- \n
- Metta volunteers Anita Bermont & Susie Clarion joined us by Skype to discuss community development. By the time you read this, Anita and Susie will have represented Metta at the Buddhist Insight Network (BIN) conference in August.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- We discussed the possibility of expanding the GS with more talent, wisdom, and compassion. This is still being worked out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- We worked out a procedure for getting the GS meeting notes distilled to a manageable size and have them be presented so as to be representative and informative, but not too dry nor too lengthy for our greater Metta community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- We continued a discussion, tabled from previous meetings, regarding building a more transparent culture within Metta. This article and our future web postings are pieces of the increased transparency effort throughout Metta Programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- We continued the discussion around dana and\u00a0giving as a central value at Metta. This is part of ongoing attention to support Metta\u2019s culture and practice, touching all of our activities. This is a far-reaching topic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- We discussed the Teacher Development and Community Care Teams. We explored, for example, to what extent we\u2019d like to encourage uniformity across all Metta teams in areas such as consensual decision-making, role rotation, cross-training, integration of practice, budget consciousness, and so forth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- The evolution of the Whole Life Program (WLP) was discussed in quite some detail. There are many facets to this, Metta\u2019s longest running program after retreat offerings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"P8230062\"](\"http:\/\/metta.secure.retreat.guru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/P8230062-240x318.jpg\")
<\/a>So, as you might guess, the GS meetings are full and rich, far beyond the sparse list of topics above. Being in practice as we work together is a major piece of the process. I am an \u201cassociate member\u201d \u2013 a designation generously offered me to accommodate some restrictive health concerns I have – for this I am truly grateful. I find my involvement in the GS at times grueling, but most of the time personally invigorating on multiple levels. This is exciting stuff! That is, trying to conduct real business from a meditative state of mind rather than by following the more common \u201cRobert\u2019s Rules of Order\u201d model. These Skype and face-to-face meetings are indeed marathon gatherings in terms of time and energy required. I find the merging of my analytical mind with my more intuitive heart-mind, or \u201cright-left\u201d brains, as challenging as it is interesting.<\/p>\nWhat truly engages me, touching me where I live, is this intense form of bringing extraordinary mind states to everyday living. That is extraordinary and, in my experience, rare in the world of business. As in Insight Dialogue practice, the GS members support each other to be mindful, internally and as a group, in each moment. Serious issues are dealt with even as we allow for individuals\u2019 passions and emotions to arise. These emotions, too, are respected and cared for with empathy, compassion and all the wisdom we can muster. That agreement to practice with mutual respect and kindness is personally challenging and supportive to all of us, as individuals and as Sangha members, and of course is immensely important to realizing the full capacity of Metta Programs as a vital organization.<\/p>\n
All of us acknowledge how difficult and crucial this process is. It\u2019s just like remembering the Insight Dialogue guidelines during formal practice; we keep in mind our values, intentions, mindfulness and so on, and support each other in that remembering. We are uniquely situated being under the umbrella of Metta Foundation\u2019s church status. In some way, perhaps this helps us actually infuse this level of wholesomeness, wisdom, and compassion into Metta Programs\u2019 mandate to deliver Metta\u2019s mission to the world. This process takes time as well as mindfulness. This liberal use of time in service of awakening is generally rejected as irrelevant in modern western business. As challenging as it is, it would be far more challenging without the support of Metta Programs\u2019 main benefactor, Metta Foundation. The Foundation understands the real value, far reaching benefits, and has been consistent in their support. I hold much gratitude and respect around this.<\/p>\n
- The evolution of the Whole Life Program (WLP) was discussed in quite some detail. There are many facets to this, Metta\u2019s longest running program after retreat offerings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- We discussed the Teacher Development and Community Care Teams. We explored, for example, to what extent we\u2019d like to encourage uniformity across all Metta teams in areas such as consensual decision-making, role rotation, cross-training, integration of practice, budget consciousness, and so forth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- We continued the discussion around dana and\u00a0giving as a central value at Metta. This is part of ongoing attention to support Metta\u2019s culture and practice, touching all of our activities. This is a far-reaching topic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- We continued a discussion, tabled from previous meetings, regarding building a more transparent culture within Metta. This article and our future web postings are pieces of the increased transparency effort throughout Metta Programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- We worked out a procedure for getting the GS meeting notes distilled to a manageable size and have them be presented so as to be representative and informative, but not too dry nor too lengthy for our greater Metta community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- We discussed the possibility of expanding the GS with more talent, wisdom, and compassion. This is still being worked out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"P8230062\"](\"http:\/\/metta.secure.retreat.guru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/P8230062.jpg\")
<\/a>So, as you might guess, the GS meetings are full and rich, far beyond the sparse list of topics above. Being in practice as we work together is a major piece of the process. I am an \u201cassociate member\u201d \u2013 a designation generously offered me to accommodate some restrictive health concerns I have – for this I am truly grateful. I find my involvement in the GS at times grueling, but most of the time personally invigorating on multiple levels. This is exciting stuff! That is, trying to conduct real business from a meditative state of mind rather than by following the more common \u201cRobert\u2019s Rules of Order\u201d model. These Skype and face-to-face meetings are indeed marathon gatherings in terms of time and energy required. I find the merging of my analytical mind with my more intuitive heart-mind, or \u201cright-left\u201d brains, as challenging as it is interesting.<\/p>\n