About this IMS Online Retreat

This program was recorded on September 2, 2023 - Sunday, September 3, 2023. 

There are so many doorways into the dharma because the dharma is so many things. The Buddhist path is a process of self-understanding, dramatically refining the map of our inner landscape, simultaneously clarifying the inner life of others. It is a path of love, beginning with our sincerity and culminating in our devotion to the welfare of others. Insight meditation responds to the vicissitudes of life - the ultimately ungovernable tides of pleasure and pain - by cultivating equanimity and a sense of inner refuge. It is a path of peace, and peace is the only thing that doesn’t fatigue the heart. In this weekend retreat, we’ll explore the foundational teachings of insight meditation and learn several approaches to meditation practice. The weekend will include dharma talks, guided and silent meditation and time for questions and dialogue. This weekend is designed to orient newer practitioners to the path. All are welcome.

This retreat begins on Saturday, September 2, at 9:30 am ET and concludes Sunday, September 3, at 3:30 pm ET. A full home retreat schedule and instructions will be offered. The live session schedule with the teacher is as follows:

Saturday, September 2, 2023

9:30 am – 10:30 Welcome & Sit (check local time)

10:30 – 11:00 Walking Meditation 

11:00 – 11:45 Dharma reflections and dialogue 

11:45 – 12:15 pm Walking Meditation 

12:15 – 1:00 Sitting Meditation/Reflections 

1:00 – 2:00 Lunch/Rest 

2:00 – 3:30 Sitting & Reflections & Dialogue


Sunday, September 3, 2023

9:30 am – 10:30 Welcome & Sit (check local time)

10:30 – 11:00 Walking Meditation 

11:00 – 11:45 Dharma reflections and dialogue 

11:45 – 12:15 pm Walking Meditation 

12:15 – 1:00 Sitting Meditation/Reflections 

1:00 – 2:00 Lunch/Rest 

2:00 – 3:30 Sitting & Reflections & Dialogue

This program will be recorded and made available for on-demand viewing after the live sessions. On-demand videos will be available to registered participants for 90 days.

About the Teacher

Matthew Brensilver

Matthew Brensilver, PhD, MSW, is a member of the Guiding Teachers Committee and Board of Directors at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He previously served as Program Director for Mindful Schools, and for more than a decade, was a core teacher at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He lectures at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center about the intersections between mindfulness and mental health. Before committing to teach meditation full-time, he spent years doing research on addiction pharmacotherapy at the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction medicine. He is the co-author of two books about meditation for adolescents.