Dharma &

Hi everyone,I gave this talk last night at the River Road Unitarian Church on rejoicing, one of the four Limitless Attitudes (Pali: Apāmāṇa). Enjoy!Upcoming OfferingsMay 6th, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Drop-in Session, River Road Unitarian Universalist Church (RRUUC), 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817June 3rd, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Drop-in Session, River Road Unitarian Universalist Church (RRUUC), 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817June 14th, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Drop-in Session, Downtown Dharma @ Yoga District, 1910 14th St, NW Washington, DCJune 24th, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Drop-in Session, River Road Unitarian Universalist Church (RRUUC), 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817July 29th, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Drop-in Session, River Road Unitarian Universalist Church (RRUUC), 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817Spring Retreat - Save the Date!March 11th - 14th, 2027 Insight Meditation Residential Retreat, Seven Oaks Retreat Center, Madison, VA (With lots of single room accommodations this year!) Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Hi friends,This is the first talk in a series I’m offering on the Limitless Attitudes (Pali: Appamāṇa), which are also called the Divine Abodes (Pali: Brahmavihāra). I am working my way backward through the Limitless Attitudes, starting with equanimity, which is often taught last and is the subject of this talk. This was recorded at Downtown Dharma on April 12th. I hope you find it beneficial. Upcoming Offerings:I’ll be back at Downtown Dharma on June 14th, and will be teaching a few classes at River Road Unitarian in May, June and July, though the dates have not yet been finalized. I will post a complete schedule soon, with those details and, hopefully, details on next year’s spring retreat. Photo by Srikanth Sistu on Unsplash Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Hi everyone,This is a recording of the talk I gave on Monday night on Right View. It is the last talk in this series on the Eightfold Path. I hope you find it helpful.Upcoming EventsMarch 12th - March 15th: Residential meditation retreat in the Insight tradition. Seven Oaks Retreat Center, Madison, VA. To learn more or register follow this link: https://imcw.org/event/?eventId=1678March 25th, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Drop-in Session, River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817.April 12th, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Drop-in Session, Downtown Dharma @ Yoga District, 1910 14th St, NW Washington, DCApril 22nd, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Drop-in Session, River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817.June 14th, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Drop-in Session, Downtown Dharma @ Yoga District, 1910 14th St, NW Washington, DCPhoto by Irena Carpaccio on Unsplash Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Hi everyone,Here is the talk I gave on Right Intention at River Road Unitarian Church on February 4th. I hope you find it helpful.Upcoming Offerings:RetreatMarch 12 - 15, Madison, VA: “The Path of the Restful Warrior” is a residential Insight meditation retreat that I’m teaching with Dechen Ellen McSweeney. Click here for more information and registration.Drop-in ClassesFebruary 23rd, 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM, St. Marks Capitol Hill, 301 A St SE, Washington, DC 20003. More infoMarch 25th, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817 More infoApril 12th, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, Yoga District, 1910 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009 More InfoApril 22nd, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817 More infoPhoto by Steven Weeks on Unsplash Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Hi everyone,This is a talk on Right Speech and its place in the Eightfold Path that I gave at Downtown Dharma on January 4th, 2026. The recording also includes the Q&A that followed the talk. Also, I learned last night that the audio posts I have been sending out are also podcasts, published to Apple Podcasts and Spotify and elsewhere. In order to make it easier to find them across the web, I gave the podcast a title. It’s called “Dharma &” beacuse it is about the Buddha’s teachings, which are often called the Dharma, as well as other related topics like therapy and mental health and my struggles getting small children into the bathtub. I hope you find it helpful.Upcoming Offerings:January 7th, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM: Drop in class at River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817.March 12th - March 15th: Residential retreat in the Insight Meditation tradition. Seven Oaks Retreat Center, Madison, VA. To learn more or register follow this link: https://imcw.org/event/?eventId=1678Photo by Niek Doup on Unsplash Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Hi friends,This is a recording of the talk I gave last night at River Road Unitarian as well as the Q&A that followed. The subject is Right Action and Its Place in the Eightfold Path. I hope you find it beneficial!Upcoming Events3-Day Meditation Retreat in the foothills of the Shenandoah MountainsA meditation retreat is a chance to learn how your mind works, experience the peace that comes from collected mental energy, and to open your heart. If that is of interest to you, consider joining me and my co-teacher Dechen Ellen McSweeney for a 3-day medtiation retreat March 12-15 in the Insight Tradition. It’s a rare opportunity to step out of the rhythms of daily life and see what happens to a mind that is allowed to settle. Having appreciated retreats as a student for many years, I am happy to be able to offer the experience to others for the second year in a row. For details and registration information please visit https://imcw.org/event/?eventId=1678Drop In Class:January 7th 7:00 - 8:30 PM, River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Rd., Bethesda, MD Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Dharma talk on Right Livelihood given on 12-1-25 at Downtown Dharma, hosted by Yoga District on 14th street. Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Hi friends,Here is the talk I gave last night at the River Road Unitarian Church on Right Effort and Its Place in the Eightfold Path. It’s about how to invite the dharma into every aspect of our lives, gently, moment-by-moment. The recording also includes the Q&A that followed the talk.Upcoming OfferingsResidential Retreat: I’m happy to let you know that registration is now open for a 3-night residential retreat that I am offering with my teaching partner Dechen Ellen McSweeney at Seven Oaks in Madison, VA March 12-15. Drop In Classes:November 30th, Downtown Dharma, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Yoga District, 1910 14th St, NW Washington, DCDecember 7th, River Road Unitarian Church, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Rd., Bethesda, MDJanuary 4th, Downtown Dharma, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Yoga District, 1910 14th St, NW Washington, DCJanuary 7th, River Road Unitarian Church, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Rd., Bethesda, MDApril 12th, Downtown Dharma, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Yoga District, 1910 14th St, NW Washington, DCI’ll probably add a few more teaching dates in February and March and will email a revised schedule when those are set. Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Samma Sati, often translated as Right Mindfulness, is the seventh aspect of the eightfold path. Mindfulness, in some respects, is the element of the path that gets the most attention in Western culture, and yet is is a concept that is burdened with many denotations and connotations that it was never intended to carry. Last night’s talk at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill explored the simple and powerful quality of mindfulness, as well as its place within the larger framework of the Buddha’s teachings. Photo by Brad Switzer on Unsplash Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Hi friends, Here’s the talk I gave last night at the River Road Unitarian Church. It’s about the journey to (and from) a quiet mind.With love and blessings,Devin Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Hi friends,I gave this talk last night at River Road. I hope you enjoy it.Upcoming Events: I’m offering a two-day non-residential retreat in Glen Echo, MD on October 11th and 12th with my friend and colleague Ellen McSweeney. You can learn more and register here. https://www.futurevessel.art/eventsMy next drop in class is at Yoga District on 14th St. with Downtown Dharma on Sunday September 7th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. I’ll be back at the River Road Unitarian Church on Wednesday September 17th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

