Clear Dharma Sangha

An online practice community with Oren Jay Sofer

 
 

Program Overview:

  • What: Online practice community integrating meditation, contemplation, and social change.
  • Through Jan 2026: Every Wednesday (4–5:15 pm PT) & every other Saturday (9–10:15am PT).
  • Starting Feb 2026: Every Wednesday 4-5:30 pm PT with Oren, plus first and third Saturdays from 8-9:00 am PT with Assistant Teacher Lily Huang.
  • Where: Online via zoom.
  • Who: Open to all, no prior experience required.
  • Resources: Exclusive audio library of guided meditations + session recordings.
  • Cost: Sliding scale (standard rate $40/month, with options above and below that rate).
  • Drop-in: By donation; sign up for a session here.

Clear Dharma Sangha is an online practice community devoted to deepening spiritual practice, integrating it into our lives, and embodying it in a rapidly changing world. The group offers an inclusive, intimate space to meditate together, explore contemplative practice, and grapple with the pressing questions of our times.

2026 will explore core topics, starting with The Foundations of the Dharma (February – March), Insight Meditation, Reflection and Inquiry, Refuge and Recollection, and more.

Come listen deeply, steady your heart, and walk the path together.

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Foundations of the Dharma: Living the Buddhist Path

February 4 – March 25, 2026

This eight-week series offers a grounded introduction to the foundations of the Dharma, drawing from early Buddhist teachings and Western Insight Meditation. We’ll explore core elements of the path as living principles that shape how we meet life: how suffering arises, how freedom becomes possible, and how awareness, ethics, and compassion reveal liberation as ethical, relational, and embodied.

This series is designed for both new and experienced practitioners who want a clear, non-dogmatic, and practical orientation to Buddhism. It offers a strong basis for ongoing practice, and a shared language for walking the path together with honesty, care, and courage.

Session 1. Another Way to Live: An Overview of the Buddhist Path

An overview of the series and its guiding questions, the aim of the path, and different models for understanding the process of awakening.

Session 2. Refuge: The Beginning and End of the Path

Why safety and support are essential for practice, the meaning of refuge, and how the Triple Gem (including community) supports inner stability and trust.

Session 3. Right View: A Map in the Wild

How our assumptions shape experience, practice as a way of seeing rather than a technique, and how understanding conditionality and relationship orients the path.

Session 4. Right View: The Doctor’s Prescription

The Four Noble Truths and Three Characteristics as a diagnosis of suffering and a practical framework to understand its causes and end.

Session 5. Mindfulness: The Engine of Transformation

What mindfulness really means, why it is central to freedom, and how embodied awareness supports insight and change.

Session 6. Intention: How Matters More Than What

The role of intention on the path, how motivation shapes outcomes, and the difference between striving for self-improvement and aligning with freedom.

Session 7. Integrity: A Gentle Strength

Why our actions matter, how ethics emerge organically from practice, and how understanding kamma supports responsibility and trust.

Session 8. Unfolding the Heart: The Long Road of Transformation

Why the path is not linear, how to work with difficulty, and what supports patience, trust, and ongoing commitment to transformation.
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Join by February 4 for lifetime access to The Foundations of the Dharma course recordings.
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About Clear Dharma Sangha

In a world fraught with challenges, how can our spiritual practice provide strength and tenderness, guiding us through the noise and uncertainty? The most potent questions rarely have simple answers. Even as we each take responsibility for our spiritual development, we don’t have to walk the path alone.

Clear Dharma Sangha offers a different approach to the path—one that recognizes our shared needs for community, personal guidance, and honest inquiry.

Meditation practice is often taught in a “one-size-fits-all” way. Yet the path unfolds in unique and mysterious ways. What steadies the heart, heals us, and returns us to our true nature may look different for each of us. This group provides a supportive space to explore your practice in ways that resonate most deeply with your life.

I envision this community as a place where you can come as you are—to connect, reflect, and grow together. I hope this group offers strength, clarity, and inspiration, not only in your meditation practice but in how you live each day of your life.

Benefits of Membership

 
 

Practice, explore, engage.

Clear Dharma Sangha sessions blend formal meditation instruction, personal reflection, and group discussion of how to apply spiritual principles to real-world challenges. Join us for a heartfelt conversation about walking the path during times of upheaval, uncertainty, and rapid change.

Membership offers these benefits:

  • Guided Meditations: Each session includes clear instructions to help you build or strengthen a consistent practice.

  • Exclusive Audio Library: Unlimited access to Oren’s growing collection guided meditations.

  • Dharma Discussion: Discover how these teachings come alive in daily life, relationships, and the wider world.

  • Live Q&A with Oren: Ask questions and receive personalized guidance for your practice.

  • 1:1 Meetings: Members who have been in the sangha for 3 months or more may schedule up to two 15-minute, private meetings with Oren per year to discuss their practice.

