Dr. King said, “I’ve decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” It was the sticking to love that has inspired me and supported me over my own journey—his willingness to live in the integrity of that for which he stood. His steadfastness and forthrightness mirrors what I’ve been taught in the Dharma and what I try to put forth in my practice. “Taking the seat with dignity” is often thought of as standing against hate and injustice, but it’s important to note that Dr. King actually took a stand for love, for equality, for equity, for compassion, for empathy, for non-harming.
Devin Berry
Residential Retreat Teacher
Devin Berry is a Core Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society and a residential retreat teacher at IMS and Spirit Rock. A meditator since 1999, his practice is rooted in long-term retreat practice and the mettā and vipassanā teachings of the Insight Meditation tradition. A storyteller at heart, Devin teaches at community saṅghas nationally and internationally, drawing from lived experience and a deep love of the Dharma.
Devin Berry's Upcoming Programs
Short Program | On-Land
Saturday, January 17 | 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Reflections on Dr. King's Legacy: The Courage to Care
Dr. King taught that love must be both courageous and active. In a world overflowing with pressure, uncertainty, and polarization, compassion can feel too tender or too costly. True compassion includes courage, and equanimity gives it backbone. In this daylong, we’ll explore the strength to care and the steadiness to act. Through sitting and walking meditation, Dharma reflections, and relational practice, we’ll cultivate a heart that meets complexity with clarity and love—a compassion that transforms.
Short Program | Online
Saturday, January 17 | 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Reflections on Dr. King's Legacy: The Courage to Care
Dr. King taught that love must be both courageous and active. In a world overflowing with pressure, uncertainty, and polarization, compassion can feel too tender or too costly. True compassion includes courage, and equanimity gives it backbone. In this daylong, we’ll explore the strength to care and the steadiness to act. Through sitting and walking meditation, Dharma reflections, and relational practice, we’ll cultivate a heart that meets complexity with clarity and love—a compassion that transforms.
Retreat | On-Land
January 18 - January 22, 2026 | Sunday - Thursday | 4 nights
Returning Home: Finding Refuge in the Heart
Full - short waitlist. Commuter spaces available! Step into silence and reconnect with the heart. Join us for a silent Insight Meditation retreat with heart-centered practices, mindful movement, chanting, and Dharma reflections. Through dedicated practice, we uncover the radiance of the heart—our refuge and path. Deepen awareness, cultivate insight, and return home to what truly matters.
Retreat | On-Land
July 8 - July 17, 2026 | Wednesday - Friday | 9 nights
Summer Lovingkindness Retreat
Spaces Still Available! The Buddha’s teachings on the four divine sanctuaries (brahmavihāras) include meditations on universal friendliness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), altruistic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā). Aimed at purifying our hearts and developing concentration, these divine sanctuaries help us find inner peace and powerfully engage with the world. This retreat will deepen our understanding of selfless love and its role in ending suffering. Practitioners are encouraged to combine this retreat with the Insight Meditation retreat to further develop concentration and purify the heart.
Tempel Smith
John Martin
Anushka Fernandopulle
Devin Berry
bruni dávila
Kristina Baré
Rasika Link
Retreat | On-Land
July 17 - July 26, 2026 | Friday - Sunday | 9 nights
Summer Insight Retreat
Spaces Still Available! The Buddha's unique Insight Meditation techniques open a direct experience with our human mind and body, allowing us to deeply see into the nature of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self. Having these direct insights uproots the ignorance that keeps us trapped in cycles of suffering. Practitioners are encouraged to combine the Summer Insight Retreat with the Summer Lovingkindness (mettā) Retreat, although this is not required. For those attending both retreats, teachers will guide and integrate the retreats as one offering.
Tempel Smith
Bonnie Duran
Anushka Fernandopulle
bruni dávila
Devin Berry
Kristina Baré
Marcy Reynolds
Retreat | On-Land
September 14 - September 19, 2026 | Monday - Saturday | 5 nights
Inclining Towards the Beautiful Factors of Mind
Spaces Still Available! The Buddha taught that whatever the mind frequently inclines toward becomes the tendency of the heart. This retreat invites us to cultivate five beautiful qualities—faith, energy, mindfulness, tranquility, and equanimity—that steady the heart, support well-being, and create the conditions for liberating insight. Held in noble silence, the retreat offers a supportive space for deep investigation, sustained stillness, and the gradual transformation of habit and heart. Together, we’ll incline the mind toward qualities that foster clarity, wisdom, and inner freedom.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Devin Berry through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.