vipassana newsletter
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Vipassana Meditation as taught by s.n. goenka in the tradition of sayagyi u ba khin
March 2011
dhaMMa dipa - harewood end - hereford - hr2 8Js - uk published three tiMes yearly
w o r d s o f d h a M M a Aniccā vata saṅkhārā,
uppādavayadhammino. Uppajjitvā nirujjhanti, tesaṃ vūpasamo sukho.
Impermanent truly are created things, by nature arising and passing away. If they arise and are extinguished, their eradication brings happiness.
- Dīgha Nikāya 2.221-
i n s i d e t h i s i s s u e : INterNatIoNal News ........................................ 2–9
the essentials of Buddha-Dhamma in Meditation Practice ........................................................2-3 Gratitude to Sayagyi U Ba Khin ............................................ 4 webu Sayadaw speaks about Sayagyi ................................. 5 Questions and answers with Goenkaji ................................. 7
eUropeaN NewS ................................................. 8–9 east anglia, UK ..................................................................... 8 Dhamma Servers Meeting July 7-11, 2011 at Dhamma Neru, spain .................................................................................... 8 Coach service reduces travel time to Dhamma campus ....... 9
UK NewS ............................................................ 10–17 Dhamma Sukhakari ............................................................ 10 Uk talks by Dr paul r Fleischman ...................................... 11 Dhamma Campus open Day ............................................. 12 the Dhamma Shed .........................................................12-13 opportunities for Dhamma service ................................ 15-17
for More Vipassana newsVipassana newsletter online: www.vnl.dhamma.org
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change to newsletter notifications please note we are phasing out the automatic newsletter notification mail out system from nov 2011. instead we are inviting meditators to opt-in to receiving this information in future. If you would like to continue to receive notification when the latest newsletter is posted to the website, we have an email announce list for this purpose. subscribers to this list receive occasional announcements from the UK trust about Vipassana news and events, opportunities to give service etc. You can subscribe to the announce list by sending an email to: [email protected]
CoUrSe SCheDUleS...............18–22 UK and Ireland Course Schedule.............18 european Course Schedule.................19-20 long & old Student Course Schedule.....21 Group sittings...............................................22
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This January marks the 40th anniversary of the passing away of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. In the years since 1971 the world has changed greatly but the teaching of the Buddha is, if anything, more relevant. Sayagyi would certainly be happy to see more people than ever around the world practising the essence of this teaching, which is Vipassana. Following is an extract from an article he wrote specifically for his students outside Myanmar. The title was added later but there can be no doubt that this represents Sayagyi’s testament, the summation of his many years of teaching.
the initial object of Vipassana meditation is to activate the experience of aniccā in oneself and to eventually reach a state of inner and outer calmness and balance. this is achieved when one becomes engrossed in the feeling of aniccā within. the world is now facing serious problems which threaten all mankind. It is just the right time for everyone to take to Vipassana meditation and learn how to find a deep pool of quiet in the midst of all that is happening today. Aniccā is inside of everybody. It is within reach of everybody. Just a look into oneself and there it is—aniccā to be experienced. when one can feel aniccā, when one can experience aniccā, and when one can become engrossed in aniccā, one can at will cut oneself off from the world of ideation outside. Aniccā is, for the householder, the gem of life which he will treasure to create a reservoir of calm and balanced energy for his own well-being and for the welfare of the society.
the experience of aniccā , when properly developed, strikes at the root of one’s physical and mental ills and removes gradually whatever is bad in him, i.e., the causes of such physical and mental ills. this experience is not reserved for men who have renounced the world for the homeless life. It is for the householder as well. In spite of drawbacks which make a householder restless in these days, a competent teacher or guide can help a student to get the experience of aniccā activated in a comparatively short time. once he has got it activated, all that is necessary is for him to try and preserve it; but he must make it a point, as soon as time or opportunity presents itself for further progress, to work for the stage of bhaṅgañāṇa (knowledge of bhaṅga).
however, there is likely to be some difficulty for one who has not reached the stage of bhaṅga. It will be just like a tug-of-war for him between aniccā within and physical and mental activities outside. so it would be wise for him to follow the motto of “work while you work, play while you play.” there is no need for him to be activating the experience of aniccā all the time. It should suffice if this could be confined to a regular period, or periods, set apart in the day or night for the purpose. During this time, at least, an attempt must be made to keep the attention focused inside the body, with awareness devoted exclusively to aniccā. that is to say, his awareness of aniccā should go on from moment to moment so continuously as not to allow for the interpolationof any discursive or distracting
thoughts, which are definitely detrimental to progress. In case this is not possible, he will have to go back to respiration-mindfulness, because samādhi is the key to the contemplation of aniccā. to get good samādhi, sīla (morality) has to be perfect, since samādhi is built upon sīla. For a good experience of aniccā, samādhi must be good. If samādhi is excellent, awareness of aniccā will also become excellent.
there is no special technique for activating the experience of aniccā other than the use of the mind adjusted to a perfect state of balance, and attention projected upon the object of meditation. In Vipassana the object of meditation is aniccā, and therefore, in the case of those used to focusing their attention on bodily feelings, they can feel aniccā directly. In experiencing aniccā in relation to the body, it should first be in the area where one can easily get his attention engrossed, changing the area of attention from place to place from head to feet and from feet to head, at times probing into the interior. at this stage it must clearly be understood that no attention is to be paid to the anatomy of the body, but to the formations of matter—the kalāpas—and the nature of their constant change. If these instructions are observed, there will surely be progress, but the progress depends also on pāramī (i.e., one’s disposition for certain spiritual qualities) and devotion of the individual to the work of meditation.
the essentials of buddha-dhamma in Meditation practice
international news
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If he attains high levels of knowledge, his power to understand the three characteristics of aniccā, dukkha and anattā will increase and he will accordingly come nearer and nearer to the goal of the ariya or noble saint—which every householder should keep in view.
this is the age of science. Man of today has no utopia. he will not accept anything unless the results are good, concrete, vivid, personal, and here-and-now.
when the Buddha was alive, he said to the people of Kāḷāma:
"Now look, you Kāḷāmas. Be not misled by report or tradition or hearsay. Be not misled by proficiency in the scriptural collections, or by reasoning or logic or reflection on and approval of some theory, or because some view conforms with one’s inclinations, or out of respect for the prestige of a teacher. But when you know for yourselves: these things are unwholesome, these things are blameworthy, these things are censured by the wise; these things when practised and observed, conduce to loss and sorrow—then do ye reject them. But if at any time you know for yourselves: these things are wholesome, these things are blameless, these things are praised by the intelligent; these things, when practised and observed, conduce to welfare and happiness—then, Kāḷāmas, do ye, having practised them, abide. "
the time clock of Vipassana has now struck—that is, for the revival of Buddha-Dhamma Vipassana in practice. we have no doubt whatsoever that definite
results would accrue to those who would with an open mind sincerely undergo a course of training under a competent teacher—I mean results which will be accepted as good, concrete, vivid, personal, here-and-now—results which will keep them in good stead and in
a state of well-being and happiness for the rest of their lives. May all beings be happy and may peace prevail in the world.
the essentials of buddha-dhamma in Meditation practice
international news
sayings of sayagyi u ba khin:"a balanced mind is necessary to balance the unbalanced mind of others. "
"Just as the light of a candle has the power to dispel darkness in a room, so also the light developed in one man can help dispel darkness in several others."
