Vipassana Centers
In May 2015 the Spanish Vipassana Trust started the construction of a new meditation center. The completion of the first phase of construction and the beginning of courses are scheduled for August 2016.
The search for a suitable site in the center of the Iberian peninsula and not far from Madrid began in 2009. In 2012, members of the search committee found the ideal place: a property about 2 hours from Madrid, in the town of Candeleda in the province of Ávila, with 10 hectares of rural land, protected from the north wind by the Sierra de Gredos mountains, and with stunning views of Pico Almanzor (2,952 m).
Dhamma Sacca means the Truth of Dhamma. The center will have a capacity for 120 students and 30 servers. The proximity to Portugal makes it possible to share courses with the neighbouring country.
Dhamma Salila, meaning 'Water of Dhamma', lies in the Doon Valley of the Himalayas, in Dholos Village on Noon river. The Centre is 10 km from Clock Tower in Dehradun. Established in December, 1995, the centre presently holds about twenty courses a year. Twenty double rooms for males and sixteen double rooms for females are presently available. Seventy eight cells have been built for meditators.
In 2003, the first Vipassana Meditation Center in South America was founded in Brazil: Dhamma Santi, which means "Peace of the Dhamma". The center is located near Rio de Janeiro.
Today the center holds up to 100 seated students and 12 servers. The 33 hectares of land and the Dhamma buildings were made possible by donations from former students.
Dhamma Sarana is located in Santana de Parnaíba, 45 kilometers (28 miles) from downtown São Paulo. The property covers a total of 196 hectares (484 acres). Environmental legislation protects most of this land from development, leaving around five hectares (12 acres) available for construction. The protected land helps to make the center a true refuge.
Dhammasarita, which means The River of Dhamma, was established in the year 1999, at the banks of River Bhatsa. Spread across 2.5 acres of land the centre is located near Kalyan, Thane and about 1.5 hours away from Mumbai. The centre has a lush green campus with around 500 trees, a Dhamma Hall with a capacity of 100, comfortable rooms, kitchen and dining areas.
Dhamma Sarovara, meaning 'Lake of Dhamma', is near the Dedargaon Water Plant on the Mumbai-Agra Road, occupying a very calm and peaceful 35-acre site. The Centre presently can serve about 80 students (50 male and 30 female), with a Dhamma Hall that can comfortably seat 80 and a pagoda with 40 cells. Double and triple-sharing accommodation is available. The dining hall and kitchen are presently temporary structures.
Dhamma Setu, meaning 'Bridge of Dhamma', is situated amid paddy fields and open farmland on the outskirts of the major South Indian metropolis of Chennai (formerly Madras), about 10 kms from the Chennai Airport. The 18 sq acres of land, previously used for rice cultivation, was purchased from 1991 onwards. The long and painstaking process of making the plot suitable for construction bore fruit in May 2000 with Goenkaji’s visit in September of the same year, when Dhamma Setu was formally established.
Dhamma Shringa, meaning Summit of Dhamma, was founded in April, 1981. Also known as the Nepal Vipassana Center, it is located in the foothills of the Himalayas, overlooking the Kathmandu valley, about 12 kilometer north of Kathmandu City. The Center's land covers nearly four acres. Various buildings serve for residences, ranging from dormitories to single rooms, two separate dining halls for men & women, and a few meditation halls. The center can comfortably accommodate about 250 people. A half-ring shaped building containing 84 meditation cells, is available for the old students.
Dhamma Sikhara, meaning "Peak of Dhamma", is a serene location ideal for meditation. The site consists of three acres of magnificent deodar cedar forest, about 2000 meters high in the Dhauladar range of the Himalayas of Northern India. The centre is located adjacent to Dharamkot village, above McLeodganj (Upper Dharamsala) in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Dharamkot can be reached by taxi, by auto-richshaw or by a steep uphill 1.5 km walk from Mcleodganj main square.
Dhamma Sīmanta, Boundary of Dhamma, is the 6th Vipassana center to be established in this tradition in Thailand, opening in December 2009. It is located in the Makok district, Amphur Pa Sang, Lamphun province, 40 kilometers southwest of the city of Chiang Mai, and approximately 650 kilometers north of Bangkok. Surrounded by hills and adjoining fruit orchards and vegetable farms, the area is serene and quiet and most suitable for meditation practice.
Dhamma Sindhu (“Ocean of Dhamma”) was established in 1991 on a quiet 14-hectare (35-acre) property very close to the Arabian Sea, near the village of Bada, 22 km west of the historic port city of Mandvi, in the Kutch region of Gujarat, India. The gardens are filled with peacocks and songbirds, and the sea breeze keeps the temperature moderate. The pagoda contains 188 cells. The main meditation hall can seat 300 people, and there are three smaller halls. The center has 145 single rooms with attached bath, with space for another 40 students in shared accommodation. The nearest major town, Bhuj, is approximately two hours away by car; bus or taxi service is available.
Dhamma Sineru, meaning the Sumeru mountain of Dhamma in Pali, is spread over an area of approximately 5 acres in a very picturesque location in east Sikkim. The main Dhamma hall has the capacity to accommodate 120 meditators, The center has separate mini Dhamma halls for males and females. In the first phase we can accommodate 12 male & 12 female meditators on a twin sharing basis with attached bathrooms. We can accommodate 12 males & 12 females in the male and female dormitories. In total we can accommodate 24 males and 24 females. Course are usually offered in Hindi, English and Nepali.
Dhamma Sirī, also known as the Southwest Vipassana Meditation Center, means 'Prosperity of Dhamma' in Pali. Established in 1990, the center sits on 20 acres of land near the end of a quiet rural road, 45 minutes from downtown Dallas, Texas. The Center is also less than four hours from Austin, Houston, and Oklahoma City. Dhamma Sirī holds 12-14 courses annually serving over 1000 students. Instructions and discourses can be provided in over 40 languages.
Dhamma Sobhā, meaning 'Radiance of Dhamma', is the second Vipassana Centre in Sri Lanka. Being established in Kosgama village, about 47 kms from Colombo on the Colombo-Ratnapura Road, the Centre is to be built on six acres of land in picturesque surroundings, encircled by a range of mountains. The Centre is easily accessible by road and rail. On a clear day, one can see the sacred Adam’s Peak commonly referred to as Sri Pada, with the imprint of the footprint of the Buddha at its summit.