Devon Hase: Guided Reflection on Dukkha and Faith

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Short reflection and poem on how to recognize dukkha and its capacity to grow trust in the moment.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha's Upanisā Sutta offers one of his most quietly radical teachings: that liberation doesn't begin with getting comfortable, but with honestly meeting what hurts. Drawing on this "proximate cause" discourse from SN 12.23, this talk traces the transcendent sequence of dependent origination — from dukkha through faith, joy, tranquility, and insight, all the way to freedom. We'll explore what it means to stop treating difficulty as an obstacle to practice and start recognizing it as the practice's first gate — on the cushion, in daily life, and in our closest relationships.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Four Great Efforts: Connecting with emotions in an onward leading way.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Stories and humor from beloved teacher Ajahn Brahm.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Guided practice for directly experiencing the four elements in the body, followed by reading of Mary Oliver's "Humpbacks."

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The Buddha's contemplation of the four elements — earth, water, fire, and air — offers a gentle but radical path: from the conceit of "my body" to the felt sense of being nature itself. A guided exploration of elemental awareness, grounded in retreat experience, Satipatthana practice, and the luminous body-wisdom of beloved poets.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Deep Welcome, Reflections on Retreat and Metta Practice

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) How does loving-kindness infuse every dimension of the path? Drawing from a sweat-drenched pilgrimage around Shikoku's 88 temples, Devon explores metta not as a single technique but as a way of life woven through the Eightfold Path — from wise intention and ethical attunement, through generosity and letting go, to the boundless radiance of the brahmaviharas. Along the way, we discover how metta practice can open into concentration, healing, and even emptiness itself, and how the original instructions invite us simply to fill our bodies and the whole world with a field of care.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)