Short reflection and poem on how to recognize dukkha and its capacity to grow trust in the moment.

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.

Guided meditation on loving all parts of ourselves and the world.

Guided practice for contemplating the parts of the body, leading to an attitude to nonattachment and letting go.

Drawing on the wisdom of rivers, forests, and the four elements, this talk explores how the natural world mirrors our own deepest nature - and how turning toward impermanence, non-clinging, and the wildness of our own hearts can become a path to freedom.

Stories and humor from beloved teacher Ajahn Brahm.

Guided practice for directly experiencing the four elements in the body, followed by reading of Mary Oliver's "Humpbacks."

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.

Deep Welcome, Reflections on Retreat and Metta Practice

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.