What underlies the sense of I am somebody who needs to do something in order to awaken in the future, is the sense that practice has a beginning point. Then you travel: you travel and practice. You come to a lot of retreats, and then you get over here, finally! Finally you’re awake: you’ve become somebody who’s no longer confused. I want to point out that this is a story. I love the linear story, but it can be such a hook. Do you see how it can play into becoming? I’m somebody here, and I’m gonna get over here. That’s what becoming is about. I’m somebody and then I’ll become somebody else. It’s all rooted in the sense of self. And it’s the assumptions that get created around it that start to entangle the mind.
Brian Lesage
Residential Retreat Teacher
Brian Lesage has practiced Buddhist meditation since 1988 and has taught meditation since 2000. He has studied in the Zen, Theravada, and Tibetan schools of Buddhism. He was ordained in the Rinzai Zen tradition in 1996. His training in Vipassana Meditation includes doing extended meditation retreats in Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, and India as well as numerous retreats in the U.S. He leads retreats and teaches meditation courses nationwide. Brian also has a private practice in Somatic Experiencing, which is a naturalistic approach to healing trauma. Brian completed the SRMC/IMS/IRC 4-year teacher training in 2016.
Brian Lesage's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
February 1 - March 29, 2025 | Saturday - Saturday | 56 nights
2025 Insight Meditation 2-Month Retreat - Application
Applications Still Being Accepted. An extended period of retreat offers the rare opportunity for sustained, dedicated practice. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of Insight practice. Instruction will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness combined with training in lovingkindness and compassion, and practice will be structured around a daily schedule of silent sitting, walking, Dharma talks, and practice meetings with teachers.
Dawn Scott
Vance Pryor
Tuere Sala
Brian Lesage
devon hase
JD Doyle
Tara Mulay
Tempel Smith
Devin Berry
Anushka Fernandopulle
Kristina Baré
Rasika Link
Retreat | On-Land
February 1 - March 1, 2025 | Saturday - Saturday | 28 nights
2025 February Insight Meditation 1-Month Retreat - Application
Applications Still Being Accepted. An extended period of retreat offers the rare opportunity for sustained, dedicated practice. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of Insight practice. Instruction will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness combined with training in lovingkindness and compassion, and practice will be structured around a daily schedule of silent sitting, walking, Dharma talks, and practice meetings with teachers.
Retreat | On-Land
May 9 - May 16, 2025 | Friday - Friday | 7 nights
Spring Insight Retreat
15 CE Credits.
Registration Open. All the time before you were born plus all the time after you die is almost exactly all the time there is. Yet we find ourselves alive, with a question: how should I live? We begin by listening deeply. Throughout this retreat, we'll sit together in the refuge provided by a 2,600-year legacy of wisdom and kindness. In the silence, we come to know the preciousness of life and the poignancy of the human condition.
Retreat | On-Land
September 26 - September 30, 2025 | Friday - Tuesday | 4 nights
Finding Freedom through Insight Meditation
Registration Opens - February 19. Insight Meditation is a simple and direct practice based on moment-to-moment awareness—a technique that opens the heart and clears the mind. As we exercise continuous mindfulness in sitting and walking meditation, the practice of noble silence frees us from the daily barrage of stimuli that draws our attention outward, letting us delve deeply inward. Learning to be aware of our experience from a place of equanimity allows us to see more clearly, such that compassion and wisdom can arise.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Brian Lesage through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.