Dhamma Pataka

Dhamma Patākā ('flag of Dhamma') is described by dhamma.org and the centre as the first Vipassana centre established in Africa. It stands on about 7.5 hectares at the end of a quiet road near Worcester in the Western Cape, about 130 km from Cape Town and 7 km off the N1, overlooking the Breede Valley in a semicircle of sandstone mountains that includes Audenberg (over 1,700 m). The site was a holiday resort called 'Rustig' (Afrikaans for 'peaceful'). Courses in South Africa had begun in KwaZulu-Natal in October 1999, and the Vipassana Association of South Africa, formed in 2002, heard of the property in December 2004 and bought it; regular courses have run there since February 2005. The buildings form a wide horseshoe around a paddock, with the meditation hall, which holds about 100, in the former farmhouse at the top. The centre accommodates about 90 students and 14 servers, mostly in single rooms with their own bathrooms; plans include individual meditation cells, long-term server housing and expansion to 120 students. