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] |
We recognize that getting vaccinated is a personal choice and we respect every individual’s right to make their own choice. We are not here to force individuals to get vaccinated, or even encourage them to get vaccinated. In order to allow a maximum number of students to attend and benefit from each course, NCVC has taken the decision to only allow students/servers that have been fully vaccinated to attend courses. Without this policy we would have to cut the number of students and servers in half. This is a temporary measure, and we hope that in the near future, as Covid gets more under control, that we are able to offer courses to all students regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not.
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 1/19/2022:
Attendance requirements for all participants:
1.Please note that due to COVID we are no longer able to accept students from outside California.
2. Beginning immediately (1/8/2022) we are no longer able to accept students using public transportation.
3. NCV requires evidence of full vaccination against Covid-19 for all participants. Proof of full vaccination now includes a COVID-19 booster shot. If it has been more than 5 months since your final dose you will need to have a booster dose in order to attend.
Please be sure to allow enough time after your booster shot to recover from any vaccination symptoms.
4. NCV is now requiring a negative Antigen/rapid test on arrival. You will need to bring a test kit with you and be prepared to show your negative test result at the registration table when you check in.
5. In the registration process you will be asked to provide us with a soft copy of proof of full vaccination including your booster shot.
6. All students will be required to wear masks when entering and exiting the meditation hall and the dining room. They do not need to wear masks when seated on their cushion in the meditation hall, actively eating or in their own rooms.
7. Be sure to bring enough masks to last the entire 10 days.
8. There will be no admission to the course without proof of full vaccination prior to the start of the course (including your booster shot).
Full Vaccination means that your last shot was 2 weeks or more prior to the start of the course.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 19 - Jan 30 | 10-Day | CANCELLED | Kelseyville |
Note: New Dates! Course Cancelled due to COVID |
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| Apply | Feb 06 - Feb 09 | Service Period | Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
For old students Help us set up for the next course. Vaccination required, see updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Feb 09 - Feb 13 | 3-Day | New Women - Closed Old Women - Wait List New Men - Closed Old Men - Wait List Female Server - Wait List Male Server - Open | Kelseyville |
For old students Servers are needed. Please see newly updated COVID-19 protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Feb 13 - Feb 16 | Service Period | Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
For old students Help us get the center ready for the next course. Vaccination required, please see updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Feb 16 - Feb 27 | 10-Day | Women - Closed Men - Closed Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed Please see the updates COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Feb 27 - Mar 04 | Service Period | Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
For old students Help us get the center ready for the next course. Vaccination required, please see updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Apply | Mar 04 - Mar 13 | Satipatthana Sutta | New Women - Closed Old Women - Open New Men - Closed Old Men - Open Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
For old students Servers are Needed. All old students may serve this course and listen to discourses. Please see newly updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
| Mar 18 - Mar 20 | Annual Trustee Workshop | New Women - Closed Old Women - Open New Men - Closed Old Men - Open Servers - Open | Kelseyville |
For old students Annual Trustee Workshop, open to all Old Students. |
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| Mar 23 - Apr 03 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Feb 09 | Kelseyville | ||
| Apr 06 - Apr 17 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Feb 23 | Kelseyville | ||
| Apr 20 - May 01 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Mar 09 | Kelseyville | ||
| May 04 - May 15 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Mar 23 | Kelseyville |
Servers are Needed. See current COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| May 18 - May 22 | 3-Day | Applications accepted starting Apr 06 | Kelseyville |
For old students Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Jun 01 - Jun 12 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Apr 20 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Jun 15 - Jun 26 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting May 04 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Jun 29 - Jul 10 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting May 18 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Jul 13 - Jul 24 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Jun 01 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Aug 03 - Aug 14 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Jun 22 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Aug 17 - Aug 28 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Jul 06 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Sep 19 - Oct 03 | Service Period | Applications accepted starting Jun 01 | Kelseyville |
For old students All Old Students may attend all or part of this service period. Please send an email to [email protected] with your full name and the dates your would like to attend. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Oct 05 - Oct 16 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Aug 24 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Oct 19 - Oct 30 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Sep 07 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Nov 02 - Nov 13 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Sep 21 | Kelseyville | ||
| Nov 16 - Nov 27 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Oct 05 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Nov 30 - Dec 11 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Oct 19 | Kelseyville |
Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| Dec 14 - Dec 18 | 3-Day | Applications accepted starting Nov 02 | Kelseyville |
For old students Servers are needed. See updated COVID protocols at the top of this page. |
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| December 26, 2022 - January 06, 2023 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting Nov 14 | Kelseyville |
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.
