Do you have questions about your practice that you’d like to ask an assistant teacher? Email them to at-questions@sfbayarea.us.dhamma.org. Please include your phone number and the best time to reach you. Depending on their relevance for a general audience, questions and answers may also be published in the “Ask an Assistant Teacher” column in the tri-annual California newsletter without any personally identifying details.
Q&A Archive:
http://www.mahavana.dhamma.org/os/qa
(Username:oldstudent, Password: behappy)
This month’s Questions:
1. Question about scanning.
2. Question about different ways of scanning.
Dhamma Manda Northern California Vipassana Center, Kelseyville
Next Dhamma Manda Board of Trustees meeting – Sunday, March 25
Group Sitting: 9 am
Trust Meeting: 10:15 am – noon
Northern California Vipassana Center, Dhamma Manda
If you would like to attend a Trust meeting, or for more information, please email dhamma-service@manda.dhamma.org
Old student program service periods at NCVC
Mar 23 – Mar 25
Old Student Programs are similar to Service Periods where there is time to work on a variety of center maintenance, construction, household and gardening projects, but have a more full and structured program. These events provide an opportunity to meet with assistant teachers, and may also have committee and/or 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.
Bay Area Vipassana Activities (East Bay, South Bay and San Francisco)
Occidental Course Donation Shortfall of over $9,000
There remains a shortfall of over $9,000 in donations for the ten day course held in December in Occidental, north of San Francisco. This special course has been organized every year since 2005 to meet the big demand from students seeking to attend a course during the year-end holidays.
To make a tax-deductible donation towards the Occidental course so it can serve students again next year, you may donate by selecting Occidental from the drop down list on the BAVC website and be sure to check if your company is listed for matching donations.
Username: oldstudent Password: behappy
BAVC Trust Retreat
The Bay Area Vipassana Center Trust is holding its annual trust retreat, and all old students are welcome!
The Bay Area Vipassana Board of Directors (commonly called the Trust), administers the East Bay Vipassana Hall, the South Bay Vipassana Hall, and the new San Francisco Vipassana Hall. It also supports Vipassana activities in the larger Bay Area. The annual retreat is a full day event with a teacher-led group sitting, meetings, working sessions, and a potluck. All old students are welcome to join for all or part of it. Attend to meet the Bay Area Dhamma community, to learn how the halls and other facilities are run, and to inquire about service opportunities that can be completed from your home.
Date: Sunday, March 4, 2018
Venue: South Bay Vipassana Hall,
Suite 432, 3375 Garrett Dr,
Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
Time:
9:00 am – 10:00 am — Group Sitting
10:00 am – 12:30 pm — Meeting/Committee Reports
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm — Potluck Lunch
1:30 pm – 4:00 pm — Meeting/Committee Reports
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm — Group sitting
Please email info@sfbayarea.dhamma.us.org if you have questions or wish to contribute to the potluck lunch.
New Center Search
The Bay Area Vipassana Center Trust is actively searching for a property within an hour and a half drive from San Jose. There is a real need for a new center, as all of the three centers in California consistently have long waiting lists for every ten-day course. A center closer to the Bay Area will also provide greater opportunities for old students to strengthen their practice through easier access to sitting and serving. The success of this effort relies on the volition of old students like you. To learn more about this effort and how to support it, please visit this link.
Strengthen your practice at the new downtown San Francisco Vipassana Hall
For the first time, San Francisco is now home to a dedicated Vipassana Hall located at:
870 Market St, Suite 415
San Francisco, CA 94102
There are sittings on every weeknight (Mon-Fri) 6pm-7:10pm. Additionally, there are morning sittings from 7:30-8:40am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The location is a 300 foot walk from the Powell BART and Muni stations.
Like other halls, pre-registration for sittings is not necessary.
Google Calendar Link to all Bay Area One Day Courses and Events
All upcoming one-day courses and special events in the Bay Area can be added to your Google Calendar by going to this link.
and selecting the Google Calendar icon in the bottom right-hand corner.
Specific Bay Area Announcements. If you live in the Bay Area and would like to receive emails to stay informed of the different Vipassana activities and events at the three dedicated halls (SF, Berkeley, South Bay), as well as service opportunities, special events and children’s courses, you can subscribe here.
Dhamma Mahavana California Vipassana Center, North Fork
Fresno Old Student Activities
Local old students from the Fresno metro area are collaborating to organize old student events such as group sits and one-day courses. Participants from past such events appreciate the opportunity to recharge their practice by sitting together and getting to connect with other old students in their local community.
If you would like to serve during future old student events please write to dhamma-service@mahavana.dhamma.org. If you would like to receive announcements about old student events in the Fresno area, please subscribe by sending a blank email to announce-fresno-subscribe@mahavana.dhamma.org.
Board of Trustees Retreat – March 31 – April 1
CVC will be hosting its annual Trust retreat on the weekend of March 31 – April 1. All old students are welcome to attend.
This is a great opportunity to strengthen one’s practice, make new Dhamma friends, and get a glimpse of what it takes to keep a center like CVC running smoothly.
Trust retreats are a unique time to be at the center. They include in-depth tours of the center grounds, Q&A with the center teachers John & Gail Beary, special discourses, three daily group sittings, and presentations from trust committees, etc.
