devon hase loves long retreats. Cumulatively, she’s spent four years in silent practice in the Insight and Vajrayana traditions. Since discovering meditation in 2000, she has put dharma and community at the center of her life: she spent a decade bringing mindfulness to high school and college classrooms and now teaches at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, and other centers around the world. She enjoys supporting practitioners with personal mentoring, and her friendly, conversational approach centers relational practice and the natural world. Along with her life partner nico, devon co-authored How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist Survival Guide for Modern Life. She continues to spend a good part of the time in wilderness retreat in Oregon, Massachusetts, and elsewhere. For more, visit devonandnicohase.com
Instructions and guided practice on meditating with strong emotions - light RAIN with somatic experiencing using orienting, titrating, and pendulating.
Short talk followed by a guided meditation on working with vedana in the mind. How to practice with thoughts and their machinations in the third foundation of mindfulness from the Satipatthana Sutta.
This talk explores sīla (moral conduct) as both foundation and ongoing practice in Buddhism. Devon emphasizes the paradox of sīla—it's both a starting point and something continuously cultivated in each moment. She discusses how integrity requires balancing self-compassion with engagement in the world, using the metaphor of mountain wildflowers that are both tender and strong. The talk highlights how sīla provides resilience during difficult times, allowing practitioners to remain connected to goodness while confronting suffering without bypassing or burning out.
Teachings on how to practice metta for ourselves, including poetry by Jane Hirshfield and a story by Father Gregory Boyle. Guided practice in receiving care and sending love to our younger self.
A brief overview of noting practice as done using sounds, body, or breath as our primary anchor. Description of how to use perception (sañña) as the proximate cause for a moment of mindfulness to arise, followed by a silent 30 min meditation.
A talk focused on Dana Parami and its role in recognizing Nibbana. The discussion highlighted the importance of removing obscurations to reveal awareness, wisdom, and love. Devon explained how Paramis helped clear the way and emphasized the interdependence of giving and receiving. Practical aspects of generosity were addressed, including maintaining healthy boundaries and understanding motivations. Personal stories and reflections were shared to illustrate different types of giving and the long-term benefits of a generous mindset. Devon encouraged participants to practice generosity in daily life and highlighted the profound impact of living with an open heart.
This talk explores dāna (generosity) as both a foundational practice and natural expression of awakening. Devon describes how generosity creates conditions for happiness while requiring wisdom about our boundaries and capacities. Using personal examples about balancing family obligations with self-care, she illustrates how true generosity requires knowing ourselves well. The talk emphasizes that generosity is already present in awareness itself—in our natural capacity to receive and release each moment. It concludes that belonging and interconnection are our true nature, and that letting go paradoxically requires feeling held in the refuge of community.
