Clear Dharma Sangha

An online practice community with Oren Jay Sofer

 
 

Program Overview:

  • What: Online practice community integrating meditation, contemplation, and social change.
  • When: Sessions every Wednesday (4:00–5:00 or 5:15pm PT), with a mix of teaching and meditation-focused gatherings, plus every other Saturday (9:00–10:15am PT). Recordings available for one month.
  • Where: Online via zoom.
  • Who: Open to all, no prior experience required.
  • Resources: Access to an exclusive audio library of guided meditations.
  • Cost: Sliding scale (standard rate $40/month, with options above and below that rate).

Clear Dharma Sangha is an online practice community devoted to deepening spiritual practice, integrating it into our lives, and applying its power to social transformation. The group offers an inclusive, intimate space where we can meditate together, explore contemplative practice, and grapple with the pressing questions of our times.

For 2025, we’ll use the teachings in Oren’s latest book, Your Heart Was Made For This, to guide our conversation. Come listen deeply, steady your heart, and walk the path together. In addition to our full-length sessions, we now offer shorter midweek gatherings focused on meditation instruction and practice.

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 must 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.

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 and offer some space for check-ins, while most of our time is devoted to teaching and live Q&A. These interactions allow me to offer 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’ll 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 meditation group. It’s a community for integrating mindfulness with compassionate living and social transformation. In our live 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.

Questions? Check out our extensive FAQs.
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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 features formal meditation instructions, designed to help you develop or strengthen a consistent practice.

  • Exclusive Audio Library: Gain access to a high-quality collection of Oren’s guided meditations, covering a wide range of themes to support your practice.

  • Interactive Discussions: Explore how these practices relate to daily life, relationships, and broader social and global issues through engaging conversations.

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

  • Book Study & Weekly Themes: Throughout the year, we’ll use Oren’s book Your Heart Was Made For This as a guide, diving into its themes and exploring how to integrate them into your life.

  • Social Transformation: Reflect on how contemplative practice can support meaningful change—not just in your personal life but in the wider world.

  • Flexible Attendance: Attend sessions live Wednesdays and/or Saturdays, or access recordings within one month.

  • Bonus Discount: Receive 35% off Your Heart Was Made For This when you join and order on Shambhala.com

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

Session Format and Schedule

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

Session Format:

  • Guided Meditation: Sessions begin with a meditation on concentration, insight, or heart qualities.
  • Community Check-In: Opportunities to share in the large group during each session, and in optional small groups for 15 minutes after every Saturday session.
  • Teaching & Discussion: Focused teachings followed by interactive Q&A and personalized guidance.
  • Midweek Meditation (1 hr): Every other Wednesday, we offer a shorter session focused on meditation instruction, with Q&A specifically related to meditation.
  • Recordings: All sessions are recorded with closed captioning and are available for one month.

Program Schedule:

  • Wednesday, April 30, 4:00–5:15pm PT
  • Saturday, May 3, 9:00–10:15am PT
  • Wednesday, May 7, 4:00–5:00pm PT
  • Wednesday, May 14, 4:00–5:15pm PT
  • Saturday, May 17, 9:00–10:15am PT
  • Wednesday, May 21, 4:00-5:00pm PT
  • Wednesday, May 28, 4:00–5:15pm PT
  • Saturday, May 31, 9:00–10:15am PT
  • Wednesday, June 4, 4:00-5:00pm PT
  • Wednesday, June 11, 4:00–5:15pm PT
  • Saturday, June 14, 9:00–10:15am PT

* Meets at a different time than usual. Convert timezone.

Learn about our community supported sliding scale.

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.

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 Your Heart Was Made for This to participate?

No, but it’s highly recommended. The themes of the group are drawn from the book, and 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?

We meet every Wednesday at 4:00 PM PT and every other Saturday from 9:00–10:15 AM PT. Wednesday sessions alternate between full-length gatherings (75 minutes) and shorter, 1-hour meditation-focused sessions.

Can I attend only one session a week?

Yes. You’re welcome to attend whichever sessions fit your schedule—just Wednesdays, just Saturdays, or both. 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, and the guided meditations and Oren's teaching reflections are added to the audio library (with access for the duration of your membership).

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?

The teachings draw from Your Heart Was Made for This and focus on meditation, contemplative practices, and applying these teachings to life and social change.

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?

Oren is only available for questions during the live sessions. We may consider adding additional components to the community based on participant feedback, such as an online group forum, written correspondence with Oren, or paid small group meetings with Oren outside of the main sessions.

Community & Interaction

Will I have opportunities to connect with others?

Yes. Each session includes space for large-group sharing, and Saturday sessions offer optional small-group check-ins afterward. You can also opt into a community contact list to connect with Dharma buddies or form small practice groups.

Is there an online forum?

We don’t have a dedicated forum but may consider adding one if there is sufficient interest.

How many people are in the group?

As of March 2025, about 80-100 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?

We don’t offer a free trial but do offer a wide sliding scale. We encourage you to enroll for one month to try it out, and cancel at any time if it’s not a fit.

Do you offer refunds?

We generally do not offer refunds. Our sliding scale is designed to be accessible and you are welcome to cancel at any time. 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?

No. 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.