Dhamma Rata

Dhamma Rata ('contained in Dhamma') lies about 15 km from Ratlam, behind the Sai temple at Dhamnod village in Sailana tehsil, in a valley with hills on all sides. From Ratlam railway station, take an autorickshaw to the Sailana bus stand; a bus from there reaches the Sai temple at Dhamnod in about 20 minutes, and the centre is a 5 to 7 minute walk from the main road. The centre's site describes it as serving students from the neighbouring states of Rajasthan and Gujarat as well as Madhya Pradesh. The land covers 8.5 bighas. The centre's own site describes a Dhamma hall of 20 by 50 feet seating up to 40, and 20 residences with single rooms and attached bathrooms plus a dormitory, enough for about 30 students; dhamma.org and VRI give different room counts. It is owned and managed by the Ratlam Vipassana Samiti, a registered charitable trust. The centre's site says its first 10-day course began on 19 January 2011, and VRI gives 2011 as its year of setup (dhamma.org's directory says 2003). Courses include 10-day, special 10-day and Satipatthana Sutta courses, 1-day and 3-day courses for old students, and separate 7-day courses for teenage boys and girls aged 15 to 19, with instructions in Hindi and English.

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).