for a week, i called back to aloka foundation and told them i would like to accept the offer to sri lanka. and so just like that my wish of going for a long retreat came true. twice. the air ticket has been booked. i will be following a nun, sis. sumangala and some others in early august.

my teacher, bhante mahinda has given me an object of meditation, which is the meditation on the 32 parts of the body. i have to meditate everyday from now onward leading to my retreat in sri lanka. i have to share with you this funny story that happened to me.

the other day, after having given me the instruction on the meditation, my teacher told me to start meditating in the early morning. now, i am not a morning person. it is a bit hard for me to get up before the sun rises. anyway, the day after my teacher gave me that instruction, i woke up at 6am, but was too lazy to get up to meditate, in my half sleepy state i heard a low voice speaking "meditateeee......" and i replied in my half sleepy state, "no, i want to sleep, i'm lazy", again the low voice said "meditateeee..... meditateeee......" and that got my attention and quickly woke up to meditate.

the next day i met my teacher again and he asked me did i wake up to meditate, i told him the incident and he smiled, nodded and said "good, you have your guide looking after you." i wonder if he knew about that "voice", was it his voice that i heard? was he or an invisible guide that he sent to check on me? i don't know but i wake up to meditate at 6am everyday now. haha!

i've made myself a journal, as a log book to record my experiences during meditation, so that i can report to my teacher here and in sri lanka. it has been up and down so far, but hopefully my mind will calm down, that will help me get into a deeper state of meditation.

all is well and i am thankful.