in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin
Course Schedule
Center Location: Website | Map
** Unless noted otherwise, course instructions are given in the following language(s): English
The Shelburne center, founded in 1982, was the first center in North America. The original facility was merely a roomy, comfortable two-story house and barn on eight acres of meadowland. In 1989, a group of meditators donated an adjoining seventy acres of land. Today the center consists of 108 acres and many new buildings have been added, including a bathhouse, two dining rooms, meditation hall for 200, a 140 cell pagoda, separate residences for men and women and a center manager's house.
- Access the application form by clicking Apply for the desired course. Old students will be given the option to serve.
- Please carefully read the Introduction to the Technique and Code of Discipline which you will be asked to follow during your course.
- Fully and completely fill out all the sections of application form and submit it. An application is required to register for all courses.
- Await notification. All correspondence will be through e-mail if you give an e-mail address in your application. Due to the large volume of applications, it may take up to two weeks before receiving notification.
- If your application is accepted then we require you to confirm you will be attending in order to secure your place in the course.
Vipassana Meditation Center - Dhamma Dharā
386 Colrain-Shelburne Road
Shelburne, Massachusetts 01370-9672 USA
Tel: [1](413) 625-2160
Fax: [1](413) 625-2170
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.dhara.dhamma.org
Health and safety protocols are evolving rapidly. Current information is here: covid-19-protocols-for-courses
Course registration will start at 6 AM on the listed dates. Students may apply to sit no more than two 10-day courses. Any additional applications will not be processed.
See Comments for any special instructions for events in this section.
See Comments for any special instructions for events in this section.
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | Dec 04 - Dec 07 | Service Period | In Progress | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Dec 07 - Dec 18 | 10-Day | Women - Course Full Men - Course Full Servers - Wait List | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students |
| Apply | Dec 18 - Dec 21 | Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | December 21, 2022 - January 01, 2023 | 10-Day | Women - Course Full Men - Course Full Servers - Wait List | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students |
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | Jan 01 - Jan 04 | Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Jan 04 - Feb 04 | 30-Day | Women - Wait List Men - Wait List Servers - Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Jan 04 - Feb 19 | 45-Day | Women - Wait List Men - Wait List Servers - Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Feb 19 - Feb 22 | Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Feb 22 - Mar 05 | 10-Day | Women - Course Full Men - Course Full Servers - Open | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students |
| Apply | Mar 05 - Mar 08 | Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Mar 08 - Mar 12 | 3-Day | Women - Wait List Men - Wait List Servers - Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Mar 12 - Mar 15 | Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Mar 15 - Mar 26 | 10-Day | Women - Long Wait List Men - Wait List Servers - Open | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students |
| Apply | Mar 26 - Mar 29 | Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Mar 29 - Apr 09 | 10-Day | Women - Long Wait List Men - Wait List Servers - Open | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students |
| Apply | Apr 09 - Apr 12 | Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Apr 12 - Apr 23 | 10-Day | Women - Wait List Men - Short Wait List Servers - Open | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students |
| Apply | Apr 23 - Apr 26 | Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | Apr 26 - May 07 | 10-Day | Women - Wait List Men - Short Wait List Servers - Open | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students |
| Apply | May 07 - May 17 | Seasonal Dhamma Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | May 17 - May 26 |
Satipatthana Sutta
English / Khmer |
Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students Priority will be given to Khmer-speaking students |
| Apply | May 26 - May 31 | Service Period | Open | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Apply | May 31 - Jun 11 | 10-Day | Women - Wait List Men - Open Servers - Open | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students |
| Jun 11 - Jun 14 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Dec 13 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Jun 14 - Jun 25 |
10-Day
English / Burmese |
Applications accepted starting Dec 16 | Shelburne Falls | Priority will be given to Burmese-speaking students | |
| Jun 25 - Jun 28 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Dec 27 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Jun 28 - Jul 09 |
10-Day
English / Vietnamese |
Applications accepted starting Dec 30 | Shelburne Falls | Priority will be given to Vietnamese-speaking students | |
| Jul 09 - Jul 14 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Jan 10 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Jul 14 - Aug 04 | 20-Day | Applications accepted starting Jan 15 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Aug 04 - Aug 09 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Feb 05 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Aug 09 - Aug 20 |
10-Day
English / Khmer |