"to imagine that good can be done by the means of evil is an illusion, a nightmare. "
"My approach is essentially practical, not theoretical. Vipassana meditation is so subtle and delicate that the less you talk about it, the more you can obtain good results. "
" Dhamma eradicates suffering and gives happiness. who gives this happiness? It is not the Buddha but the Dhamma, the knowledge of aniccā within the body, which gives this happiness. that is why you must meditate and be aware of aniccā continually."
"the more one is attached to self, the greater is the suffering. "
" only those who take to meditation with good intentions can be assured of success. with the development of the purity and the power of the mind backed by the insight into the ultimate truth of nature, one may be able to do a lot of things in the right direction for the benefit of mankind." "For progress in Vipassana meditation, a student must keep knowing aniccā as continuously as possible.... Continuous awareness of aniccā, and so of dukkha and anattā, is the secret of success. the last words of the Buddha just before he breathed his last and passed away into mahaparinibbāna were: “Decay (or aniccā) is inherent in all component things. work out your own salvation with diligence.” this is, in fact, the essence of all his teachings during the 45 years of his ministry. If you will keep up the awareness of the aniccā that is inherent in all component things, you are sure to reach the goal in the course of time."
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Most reverend Dhamma teacher!
It is now 10 years since you passed away, but your inspirational presence is still being felt. My heart fills with gratitude towards you, my magnanimous teacher, who most compassionately, most lovingly and affectionately bestowed upon me this invaluable Dhamma-jewel. If I had not received this Dhamma-jewel, what would my plight have been? I would have wasted this life in the pursuit of earning and hoarding wealth, and in the rat race for status. You nurtured the seed of Dhamma within me. If you had not, then I would have been content to remain bound in sectarian fetters, mistaking them for ornaments. I would have passed my life taking pride in the experiences of others rather than my own. where would I have obtained this real and direct experience of the truth? I would have contented myself with the mental projections of imagination. where would I have had this yathābutha ñāṇadassana (wisdom of the direct experience of truth as it is)? I would have wasted my life taking intellectual knowledge as true wisdom. I would have squandered this invaluable human life by performing rites, rituals and recitations, and in getting conditioned by non-experiential, sectarian philosophies. My peerless Dhamma teacher! You have made my human life truly successful and worthwhile by bestowing the gift of this unrivalled, incomparable Dhamma upon me.
Verily, unrivalled and incomparable is the practice of Dhamma. how easy! how clear! how scientific! how beneficial! leading from bondage to freedom, from
delusions and mirages to the reality, from the apparent truth to the ultimate truth—may this invaluable jewel remain in its unblemished purity!
I solemnly make these meritorious resolutions on this auspicious day, the anniversary of your demise:
May I not commit the monumental sin of adulterating the teaching. May this invaluable technique remain in its flawless purity. May its practice open the door of deathlessness and salvation for one and all. Fulfilling these resolutions is the only way to respect, honour and revere you.
international newsgratitude to sayagyi khin by s.n. goenka (January 19, 1981)
Sayagyi U Ba Khin in formal attire meditating in the central room of the pagoda at the International Meditation Centre (IMC), Yangon
Sayagyi U Ba Khin in the garden at IMC
The Dhamma has returned to India and spread around the world because of my teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin. You may forget the name of Goenka but never forget Sayagyi U Ba Khin! Emperor Asoka sent Sona and Uttara to Myanmar as Dhamma messengers. Hardly anyone knows Sona and Uttara even in Myanmar, but everyone gratefully remembers Asoka and all sing his praises. I want the same to happen with Sayagyi and myself. My name should never be allowed to overshadow that of Sayagyi U Ba Khin in any way whatsoever. — S.N. Goenka
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5international news
one of the most unusual things about Sayagyi U Ba Khin was his close relationship with webu Sayadaw, a renowned monk who was commonly regarded as an arahant in Myanmar. It was on webu Sayadaw’s prompting that U Ba Khin began to teach Vipassana.
later, it was at Sayagyi’s invitation that webu Sayadaw first came to Yangon, where he stayed for several days at Sayagyi’s centre. and it was under webu Sayadaw that Sayagyi briefly became a monk, as virtually all Burmese men do at least once in their lifetime.
after Sayagyi passed away, the news was brought to webu Sayadaw. he commented, “a person like Sayagyi U Ba Khin will never die. You may not see him, but his teachings live on.”
Now there is a brand-new source of information about anapana meditation for children and teens: the www.children.dhamma.org website. the outcome of years of effort around the world, the site is an attractive introduction to an activity that is growing in popularity.
Separate sections provide information for readers with different interests. parents can find general background information, details on how the courses work, and comments from people with children who have learned anapana. a teachers’ page talks about bringing courses into schools. the videos section features short films on anapana courses. For children, there are simple explanations with cartoons, plus comments from kids who have sat a course. another section provides similar information in language that will appeal to teens. and most important is information on course dates.
Still in the planning stage is a section for old students.
It will include slide shows of courses from around the world, poetry and artwork from meditator children and teens, and follow-up materials.
the site is a wonderful entry point into the world of meditation for the young. and it will also interest meditators of any age.
webu sayadaw speaks about sayagyi
website for children and teens goes live
Goenkaji paying respect to Sayagyi U Ba Khin.This photograph was taken in the 1960s, prior to Goenkaji's departure from Myanmar.
Sayagyi U Ba Khin listens to a discourse by Ven. Webu Sayadaw in the Dhamma Hall at IMC.
U Kusula (Sayagyi U Ba Khin as a monk)
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russia first Vipassana centre in russia
after seven years of searching, in December 2010 the russian trust purchased a property for a Vipassana centre. Goenkaji has named the new centre Dhamma Dullabha, meaning the rare, extraordinary (difficult to obtain) Dhamma. the property covers two hectares (five acres). originally a children’s camp, it is located 100 kilometres (70 miles) east of Moscow and is easily reached by local train. the surrounding land is wooded, with beautiful old pine and oak trees. the peaceful environment and seclusion are ideal for serious meditation. the first 10-day course at Dhamma Dullabha is scheduled for June 2011. at first, the Centre will be able to accommodate up to 80 students and to offer courses only in summer. there will be five courses in 2011, with another 10 courses at a rented site. In the long run, the capacity will be expanded to 120 students and 30 servers, and courses will be held year-round.
