Online: Mindfulness and the Meaning Crisis
with Dave Smith
Saturday, April 18th, 2026 | 10:00am – 1:00pm ET
Modern society is marked by a deep sense of unease, lack of purpose, and profound disconnection. This fundamental spiritual crisis fuels our struggles with mental health, addiction, suicide, and widespread cynicism toward institutions.
Our culture glorifies busyness as a measure of success, leading to inevitable burnout. To cope with feeling uneasy and unfulfilled, we turn to constant distraction and destructive consumption. We are incessantly bombarded with artificial digital content fueled by get rich schemes to wellness gurus that are carefully tracked and amplified by addictive algorithms designed for profit. This system provides a deeply dishonest sense of happiness that we all are waking up to.
The resulting guilt, shame, and despair leave us feeling powerless and betrayed. This yearning for deeper meaning explains the resurgence of interest in ancient wisdom, such as the Buddhist concept of the middle way, which offers a path toward contentment and transformation in our complex world.
During this event, Dave will offer teachings and practices that may help us to untangle from the mess. There will be guided practices, dharma talks, and time for us to engage in constructive dialog.
Note: This program will be recorded. The recording will be sent to all registrants after the program, so please feel free to sign up even if you cannot join in real time.
Online Registration:
Please register below. If you are able, registering at the “Supporter” level enables others to attend at the “Subsidized” level. Thank you for your generosity! (Please note that the registration price includes a base level of teacher support, and you will have the opportunity to donate more after the program.)
If you are registering via a mobile device such as a phone or tablet, you can scroll right and left and up and down within the below form if it is partially obscured or cut off.
CLICK HERE to open the registration form in a new browser window.
Bring a Buddy: If you are a member of our Circle of Friends, you’re invited to bring a Dharma buddy to this program for no additional cost. Simply select “1” from the drop-down next to the Bring a Buddy level, and enter your special discount code (provided in your Circle of Friends welcome email) to reduce the price to that of a single, standard registration. This registration will grant attendance for you and your buddy.
Volunteering
All of our programs rely on volunteers to support our teachers and staff with various tasks and responsibilities. Volunteering allows you to participate in our programs at no cost. To inquire about volunteering opportunities, please fill out our inquiry form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Teacher(s)
Dave Smith
For nearly 30 years, Dave Smith has held a practice rooted in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) tradition. He was empowered to teach through the Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, is a certified teacher for Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) which combines contemporary emotion based scientific research with contemplative practices and psychology drawn from Buddhism.
Dave teaches residential meditation retreats, weekly live dharma classes, online courses, and workshops. He has developed educational tools and resources, including mindfulness and emotional skills training, in both secular and Buddhist contexts. Dave also works with students 1:1 through his dharma mentoring program.
In 2016 he founded the Secular Dharma Foundation to foster the advancement of emotional and psychological well-being through the education and integration of mindfulness, psychology, and various therapeutic modalities. Dave lives in Paonia, CO with his wife and two sons.