Dhamma Sarana

Dhamma Sarana ('the refuge of Dhamma') is the centre of the Associação Vipassana de São Paulo, in Santana de Parnaíba, 45 km from central São Paulo. The association bought the land on 19 March 2015 with the help of a donation, and the centre opened in March 2016 with a 10-day course for old students. Although close to a large city, the site is sheltered by the Serra do Voturuna and surrounded by protected areas of native vegetation. The property covers 196 hectares, of which 149 are listed as environmental and landscape heritage of São Paulo state; most of the remaining 47 are permanent preservation areas, leaving about five hectares for building besides an area that already has buildings. It has two springs, a river, a lake and two waterfalls. Wheelchair-adapted bathrooms and ramps to the dining halls and meditation hall allow people with reduced mobility to attend. Instructions are given in Portuguese and English, and as of October 2026 the schedule includes 10-day, Satipatthana, 3-day and 1-day courses and a 14-day Gratitude course. Coming by car from São Paulo, leave the Castelo Branco motorway at about km 42.5, after the second toll, onto the road signed Estrada Ecoturística do Suru. The centre asks visitors to search for 'Dhamma Sarana' in Google Maps rather than use the Rua Nhambu address, and not to rely on Waze.

How to apply

Apply online through the centre's page on dhamma.org (in Nepal, start from np.dhamma.org). New students must first complete a 10-day course, and there is no charge.

What is taught here

Donation-funded 10-day courses taught with S. N. Goenka's recorded instructions, in the line of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, at centres in Nepal and worldwide. Read about Goenka (U Ba Khin).