For more information about Dhamma Dullabha, visit: www.ru.dhamma.org/index.php?id=2161&l=0 (username: oldstudent, password: behappy)
china land for new centre in hong kong
hong Kong students have been conducting 16 to 18 courses a year at a temporary centre located in the New territories. however, the facility can accommodate only 40 meditators in cramped conditions, and zoning rules do not allow expansion. For these reasons the trust has long been hoping to acquire another property. Success finally came in December 2010, when the hong Kong trust was able to buy a site in the southern part of lantau Island. the property is located in a serene valley and is more than 10 times the size of the current temporary course site. planning is now under-way, and construction should be completed before the end of 2014. the new facility will accommodate up to 120 meditators in single or double rooms, and there will be cells for meditation. Goenkaji has named the new centre Dhamma Muttā (“pearl of the Dhamma”). For more information, visit:
www.hk.dhamma.org/mutta.html.
grateful commemorationShri Ram Singh Chauhan passed away peacefully on December 18, 2010, at the age of 93. He was one of the first two ācariyas appointed by Goenkaji and was one of the most active Dhamma servers during the initial establishment of Vipassana in India. He helped Goenkaji in many of the projects that served to expand the growth of Vipassana in the world. In addition, he was the main force behind the initiation and propagation of Vipassana courses in prisons. Shri Ram Singh also played a major role in the establishment and growth of Dhamma Thalī in Jaipur, India, and was responsible for the management of Dhamma Giri for many years. He is survived by his wife, Shrimati Jag-dish Kumari, also a Vipassana teacher, as well as three sons and three daughters.
May they all be happy, peaceful and liberated! ■
international newsAsia/Pacific
Future site of Dhamma Muttᾱ
Dining hall at Dhamma Dullabha
Residential building at Dhamma Dullabha
appointments and new responsibilities (through January 2011) assistant teachers: Ms. helena anliot – Sweden Naomi apel – Israel
See the International Vipassana newsletter (www.vnl.dhamma.org) for news about Burmese courses in the USa, and further developments in hong Kong, Sri lanka, taiwan, australia, and thailand
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7international news
how can we know the difference between bodily sensations that we create (illusions) and sensations that just crop up naturally?
i have noticed that i often get an internal image of the part of the body which i am scanning. this seems to help me know where i am with my attention. but it feels as if the image keeps me from going deeper and i wonder if i am just creating fantasy. if this is true, how could i best overcome this? another question i have is how to get more speed in scanning. it takes me mostly about an hour to scan the whole body. there is a simple way to test whether your meditation experience is natural or artificially created. Simply go to a part of your body and give a command for a particular sensation to appear—say, heat or heaviness or tingling or anything else. Do this two or three times.
If the sensations appear on your command, you know that the experience is manufactured and you should throw it away. Go back to anapana for some time and then start again moving through the body, trying only to observe objectively. But if the sensations do not appear on your command, you must accept that they are real, actually happening in that part of the body.
You should avoid any visual image of the part of the body you are scanning. If it crops up naturally, never mind; but if it becomes predominant or you start giving importance to it, you will find that your awareness of sensations fades away and you stop practising Vipassana. Instead you may try moving with the breath: breathe out and move down from one part to another, then breathe out again and move to the next part throughout the body as you go from head to feet; then breathe in and move up. this can help you to fix your attention on the area you have chosen.
From what you write generally, I would advise you to scan the body more quickly—say, in about 10 minutes. Don't worry for now about feeling every detail; that ability will come gradually. Move quickly and keep moving in different ways so that the experience remains fresh.
In 1998, students in Quebec established the province’s first Vipassana centre close to the southern border with the United States. the centre was an immediate success and soon there were long waiting lists for all courses. But expanding the existing facilities turned out to be very difficult and expensive. as a result, two years ago the trust began investigating the possibility of moving to a different site.
after an extensive search, the trust’s offer has been accepted for a former residential school located near the town of Montebello, midway between Montreal (the largest city in Quebec) and ottawa (Canada’s capital).
Situated on 600 acres in its own valley, the centre will immediately be able to accommodate 100 students without any major renovations or alterations. For more information, visit: www.suttama.dhamma.org/os/en/montebello/ (username: oldstudent, password: behappy). For a slideshow of the site, visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6geVkZioyfM
Quebec Vipassana Centre finds a new home
Questions and answers with Goenkaji
Aerial view of new site for Quebec Vipassana Centre
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8european news
in december 2010 the east anglia branch of the uk trust celebrated the opening of the dhamma house in saxmundham, suffolk. this comes at the end of nine years of hosting rented site courses in the region. goenkaji has now named it Dhamma Sukhakᾱri – ‘giving happiness’the property, a former day care centre, is in the small Suffolk market town of Saxmundham, with excellent road and rail connections with the rest of the country. Built only about 10 years ago to the highest specifications, it is in top condition.
It is hoped that the Dhamma house will act as a catalyst to encourage all old students, local as well as further afield, to come to the region to serve and sit. after an initial period spent adapting and developing the property to make it more suited for our purposes, regular 1, 2 and 3 day assistant teacher-led courses will be offered. there will also be an opportunity for more serious old students to come and sit self-courses. Dhamma Sukhakᾱri will be used for weekend children's courses, the Branch meetings and, when there is a caretaker/manager, it will be open for the three daily group sittings for those living locally.
Vipassana meditators from around europe and beyond are warmly invited to participate in this year’s european trustees and Dhamma Servers Meeting (etDM) at the Spanish Vipassana Centre from the evening of thursday July 7th to the morning of Monday July 11th. Dhamma Neru (“heavenly Mountain of Dhamma") serves as the first Vipassana centre in Spain and it is located near palautordera, about 35 miles Northeast of Barcelona.etDMs are annual events hosted by different Vipassana centres around europe. they are inspiring and informative occasions and always very enjoyable. the etDM gives a wonderful opportunity to meet Dhamma servers from other parts of europe and exchange experiences and information in a relaxed atmosphere. It also provides a platform to share ideas, strengthen service, improve procedures and efficiency, and share the joy of Dhamma service. the agenda will be prepared and decided on together with the participants. Your ideas and suggestions are warmly welcome. the program will include sessions about, among many things, arranging non-centre courses, starting and developing a new centre, the new long-course centre, spreading information about Vipassana, and small group activities based on topics collected during the meeting. Besides this, we will meditate together and organise excursions and walks in the attractive countryside surrounding the centre. Great food and lots of tea will be served!
Vipassana Meditation Centre Dhamma Neru
els Bruguers, apartado postal 29, Santa Maria de palautordera, 08460 Barcelona, españa
tel: (34) 93 848 26 95
email: [email protected]
register by clicking on this link for applications in english:
http://calm.dhamma-eu.org/v/a/app?re=eu&sc=neru&co=792&la=en&server=y
travel: you will find information on how to reach the centre at the website www.es.dhamma.org ■
For more information, contact: [email protected] or visit: www.eastanglia.uk.dhamma.org.
