Living in Vow - BRN Academy with Ryuko Laura Burges
2026-02-01 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Living in Vow

Ryuko Laura Burges is a lay entrusted dharma teacher in the Soto Zen tradition, teaching and leading retreats in California. She received monastic training at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. A longtime educator, Laura co-founded the Meditation in Recovery programs at San Francisco Zen Center. She has been featured in Tricycle Magazine and Buddhadharma and her books include Wisdom Stories of Tibet (2025), the first volume in a three-part series that will also feature wisdom stories from India and Japan. Other titles from Shambhala Publications are The Zen Way of Recovery: An Illuminated Path Out of the Darkness of Addiction (2023), Zen for Kids (2023), and Buddhist Stories for Kids (2022).

Photo Credit: Lauren Rudser

Happiness Follows Like a Never-Departing Shadow
2026-03-01 10:00 - 11:00
More About George

George Beecher first encountered the Dharma in 2010 when he read Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung’s book Savor, about mindful eating and the Buddhist path. Over the next 11 months, George lost 110 pounds and found a passion for the Dharma. This passion for sharing the Dharma led him to found his own local meditation group, Two Hands Sangha, in 2012, and in the Mindful Eating and Living Sangha (M.E.A.L.S.) program in 2014. He has since launched and led various in-person and online Buddhist communities including over 30 Recovery Dharma chapters. He served the Recovery Dharma community at both the local and national level as it formed and grew to over 500 chapters worldwide.
In 2018, he graduated as a Certified Facilitator through the original Against The Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, taught by Vinny Ferraro and JoAnna Hardy, and in June 2022 he completed the Dharmacharya training program with Venerables Pannavati and Pannadipa of Heartwood Refuge and ordained as Reverend George Beecher (Dharmacharya Khantu-Abatti).
In 2020, he started the first ever Recovery Dharma meeting in virtual reality and enjoys teaching the Dharma and leading meditations twice a week with the MindfulnessVR Community.
Read more about Rev. George Beecher and Listen to his Podcast : Teas with Mara Here
https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com/

More About the Academy
The Academy has invited some of the leading teachers in the field of Buddhist recovery. On the first Sunday of every month for an hour each teacher will explore the sharp edges of suffering through the lens of the Buddhist Teachings.
The Academy brings together teachers from different Buddhist lineages and approaches. Themes like addiction, alcoholism, depression, stinking thinking and compulsive behaviors will be explored.
During this event we will meditate, listen to the teaching, then have time for a Q & A at the end.

Transforming the Heart
2026-04-05 10:00 - 11:00
April BRN Academy
SUNDAY April 5, 2026 at 10AM PST
With BRN Board President Walt Opie
Transforming the Heart
Both Buddhist practice and recovery from addiction point to an inner transformation of the heart. As practicing addicts, our hearts may have been pretty shut down, which we may not even realize until it starts to open in recovery, perhaps quite slowly at first. One of the wonderful things about Buddhist practice is that we learn we can train the heart through certain practices like lovingkindness (metta). Then we realize we’re not practicing Buddhist recovery for ourselves alone–we’re also learning how to benefit others. In fact, the Buddha encouraged us to be a refuge for all beings.

May BRN Academy with Kevin Griffin
2026-05-04 10:00 - 11:15 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87579202512?pwd=[REDACTED]
May BRN Academy with Kevin Griffin
SUNDAY May 5, 2026 at 10AM PST
Teacher announcement coming soon.

More About the Academy
The Academy has invited some of the leading teachers in the field of Buddhist recovery. On the first Sunday of every month for an hour each teacher will explore the sharp edges of suffering through the lens of the Buddhist Teachings.
The Academy brings together teachers from different Buddhist lineages and approaches. Themes like addiction, alcoholism, depression, stinking thinking and compulsive behaviors will be explored.
During this event we will meditate, listen to the teaching, then have time for a Q & A at the end.
Dana
This event is offered freely, but signing up with any donation helps support the Buddhist Recovery Network mission to promote the use of Buddhist teachings and practices to help people recover from the suffering caused by addictive behaviors . Your support will also allow us to connect with you and send you a reminder, 24 hours and 1 hour before the event.
ZOOM LINK
Click to Join via this Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87579202512?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 875 7920 2512 and passcode: [REDACTED]
