in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin
Course Schedule
Centre Location: Website | Map
** Unless noted otherwise, course instructions are given in the following language(s): English
Dhamma Surabhi, which means the Fragrance of Dhamma, is one of many Vipassana centers around the world conducting courses as taught by S.N. Goenka. In August 1997 a 56-acre property was purchased just above the Coldwater River, near Merritt. Construction of the Centre began in spring 1999 and the first course was conducted in 2002. The Centre consists of a building of approximately 9300 sq. ft. with accommodations for about 45 students and servers.
1. Access the application form by clicking Apply for the desired course. Old students will be given the option to serve.
2. Please carefully read the Introduction to the Technique and Code of Discipline.
3. Fully and completely fill out all the sections of application form and submit it. Every student must have an application.
4. All correspondence will be through e-mail. Please give an e-mail address in your application. Allow two weeks for response.
5 If your application is accepted, please re-confirm your attendance when asked in order to keep your place.
Vipassana Meditation Centre of BC -- Dhamma Surabhi
P.O. Box 699, Merritt, B.C. V1K 1B8, Canada
Email: [email protected]
Phone: [1] 778-785-4080 (Vancouver), [1] 250-412-5372 (Victoria), [1] 250-469-7180 (Kelowna) Fax: (toll free) [1] (866) 259-6088
REGISTRATION GUIDELINES
The "Apply" button will first appear for a course only once registration opens, shortly after 8:00 am Pacific Time on the date listed. If you've logged in early you may need to refresh your browser.
Priority may be given to those who haven't sat recently.
The waitlist is created from applications received through the website. When the course is listed as "Closed", then the waitlist is also closed. Waitlists may reopen about 20 days before the course.
During the registration process, you will be receiving a number of e-mails from us. If you don't receive these emails, please check your Spam/Junk Mail box or add @dhamma.org to your safe list.
Courses for young people.
See Comments for any special instructions for events in this section.
In North America Teen courses are for those 17 years and younger.
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | 19 Aug - 21 Aug | Children | Open | Merritt | |
| Apply | 22 Aug - 24 Aug | Teen | Open | Merritt |
1-Day, 2-Day, and 3-Day courses are short courses for old students.
See Comments for any special instructions for events in this section.
NEW: 1-day courses are being held monthly in Coquitlam, the second Saturday of each month. For more information see here. Login with usual old student password.
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | 30 Jul - 03 Aug | 3-Day | New Women - Closed Old Women - Wait List New Men - Closed Old Men - Wait List Servers - Women - Wait List Servers - Men - Open | Merritt |
For old students |
| 17 Dec - 21 Dec | 3-Day | Applications accepted starting 21 Sep | Merritt |
For old students |
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Mar - 08 Mar | 3-Day | Applications accepted starting 07 Dec | Merritt |
For old students |
|
| 09 Dec - 13 Dec | 3-Day | Applications accepted starting 13 Sep | Merritt |
For old students |
See Comments for any special instructions for events in this section.
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul - 27 Jul | 10-Day | In Progress | Merritt | ||
| Apply | 28 Jul - 30 Jul |
Between Courses Service Period |
Servers - Open | Merritt |
For old students |
| Apply | 04 Aug - 06 Aug | Work Period | Servers - Open | Merritt |
For old students |
| Apply | 06 Aug - 15 Aug | Satipatthana Sutta | New Women - Closed Old Women - Open New Men - Closed Old Men - Open Servers - Open | Merritt |
Old Student Course Qualification Requirements |
| Apply | 16 Aug - 18 Aug |
Between Courses Service Period |
Servers - Open | Merritt |
For old students |
| Apply | 27 Aug - 07 Sep | 10-Day | Women - Closed Men - Closed Servers - Open | Merritt |
10-day courses are open to new as well as returning students |
| Apply | 08 Sep - 21 Sep |
Fall Work Period |
Servers - Open | Merritt |
For old students Can apply in-progress. Part time applications welcomed. |
| Apply | 22 Sep - 24 Sep |
Between Courses Service Period |
Servers - Open | Merritt |
For old students |
| Apply | 24 Sep - 05 Oct |
LGBTQ+ 10-day course |
Women - Wait List Men - Wait List Servers - Women - Wait List Servers - Men - Open | Merritt |
This course will give priority enrollment to LGBTQ+ individuals. It will be helpful to make note of how you identify in the "anything to add" question of the application. |
| Apply | 06 Oct - 08 Oct |
Between Courses Service Period |
Servers - Open | Merritt |
For old students |
| Apply | 08 Oct - 19 Oct |
Punjabi / English 10-day course English / Punjabi |
Open | Merritt |
This course will have Punjabi speaking AT's, so Punjabi speaking students will have priority for enrollment. ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬੋਲਣ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਤਰਜੀਹ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ English speaking students may also apply. English speaking servers please do apply. |
| 20 Oct - 22 Oct |
Between Courses Service Period |
Applications accepted starting 25 Jul | Merritt |
For old students |
|