New East Anglia Dhamma house, Dhamma Sukhakᾱri
dhaMMa serVers Meeting July 7-11, 2011 at dhaMMa neru, spain
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coach service reduces travel time to dhamma campus
european news
travel to Dhamma Dipa and Dhamma Padhāna, the first European Long-Course centre, has been made easier for all students travelling from around the uk and europe. a dedicated coach transport service from the city of gloucester to both centres is now organised by Vipassana trust at the beginning of each course. gloucester is only 45 minutes’ drive from the campus, and is easy to get to by coach from most uk cities. there are also direct train connections to gloucester from, amongst others, london, cardiff, bristol, swindon, worcester, nottingham and birmingham.
Many students welcome this new service, and appreciate the chance to complete the last leg of the journey more quickly and in comfort, with fellow students:
“two of us travelling together for a Vipassana course decided to try out the new service. we had a good connection from london and the bus was waiting for us. the trip was smooth and without any problems. we’ll certainly take the coach again.”
"the service made getting to the centre very easy. the group who came on the noon london National express coach service walked the hundred metres to the railway station where we found the coach waiting. a few people who had come by train were already there and others arrived before we left at 3.30. then 45 minutes later we were at Dhamma Padhāna."
this coach service is available on Day 0 of all courses at Dhamma Dipa and Dhamma Padhāna, and
additionally on Day -1 of long courses. the fare is £7 per person. return journeys to Gloucester in shared taxis can be organised on Metta Day through the campus managers. Further details are sent to all students who register for a course.
For further details on travel to Dhamma Dipa and Dhamma Padhāna please click here. ■
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10uk news
the new dhamma house in east anglia has been named by goenkaji. at the end of the 60 day course goenkaji informed the uk trust that the house would now be called Dhamma Sukhakᾱri, meaning giving happiness. so its full meaning is "giving the happiness of dhamma". there has been a lot of activity at Dhamma Sukhakᾱri since the doors were at last opened in November. For some time a former Dhamma Dipa manager stayed at the house to help install the various necessary facilities needed to run the house efficiently, as well as oversee the various trades that passed through with deliveries. having an onsite Caretaker and Manager proved to be extremely valuable for the smooth first few weeks. however his stay was short lived and the east anglia Branch is again very keen to hear from any serious old student willing to act as a live in Caretaker and Manager and help see the Dhamma house develop as a vibrant east anglian facility for Vipassana.
outside the property the car parking has been properly laid out. Inside a full working kitchen has been bought and installed, and the bunk beds ordered at the last local trust meeting are being made and delivered. the Dhamma hall itself, the hub of the building, has been laid out ,and new curtains are being sewn up. It is all an ongoing work but certainly the initial stages are well under way.
on March 13th the first at led 1- day course for old students will be held at Dhamma Sukhakᾱri . a number of further 1 day courses are also being planned through the spring. Details will appear on the Dhamma Sukhakᾱri website as plans are finalised. as the site settles and we are able to offer overnight accommodation suitable for residential courses, the website will also start to offer weekend and 3 day
courses for old students.
For further information about these courses, how to get more involved with the development of Dhamma Sukhakᾱri, and especially if you are able to offer longer term residential service at the Dhamma house, please contact: [email protected]. or visit: www.eastanglia.uk.dhamma.org. ■
dhaMMa sukhakᾹri
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11uk newsuk talks by dr paul r fleischMan
from 9–12 May dr paul r fleischman will be visiting the uk to deliver a series of public talks about Vipassana in hereford, Manchester and london. this provides a wonderful opportunity for old students and the general public to learn more about the practice from a truly inspirational source.Dr paul r Fleischman is a teacher of Vipassana meditation and has been asked by Goenkaji to play a leading role in explaining Vipassana to professionals in the west. Dr Fleischman graduated from the albert einstein College of Medicine, trained in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, and later served there as Chief resident. he was in private psychiatric practice in amherst, Massachusetts for over thirty years. his books and monographs include: the healing Spirit: religious Issues in psychotherapy; Cultivating Inner peace; Karma and Chaos: Collected and New essays on Vipassana Meditation; Spiritual aspects of psychiatric practice; the Buddha taught Nonviolence Not pacifism and an ancient path. he is the author of a collection of poetry: You Can Never Speak Up too often/For the love of all things. he contributed to the power of prayer, an anthology that included essays by Mother teresa and Jimmy Carter. Karma and Chaos was a Book of the Year Finalist with Forward Magazine.
Dr Fleischman will be speaking on a variety of topics at the following venues. there will be an opportunity for group sittings prior to the talks opening to the general public. admission is free.
In 1993 Dr Fleischman became the fifth American psychiatrist to be honoured by the American Psychiatric Association with the
Oskar Pfister Award for being an "outstanding contributor to the humanistic and spiritual side
of psychiatric and medical issues.”
Dr Fleischman will be speaking on a variety of topics at the following venues. There will be an opportunity for group sittings prior to the talks opening to the general public. Admission is free.■
'Vipassana - a way of life in Chal-lenging times’ Mon 9th May
group sit 6.00–7.00 pm* 7.30–9.30 pm
hereford town hall, hereford
'an Introduction to Vipassana Meditation: ancient wisdom that Deepens the Scientific world View'tue 10th May
group sit 6.00–7.00 pm* please arrive for 6.00 pm
7.30–9.30 pm
central Manchester friends Meeting house
'an Introduction to Vipassana Medita-tion: ancient wisdom in the Modern Universal Culture'thu 12th May
group sit 5.30–6.30 pm* 7.00–9.00 pm
university college london
*Group sittings are only available to old students. all other guests should arrive at the later start times.
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12uk newsdhamma campus open day Sunday 19th June 2011
the new Dhamma Campus of Dhamma Dipa and Dhamma Padhana is holding an open day at which all meditators, friends, family and the general public are warmly welcome.
the open Day provides the first opportunity to showcase the substantial developments at Dhamma Padhana, highlighting the continued spread of Dhamma both in the UK and europe wide. the opportunity for local non-meditators to visit the centres contributes to open and harmonious relations with the surrounding community. open Days offer a relaxing opportunity to meet other meditators, to find inspiration for your own practice, to introduce the practice to those considering taking a course and for everyone involved to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of the the new Dhamma campus.
the programme will include guided tours of both sites, introductory talks on Vipassana Meditation, short films about the technique, question and answer sessions, woodland walks and refreshments.
