The Intimate Heart of Dharma
A weekend retreat with Devin Maroney and Dechen Ellen McSweeney
October 11 & 12 from 9am-6pm
Journey Space in Glen Echo, MD
Registration $75 // Dana will be invited at the end of retreat
Requested donation of $400 for the weekend
Join Ellen and Devin for this nonresidential weekend retreat at Journey Space, a tranquil practice studio just outside DC. Together, we will explore the heart of what brings us to practice — and the greater intimacy with life that becomes possible.
About the retreat
Schedule and teachings: The schedule will include silent meditation practice, guided meditations drawing from several traditions, movement, dharma talks and group interviews. Single-day registration will not be available; full attendance at both days is required.
Location: Journey Space is a 15-minute drive from Friendship Heights Metro. Ride coordination will be offered closer to the event.
Registration: Space is limited to 20 participants. To reserve your place, fill out this registration form and send your $75 registration fee to any one of these three accounts: ellen.mcsweeney@gmail.com on Zelle, @ellen-mcsweeney on Venmo, or @ellenmcsweeney on Paypal. The registration fee is nonrefundable if you cancel after Friday, October 3.
About dana: For us, the offering of this retreat is an experiment and a deep contemplation of how Dharma teaching may be resourced in our modern world. We find ourselves at the crossroads between the traditional Buddhist monastic practice of generosity, and the reality of our lives as lay practitioners and householders in D.C. We have set the registration fee to cover only basic event costs. We have also chosen to make transparent the average contribution that would allow us to meet our full needs in making this offering. We invite you to join us in this exploration and practice.
About the Teachers
Dechen Ellen McSweeney is a musician, writer, Dharma practitioner, psychotherapist, and Circling leader. For more than two decades, she has stewarded groups who strive to embody a more beautiful world: from string quartets and folk bands to Extinction Rebellion and metamodern monasteries. She lived for two years at the Monastic Academy, where she trained with Soryu Forall and experienced the power of a spiritual community that wakes up and grows up together. In her 15 years of Dharma practice, she has trained primarily in the Insight and Zen traditions. Ellen is currently a meditation student of Geoff Fitch.
Devin Maroney is a psychotherapist in private practice, working with adults at all stages of life. He is also a meditation teacher with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. His goal as a therapist and a dharma teacher is to help clients and students reconnect with and draw strength from the goodness in themselves as they cultivate positive behaviors and new perspectives on life. He has studied with and been mentored by Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, and Jonathan Foust since 2011.You can find examples of Devin’s writing and teachings at devinmaroney.substack.com, and learn more about him here.