Insight San Diego Welcomes
Matthew Brensilver
Residential Retreat
Mission San Luis Rey Retreat Center
Dharma & interpersonal life
We live in a web of mutuality; the interpersonal realm is where the rubber meets the road in our spiritual practice. Our relationships – personal and professional – act like a magnet, pulling both our goodness and our pain to the surface. How can we draw on dharma principles and practices to enrich our interpersonal lives? How can others serve as a mirror for our inquiry into ourselves? The Buddhist tradition provides ethical guidance: lives founded on goodness, sensitivity and respect give us the best chance for deep happiness. Love fuels our ethics and guides us to more rich, harmonious relationships. Self-understanding dramatically deepens our empathic capacities and through our practice, the circle of care widens. As Sri Nisargadatta says, “In love, there are no strangers.”
This four-day residential silent retreat will include sitting and walking meditation, guided practice, dharma talks and dialogue with the teacher. All are welcome.
No formal movement practice (yoga/qigong) is planned for this retreat. Participants are welcome to bring yoga mats and other props for personal practice, if desired.
This retreat will be held at the Mission San Luis Rey Retreat Center.
Matthew Brensilver, MSW, PhD teaches retreats at the Insight Retreat Center, Spirit Rock and other Buddhist centers. He was previously program director for Mindful Schools and for more than a decade, was a core teacher at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. Matthew worked as a clinical social worker, serving severely and persistently mentally ill adults and adolescents. He subsequently earned a PhD from the Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at USC where his dissertation examined the mechanisms of risk and resilience in maltreated adolescents in a large, longitudinal study in South Los Angeles. Before committing to teach meditation full-time, he spent years doing research on addiction pharmacotherapy at the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine. Matthew is the co-author of two books about meditation during adolescence and continues to be interested in the unfolding dialogue between Buddhism and science. He serves on the Board of Directors at Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Center.
Retreat Information
The retreat begins on Sunday, April 19 at 3:00 pm and ends Thursday, April 23 at 2:00 pm
Date & Time:
Mission San Luis Rey
4050 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA 92057
Location:
Registration Info:
Insight San Diego offers a sliding scale for registration to make it available to all who want to attend. Registration fees are offered at different levels; SUPPORTER, DONOR, and BASE. The Base rate represents our cost for an individual to attend. Registering at the Supporter or Donor level helps to fund scholarships for the retreat and other ISD programs. When selecting to pay at Supporter or Donor level, the amount paid above the base rate is tax deductible. Please pay at the highest level you can.
As space is limited, we encourage early registration. Registration opens January 19, 2026.
Single Room Rates: Supporter $775, Donor $725, Base $675
Commuter Rates: Supporter $375, Donor $325, Base, $275
Teacher compensation is not included in the registration fee. If you wish to help support Matthew's teachings you may donate via PayPal or Venmo at https://www.matthewbrensilver.org/support. There will also be an opportunity at the end of retreat to make a donation to Matthew. Thank you for your support!
Should finances be an obstacle, please visit our scholarships page for information about financial assistance. To be considered for a scholarship, applications need to be received no later than March 19, 2026.
About Mission San Luis Rey Retreat Center:
This retreat will be held at the Mission San Luis Rey Retreat Center located on 56 acres of property. Grounds include beautifully manicured gardens and walkways, Labyrinth, perimeter walking path, guestrooms and meeting space, Dining Room and a refreshment lounge with complimentary coffee and tea. Retreatants can enjoy the fragrant rose garden and numerous outdoor spaces for tranquility and reflection.
Guest rooms provide simple overnight lodging for single occupancy. Each room typically has two twin beds, a sink and a desk. European-style restrooms in the hallway have private showers and toilets. Linens and towels are provided. Each room has individual controls for heat; air conditioning is not provided.
Delicious vegetarian meals are freshly prepared in the Mission Kitchen and served buffet style in the Retreat Dining Room. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided daily on full days of retreat. The Mission is unable to accommodate special dietary requests including but not limited to: vegan, dairy free, gluten free and allergies. The kitchen is not an allergy-certified kitchen. Those with dietary restrictions or allergies are encouraged to bring their own food to supplement the provided meals. The O’Keefe Lounge is centrally located on the grounds and offers a refrigerator and microwave for those who wish to bring personal food items.
Additional Info:
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