If you would like to offer service and contribute to this event by distributing promotional materials, preparing the site, serving on the day or in any other way please contact Claire Coaché on [email protected]
the dhamma shedlast summer, hackney Groups Sittings in london faced a problem. For three years everything had been running fairly smoothly. we had a one-hour sitting every wednesday and, at a different venue, a three-hour sitting every Sunday. But for many people, the wednesday venue was so noisy it was barely tolerable.
at least the Sunday venue, although very small, was reasonably quiet and private. then we heard the news - it was due to be demolished in the autumn. so we had to start looking at our options. It is not easy to find a really good place to rent in london - we had tried before. then someone suggested an interesting idea - why not build our own shed in a meditator's back garden? this would be a dedicated venue, only for Vipassana, and if it could be generally accessible. Perhaps we could host a Group sitting every day or even make it available for self courses.
Fortunately we were offered the finance and the opportunity to build it in the back garden of an old student. the garden is accessible from the street via a side passage so it can function independently of his house. we were also very lucky to find that we had among us, a carpenter/joiner, who became the project director and a builder who became the site manager. It was also a pleasant surprise to learn that if we kept to a
2.5m height limit, we did not need planning permission. So our joiner went ahead and designed a well-insulated wooden structure suitable for 20-30 meditators.
For the first week or so, a team of paid workers were employed clearing the site and digging foundations. But we needed 3 or 4 semi-skilled workers every day for a month or so. So, very much at the last minute, we sent out some messages asking for volunteers, on the london list and the Vipassana announce list.
In retrospect it seems crazy to start a project like that with almost no idea of who our workers would be. But somehow it all worked out. people turned up for service, whether building the shed itself or in the kitchen to feed the others - including people we had never seen before or since. Some were accommodated in the house; others came on a daily basis. at times we doubted that this would work but somehow we always seemed to have the right numbers and mix of skills. hey! - Dhamma works! ■ ■ ■
admission is free. 2-6pm. please inform the centre if you will be visiting with a large group, for disabled access or any other special needs.
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13uk news■ ■ ■ admittedly the house sometimes became rather chaotic and messy but a positive atmosphere always pervaded it. as on any building site, there were a few moments of friction but they were very rare and equanimity and good humour always prevailed. I am sure this was mainly due to the Group sittings which we instituted at the start and end of every work day. at first these were held in the house but moved onto the site as soon as we had a floor to sit on.
Most of the work was completed in a burst of energy in the first month.see this link for a stop-frame animation of this period. If you look closely you can see a record of the very first sitting.
By the beginning of october the roof was on, and we began to use the shed for regular sittings - at first somewhat "al fresco". progress continued at a slower pace, fitting the doors and windows, cladding and decorating. Finally, as the November cold snap approached and just in time, we sealed the gaps around the windows and installed electric heating. the project had been completed - and much more easily, more quickly and more cheaply than anyone expected.
It is a beautiful building and a wonderful place to meditate. It has become a support and inspiration to many meditators. as far as I am concerned, I can honestly say the benefits of the project have far exceeded all my expectations.
sittingswe currently have the following scheduled group-sittings. Just turn up for these - there is no need to call in advance.
■ a one hour sitting Every Day from 7 to 8 pm■ "half day" sittings every Sunday morning from 10 am to 1 pm and every Thursday morning from 9 am to 12 noon (It is OK to come for part of the period)Meditators can also let themselves in to sit at other times.
we may be able to arrange short self courses sometimes with accommodation.
the address is 8 elrington road, dalston, hackney, london e8 3bJthe venue is at the rear of the house and can be accessed from the side passage to the left of the house.
the access code is cx04826For further info telephone Colin Barnett 07960 130587 or email: [email protected].
we hope there will many more similar projects in the future. If you would like to find out more, do contact us at [email protected] . we would be glad to help in any way or even manage a similar project. ■
there will be a three day course, for old students, in lancashire from Friday 22 - Monday 25 april, the easter weekend. this is the second course we have run at whitehough outdoor education Centre, which lies in a beautiful and quiet part of lancashire, close to Burnley, Nelson and the Yorkshire border. It is accessible by public transport from preston-Nelson-Barley and is near junction 13 of the M65.
there are still some places for this course for both servers and sitters so do enrol via Dhamma Dipa. we will be setting up for the course on thursday 21 april at the venue from 11 am and will continue setting up on Friday 22 april, the day the course starts.It will be possible to stay the night of 21 april at the site.
If you wish to help set up on the 21/22 april at whitehough, or in the weeks running up to the course, please contact Judy on [email protected].
website: http://www.northernengland.uk.dhamma.org/
building at Dhamma Dipathe Building Committe are currently liasing with the trust to update the master plan for Dhamma Dipa. Future plans will continue to include building more new accommodation for students and servers.
recently improvements were made to the facilities in the women’s dormitory, which was previously the old kitchen and dining room building; five toilets and 2 showers were installed.
3-day easter course in lancashire
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14
this day workshop will include brief presentations from servers in different centre and trust roles, question and answer sessions and an opportunity for individuals to post their own queries about Dhamma service for discussion in small groups and sharing with all.
* Sunday June 19 - open day (Dhamma Dipa & Dhamma Padhana)
You are welcome to apply on-line for all or part of the GsP programme.
uk news
General service Periods (scheduled throughout the year) have been arranged at Dhamma Dipa and Dhamma Padhana from:
Monday June 6 – friday June 10 Monday June 13 - wednesday June 22.
gsp projectsthe main projects for general service periods are identified closer to the time, but we always need general help around the site and buildings. help is also always needed in the office and in the kitchen to prepare meals. If you have any special skills i.e. building, carpentry, painting, gardening, office, etc., please let us know before you arrive so that we can use your skills more efficiently during your stay
special eventsAs part of this particular GSP programme a variety of sitting, serving and learning opportunities for deepening one’s Vipassana practice will be available for old students
* thursday June 9 - Sunday June 12 - three-day course (Dhamma Padhana)
* tuesday June 14 (9.30 – 5.00) - one-day course (Dhamma Dipa)
* wednesday June 15 (9.30 – 5.00) - one-day dhamma servers workshop (Dhamma Dipa)
children’s coursesthere are training workshops for appointed Children’s Course teachers in europe every two years. In aug 2010, I was one of 23 UK/european CCt’s who spent 3 days at the beautiful Italian Centre, Dhamma Atala, receiving in depth guidance about conducting the courses. we were able to see an Italian Children’s Course in action, complete with pizza making. as the children have other activities between their meditation sessions, some ideas for these were shared, and needed trying out; for example walking the ‘slackrope’, which was fixed between two trees. we have now put some of these ideas into practice at Dhamma Dipa; teenagers tried out the newly purchased slack rope during this year’s February courses.
