This fall, we explore two core capacities at the heart of meditation practice: the mind’s ability to gather and settle, and to see clearly. What actually helps the body and mind come to rest is not force or a technique, but interest, ease, and a kind relationship to our own experience. We’ll explore what to do when “come back to the breath” isn’t enough, how to work with difficult emotions, and how to apply the power of the mind when it’s grown quieter.

Alongside the practices, we’ll also look at how to use them intelligently — developing the confidence to know what any given moment calls for, and the trust that comes from understanding why these practices work. Concentration and insight are not separate paths; they depend on each other.

We walk the path together. In an era of ecological unraveling and profound uncertainty, learning to see clearly without turning away, and to remain steady without going numb, is among the most useful things we can offer one another.

You are welcome to join CDS at any time and participate live or through recordings.

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.

Practice, reflect, engage.

Clear Dharma Sangha is a relational Dharma practice community devoted to integrating the teachings into contemporary life. Sessions blend meditation, Dharma reflection, and interactive discussion on how spiritual practice can help us meet personal and collective challenges.

Join us for a grounded, heartfelt exploration of walking the path during times of uncertainty, upheaval, and rapid change.

As a member of Clear Dharma Sangha, you receive complimentary access to these courses as part of your membership.

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

Learn about our community supported sliding scale.

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.

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. Born and raised in New Jersey, Oren lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he loves learning about life from being a husband and a father.

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 graduate of IMC’s Dharma Leader Training program with Gil Fronsdal and Ines Freedman and teaches regularly for Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City and Berkeley. Lily has a background in primary care medicine for the underserved and is a wife and mother of two teenage daughters.

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

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