Dhamma Dhara Vipassana Meditation Center — Shelburne Falls, United States

North America's first Vipassana center, on 108 acres in Shelburne, Massachusetts

In 1982 a trust formed by students of the Vipassana tradition opened Dhamma Dharā, "Land of Dhamma," in Shelburne, Massachusetts. It was the first Vipassana meditation center in North America. The original facility was a roomy two-story house and barn on eight acres of meadowland. Local farmers report that the house was once a temperance tavern for horse-drawn coaches. Eight students completed the first ten-day course, and early courses in the house were limited to 25. In 1989 a group of meditators donated an adjoining seventy acres, bringing the land back to its original parcel. Today the center covers 108 acres. It has a meditation hall for 200, a 140-cell pagoda, two dining rooms, a bathhouse, separate residences for men and women, and a center manager's house. Residences completed in 2004, 2012 and 2018 have individual rooms with private baths, and the center can house 70 women and 70 men at a time. The teaching is Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka and his assistant teachers, in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. A ten-day course begins with a code of moral conduct, then turns to attention on the breath. By the fourth day students move to observing sensations through the body and learning not to react to them. The last full day turns to goodwill toward all beings. Roughly 15 to 20 ten-day courses run each year, nearly all with a wait list. The center also offers courses for children and teenagers, and 20, 30 and 45-day courses. About 3,000 students complete courses annually, and the center supports regional prison outreach. The Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust of Massachusetts still owns the center. A rotating group of old students shares its responsibilities with other volunteers and staff, and the center has run solely on donations since its founding. It sits in a rural farming valley about 90 miles west of Boston.

Traditions: Vipassana Meditation, S.N. Goenka tradition, Sayagyi U Ba Khin lineage, Breath awareness, Loving-kindness meditation

Programs: Ten-Day Residential Course, 20-Day Course, 30-Day Course, 45-Day Course, Children's Courses, Teen Courses, Course for Leaders, Spanish-language Vipassana Course