uk course dates for 2011:
10th Jun - 12th Jun Young person`s Courses Boys 12-18, Girls 12-18
23rd Sep - 25th Sep Children`s Course mixed 8-11
Any mediator interested in organising a Children’s Course in their local area should contact the UK Children’s Course committee:
June 2011: sitting, serving and learning at the dhamma campus
contacting an assistant teacherIf you would like to speak to an assistant teacher to clarify any aspect of your practice, please do so via the centre manager: 01989 730234 or email [email protected]
Vipassana in uk prisonsIf you have contacts in prisons or are interested in bridging the gap with prisons, prison information packs are available. please contact Udo Marquardt with your email and postal address and he will contact you: [email protected]
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15uk news
Maintenance co-ordinator and deputy needed starting february/March 2011 as the combined Dipa and Padhana Dhamma campus has grown over recent times so the task of maintaining the buildings, grounds and infrastructure has become increasingly complex and labour intensive. this work is managed by a permanent team of two long term servers. Both these positions will become vacant in april 2011 and the new recruits would ideally be in place in February/March for training.
the Maintenance co-ordinator is primarily a management role. It involves the administration of the various systems used including job logging, maintaining manuals and ppM scheduling. the co-ordinator also forms part of the centre management team and liaises with contractors and suppliers.
the Maintenance Deputy liaises with the co-ordinator and is more engaged in the actual jobs on the ground including assigning them to the appropriate available servers.
It is, however, important that both positions are filled by people able to cover the other role when that person is unavailable.
applicants should therefore ideally meet the following criteria:
• Reasonable and broad experience in building maintenance, (various trades - plumbing, carpentry etc).
• Good English (for dealing with suppliers and contractors).
• Ability to manage other servers.• Full driving license valid in the UK.• Good computer skills including knowledge of
excel spreadsheet and windows Mail.these roles offer a wonderful opportunity to serve both centres as an essential part of the spread of Dhamma. Please contact [email protected] if you are interested. ■
there is an immediate need for a dedicated old student who can act as the Dhamma Sukhakᾱri caretaker and manager in the short or longer term. we will welcome all applications, which will be considered with the assistance of the UK teachers.
all old students are also always welcome to get involved in the east anglia Branch to help in organising courses in the region, both at Dhamma Sukhakᾱri and at our December rented site. If you have any time and energy to offer to serve in any capacity, please email.
[email protected] or call 01728 605652.
website: www.eastanglia.uk.dhamma.org
household committee - coMe and Join usthe household Committee now covers both Dhamma Dipa and Dhamma Padhana and is very, very busy at all times as you can well imagine. we have a strong team of members but always need more so if you are interested in helping us either as:
• A server on GSP's• A remote server who can investigate product
purchases for us• A server who can come between courses• A local server who can come into the centre
on a regular basis to assist the campus household supervisor
• A course server who would like to help with household tasks *
• A long term server with an interest in serving as a deputy hs *
• We need male and female servers (especially male at the moment)
* please note that all these positions are at the discretion of the Centre Management team who may need you to serve in another capacity
opportunities for dhamma service
servers needed at dhamma Sukhakᾱri, East Anglia
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16uk news
Examples of a few of the jobs we have done in 2010:• replaced 103 mattresses at Dhamma Dipa• deep cleaned all the AT accommodation, The
dhamma halls and most student accommodation
• provided emergency radiators for Dhamma Padhana
• set up a comprehensive household documentation system for Dhamma Padhana
• bought fleece for meditation and accommodation blankets Some jobs that are scheduled for the next few months:
• turning the fleece rolls into blankets• making extra shoe racks for accommodation
blocks and dp dhamma hall lobbies• providing new external mats for Dhamma
Padhana - dhamma hall lobbies
& of course cleaning, cleaning & yet more cleaning !
If you feel inspired to come along and join our team or would just like some more information then please either contact the campus Centre Managers or email us at [email protected]
gardening at Dhamma Dipa we experimented through 2010 with different scheduling for Garden work periods, and by far the most successful were the General Service periods. this is a time when many people come to give service, and a good working atmosphere is created, without the need to avoid disturbing students on a course. several people who attended GsP's last year stated that they had an interest in gardening, so we had a team who worked very well together. even the cold December weather did not deter the enthusiastic workers at that month's GSp!
therefore, this year we will not be publicising Garden Days as a separate project. Instead, meditators who wish to give gardening service should apply for a GSp in the normal way, and state their interest in gardening.
New members for the Garden Committee are always welcome. please contact the Centre if you would like to attend our meeting at a trust weekend, and leave a message for paula ruddick, Co-ordinator of the committee.
opportunities for dhamma service
trust Meetingsall old students are welcome at trust meetings and new committee members are always needed. the programme starts on Saturday with a group sit at 1.00pm followed by committee meetings. on Sunday, the group sit is at 7.45am followed by the trust meeting which finishes at noon.
• 9/10 April at Dhamma SukhakᾱriEast Anglia• 21/22 May at Dhamma Padhana• 2/3 July at Dhamma Padhana• 17/18 at Dhamma Dipa ( AGM and Joint
meeting)• 22/23 Oct at Dhamma Padhana• 19/20 Nov at Dhamma Padhana
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17uk news
dana in kindwe would like to thank students for their volition to donate items to the centre. we would ask them to always contact the centre management first as some items may not be needed or may not be suitable. the centre has the policy of replacing all shawls, blankets, bedding, electrical equipment and kitchen items with new ones.
on-line donationssince last year we have been using a new on-line donation service, Charity Choice. this is an efficient way for the trust to collect donations since there are no charges for the service, even when payments are made by credit card. the full donation is transferred to our account. administration is also reduced. If you would like to make a donation in this way, please visit the ‘how to Give’ pages at www.dhamma.org/os username: old student password: be happy
resourcesthe following companies offer for sale a variety of books, tapes and other materials on Vipassana.
Vipassana research instituteDhamma Giri, p.o. Box 6, Igatpuri 422 403, Dist. Nasik, Maharashtra, India www.vri.dhamma.org tel: (91) (2553) 244076, 244086 Fax: 244176 [email protected]
insight booksthe Sun, Garway hill, herefordshire, hr2 8eZ, UK tel & fax: 0845 458 1466, www.insightbooks.co.uk [email protected]
pariyatti (us)867 larmon road, onalaska, wa 98570, USa tel: (1) (360) 978 4998 www.pariyatti.org, [email protected]
ayana-book.comSemmelweisstr. 20, 78532 tuttlingen, Germany tel: (49) (0)7461-5148, Fax: (49) (0)7461-12443 www.ayana-book.com, [email protected]
dhamma disksaudio CD sets of 10-day discourses by S.N. Goenka. all proceeds will be given to the UK Vipassana trust. Contact Manju agarwal: [email protected]
help setting up ukgroup sittingsto help meditators set-up group sittings in their local area, there is a trust contact person who can offer advice on related issues. Contact Clive taylor on 0113 2665435 or [email protected]
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18course schedule 2011 - uk & irelandplease note: Courses and events in bold type are for old students only. please check requirements for old student only courses. to apply for a place on a course, go to www.dipa.dhamma.org and make an application on-line. alternatively, contact Dhamma Dipa on 01989 730234 for an application form. applications can be sent by post to: Dhamma Dipa, harewood end, hereford, hr2 8Js
to apply for a course in Ireland, contact: Vipassana assoc. ireland. tel: (353) (1) 667 7844 [email protected]. - www.ie.dhamma.org
registration for all courses is from 2pm–5pm. please ensure you arrive on time so that the course can start on time. late comers delay the start of the course which impacts on all other students. If for any reason it is impossible to arrive by 5pm please let us know in advance by calling Dhamma Dipa on 01989 730234.
