The Courage to Be Real:
A Daylong Retreat with Aishah Shahidah Simmons & nico hase
Saturday, July 11th
10 am to 4 pm pacific time
In a world full of half-truths and convenient lies, what does it mean to live with radical honesty?
Sacca parami—truthfulness—begins with the willingness to see clearly: to acknowledge what's actually happening in your life, in your heart, in your relationships. This kind of truth-telling requires tremendous courage because it often means facing what we'd rather avoid.
But here's the paradox: the truth that initially feels so threatening is ultimately what sets us free. When we stop hiding from reality, we can finally respond to it skillfully.
What We’ll Explore Together
In this one-day online retreat, Aishah & nico will explore sacca parami in depth—the courage required for radical honesty and authentic living.
The day will begin with an hour of conversation and an opening talk around the theme. We'll then sit and walk for four hours in lightly guided practice, before reconvening for a closing talk and further dialogue.
A Full Path of Practice—Rooted in Community
🪴Monthly Daylongs – This is the seventh in an annual series of ten online daylongs offered by Refuge of Belonging, a dharma community rooted in presence and open to all.
🪴The Paramis – The ten paramis are heart qualities that range from kindness and equanimity to resolve and letting go. They offer a time-tested path for cultivating what truly benefits both ourselves and others.
🪴Community – Refuge of Belonging is an online community offering a WhatsApp group, weekly dharma talks, monthly daylongs, quarterly classes, and an annual residential retreat—all designed to nourish and sustain your practice.
what people are saying
"Aishah Shahidah Simmons's teaching is profoundly moving, integrating personal narratives, scholarship, and spiritual practice to create a clear, urgent call for healing and radical justice. Her survivor-centered approach roots transformation in love, belief, and accountability."
— A.J.C.
"nico teaches with lightness, humility, and vulnerability. He's real, down-to-earth, yet has so much wisdom to share. He's easy to relate to and a joy to learn from!"
— Sarah Fowler, Speech Pathologist, Ashland, OR
Registration & Payment
Date: July 11th
Time: 10am to 4pm pacific time
Format: Online via Zoom
We offer these daylong retreats on a dana model. The suggested donation is $50 to $150 per session. We gratefully accept contributions of greater or lesser amounts, based on your resources.
Aishah Shahidah Simmons (she/her) is a Black feminist lesbian survivor-healer, and a trauma-informed, certified Mindfulness meditation teacher. She's been practicing Vipassana meditation since 2002 and has more than one year of cumulative silent retreat practice in the U.S. and India. Aishah is also an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, author, and lecturer whose work, NO! The Rape Documentary and love WITH accountability, breaks silence about sexual violence, provides healing paths for trauma and advocates for humane responses to inhumane actions. Since June 1995, Aishah has screened her work, guest lectured, and facilitated over 400 workshops and dialogues across the United States, and internationally.
nico hase lived in a monastery for six years before earning a PhD in counseling psychology and becoming an Insight Meditation teacher full time. He currently mentors mindfulness teachers, teaches online and in-person retreats, and speaks with students in one-on-one sessions. He and his beloved life partner devon are the authors of How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist Survival Guide for Modern Life.
