A Buddhist Community Dedicated to Connection, Engagement, and Awakening

Hi, I’m Dr. Sean Oakes

He/they, queer, Puerto Rican & English ancestry, living on unceded Pomo land in Northern California

I teach Buddhism, Yoga, and somatic practice focusing on the integration of meditation, trauma resolution, and social justice. On this site you’ll find an extensive teaching archive, on-demand courses, practice resources, and information on joining me for weekly classes, series, and retreats. I hope the material here is supportive for your practice.

Blessings on your path.

We’re in This Together

Good friendship, the Buddha famously said, is “the whole of the holy life.” (SN 45.2)

Our saṅgha—spiritual community—is an ongoing group of practitioners from around the world who participate in gatherings live or through recordings and the online forum (currently on FB, soon changing). We welcome both beginners and experienced practitioners, and new folks are always welcome to drop in.

Sunlit forest stream with mossy rocks and gentle waterfall

Weekly Tuesdays, 7:30-9pm Pacific
Online

Meditation, teachings, & Dhamma discussion. The primary gathering of our lovely Saṅgha.

Insight Meditation Satsang

Artwork of Buddha dying, Japan, Met

Monthly Fridays, 8:30-10am Pacific
Online

Group study of the Buddha’s teachings in the Pāli Canon. Currently reading the Dīgha Nikāya, The Long Discourses of the Buddha.

Book Club

All are welcome.

Access to our practice community is offered on a Gift Economy model, with nobody turned away for lack of resources, and gives access to both of the ongoing groups.

Please join us if you would be supported by saṅgha in this moment.

Upcoming Public Teaching

Dr. Sean Oakes sitting cross-legged on floor, hands gesturing as he teaches, with a plant on each side and books on the floor.

On-demand Courses

Explore our curated collections of meditations and teachings, designed for self-paced study & practice.

Read, Listen, Watch

Talks and meditations from the Tuesday Satsang and other teaching venues are archived on our YouTube channel each week. Subscribe and follow along.

Our audio archive includes 300+ talks and meditations. Longer series, including The Eightfold Path and The Perfection of Wisdom are collected in On-demand Courses.

Writing on Dharma, history, theology, performance, and social justice, including academic work and unpublished essays

Support for practice, healing, and study including a glossary of common Buddhist terms in Pāli, reading lists for Buddhism and Yoga, and counseling referrals

I’m honored to work with these excellent Dharma organizations

Logo for Liberate App, featuring an outline of a person sitting in a meditation pose on a red background.