Chattha Sangayana CD - Vipassana Research Institute
Preface

Vipassana meditation is the quintessence of Buddha's teaching. It is a technique of self-observation, an objective observation of the mind-body phenomena with a view to achieving purification of mind which leads to total eradication of mental defilements and inculcates such wholesome qualities as loving-kindness, equanimity, sympathetic joy and compassion. The technique is simple, scientific, universal and available to all irrespective of caste, creed, nationality or beliefs.

For the practice of Vipassana meditation a quiet and congenial environment is an important requirement. When Sayagyi U Ba Khin, the most distinguished world teacher of Vipassana, established the first Vipassana meditation centre in Yangon (Rangoon) in Myanmar (Burma) he conceived a novel idea of building a hollow pagoda with cells inside for individual meditation.

India lost the technique about 500 years after Buddha's passing away, but fortunately it was preserved in its pristine purity by a chain of dedicated teachers in the neighbouring country of Myanmar. Sayagyi U Ba Khin received Vipassana in this lineage. He deeply felt that Myanmar owed a debt to India in receiving the precious gem of Vipassana Dhamma from India. India needed it, indeed, the whole world needed it!

S. N. Goenka, then a citizen of Myanmar, took his first Vipassana course from Sayagyi in 1955. Sayagyi trained him for several years and prepared him for his mission. Goenkaji came to India, the land of his forefathers, in 1969 and started teaching Vipassana meditation in makeshift campsites.  In 1976, the first Vipassana centre, the Vipassana International Academy, was established at Igatpuri in Maharashtra. Campsite courses (non-centre courses) continue to grow as do the established centres in India and abroad. People from all walks of life throng to these courses to receive the nectar of Dhamma. People from more than ninety different countries have participated in Vipassana courses. Goenkaji has set in motion the wheel of Dhamma, which once again has started rotating in the country of its origin.

Ten-day residential Vipassana courses are organised for new students. As a student becomes more established in the technique, more serious courses of Satipaµµh±na are offered, as well as long duration courses of 20, 30 and 45 days.  In addition, Anapana courses are held for children of eight to fifteen years of age.

Vipassana centres provide an institutional framework and environment for the practice and training of Vipassana meditation. Goenkaji has laid down guidelines for their maintenance and management. The guidelines are:

 The centre should confine itself to the practice and training of Vipassana only. No other activity, however wholesome, is permissible.

 The location and the layout of the centre should be conducive for serious meditation.

 The purity of a Dhamma environment should be maintained at all times.

 No fee should be charged for the course from the students including board and lodging.

 Donations should be accepted from grateful students only.

 No teacher imparting teaching in Vipassana should receive any remuneration. Selfless service, without expecting anything in return, is the basic principle.

 Members of trusts and managing committees should receive no remuneration.

With the above background, and the informative account that follows about the centres, we hope that readers will learn about the centres, the spread of Dhamma and the benefit the technique provides, here and now.

Vipassana Research Institute

Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri-422 403, India

INDEX

Australasia

Bh³mi, N. S. W., Australia

Dhamma Pabh±, Tasmania, Australia

Dhamma ¾loka, Victoria, Australia

Dhamma Rasmi, Queensland, Australia

Dhamma Medin², New Zealand

Dhamma Bh³mi

Vipassana Meditation Centre

P.O. Box 103, Blackheath, N.S.W. 2785, AUSTRALIA

Tel: [61] (047) 4787 7436; Fax: [61] (047) 4787 7221

e-mail: info@bhumi.dhamma.org; website: www.bhumi.dhamma.org

Dhamma Bh³mi (Land of Dhamma) comprises about thirty-eight acres of land in New South Wales, just outside of Blackheath near Sydney. Blackheath is about two hours from Sydney by road and has a good rail connection. The centre is within walking distance from the station.

The land, being on the edge of an escarpment, commands magnificent views of the sandstone cliffs opposite and the valley below. The land was not previously built on and, indeed, Dhamma Bh³mi was the first Western centre to be designed and built for meditation from the ground up.

The hall, Teacher's residence, student accommodation and bath block were built just in time for the first two courses conducted by Goenkaji in the spring of 1983. The work was complete for Goenkaji's visit in 1986, and increased the year-round capacity of the centre to over one-hundred, the hall capacity being one-hundred and fifty.

The second phase, in 1985-86, saw more construction increasing the capacity to over 100. On the occasion of Goenkaji's 1988 visit, some adjacent higher land was donated to the centre, to provide the future site for the pagoda with individual meditation cells.

The third phase of construction in 1990-1992 provided the initial two rings of the cell complex with thirty-six cells, and sixteen single rooms with attached bathrooms were built. These have been especially useful for long (20/30 day) courses. The first 30-day course was held in late 1992 and 20-day and 30-day courses are held annually. Special courses in Cambodian and Chinese languages are held from time to time.

In 1995, an adjacent property was acquired to allow the centre to eventually expand the pagoda to more than 200 cells. In 1997, a new Teacher's residence, featuring a new long-course hall, was constructed on level land near the pagoda. Opposite the pagoda, construction of a large Dhamma Hall seating 300 students commenced in 1999.

Much attention has been given to the gardens. Selected trees and various shrubs and flowers have been planted, paths made, and several ponds with goldfish and water lilies have been created to give a peaceful, pleasing effect. The buildings have elevated walkways and wide verandahs. Dhamma Bh³mi is frequented by a variety of colourful native birds and animals. The overall aim of the landscaping is to create an appealing, delightful environment for meditation.