teenagers’ anapana courses are available for teens in different age ranges from 12-18 years old. their parents/guardians do not have to be Vipassana meditators.
children’s anapana courses are open for all children aged 8-12 years old who wish to learn to meditate. their parents/guardians do not have to be meditators.For further information please visit www.dipa.dhamma.org/childrens.html
date activity location
31st Mar - 3rd apr 3 day scotland
1st apr - 3rd apr Children`s Course mixed 8-11 Dhamma Dipa
6th apr - 17th apr 10-day course Dhamma Dipa9/10 april trust Meeting east anglia22nd apr - 25th apr 3 day lancashire19th apr - 30th apr 10-day course Dhamma Dipa20th apr - 1st May 10-day course Ireland
1st May - 8th Maygeneral service period for old students
dhamma dipa
11th May - 22nd May 10-day course Dhamma Dipa
21/22 May trust Meeting dhamma padhana
25th May - 5th Jun 10-day course (hindi/english) Dhamma Dipa
6th Jun - 10th Jungeneral service period for old students
dhamma dipa
9th Jun schools Course Dhamma Dipa
10th Jun - 12th JunYoung Person`s Courses Boys 12-18, Girls 12-18
Dhamma Dipa
19th JunopeN DaYFrom 2-6 pm, all welcome
Dhamma Dipa
22nd Jun - 3rd Jul 10-day course Dhamma Dipa6th Jul - 17th Jul 10-day course Dhamma Dipa20th Jul - 31st Jul 10-day course) Dhamma Dipa
2/3 Jul trust Meeting dhamma padhana
20th Jul - 31st Jul 10-day course Dhamma Dipa3rd aug - 14th aug 10-day course Dhamma Dipa17th aug - 28th aug 10-day course Dhamma Dipa26th aug - 29th aug 3 day lancashire17th aug - 28th aug 10-day course Ireland
29th aug - 1st sepgeneral service period for old students
dhamma dipa
1st Sep - 4th Sep 3 day Dhamma Dipa6th Sep - 17th Sep 10-day course Dhamma Dipa
date activity location
19th sep - 23rd sepgeneral service period for old students
dhamma dipa
22nd Sep schools Course Dhamma Dipa
23rd Sep - 25th Sep Children`s Course mixed 8-11 Dhamma Dipa
28th Sep - 9th oct 10-day course Dhamma Dipa
12th oct - 23rd oct 10-day course Dhamma Dipa
22/23 oct trust Meeting dhamma padhana
26th oct - 6th nov 10-day course Dhamma Dipa9th Nov - 20th Nov 10-day course Dhamma Dipa
19/20 nov trust Meeting dhamma padhana
23rd Nov - 4th Dec 10-day course Dhamma Dipa7th dec - 18th dec 10-day course Dhamma Dipa27th dec - 7th Jan 10-day course Dhamma Dipa
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19course schedule 2011 - europe including russiaall courses listed below are conducted by assistant teachers of S.N. Goenka. In addition to these, there are courses held at other centres and rented sites throughout the world. For information please refer to the appropriate centre. additional contact details can be found at world Contacts : www.dhamma.org/en/alphalist.shtml.
belgium - dhamma pajjotatel: (32) 89 518 230Fax: (32) 89 518 239e-mail: [email protected]: www.pajjota.dhamma.org
5 - 16 april 10 day english / Dutch
19 -30april 10 day english / German
2-5 June 3 day english / dutch
7-18 June 10 day english / Dutch
22Jun-3 Jul 10 day english / German
6 – 17 July 10 day english / Dutch
3-14 aug 10 day english / French
17-28 aug 10 day english / German
31aug-11Sep 10 day english/ Dutch
13-24 Sept 10 day english / German
5-16 oct 10 day english / Dutch
18-29 oct 10 day english / German
france - dhamma Mahitel: (33) 3 86 45 75 14Fax: (33) 3 86 45 76 20e-mail: [email protected]: www.mahi.dhamma.org
6 – 9 april 3 day
11 – 22 May 10 day
25 May -5Jun 10 day
7-18 Jun 3 day
22 Jun – 3 Jul 10-day english/Khmer
14 – 23 Jul satipatthana sutta
27 Jul- 7 aug 10 day
10-21 aug 10 day
24aug-4Sept 10-day
8-11 sept 3 day
germany - dhamma dvaratel: [49](0)37434-79770 Fax: [49](0)37434-79771 email: [email protected] website: www.dvara.dhamma.org
20 apr-1 May 10 - day
11-22 May 10-day
25 – 29 May 3-day
8-17 June satipatthana sutta
29 Jun- 10 July 10 day
13- 24 July 10-day
27 July – 7 aug 10-day
9 - 20 aug 10-day
24 aug – 4 Sept 10-day
7 – 18 Sept 10-day
italy - dhamma atalatel: +39 055 804818Fax: +39 049 8591249. e-Mail: [email protected] web: www.atala.dhamma.org
7-10 april 3-day
14 – 25 april 10-day
10 – 21 May 10-day
27 May – 5 June satipatthana sutta
8 – 19 June 10-day
22 Jun- 3 July 10-day
13 – 24 July 10-day
27 July – 7 aug 10-day
13 – 24 aug 10 -day
30 aug – 10 Sept 10- day
15 – 18 sept 3- day
spain - dhamma nerutel: (34) 93 848 26 95 Fax: (34) 3 848 1584 email: [email protected] web: www.neru.dhamma.org
13-24 april 10-day
11-22 May 10-day
24 May – 4 June 10-day
9-18 June satipatthana sutta
22 June – 3 July 10-day
7-11 July etDM
20 – 31 July 10 - day
3 – 14 aug 10-day
17 – 28 aug 10-day
31 aug – 11 Sept 10-day
14 – 25 Sept 10-day
sweden - dhamma sobhanatel: [46] (0) 143-211-36 email: [email protected] web: www.sobhana.dhamma.org
14-25apr 10-day
11-22 May 10-day
2-5 June 3-day
8-19 June 10 - day
29 June-10 July 10-day
13-24 July 10-day
3-14 aug 10-day
24 aug-4 Sept 10 day
16 – 25 sept satipatthana sutta
switzerland - dhamma sumerutel: [41] (032) 941-1670 Fax: [41] (032) 941-1650 email: [email protected]: www.sumeru.dhamma.org
19-22 May 3-day german/english
15-26 June 10-day german/english
29Jun-10Jul 10 - day french/english
13-24 July 10-day german/english
9-20 aug 10-day german/english
25 – 28 aug 3-day french / english
31 aug -11 Sept 10-day french/english
russia - dhamma dullabhaSummer courses held at Dhamma Dullabha, please check location email: [email protected]: http://www.ru.dhamma.org/index.php?id=2412
8-19 april 10-day
19 – 30 april 10-day
30 april – 9 May satipatthana
16 – 20 June 3-day
21 June – 2 July 10 - day
3 – 14 July 10 - day
14 – 25 aug 10 - day
25 – 29 aug 3 - day
1 – 12 sept 10 - day
13 – 24 sept 10 - day
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20course schedule - europe 2011non-centre coursesFor contact details for the non-centre courses listed below please see world contacts: www.dhamma.org/alphalist.htm.
