Anāgārikā Miriam | |
| Born in 1967 in England, I moved to Belgium with my family in 1971. I grew up in an agnostic, international environment. I returned to the UK to study biological science at university, then worked for many years in the scientific publishing industry, also partying hard, independent, loving music, interested in many things.
I can always remember having an aspiration to religious life and to real freedom. Yet I never understood how to give that aspiration proper attention, nor did I find a form to express it in. After a period of religious enthusiasm in my teens faded, I rejected those things for a long time.
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It can take painful events to wake to the urgency of trusting one’s intuition. Personal & professional disappointments, but especially my mother’s death in early 2000 really woke me up to my responsibility for this life, to how fleeting it is, how precious. From that point, events unfolded; the return of a desire for contemplation, finding a conducive environment for meditation practice in the shape of Gaia House in the UK; finding a great guide there, the Venerable Bhante Bodhidhamma. I will always be deeply grateful for his encouragement, clarity and good humour.
After a couple years of change, doing regular longer intensive retreats and studying, a heart wish to take on the monastic form emerged. It then took me a few years to clear the decks and find out how and where to do it. So, here it is …..
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