Vipassana Centers
In 500 BC in South India, Nizamabad with 3 more districts was called Asaka country. A monk called Bavary from this place sent his 16 diciples to North India to learn Vippassana. From this place they spread Vippassana, in South India and South Eastern countries. Dhamma Nijjanna Centre is situated in Pocharam village, which is 13km from Nizamabad district in Andhra Pradesh, India. A non-centre course was conducted in Nizamabad town in 2001 May in a hostel building with 71 students. Seeing the response of the course an old student donated his residence with 1.2 acres land in Pocharam village and with the help of other old students, one-day courses were conducted every sunday for 2 years. During that period a Dhamma hall to seat 50 was constructed and the old residence was modified into male residences for 29 students. Female residences for 25 - seven 3 bedded rooms and two double rooms all with attached toilets, a mini hall for 25, one room each for male and female AT’s, 3 rooms for Dhamma Servers and separate dining halls with kitchen were also constructed. On 15/5/2003 the first 10 day course was conducted and since then one 10-day course, on the first Wednesday of the month, childrens courses on the ending day of the 10-day course, one teenager course and one Sattipattan course per year are being conducted. There is a plan to construct 12 single rooms with female teacher residence and shift the male students to the old female residences. There is also a plan to purchase land for the construction of the Pagoda and extension of the centre. As Nizamabad District is near the border of Maharashtra State many students come from there too. Nizamabad is around 180 kms from Hyderabad and it would take about 3 hours to get there. From Nizamabad it is 13km to Pocharam village. There are buses which go via the centre and the Devgiri express from Hyderabad to Mumabai goes via Nizamabad.
Dhamma Nilaya, meaning ‘House of Dhamma’, is run by the Khmer community in France
(Association Khmer Support Vipassana). It was a private house prior to purchase in May 1997. It
is situated in a quiet suburban area 55 kilometres to the east of Paris and as such it is quite
convenient for the large group of Cambodian and French meditators in the Paris region.
Although extending in area to about 5600 square meters, this is a small facility unable to
accommodate students staying overnight. It runs one-day and courses for children. From July
2005, two one-day courses a month catering for both Khmer and French speaking students will
be held. Dhamma Nilaya has a well-established programme of courses for children being served
by both Khmer speaking and French speaking children’s course teachers.
The Dhamma Hall accommodates up to 40 students and the kitchen and bathing facilities are
quite adequate for that number. It has nicely maintained grounds with mature trees and a pond. It
is a nice quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan region of Paris and is much
valued by those who can spend time there.
Dhamma Niranjana is one of the numerous Vipassana centers in the state of Maharashtra. It is located at the Bank of River Godavari near the city of Nanded. Dhamma Niranjana is easily accessible via rail and ground transportation.
Dhamma Pabha (which means “radiance” or “glow of Dhamma”) is nestled in a forest in the slopes of Mt Dromedary, forty minutes by road from Hobart.
The tall trees and the bushland setting are far from the noises of civilisation, trains or traffic, the only sounds being those of the native wildlife.
After twelve years of holding courses at hired campsites, the first course was held at Dhamma Pabha in December 1994 using temporary facilities.
From that start, facilities have been improved and include a warm and comfortable meditation hall, kitchen and office. The current building project is to complete single-room student accommodation.
Despite Tasmania’s isolation and small population, a dedicated group of Vipassana students are building a peaceful sanctuary of Dhamma in the forest there.
Dhamma Padhāna is situated in Herefordshire in the west of England, next to Dhamma Dipa. Dhamma Padhāna means 'Foremost in Dhamma'.
It is the first Vipassana centre in the West that has been specially designed for long courses for returning students. The European long-course centre offers ideal facilities for more serious meditation. Each student lives and meditates separately with single en-suite accommodation and a small private meditation room.
Between the long courses the centre offers shorter old student courses and also courses for executives.