Applications accepted starting Feb 10 | Shelburne Falls | Priority will be given to Khmer-speaking students | |
| Aug 20 - Aug 23 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Feb 21 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Aug 23 - Sep 03 | 10-Day Black Heritage Course | Applications accepted starting Feb 24 | Shelburne Falls |
For new students and old students Priority will be given to students of Black heritage |
|
| Sep 03 - Sep 06 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Mar 07 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Sep 06 - Sep 17 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Mar 10 | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students | |
| Sep 17 - Sep 20 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Mar 21 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Sep 20 - Oct 01 |
10-Day
English / Thai |
Applications accepted starting Mar 24 | Shelburne Falls | Priority will be given to Thai-speaking students | |
| Oct 01 - Oct 11 | Seasonal Dhamma Service Period | Applications accepted starting Apr 04 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Oct 11 - Oct 20 |
Satipatthana Sutta
English / Burmese |
Applications accepted starting Apr 14 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students Priority will be given to Burmese-speaking students |
|
| Oct 20 - Oct 25 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Apr 23 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Oct 25 - Nov 05 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Apr 28 | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students | |
| Nov 05 - Nov 08 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting May 09 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Nov 08 - Nov 19 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting May 12 | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students | |
| Nov 19 - Nov 22 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting May 23 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Nov 22 - Dec 03 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting May 26 | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students | |
| Dec 03 - Dec 06 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Jun 06 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Dec 06 - Dec 17 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Jun 09 | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students | |
| Dec 17 - Dec 20 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Jun 20 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Dec 20 - Dec 24 | 3-Day | Applications accepted starting Jun 23 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Dec 24 - Dec 27 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Jun 27 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| December 27, 2023 - January 07, 2024 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Jun 30 | Shelburne Falls | For new students and old students |
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 07 - Jan 09 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Jul 11 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Jan 09 - Mar 10 | 60-Day | Applications accepted starting Jul 13 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
|
| Mar 10 - Mar 13 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Sep 12 | Shelburne Falls |
For old students |
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | Dec 11 |
1-Day
English |
New Women - Closed Old Women - Wait List New Men - Closed Old Men - Open Servers - Closed | New York, NY |
New Course!!For old students |
| Apply | Dec 17 |
1-Day
English / Burmese |
New Women - Closed Old Women - Open New Men - Closed Old Men - Open Servers - Closed | New York, NY |
New Course!!For old students |
| Apply | Dec 18 |
1-Day
Hindi / English |
New Women - Closed Old Women - Wait List New Men - Closed Old Men - Open Servers - Closed | New York, NY |
New Course!!For old students |
| Dec 24 |
1-Day
English |
Applications accepted starting Dec 18 | New York, NY |
New Course!!For old students |
|
| Dec 25 |
1-Day
English |
Applications accepted starting Dec 19 | New York, NY |
New Course!!For old students |
|
| Dec 31 |
1-Day
English |
Applications accepted starting Dec 21 | New York, NY |
New Course!!For old students This course will start at 8 AM and will end at 2 PM> |
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 08 |
1-Day
English |
Applications accepted starting Dec 26 | New York, NY |
New Course!!For old students |
|
| Jan 15 |
1-Day
Hindi / English |
Applications accepted starting Jan 02 | New York, NY |
New Course!!For old students |
|
| Jan 21 |
1-Day
English / Burmese |
Applications accepted starting Jan 08 | New York, NY |
New Course!!For old students |
The online application form encrypts your information before it is sent from your computer to our application server. However, it may not be totally secure even though encryption is used. If you are concerned about the possibility of security risks of your confidential information while it is on the Internet, do not use this form and instead download an application. Print and complete it. Then please send the form to the course organizers. By faxing or posting your application form it may delay the registration process by one to two weeks.
To access the Old Student Regional Site please click http://www.dhara.dhamma.org/os. A user name and password will be required to access these pages.
Questions may be addressed to Email: [email protected]
All courses are run solely on a donation basis. All expenses are met by donations from those who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the same opportunity. Neither the Teacher nor the assistant teachers receive remuneration; they and those who serve the courses volunteer their time. Thus Vipassana is offered free from commercialisation.
