Vipassana Centers
Dhamma Maªgala, meaning ‘Auspicious Dhamma’, is established near the city of Ulaanbaater. More than
200 students participated in each of the first two courses held in 1997 in a campsite in Mongolia. These two
courses generated so much enthusiasm for Dhamma that it was decided to establish a Centre immediately.
Ten-day, Satipaµµh±na and 20-day courses are now held at the centre.
Dhamma Mahavana is situated on 109 acres of forested property in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Groves of oak, pine, cedar, and manzanita reinforce the California Vipassana Center's name of Dhamma Mahavana, Great Forest of Dhamma.
The French Vipassana centre is situated on 100 acres of land, 165 kilometres to the south of Paris, in beautiful country, a lovely mixture of woods and meadows. Goenkaji called the centre Dhamma Mahi, « the land of Dhamma ». The climate is temperate, warm summers and wet winters with occasional ice and snow. The property, constructed as a holiday camp for young children, was bought to serve as a Vipassana centre in February 1988. The area for walking is considerably expansive and well protected from both sides by woods. In 1993 a neighbouring farm was bought to house long-term servers and to offer sufficient space to assure a meditative atmosphere.
Dhamma Mahimār, meaning ‘the Excellence of Dhamma’, was established in January 2002, in Pyin Oo Lwin formerly known as Maymyo. The Centre is being constructed, and facilities presently available include a Dhamma Hall for 100 students, and a kitchen. A male, female dormitory is now being built. About five courses are held each year.
Dhamma Makaranda, Nectar of the Flower of Dhamma, is the Pali name given by Mr. Goenka to the new Vipassana center in Mexico. The first Vipassana meditation center built in Latin America, Dhamma Makaranda is located near Valle de Bravo, a beautiful colonial town beside a large lake, in the highlands of central Mexico. The center is west of Mexico City, and is a pleasant, 2 hour drive from the capital.
Dhamma Makuṭa (Crown of Dhamma) is located on 22 acres of hill, 20-minutes walk from the main road of Mogok. The centre has accommodations for 60 males, 70 females, and 30 bathroom-attached single rooms. Dhamma Makuṭa has a pagoda with 117 cells and two Dhamma halls. The Centre expects to add another 30 single rooms and extend the dining hall.
Dhamma Malaya provides private single rooms for 108 students and 24 servers. It is near the east coast, 3 hrs from Kuala Lumpur, on a breezy rise in a plantation. The two halls and 74 aircon cells have cool floors, high pyramid roofs and provide multi-language facilities.
Dhamma Manamoda, meaning ‘Joyous Mind of Dhamma ‘ was established in December 6, 2000. The Centre, with present facilities for 40 meditators, is about 10 minutes walking distance from Manmad railway station 0.5 km away. Facilities include a Dhamma Hall, dormitory-type accommodation with capacity for future expansion permitted by the municipality. Ten-day courses, children’s courses and daily group sittings are held.
Dhamma Maṇḍa, also known as the Northern California Vipassana Center, means "the essence of Dhamma" in Pali. It is one of numerous centers worldwide dedicated to the teaching of Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. Dhamma Maṇḍa is located in the Cobb mountain area of Lake County, California, nestled among seventeen acres of mature pine, fir, and oak trees and is approximately a two and a half hour drive from San Francisco. The property is approximately 2,500 feet above sea level and experiences the full range of seasonal changes and weather. The site offers quiet hillside walking paths and vistas of calm meadows among towering pines.
Dhamma Mandala is located in outskirts of Mandalay, close to Yetakhon Hill, 10 miles away from Mandalay. In April 2004 the opening ceremony was attended by monks from Mandalay. The centre consists of 8 acres of land; the Dhamma Hall can accommodate up to 160 students; the pagoda has 80 individual cells. Accommodations consist of 15 individual bungalows for both male and female, each with 4 rooms. Separate dormitories consisting of 8 partitions with attached bathrooms are also available.
Dhamma Maṇḍapa, meaning ‘Pavilion of Dhamma’, is located near Mandalay University, in the compound of a monastery. As it is in the city, the Centre serves as a convenient venue for group sittings on Sundays and on public holidays. A total of 62 ten-day courses have been held as of April 2005 since the Centre was established in April 1999. Satipaµµh±na and children’s courses are also held.