Dhamma Pabh±

Vipassana Meditation Tasmania

GPO Box 6, Hobart, Tasmania, AUSTRALIA

Tel: [61] (3) 6263-6785

e-mail: info@pabha.dhamma.org

Dhamma Pabh± (Glow of Dhamma) is situated in a forest on the foothills of Mount Dromedary, a superb mountain overlooking the river Derwent. Although only forty minutes drive north of Hobart, the centre is exceptionally quiet, with no major roads or trains nearby, and the only sounds being those of the wind in the trees and the native birds and animals.

Since 1982, Vipassana courses had been held regularly at hired camp-sites in Tasmania until this 220 hectare property at Dromedary was purchased in 1994. Fortunately, blocks could be subdivided and sold to meditators to help finance the land purchase, as well as build a road to the centre and commence building. For the first course in January 1995, a marquee was used for a hall, plastic greenhouses for dining rooms and tents for student accommodation.

Gradually facilities are developing with more permanent structures being constructed. A Dhamma Hall for forty students has been built, as well as a kitchen/office building which includes dhamma worker's rooms. The next stage of development will be to build cottages to provide single accommodation for students. A teacher's residence, kitchen and office were completed in 1998. About six ten-day courses and one Satipaµµh±na course are held annually. Despite Tasmania's isolation and population of only 450,000, a small but very dedicated group of old-students are creating a peaceful sanctuary of Dhamma in the forest there.

Dhamma ¾loka

Vipassana Trust of Victoria

P. O. Box 11, Woori-Yallock, VIC 3139, AUSTRALIA

Tel: [61] (03) 5961 5722; Fax: [61] (03) 5961 5765

e-mail: info@aloka.dhamma.org

website: www.aloka.dhamma.org

Dhamma ¾loka (Light of Dhamma) is one hour's drive east of Melbourne, only ten kilometres from the renowned Healesville Sanctuary. The eighteen acre site is on a hill which adjoins a reserve on the banks of the Yarra river. To the south the centre overlooks the township of Woori Yallock, ("running stream" in the local aboriginal language). In other directions is an outlook across lush river flats towards mountain ranges. The land is cleared with some large shade trees and a fringe of ti-tree and eucalyptus forest. It gives an impression of seclusion and quietude.

The original three-bedroom house has been converted into small dormitories and single rooms, a room for servers, dining rooms and kitchen. New buildings include a hall for fifty students with attached teacher's residence, accommodation blocks and bathrooms. Paths and flowering gardens have been created around the buildings, while to beautify the centre and give more privacy, over 1000 trees have been planted.

The first ten-day course was held in 1996. Three ten-day courses are held every two months with one-day and three-day courses in between. There are plans for a new dining/kitchen/office complex and the site for a pagoda has been chosen.

Dhamma Rasmi

Vipassana Centre, Queensland

P.O. Box 119, Rules Road, Pomona, Queensland 4568, AUSTRALIA

Tel: [61] (7) 5485 2452; Fax[61] (7) 5485 2907

e-mail: info@rasmi.dhamma.org; website: www.rasmi.dhamma.org

Dhamma Rasmi (Ray of Dhamma) is in a delightful area known as the Sunshine Coast, a hundred and forty kilometres north of Brisbane. Rasmi means a ray of light or sunshine. Pomona is a small country town in the hills west of the coast, but a major highway and electric rail service provide easy access. The area is known for its abundant tropical fruits as well as several beach, island and lake resorts. The climate is sub-tropical with moderate winters and good rainfall.

The property purchased for a centre in 1989 comprised forty acres of land with five dams, established gardens, an orchard and one habitable cottage. In 1993, twenty acres of adjoining forested land was purchased to protect the area around the Dhamma hall and future cell complex. The centre land slopes gently down from either side to a small tree-lined creek running through the middle of it.

The first ten-day course was conducted in temporary buildings in October 1989. Goenkaji visited the centre later the same year.

In 1992, an octagonal hall designed to seat 200 meditators was completed along with two bathroom blocks and student accommodation consisting of two cottages and two dormitories. In 1996 a spacious kitchen with adjoining dining halls was constructed to cater to fifty students. A larger office and relaxation area for servers beneath the kitchen was completed in 1998. The next project is a new accommodation block.

The long term plan includes landscaping, gardens, pagoda and accommodation for upto 300 students. A further twenty acres of forest adjoining the centre was purchased in 1995 and is suitable for developing a separate long-course area.

With the help of a number of old students living nearby, a good relationship has been established with local authorities and the centre has become a well known part of the community.

Dhamma Medin²

Vipassana Foundation Charitable Trust

Burnside Road, Kaukapakapa, NEW ZEALAND

Tel: [64] (09) 420 5319

Dhamma Medin² (Earth of Dhamma) is located in a comparatively remote rural district within an hour's drive northwest of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. In February 1987, the Vipassana Foundation Charitable Trust purchased a 137 acre block of land for a Vipassana meditation centre. The property is situated in a picturesque valley, surrounded by rainforest rich in treeferns and palms. It is a haven for a wide variety of bird life and affords a secluded environment conducive to meditation. The land encompasses a valley including moderately steep ridge-lines, and gullies cloaked in both mature and regenerating native bush interspersed with some cleared areas. The rainforest areas include palms and tree-ferns.

The first ten-day course was held in December 1987 with students staying in tents. Six courses were conducted each year using an existing barn, with a floor laid in it, as a meditation hall. About twenty-five ten-day courses were held using these rudimentary facilities.

A large multipurpose construction was completed in 1995. This building provides comfortable accommodation, kitchen facilities, dining room and meditation hall. More recently, two separate accommodation blocks, providing comfortable single rooms, have been built on the slopes overlooking the valley. The centre currently has a maximum capacity of sixty students, and is offering around eighteeen ten day courses per year.

   Later stages of construction will include a meditation hall and accommodation on the slopes    above the existing building. The meditators can enjoy the peaceful environment of the sub-   tropical rainforest as they wind their way along the connecting pathways and steps.