Panditarama Lumbini International Vipassana Meditation Center

Set up by Sayadaw U Paṇḍitābhivaṃsa of Myanmar with Sayadaw U Asabhacara and inaugurated on 7 February 1999, the centre teaches intensive Vipassana in the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition: sitting and walking meditation and mindfulness of daily activities, with noble silence and the eight precepts. The current site says it is open from the beginning of September to the end of March, with individual retreats of seven days to several months, four interviews a week and daily Dhamma talks; the resident teachers are Sayadaw U Vivekananda and Sayalay Daw Bhaddamanika. It runs on dana (no set fees); its older site records 2,611 yogis from 76 countries between 1999 and 2020.

How to apply

Apply to each centre directly. Panditarama Lumbini asks you to read its guidelines and then contact it to agree your dates; IBMC Kathmandu wants a signed form at least a week ahead.

What is taught here

Mahasi Sayadaw's method of noting the rise and fall of the abdomen and whatever else arises, practised in silent retreats in Myanmar, Nepal and beyond. Read about Mahasi noting.