Dhamma Padipa, located in Jelcobine, Shire of Brookton, is approximately 120km south east of Perth and 40km west of Brookton. Set on 32 hectares of undulating rural land typical of the area, the centre is adjacent to the Strange Road Nature Reserve. A dense corridor of gum trees, acacias and casuarinas surrounds the land. The compound slopes gently up to the eastern boundary where there are picturesque views over a large granite outcrop and the valley below. With no close neighbours the centre is very quiet, providing an ideal facility for meditation. The facilities at the centre include the meditation hall, kitchen/dining facility, shared accommodation and ablution blocks. There are camping sites under shelters and in treed areas.
The centre is on Strange Road, 76km from the junction of Brookton and Albany highways in Kelmscott, about 10km after the turn off to Beverly on the Brookton Highway.
Vipassana Meditation Centre Dhamma Pajjota (Torch of Dhamma) is situated in a rural area near the Belgian town of Dilsen-Stokkem, close to the borders of the Netherlands and Germany. The 11-acre site is surrounded by forest and farmland, and has spacious walking areas with numerous trees. At present comfortable accommodation is offered for up to 90 students.
Surrounded by trees, grass and spring fed ponds, the center provides a supportive atmosphere where one can learn the practice of Vipassana meditation. This technique, discovered by Buddha twenty-five centuries ago, uses the breath and one's own body as the basis for developing concentration and insight. The courses provide a unique opportunity to direct one's attention inward, and set about a process of inner discovery through direct experience.
Dhamma Pala (literally, one who protects Dhamma) was established at Bhopal in May 2009, set up on 5 acres of land. It presently has a Dhamma Hall, a mini Dhamma Hall, single room residential accommodation with attached bathroom for 40 male and 30 female meditators, Teacher residences, Dinning Hall and staff residential quarters. A Pagoda Complex with 116 cells is under construction & is likely to complete soon. Apart from an annual schedule of 19 to 20 Ten day courses, two Satipatthana courses, Boys and Girls Teenager courses, one day, two day, three day courses and Children courses, there are other activities like Parichay Sammelan (Introduction to Vipassana programmes) for non meditators and Dhamma server workshop for old meditators. As an added attraction, students can plan a visit to Sanchi, famous for it’s Great Stupa located 46 km North-East of Bhopal.
Dhamma Pali is located near the village Todi, equidistant from Songadh (12 km) and Palitana (10 km), two major cities of Gujrath. Situated in 8.8 acres of land, away from noise of city and surrounded by lush greenery and wildlife, it offers an ideal retreat for meditation. The Center is equipped with self contained residential rooms, dining hall and meditation hall. At present, Center has the capacity to accommodate approximately100 students.
centre for a long time, when (in 2008) a suitable plot became available and was purchased. S.N. Goenka happily gave it the name Dhamma Pallava, meaning sprout or bud of Dhamma. He foresaw that in the future, when the time was ripe, a small bud of Dhamma would grow and then blossom.
He hoped that this simple meadow would be developed into a fully functioning centre where many people from Poland and all around the world would be able to come and meditate. Here, meditators will be able to benefit from ideal facilities, a conducive atmosphere and a peaceful environment, much better than a temporary rented site like the one at Krutyń could offer.
Dhamma Pamoda, which means “The Joy of Dhamma”, is located on a 42-dunam property, in a beautiful area close to the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. Surrounding it are plantations of date palms and a nature reserve. It is a quiet and pastoral area around two hours from central Israel. The new centre will have comfortable accommodation for approximately 150 students, meditation halls and individual cells.
Dhamma Paphulla, meaning ‘Cheerfulness of Dhamma’, is about 30 km from the major city of Bangalore on a 10-acre land. Located in a very tranquil area, with farmland on one side and forestland on another side, the centre is on a gently sloping piece of land in rustic surroundings, enjoys moderate climate year round and is easily accessible by city buses. The centre has a main meditation hall that can accommodate about 100 meditators and two mini halls that can seat 30 meditators each.