This is the recording of the talk I gave Wednesday evening at the IMCW meditation class at the River Road Unitarian Church. I’ll be teaching there monthly. It’s worth coming in person if you can. The group discussions, which are not recorded, are full of love and humor and wisdom. This talk is on the second noble truth, described with a story about giving my kids honeysuckle nectar and their quest for more. I hope you find it helpful. Photo by Kara Skye on Unsplash Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

This is the dharma talk and meditation from a class I taught last Wednesday (I’ll be teaching there again this Wednesday). The talk is about defining dukkha. I pointed out that after 2,600 years, there still isn’t an agreement about what exactly dukkha refers to or how we would define it in English, despite the fact that it is the cornerstone of the most foundational teaching in the Pali Canon. Rather than engage in an intellectual exercise, I invited participants to use a meditation technique developed by Eugene Gendlin, a psychotherapist, called “Clearing the Space.” I find that the technique brings us right up to our deepest understanding of the nature of dukkha, and the possibility of freedom. This technique was taught to me by Jonathan Foust and I am glad to be able to share it with you. Many blessings. Photo by Matt Hardy on Unsplash Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

This is a guided mindfulness meditation that blends stillness practices with heart-opening practices. Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe

I shared this meditation with students who reported that “the planning mind” was a constant during their meditation practice. Many of them found that the metaphor helped them disengage the planning mind, even if for just a few moments. Some said that through the course of the meditation they found they could “pull up their oar” repeatedly as they noticed the habit pattern of planning arise again and again.* Sit, lean back, or lie down.* Notice that there is a body here. Try to think of it as “a body” rather than “my body.” This shift in perspective will help the mind let go a little of its running narrative about the self. * Give this body permission to relax.* Notice that this body is breathing.* You might allow yourself to imagine that you are in a canoe and rather than paddling along as you usually do, you are going to pick up your oar and set it in the boat.* Your breath is like the water rising and falling beneath the boat. * For a few minutes, you will just rest in the boat, hearing the sounds around you, feeling the rising and falling of the body. Let everything just float. * The oar will be there when you need it, but right now, give yourself complete permission to stop paddling.* After a few minutes, you can slowly open the eyes. Watch the mind as it shifts back into a more active role - planning, analyzing, and engaging with the demands of the day. Photo by David M. Chambers on Unsplash Get full access to Devin Maroney at devinmaroney.substack.com/subscribe