Dhamma Pamoda

Dhamma Pamoda ('joy of Dhamma'), the Israel Vipassana Meditation Center, is next to Kibbutz Degania Bet in the Jordan Valley, about 2 km south of the Sea of Galilee, beside a nature reserve and groves of date palms. It was built after many years in which the Israel Vipassana Trust held hundreds of courses at rented sites around the country, and its construction was completed in June 2014. The centre's own site gives its area as about 40 dunams (10 acres) and its capacity as around 75 meditators and servers, in single rooms and rooms for three; the dhamma.org listing gives 42 dunams and 85. It has a meditation hall, a dining hall with views of the gardens, and walking paths and outdoor sitting areas that look over the fields of the valley. The centre's directions give the drive as about two hours from Tel Aviv, an hour and a quarter from Haifa and two and a quarter hours from Jerusalem. By public transport from Ben Gurion airport the trip takes four to five hours: train to Tel Aviv Savidor, bus to Tiberias central bus station, then a local bus to Degania Bet. Courses are taught in Hebrew and English, and some are organised for Russian speakers; as of 2026, children's and teenagers' courses are given in Hebrew.

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).