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
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.
- 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.
Northern California Vipassana Association - Dhamma Manda Tel: [1] (707) 928-9981 Email: [email protected] | Children's / Teenagers' Course Registration Voice Mail: [1] (408) 471-7642 Fax: [1] (800) 734-1558 Email: [email protected] |
Students may apply to sit only one 10 Day course at a time, even if the other course is in another state or is a waitlisted enrollment.
CHECK SPAM/JUNK MAIL or you may miss important email communications.
Applications submitted via cell phone may not go through. A follow-up call or email is recommended.
UPDATED COVID PROTOCOLS as of 7/9/2022:
Attendance requirements for all participants:
1. We are not able to accept students coming from out of state at this time.
2. All students, servers and staff are required to be fully vaccinated, this includes the initial dose(s) plus 1 booster dose.
3. NCV is now requiring all students and servers to bring a Antigen/rapid test kit (2 tests) and test on arrival at the center, be prepared to show your negative test result when you check in. You will also be asked to test again on Day 4 and be prepared to show the result to the management.
4. During the registration process you will be asked to provide us with a soft copy of proof of full vaccination including your first booster dose.
5. There will be no admission to the course without proof of full vaccination prior to the start of the course (including your booster dose).
6. We are now requiring all participants to wear masks in all common areas except when in your own room or outside when not near others. You may remove your mask when sitting on your seat in the meditation hall if you prefer. We are now requiring that everyone wear high quality masks. As per CDC recommendations; N95, KN95 or FN94. Please bring at least 4 masks of this type whether you are sitting or serving a course.
Full Vaccination means that you have had your initial dose(s) and the FIRST booster dose.
If you fall ill at the Center with flu, a virus, or similar symptoms, you will be quarantined and will be asked to leave the Center as soon as possible. If you fall ill and are unable to independently return home, you will need to ask your emergency contact for assistance. Please advise them of this possibility prior to coming to the Center.
See Comments for any special instructions for events in this section.
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | Jan 25 - Feb 05 | 10-Day | In Progress | Kelseyville |
Male servers are still needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Feb 05 - Feb 08 | Service Period | Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
For old students Initial vaccination(s) plus the FIRST booster is required. See our COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Feb 08 - Feb 12 | 3-Day | New Women - Closed Old Women - Wait List Men - Closed Female Server - Open Male Server - Wait List | Kelseyville |
For old students Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Feb 12 - Feb 15 | Service Period | Open | Kelseyville |
For old students Initial vaccination(s) plus the FIRST booster is required. See our COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Feb 15 - Feb 26 | 10-Day | Women - Wait List Men - Closed Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Feb 26 - Mar 01 | Service Period | Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
For old students Initial vaccination(s) plus the FIRST booster is required. See our COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Mar 01 - Mar 12 | 10-Day | Women - Closed Men - Wait List Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Mar 12 - Mar 17 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Jan 29 | Kelseyville |
For old students Initial vaccination(s) plus the FIRST booster is required. See our COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Mar 17 - Mar 19 | Old Student Program | Applications accepted starting Feb 03 | Kelseyville |
For old students Annual meeting of the Board of trustees, open to all Old Students. Servers are also needed. Initial vaccination(s) plus the FIRST booster is required. See our COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Mar 24 - Apr 02 | Satipatthana Sutta | Applications accepted starting Feb 10 | Kelseyville |
For old students Servers are needed. This course is offered in both English and Khmer. Priority is given to students whose native language is Khmer. English speaking students will be waitlisted. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Apr 05 - Apr 16 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Mar 01 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. Please see current COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Apr 19 - Apr 30 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Mar 08 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. Please see current COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| May 03 - May 14 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Mar 29 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. Please see current COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| May 17 - May 21 | 3-Day | Applications accepted starting Mar 22 | Kelseyville |
For old students |
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| May 31 - Jun 11 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Apr 26 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. Please see current COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Jun 14 - Jun 25 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting May 03 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Jun 28 - Jul 09 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting May 17 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Jul 12 - Jul 23 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting May 31 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Aug 02 - Aug 13 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Jun 21 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Aug 16 - Aug 27 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Jul 05 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Aug 31 - Sep 04 | 3-Day | Applications accepted starting Jul 20 | Kelseyville |
For old students Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Sep 06 - Sep 17 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Jul 26 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Sep 18 - Oct 02 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Jul 24 | Kelseyville |
For old students This service period is open to all Old Students. You may attend full time or part time. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Oct 04 - Oct 15 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Aug 23 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Oct 18 - Oct 29 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Sep 06 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Nov 01 - Nov 12 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Sep 20 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Nov 15 - Nov 26 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Oct 04 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Nov 29 - Dec 03 | 3-Day | Applications accepted starting Oct 18 | Kelseyville |
For old students Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Dec 06 - Dec 17 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Oct 25 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Dec 20 - Dec 31 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Nov 08 | Kelseyville |
Note: New Dates! Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
See Comments for any special instructions for events in this section.
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://manda.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.
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.