Old students are those who have completed a 10-day Vipassana Meditation course with S.N. Goenka or his Assistant Teachers. Old students have the opportunity to provide Dhamma Service at the courses listed.
Bilingual courses are courses which are taught in two languages. All students will hear daily meditation instructions in both languages. The evening discourses will be heard separately.
Meditation courses are held at both center and non-center locations. Meditation centers are dedicated facilities where courses are held regularly throughout the year. Before meditation centers were established in this tradition, all courses were held at temporary sites, such as campgrounds, religious retreat centers, churches and the like. Today, in regions where centers have not yet been established by local students of Vipassana who live in the area, 10 Day meditation courses are held at non-center course sites.
10-day Courses are an introductory course to Vipassana Meditation where the technique is taught step-by-step each day. The courses begin after a 2 - 4 pm registration period and orientation, followed by 10 full days of meditation, and end the morning of the 11th day by 7:30 am.
20-day Courses are open only to serious Old Students committed to this technique who have completed a minimum of five 10-day courses , one Satipatthana Sutta course, given Dhamma Service at least one 10-day course, and have been practicing regularly for at least two years.
Applications must be submitted well in advance as processing may take some time. Students who speak neither English nor one of the other announced course languages may apply for the course, however acceptance into the course will depend on the availability of required course materials, suitable translators and permission of the teacher conducting the course.
30-day Courses are open only to serious Old Students committed to this technique who have completed a minimum of six 10-day courses (one since their first 20-day course), one 20-day course, one Satipatthana Sutta course, and have been practicing regularly for at least two years.
Applications must be submitted well in advance as processing may take some time. Students who speak neither English nor one of the other announced course languages may apply for the course, however acceptance into the course will depend on the availability of required course materials, suitable translators and permission of the teacher conducting the course.
45-day Courses are open only to persons involved in Dhamma Service and Assistant Teachers who have completed a minimum of seven 10-day courses (one since their first 30-day course), two 30-day courses, one Satipatthana Sutta course, and have been practicing regularly for at least three years.
Applications must be submitted well in advance as processing may take some time. Students who speak neither English nor one of the other announced course languages may apply for the course, however acceptance into the course will depend on the availability of required course materials, suitable translators and permission of the teacher conducting the course.
60-day Courses are reserved for: 1. Active ATs who have sat at least two 45-day courses and conduct at least four 10-day courses annually. 2. Those who are enrolled in or about to enter AT Training, have sat two 45-day courses, have served at least four 10-day courses in the past 12 months and/or are deeply involved in daily Dhamma service. 3. In some areas, non-ATs may be accepted as rare exceptions if they have completed at least two 45-day courses, served at least four 10-day courses annually and/or are deeply involved in daily Dhamma service.
Applications must be submitted well in advance as processing may take some time. Students who speak neither English nor one of the other announced course languages may apply for the course, however acceptance into the course will depend on the availability of required course materials, suitable translators and permission of the teacher conducting the course.
Old Student Programs are similar to Service Periods where there is time to work on a variety of Centre maintenance, construction, household and gardening projects, but have a more full and structured program, an opportunity to meet with assistant teachers, and possibly committee and trust meetings. All Old Students are welcome to participate. The daily program will include three group sittings with morning and afternoon work periods and in the evening there will be tapes played of special discourses and talks that S.N. Goenka has given to Old Students.
Satipatthana Sutta Courses have the same timetable and discipline as 10-day courses. The difference is that in the taped evening discourses the Satipatthana Sutta is carefully examined. This is the principal text in which the technique of Vipassana is systematically explained. These courses are open to serious old students who have sat (not including courses served) at least three 10-day courses, have not been practising any other meditation techniques since last 10-day course, have been practising this technique of Vipassana for at least one year, and who are trying to maintain their meditation practice and the five precepts in their daily lives, at the very minimum from the time of applying to the course.
Service Periods have been set aside to work on a variety of Centre maintenance, construction, household and gardening projects. All Old Students are welcome to participate. The daily program will include three group sittings with morning and afternoon work periods. On selected evenings, there will be tapes played of special discourses and talks that S.N. Goenka has given to Old Students.
