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. Currently she is helping with the organisation of the kitchen and taking care of visiting nuns. 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).

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Born in Austria in 1958. After graduating in hotel management she studied cultural anthropology at Vienna University and worked in avantgarde dance theatre as a performer and costume designer. From 1981-85 she was part of the ‘Serapions Theater’ ensemble based in Vienna and touring mainly in Europe. Beginning of the 80’s she was founding member of a community of ecologists, artists and social workers near Vienna, which is still thriving today.

1988 she met her first teacher Ajahn Buddhadasa and spent several years in Thailand before coming to Amaravati in 1992. After becoming an Anagārikā in 1993 she stayed part of her training (1996-97) with the mae chi (nuns) of Wat Pah Pong and some branch monasteries. In 1998 she received Sīladhāra ordination with Ajahn Sumedho as her preceptor. Currently she is the guest nun, looks after school visits and teaches meditation classes and retreats.

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Sister Bodhipala was born in South-East Asia in 1940, married, has three children and five grandchildren.  She was ordained as Anagarikaa in 1998 and as Siladhara in 1999.  Venerable Ajahn Sumedho was her Preceptor.

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Born in Germany in 1949, she worked for nearly 20 years as a teacher and artist in Hamburg. In 1990/91 she went to Indonesia to study awareness movement (Amerta Movement - The River of Life) with Suprapto Suryodharmo - a practice which connected her more and more with Buddhism. After meeting Luang Por Sumedho in 1994, she felt so supported by his teachings that she came to Amaravati, where she has been living since 1996. In 1999, she asked for Sīladhāra ordination.

Here she is supporting the community and is involved in family activties, especially exploring ways of practice and teaching which use formal meditation as well as painting and movement - for liberation.

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