Please apply to attend at: https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schmahavana
Between-course Dhamma service periods at CVC
Feb 11 – Feb 14
Feb 25 – Mar 02
Mar 04 – Mar 07
Old students can register online to serve between courses. Please visit the course schedule page to apply online for a specific date.
Dhamma service
The center management would appreciate knowing about your Dhamma service interests, skills, and availability. Please take a moment to indicate how you might like to participate by filling out this online form.
Dhamma Vaddhana Southern California Vipassana Center, Twentynine Palms
Upcoming between-course Dhamma service periods at SCVC
February 12 – 14
February 26 – 28
March 12 – 16
March 19 – 23
March 26 – 28
Apply to participate for a specific date at: http://courses.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schvaddhana
SCVC Board of Trustees meetings – Sunday, February 25, 2018
Group Sitting: 9 am
Trust Meeting: 10:15 am – noon
Southern California Vipassana Center, Twentynine Palms
If you would like to attend a Trust meeting, or for more information, please email dhamma-service@vaddhana.dhamma.org
Trust Retreat/Planning Weekend – March 24 – 25, 2018
A series of meetings to discuss, plan and invite participation in Center operations. All old students are welcome. Please apply to attend at: https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schvaddhana
Maintenance help needed
SCVC is always looking for handy servers with general or specific maintenance knowledge to help with a variety of maintenance tasks and repairs, from electrical to plumbing to light carpentry, etc. If you have such skills and are willing to help with maintenance at the center when possible, please send an email to dhamma-service@vaddhana.dhamma.org
Childrens’ and Teens’ Programs California
Northern California
Feb 3: Children and Teen Course for boys and girls ages 8-15
Location: South Bay Vipassana Hall, Santa Clara
Pre-registration is required for both students and servers.
Please click here to register.
April 14-15: Children’s Course for boys and girls ages 8 – 12
Location: Northern California Vipassana Center, Kelseyville
Pre-registration is required for both students and servers. Please visit https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schmanda
Central California
Mar 3 – 4: Teens’ Course for boys and girls ages 13-17
Location: California Vipassana Center, North Fork
Pre-registration is required for both students and servers.
Please click here to register.
Southern California
March 17 – 18: Children’s Course for boys and girls ages 8 – 12
Location: Southern California Vipassana Center
Pre-registration is required for both students and servers.
Please click here to register.
Saturday, June 9: Teens’ Course for girls ages 13 – 17
Sunday, June 10: Teens’ Course for boys ages 13 – 17
Location: Orange County Vipassana Hall
Pre-registration is required for both students and servers. Please visit https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schvaddhana
Monthly Children’s and Teens’ Old Student Program (Santa Clara)
This program is only for children and teens who have already taken a one-day or weekend Children’s or Teens’ Course. The program is conducted at the South Bay Vipassana Hall every last Sunday of the month from 2-4 pm.
To sign up, please visit and send an email with required details.
Group Sittings
Apply to Host a Group Sitting
Group Sitting FAQ
Group meditations are valuable opportunities to strengthen your practice of Vipassana by sitting with fellow students. Old students have group meditations in their homes throughout California and Arizona. Check the list below for the daily, weekly and monthly group sitting nearest you, and contact the host for information. Official group sittings are only for those who have taken a 10-day course with S.N. Goenka or one of his assistant teachers.
If you would like to host a group meditation in your home you may apply online.
Please click on the desired region:
Northern California
Southern California
Arizona
Central California
Hawaii
Note: Please bring a vegetarian bag lunch. There is no pre-registration required for this course, but please send an email with your full name, so that we know you are coming. We will not respond to these emails.
*Please check updated schedules for Northern California and Southern California online before attending, as occasionally course dates must be changed.
Vipassana in Intermountain Region (Idaho, Utah, Wyoming)
For more information on Dhamma Pasava / Intermountain Vipassana click here. (username = oldstudent, password = behappy)
If you would like to keep abreast of activities in the Intermountain Region, subscribe to the Intermountain newsletter through this link. (username = oldstudent, password = behappy)
International Vipassana Newsletter
The June 2017 issue of the International Vipassana Newsletter is now available online.
To view or download the issue, go to our website, http://www.news.dhamma.org
username = oldstudent
password = behappy
The online International Vipassana Newsletter site is updated every few weeks as we have new material to post. Every three to four months, we publish some of that material in a printable PDF issue. Please check regularly for updates, or subscribe to our RSS feed to receive notification automatically whenever we post something. You can also subscribe to receive email notification when a PDF issue is published.
Please also consider contributing material for posting. It could be a news story, photos, your own reminiscences or more. Write to editor@news.dhamma.org.
Northern California Vipassana Center
P.O.Box 265
Cobb, CA 95426-0265
Phone: 707-928-9981
Email: info@manda.dhamma.org
California Vipassana Center
P.O. Box 1167
North Fork, CA 93643
Phone: 559-877-4386
Email: info@mahavana.dhamma.org
Southern California Vipassana Center
P.O. Box 486
Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Phone: 760-362-4615
Email: info@vaddhana.dhamma.org
Intermountain Vipassana Center
P.O. Box 5952
Ketchum, ID, 83340
Phone: 208-622-1552
Email: info@pasava.dhamma.org
(This notice is sent to old students of Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka in the North American Old Student Contact Database.)
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