During the retreat at Venabu April 2024, both instructors tried to focus on kindness, inspiration and joy – because we know how important it is for meditation and spiritual development. And that focus paid off – many people experienced how easy it is to sit for a long time and go deep in meditation, when the mind is full of positive emotions.

One of the participants summarized the teaching with a rhyme in English:

The peace and happiness inside
I want to catch it, but it just hide
Today I had a teaching, and now I know
You can only find peace and happiness by letting go.

If you still need to do; to act
Add kindness; it will hava a huge impact
To all of you with an active mind
Just remember − be kind

Another participant summarized the teaching in the Pali language:

mettanca te bhikkhave cetto vimuttiya

which means “the mind of a bhikkhu (monk) will reach full awakening by practicing loving-kindness”.