| 22 Oct - 02 Nov | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 27 Jul | Merritt | ||
| 03 Nov - 05 Nov |
Between Courses Service Period |
Applications accepted starting 08 Aug | Merritt |
For old students |
|
| 05 Nov - 16 Nov | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 10 Aug | Merritt | ||
| 17 Nov - 19 Nov |
Between Courses Service Period |
Applications accepted starting 22 Aug | Merritt |
For old students |
|
| 19 Nov - 30 Nov | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 24 Aug | Merritt |
10-day courses are open to new as well as returning students |
|
| 01 Dec - 03 Dec |
Between Courses Service Period |
Applications accepted starting 05 Sep | Merritt |
For old students |
|
| 03 Dec - 14 Dec | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 07 Sep | Merritt | ||
| 15 Dec - 17 Dec |
Between Courses Service Period |
Applications accepted starting 19 Sep | Merritt |
For old students |
|
| 22 Dec - 24 Dec | Work Period | Applications accepted starting 26 Sep | Merritt |
For old students |
|
| 24 December, 2025 - 04 January, 2026 | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 28 Sep | Merritt |
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07 Jan - 18 Jan | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 12 Oct | Merritt | ||
| 21 Jan - 01 Feb | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 26 Oct | Merritt | ||
| 04 Feb - 15 Feb | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 09 Nov | Merritt | ||
| 18 Feb - 01 Mar | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 23 Nov | Merritt |
10-day courses are open to new as well as returning students |
|
| 11 Mar - 22 Mar | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 14 Dec | Merritt | ||
| 25 Mar - 05 Apr | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 28 Dec | Merritt | ||
| 08 Apr - 19 Apr | Special 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 11 Jan | Merritt |
Old Student Course Qualification Requirements |
|
| 22 Apr - 03 May | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 25 Jan | Merritt | ||
| 04 May - 17 May |
Spring Work Period |
Applications accepted starting 06 Feb | Merritt |
For old students Can apply in-progress. Part time applications welcomed. |
|
| 20 May - 31 May |
10-Day
English / Vietnamese |
Open | Merritt | ||
| 03 Jun - 14 Jun | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 08 Mar | Merritt | ||
| 17 Jun - 28 Jun | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 22 Mar | Merritt | ||
| 01 Jul - 12 Jul | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 05 Apr | Merritt |
10-day courses are open to new as well as returning students |
|
| 15 Jul - 26 Jul | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 19 Apr | Merritt | ||
| 29 Jul - 09 Aug | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 03 May | Merritt | ||
| 21 Aug - 30 Aug | Satipatthana Sutta | Applications accepted starting 26 May | Merritt |
Old Student Course Qualification Requirements |
|
| 31 Aug - 13 Sep |
Fall Work Period |
Applications accepted starting 05 Jun | Merritt |
For old students Can apply in-progress. Part time applications welcomed. |
|
| 16 Sep - 27 Sep | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 21 Jun | Merritt | ||
| 30 Sep - 11 Oct | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 05 Jul | Merritt | ||
| 14 Oct - 25 Oct | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 19 Jul | Merritt | ||
| 28 Oct - 08 Nov | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 02 Aug | Merritt |
10-day courses are open to new as well as returning students |
|
| 11 Nov - 22 Nov | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 16 Aug | Merritt | ||
| 25 Nov - 06 Dec | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 30 Aug | Merritt | ||
| 16 Dec - 27 Dec | 10-Day | Applications accepted starting 20 Sep | Merritt |
| Attend / Serve | Dates | Course Type | Status | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | 12 Nov - 23 Nov |
10-Day
English / Vietnamese |
Women - Wait List Men - Open Servers - Women - Wait List Servers - Men - Open | Chilliwack |
Priorities will be given to Vietnamese-speaking students and servers. Waiting list for female non-Vietnamese speaking students is very long already. |
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://surabhi.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.
Children's Courses are open for all children aged 8-12 years old who wish to learn to meditate. Their parents/guardians do not have to be meditators.
Teenagers' Anapana Courses are available for teens in different age ranges from 13-18 years old. Their parents/guardians do not have to be Vipassana meditators.
Old Student Course Qualification Requirements
Old Student Short Courses (1-3 days) are for any student who has completed the 10-day course with S.N. Goenka and his assistant teachers. All old students are welcome to apply to attend these courses, including those where it has been some time since their last course.
Old Student Course Qualification Requirements
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.
Work Periods have been set aside to work on a variety of Centre maintenance, construction, household and gardening projects. All Old Students are welcome to apply. 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.
Old Student Course Qualification Requirements
Special 10-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.
