Wise Speech Finds a New Voice in Chinese

Since BCBS launched Wise Speech: An Introduction to Mindful Communication with Oren Jay Sofer in 2020, more than 13,800 people have participated in the online course. Now, thanks to one of those participants, the teachings are reaching a new audience.

Xuan Simon, a Certified Trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC), first took Wise Speech about two years ago. She was struck by Oren’s ability to bring together Buddhist teachings, mindfulness, and Nonviolent Communication in ways that were both accessible and deeply meaningful.

“He wasn’t simply teaching the principles of wise communication; he embodied them in the way he interacted with participants,” Xuan recalls.

Born and raised in China, Xuan grew up surrounded by Buddhist traditions. Her family kept a statue of Guanyin at home, offered incense, and visited temples. But it wasn’t until she began practicing meditation and studying the Dharma as an adult that she came to understand how Buddhist teachings could transform everyday life.

As a certified NVC trainer, Xuan has made it part of her mission to help Nonviolent Communication take root in Chinese-speaking communities while remaining faithful to its core principles. Oren’s teachings offered a meaningful connection between Buddhist practice and the challenges of communicating with others.

“Compassion does not mean always giving in or suppressing ourselves,” she explains. “It means learning to care for and understand others while also expressing our own feelings and needs honestly.”

As Xuan began translating and preparing materials for a Chinese-language study group based on Wise Speech, she found herself learning along the way.

One day, while riding in the car with her son, who was learning to drive, she asked him to brake more smoothly. His immediate response was “No.” The exchange prompted her to reflect on two qualities of Wise Speech: kindness and sensitivity to context.

“Did I need to bring it up at that moment, with the whole family in the car? Did my tone convey care, or did it reveal my impatience?”

These are the kinds of questions Xuan hopes to explore with Chinese-speaking learners in a new six-week online study group, running December 4, 2026, through January 8, 2027, based on Oren’s original BCBS course.

The independently facilitated program will use the original course videos with Chinese subtitles, translated study materials, guided meditation, group discussion, and optional partner practice.

“Through this Chinese-language study group, I hope to bring Buddhist wisdom and Nonviolent Communication together in a way that feels relevant to Chinese-speaking learners, and to invite more people to explore how we can put these teachings into practice in everyday life.”

We’re delighted to see how a course that began at BCBS continues to inspire new opportunities for study and practice across languages and communities.

If you know any Chinese-speaking individuals or communities who might be interested, we hope you’ll share this opportunity with them.