austria
15-26 april 10 day
120 - 31 oct 10 day
bulgaria
26 aug - 6 Sep 10-day
11 – 22 May 10 day
czech republic
25 July - 5 aug 10 - day
france (off centre)30 apr-11 May (Marocco) 10day
germany (off centre)19 - 30 april (hausham) 10-day
29 Jul - 1 aug (hausham) 3-day
2 -13 aug ( hausham) 10-day
greece
18 - 21april 3-day
lithuania
13 - 16 aug 3-day
17 - 28 aug 10-day
portugal
17 – 28 august 10-day
9-20 Nov 10-day
romania
29 aug - 9 sep 10-day
22 June - 3 July 10-day
spain1-12 June (palencia) 10-day
4-15 July (Valencia) 10-day
7 - 18 July (orense) 10-day
4-15 July(Valencia) 10-day
3-14 aug (tenerife) 10-day
24 aug - 4 sept (toledo) 10-day
8-11 sept (palencia) 3-day
switzerland (off centre)
21 – 24 april 3-day
ukraine
4 - 15 april 10-day
16 - 27 april 10-day
Macedonia
22 april – 2 May 10-day
latvia
20 – 31 July 10-day
kyrgyzstan
20 – 31 July 10-day
serbia
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21long & old student course schedule 2011For full details of all long and special courses go to: www.dhamma.org/en/os/lctype
europe – dhamma padhana
Vipassana long Course Meditation centre harewood endherefordhr2 8JSUnited Kingdomtel: +44-(0)1989 730234Fax: +44-(0)1989 730450email: [email protected] website: www.padhana.dhamma.org
6- 27 april 20-day
12 – 21 May satipatthana sutta
25 May – 5 June Special 10 -day
9 – 12 June 3-day
22 June – 1 July satipatthana sutta
6 – 27 July 20 - day
30 July – 14 Sept 45-day
30 July – 30 aug 30-day
16 – 25 Sept satipatthana sutta
28 Sept – 19 oct 20 - day
26 oct – 6 Nov 10-day
10 – 19 Nov satipatthana sutta
india – dhamma tapovana, igatpuri, Maharashstra
16 april – 17 May 30-day
21 May – 11 June 20-day
13 – 24 June Special 10 - day
27 June – 28 July 30 - day
1 aug – 1 Sept 30-day
1 aug – 16 Sept 45-day
23 Sept – 14 oct 20-day
17 – 25 oct satipatthana sutta
india – dhamma giri, igatpuri, Maharashtra
15 – 26 June old students 10 - day
10 – 18 aug satipatthana sutta
10 – 21 aug Special 10 - day
5 – 19 Nov teacher’s self course
india – dhamma thali, Jaipur, rajasthan
18- 26 april satipatthana sutta
5 – 13 June satipatthana sutta
12 July – 12 aug 30 - day
13 – 21 July satipatthana sutta
22 July – 12 aug 20 - day
3- 11 Sept satipatthana sutta
26 Sept – 7 oct Special 10 - day
29 oct -29 Nov 30 -day
30 oct – 7 Nov satipatthana sutta
8 – 29 Nov 20-day
india – dhamma sindhu, kutch, gujarat
5 – 13 July satipatthana sutta4 July – 4 aug 30-day14 July – 4 aug 20-day24 aug – 4 Sept Special 10 - day12 – 20 Nov satipatthana sutta24 Nov – 25 Dec 30-day24 – Nov – 9 Jan 2012 45 - day
india – dhamma pattana, Mumbai
14 – 25 Sept Special 10 - day25 oct – 2 Nov satipatthana sutta5 – 20 Nov teacher’s self course
india – dhamma bodhi, bodh gaya, bihar
16 – 24 May satipatthana sutta1 – 12 July Special 10 – day 16 – 24 Sept satipatthana sutta28 Sept – 29 oct 30 - day
india – dhamma suvatthi, sravasti, uttar pradesh
2 – 13 aug Special 10 - day17 – 25 Nov satipatthana sutta
U K V I p a S S a N a N e w S
w w w.dipa.dhamma.org /os – user name: o ldstudent – password: behappy contents page – next page – preVious page
22group sittings - uk & irelandThe Benefits of Group SittingsGroup sittings are valuable opportunities to strengthen your practice of Vipassana. By sitting with fellow students who are following the same technique, you can meditate more seriously and gain support, which will help you keep practising on your own.
Goenkaji has established the following guidelines to ensure that group sittings will be most beneficial to the students attending them:
• Group sittings are open only to those who have taken at least one ten-day course with S. N. Goenka or one of his assistant teachers.
• the five precepts of wholesome conduct are to be observed in the place where group sittings are held. these precepts include abstention from the following: killing any living creature, stealing, wrong speech, sexual misconduct, and the use of intoxicating drugs or alcohol. observation of wholesome conduct is a necessary foundation for the practice of Vipassana.
• participants at group sittings should practise only the meditation technique taught by Goenkaji.
list of group sittings - uk and irelandFor a full list of Vipassana sittings in the UK and Ireland go to: http://www.dipa.dhamma.org/os/groupsits.pdf by clicking on the link. It contains both weekly and hour long sittings as well as longer ½ or 1-day sittings.
~ username – oldstudent ~ ~ password – be happy ~
hosting a group sittingIf there is no group sitting in your area, then you might consider starting one. this Dhamma service will help others as well as your own practise.
You will first need to find a suitable venue. this could be a rented room in a public building, or it could be a room in your home or workplace.
to be listed as an ‘official group sitting’, the venue must conform to certain conditions. You would also need to apply to be a contact or group sitting host. Please review the host application form (http://www.dipa.dhamma.org/os/GSh ostGuideline.a4.pdf) and guidelines (http://www.dipa.dhamma.org/os/GroupSittingSign.a4.pdf).
For advice on setting-up group sittings, please e-mail: [email protected] or call Clive taylor: (0113) 2665435.