The Refuge of Dhamma: Exploring the Buddha's Discourses
Dive into the beauty of the Buddha’s teachings, reading discourses from the Pāli Canon in accessible English translations.
with Sean Oakes, PhD
In this study and practice series, we dive into the beauty of the Buddha’s teachings, reading discourses from the Pāli Canon in accessible English translations. This course collects the first two classes in the series, beginning with important short discourses that provide a strong foundation for a lifetime of practice, and the Buddha’s first discourse, in which he teaches the Four Noble Truths and begins the lineage of Dharma transmission that still shapes our practice and community.
Reflections from Past Participants

What You'll Practice
- Explore the Buddha’s earliest teachings as a living guide for practice and daily life
- Deepen your understanding of foundational suttas, including the Four Noble Truths
- Reflect on the Buddha’s own journey through autobiographical discourses
- Work with timeless teachings on discernment, ethics, embodiment, and liberation
- Discover how ancient wisdom speaks to the challenges and questions you face today
This Course is for You if:
- Practitioners seeking a direct, accessible way to engage with the Buddha’s original teachings
- Those who want to deepen their understanding of the Pāli Canon and its relevance for modern life
- Dharma students looking for a structured introduction to foundational discourses
- Anyone drawn to a balanced path of study, reflection, and practice
- Newcomers to sutta study are welcome; some experience with meditation and mindfulness is assumed
- Those drawn to contemplative study and looking for a grounded way to explore Buddhist wisdom

What You Receive
11.5 hrs of video teachings
4 Guided meditations
Readings, Self-Inquiry, and Integration Practices
Live Community Question & Response sessions
Interviews with Founding Insight Meditation teachers
Lifetime Access to Course
Course Syllabus
- Intro & Welcome
- Reading: Overview of the Pāli Canon
- Reading: With Rohitassa (AN 4.45, tr. Sujato)
- Practice: Embodiment in the Here & Now
- Skywalker Rohitassa Learns Embodiment
- Meditation: Guided audio session
- Inquiry and Further Study: Mindfulness of the Body
- Reading: With the Kālāmas of Kesamutta (AN 3.65, tr. Sujato)
- Practice: Lovingkindness Through the Whole Body
- Authority and Discernment in the Kālāma Sutta
- Meditation: Guided audio session
- Inquiry and Further Study: Kamma/Karma
- Reading: The People of Sālā (MN 41, tr. Sujato)
- Practice: Arriving in the Here & Now
- The People of Sālā Ask About Rebirth & the Answer is Ethics
- Meditation: Guided audio session
- Inquiry and Further Study: Rebirth & Ethics
- Reading: The Simile of the Cloth (MN 7, tr. Sujato)
- Practice: Finding Well-being Through Practice
- Purification Means Letting Go
- Meditation: Guided audio session
- Inquiry and Further Study: Purification & Liberation
- Reading: Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma (SN 56.11, tr. Bodhi)
- Practice: Setting up the Conditions for Seeing Clearly
- The Buddha Turns the Dhamma Wheel
- Meditation: Guided audio session
- Inquiry and Further Study: The Middle Way
- Accordion ContentReading: MN 26
- Practice: Mindfulness of the Body & Breath
- A Struggling Young Man Leaves Home
- Practice: Celebrating the Buddha’s Awakening
- Liberated and Ready to Teach! Maybe…
- Meditation: Multiple guided sessions
- Inquiry and Further Study: The Life of the Buddha, Dependent Origination
- Reading: The Longer Discourse With Saccaka (MN 36)
- Practice: Grounding Through the Senses
- Rejecting Mortification
- Meditation: Guided audio session
- Inquiry and Further Study: Jainism & Prāṇāyāma
- Reading: DN 2
- Practice: Grounding Mindfulness in the Full Body
- The Haunted King Seeks Peace
- Practice: The Heart of Samādhi
- Forgiveness is Only the Beginning
- Meditation: Multiple guided sessions
- Inquiry and Further Study: False Teachers, Renunciation & Samādhi
Meet The Teacher
Sean Oakes, PhD
The Refuge of Dhamma: Exploring the Buddha's Discourses teacher
Sean Oakes, PhD, teaches the Dharma with a focus on the integration of meditation, study, and self-inquiry with trauma resolution and social justice. He has studied in Theravāda, Zen, and Vajrāyāna Buddhist lineages, including training as a monk in Burma, and was authorized to teach Insight Meditation by Jack Kornfield in 2010. He completed the Dedicated Practitioner (DPP1), Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga (MYMT2), and Community Dharma Leader (CDL5) trainings at Spirit Rock. In addition to mentor Jack Kornfield, Dr. Oakes’ primary Buddhist teachers include Sylvia Boorstein and Eugene Cash, Kitissaro and Ṭhānissara, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Anam Thubten, and Sayadaw U Janaka, with whom he ordained as a bhikkhu for a Rains Retreat in Burma in 2002. He studied Yoga with Alice Joanou, Rachel Shaw, Amanda Moran, and David Moreno, and taught mindfulness-based Yoga āsana and prāṇāyāma for 10 years. He studied and performed for many years in music, dance, and performance art, and trained in Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Organic Intelligence (OI) with Steven Hoskinson, integrating the complex systems approach from OI in a distinctively Buddhist approach to trauma resolution. Sean teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, East Bay Meditation Center, and online with Insight Timer, Yoga International, and other lovely organizations. He received his PhD in Performance Studies from UC Davis in 2016, writing on states of consciousness in Buddhist meditation and experimental dance, and lives in Northern California on ancestral Pomo territory with his family and beloved community.

Select Your Rate
Payment Plan
- Guided meditation sessions with master teachers
- Hear inspiring stories from decades of teaching
- Apply mindfulness to daily challenges
- Insights from Buddhism's influential teachers
- Live Q&A with teachers
- Lifetime access to recordings
11 weekly payments of
$99
Full Payment
- Guided meditation sessions with master teachers
- Hear inspiring stories from decades of teaching
- Apply mindfulness to daily challenges
- Insights from Buddhism's influential teachers
- Live Q&A with teachers
- Lifetime access to recordings
.
$999
- Scholarships are very limited and reserved for those who are truly experiencing financial hardship. Click here to apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I access my program on the Online Learning Platform?
Although our Programs are available on any device, we suggest using a computer (if possible) and Chrome or Firefox browser to log in: https://courses.spiritrock.org
To access the course:
• Use a computer and the Chrome or Firefox browser to log in at courses.spiritrock.org.
• Please note: Your login for the Online Learning Platform is separate from your Spirit Rock website login.
• Once logged in, your dashboard will display all your enrolled courses.
• Click on your program, then use the menu on the left to navigate through course sections.
How can I best view the content?
Although the Online Learning Platform works on mobile and tablet devices, for the best experience, use a desktop or laptop. This might be an easier way to find all the areas of the site as you are learning how it works.
What is the course format?
All of our on-demand courses are offered in a flexible self-study format, so you can access the materials whenever is good for you. Readings, video, audio, and all resources are structured for sequential access in our Online Learning Platform.
Can I participate from a different time zone?
Yes of course! We have students from all over the world participate in our courses. These self-paced study and practice courses are available wherever you are in the world, and whenever works best for you.
How long will I have access to the course?
You have lifetime access to the course and all materials.
I have more questions. Can you help me?
Yes! Please email us at courses@spiritrock.org with any questions that you might have.