The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Dharma Talks given at Refuge of Belonging
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2026-02-14 The Second Traveler: Karma, Perception, and the Impossible Vow 27:35
Nico Hase
A daylong reflection on sīla as lived dharma—how we become the kind of person whose actions embody love. Using the “two travelers” story, this talk explores karma as the slow magic of perception and relationship shifting over time, and lands in the bodhisattva vow: an impossible commitment that becomes a compass for staying upright, inclusive, and grounded in goodness—especially in a storm.
Refuge of Belonging

2026-02-14 Held by Integrity: Sīla as Love in Action 29:21
Rhonda Magee
A grounded, heart-forward exploration of sīla—ethical life as lived practice. Moving through the Eightfold Path and the five precepts as mindfulness trainings, this talk reframes integrity as wholeness: remembering we already belong, and learning to bring compassion, discernment, and non-harm into how we speak, act, relate, and consume.
Refuge of Belonging

2026-01-10 Dana is Receiving and Giving 23:36
Nico Hase
In this intimate and practical talk, Nico explores dāna not just as generosity, but as the living rhythm of receiving and giving. Beginning with the body and the breath, he shows how generosity softens clinging and loosens the “dream of dissatisfaction.” Through stories, reflections on boundaries, and teachings on interdependence, he reframes dāna as making space—listening for what is needed in ea
Refuge of Belonging

2026-01-10 Deep Listening and the Path of Unbinding 29:04
Nico Hase
We're caught in a dream of thoughts, roles, identities, and emotional reactivity. Rather than fighting or believing the dream, we practice deep listening to body, heart, and mind with unconditional welcome. Through this listening, we make four discoveries: the dream is stressful, bondage to it is suffering, unbinding brings peace, and there's a path. The ten paramis (perfections) gradually wake us
Refuge of Belonging

2025-10-11 As Best as I Am Able: Living into Equanimity 23:42
Gina LaRoche
In this honest and tender talk, Gina LaRoche reflects on equanimity as a lived practice of non-reactivity — meeting life’s waves, insomnia, loss, and uncertainty with steadiness and care. Drawing on her teacher DaRa Williams and the “seven brahmavihāras,” she explores forgiveness, generosity, and gratitude as daily companions on the path toward a balanced, open heart.
Refuge of Belonging

2025-10-11 Still Water Flowing: The Discipline of Equanimity 30:21
Nico Hase
In this talk, nico hase unpacks equanimity as a living, relational practice — not numbness, but steadiness in the middle of praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and pain. Through stories (including a flying blender), Tibetan and Zen frames, and simple training phrases like “May I find stillness in the midst of change,” he shows how returning again and again to balance lets us live with less drama, more compassion, and an open hand toward the world.
Refuge of Belonging

2025-09-13 Metta as Medicine: Meeting Fear with a Boundless Heart 36:07
Rhonda Magee
In this heartfelt teaching, Rhonda Magee invites us into the healing power of sangha and loving-kindness (mettā) as a living, embodied antidote to fear. She weaves personal story, the Buddha’s Metta Sutta, and guided practice to show how we can root in warmth, belonging, and courage — together.
Refuge of Belonging

2025-09-13 Metta Is Like Hard Candy 22:36
Nico Hase
In this teaching, nico hase reflects on how loving-kindness practice can feel unyielding at first — like holding hard candy in the mouth — yet through steady presence, what once seemed solid begins to soften. We discover how even pain, when met with patient attention, can dissolve into compassion and connection.
Refuge of Belonging

2025-08-09 The Strength We Already Have 29:37
Nico Hase
A dharma talk exploring adhitthana (resolve/determination) through the story of Milarepa, the Tibetan yogi who transformed from a vengeful sorcerer into Tibet's most beloved Buddhist practitioner. Nico discusses how spiritual practice requires uncomfortable heat and urgency (samvega), how purification is often difficult work, and the four types of resolve: wisdom, truth, generosity, and peace. He emphasizes that determination is always communal - we never practice alone but are supported by teachers, sangha, and the natural world.
Refuge of Belonging

2025-08-09 Holding Fast and Staying True 33:35
Devin Berry
A dharma talk exploring adhitthana (resolve) as a spiritual practice rooted in ancestral wisdom and lived experience. Devin shares personal stories and examples of how resolve manifests not as willpower or force, but as a quiet, steady commitment to returning again and again to what matters most - whether in meditation practice or in responding to the world's suffering with fierce compassion.
Refuge of Belonging

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