  • Themes: The Foundations of the Dharma (Feb-March); additional themes include: Reflection and Inquiry, Insight Meditation, Refuge and Recollection, and more.

  • Social Transformation: Explore how contemplative practice supports compassionate action and meaningful change.

  • Flexible Attendance: Join live or view recordings within 30 days.

  • Bonus Discounts: Receive 35% off Oren’s books on Shambhala.com when you join.

“To meditate is to be aware, and to try to help.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
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Additional Information

What is Contemplative Practice?

While meditation is central to our sessions, contemplative practice reaches far beyond sitting quietly. It’s about cultivating awareness in every aspect of life—how we approach relationships, engage with our work, and respond to the complexities of the world. It’s about finding presence and meaning whether we’re washing the dishes or navigating a difficult conversation, and building the strength to meet life’s challenges with wisdom and care.

The tone of our sessions

Each session is relaxed, supportive, and intimate. We begin with a guided meditation, check-in briefly as a community. Oren offers a Dharma teaching and then devotes time to live Q&A (spoken or written). These interactions allow us to explore nuances of the path and to provide personalized guidance for your practice.

Who is This For?

Clear Dharma Sangha welcomes anyone who feels drawn to explore the intersection of spiritual practice, daily life, and social change. Whether you’re new to meditation or have years of experience, you’ll find a supportive environment suited to your needs. Beginners can ease into the practice with accessible guidance, while seasoned practitioners can discover new layers of depth and insight.

We welcome folks of all backgrounds, identities, and faiths. The only prerequisite is a willingness to engage sincerely.

Real-Life Applications

The teachings in this group are designed to support you where it matters most. How can you steady your heart when life feels overwhelming? How can you navigate fear or grief while staying open and engaged? Together, we explore practical tools and contemplative insights to help you meet life’s challenges with greater clarity, resilience, and care.

What You Can Expect

Participants often report meaningful shifts, including greater self-awareness and emotional resilience, a deeper sense of connection and belonging, and clarity about how to engage with the world’s pressing challenges. I hope this group will inspire not just growth in your meditation practice, but real transformation in how you live, care for yourself and others, and contribute to your community.

What Makes This Community Special?

Clear Dharma Sangha is more than a weekly meditation group. It’s a community for integrating mindfulness with compassion and social transformation. In our sessions, you’ll have direct access to personalized coaching, as well as opportunities to learn from the collective wisdom of the group.

This is a space for honest exploration and deep learning—a sanctuary to nourish your heart and strengthen your resolve to meet the world with clarity and care.

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Questions? Check out our FAQs. Drop in by donating for a session here.

Session Format and Schedule

Join anytime. Learn together. Attend live or listen later.

Session Format:

  • Guided Meditation: All sessions begin with a meditation to support your practice.
  • Community Check-In: Opportunities to share in the large group during each session, and in optional small groups for 15 minutes after each session.
  • Teaching & Dharma Discussion: Focused teachings, interactive Q&A, and personalized guidance.
  • Recordings: All sessions are recorded with closed captioning and are available for one month.

Current Program Schedule:

  • * Wednesday, December 17, 4:00–5:15pm PT
  • * Tuesday, December 23, 4:00–5:15pm PT
  • * Holiday Break: December 24–31
  • Wednesday, January 7, 4:00–5:15pm PT
  • * Sunday, January 11, 9:00–10:15am PT
  • Wednesday, January 14, 4:00–5:00pm PT
  • Wednesday, January 21, 4:00–5:15pm PT
  • Saturday, January 24, 9:00–10:15am PT
  • Wednesday, January 28, 4:00–5:00pm PT

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* Denotes a change from our usual schedule

Program Schedule Starting Feb 2026:

  • Wednesdays: 4:00 – 5:30 pm PT, with Oren
  • 1st & 3rd Saturdays: 8:00 – 9:00 am PT, with Lily Huang

Learn about our community supported sliding scale.

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Meet Oren

Oren Jay Sofer has practiced Buddhist meditation and Nonviolent Communication for over two decades and teaches internationally. He holds a degree in comparative religion from Columbia University and is a Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for the healing of trauma.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Oren is the author of several books, including the best-seller Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication and Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices to Meet a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity and Love. His teaching has reached people around the world through his online courses and guided meditations. A husband and a father, Oren lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he enjoys cooking, time in nature, and home woodworking projects.

 

Assistant Dharma Teacher

Lily Huang fell into in-depth Dharma practice in 2019. She has studied in early Buddhist traditions with teachers at Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, Insight Meditation Center (IMC) Redwood City, and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Her primary teacher is Oren Jay Sofer, with whom she has also trained in Wise Speech and Nonviolent Communication. Lily is a participant in IMC’s Dharma Leader Training program with Gil Fronsdal and teaches regularly at Roaring Fork Insight. Lily has a background in primary care medicine for the underserved and is a wife and mother of two teenage daughters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions? Please read our FAQs. If you have a question not listed here feel free to email us.

GETTING STARTED

I’ve never meditated before. Can I join?

Yes! This group is open to everyone, regardless of experience. Beginners will find accessible guidance, and seasoned practitioners will discover depth and new perspectives.

Do I need a copy of any of Oren's books to participate?

No, but we recommend getting Your Heart Was Made For This if you join in 2025, as the themes of the group follow the book through January 2026. A discount code for 35% off is provided upon registration. You can purchase the book online here, or check your local bookstore or library.

I’ve already read Your Heart Was Made for This. Should I still join?

Absolutely. The book’s practices and teachings are rich enough to explore deeply over time.

Is there a required amount of reading or meditation?

No. Participation is flexible—you can engage with the book, attend live sessions, or use the audio library as fits your schedule.

sessions & Schedule

How often are the sessions?

Through January, 2026, we will meet every Wednesday at 4:00 PM PT and every other Saturday from 9:00–10:15 AM PT. Beginning in February, 2026, we will meet from 4:00 – 5:30pm PT every Wednesday. Assistant Dharma teacher Lily Huang will also offer one-hour practice sessions on the first and third Saturdays of each month from 8–9:00 am PT.

What if I can only attend every now and then?

You’re welcome to attend whichever sessions fit your schedule. Recordings are available for one month if you can’t attend live.

Are the sessions recorded?

Yes. Recordings are available for one month after each session. Active memberships also includes access to our audio library with all of Oren's teachings and guided meditations from Your Heart Was Made For This.

How soon are recordings posted?

Recordings are typically available within 12–24 hours, and always within 48 hours.

Teaching & Content

What will Oren be teaching about?

For 2025, teachings are from Your Heart Was Made for This and focus on meditation, contemplative practices, and applying these teachings to life and social change. The first few months of 2026 will cover "Foundations of the Spiritual Path." Other topics for 2026 will be announced on this page periodically.

For 2025, will the content be the same at the Wednesday and Saturday sessions?

Each week’s sessions focus on the same chapter or theme. However, the guided meditations, teachings, and Q&A are unique to each session. Wednesday sessions alternate between teaching and meditation-focused formats.

Will Oren be teaching communication skills?

Not directly. The focus is on meditation and contemplative practice, though questions about relationships or communication may be addressed in relation to meditation. Oren offers a separate communications course, based on his book Say What You Mean.

What traditions inform the teachings?

The teachings are rooted in early Buddhism and Insight Meditation, informed by Oren’s training in Nonviolent Communication and Somatic Experiencing. Teachings emphasize practical, universal insights.

Can I ask questions or get support from Oren outside of the live sessions?

Starting in 2026, Oren will offer optional 15-minute private meetings for those who have been members for three months or longer. Members with 3+ months in the sangha may schedule up to two meetings per year.

Community & Interaction

Will I have opportunities to connect with others?

Yes. Each session includes space for large-group sharing. We also offer optional small-group check-ins for 15 minutes after each session, and a community bulletin board to connect with Dharma buddies or form small practice groups.

Is there an online forum?

We offer a simple community bulletin board to connect, share resources, and stay in touch with others.

How many people are in the group?

About 50 people join each live session. We aim to create an intimate and personal environment regardless of size.

Cost & Commitment

How does the sliding scale work?

We offer a sliding scale to ensure accessibility, including low-fee options and a donation-based option for those with low or unpredictable income. More information is available here.

Can I cancel my membership or adjust my monthly contribution?

Yes. You can cancel or adjust your membership any time through your account settings.

Can I try the program before committing?

Yes. You're welcome to drop in any time by offering a donation for one of our sessions here. (Click a date, then click the "Drop In" button.) We also encourage you simply to enroll for one month to try it out; you can cancel at any time if it’s not a fit.

Do you offer refunds?

No, we do not offer refunds. Our sliding scale is designed to be accessible and you are welcome to cancel at any time. If joining for a year, we encourage you to check out the sangha before paying. If you are on a monthly subscription and wish to avoid paying for another month, please cancel before your subscription renews.

Accessibility & Technology

Can I access the sessions on a mobile device?

Yes. Live sessions can be accessed via the Zoom app, and recordings are available on mobile browsers. For the best experience, we recommend a desktop or laptop.

Are transcripts or closed captions available?

All live sessions and recordings include closed captions. We do not currently offer transcripts, but we’re exploring ways to improve accessibility.

What if I need tech support?

Email us at support@orenjaysofer.com for assistance.

Other details

Can I download recordings or guided meditations?

At this time, recordings and meditations are accessible only through your subscription.

Will my questions during live sessions be private?

Yes. You can ask questions anonymously or request to pause the recording during personal sharing.
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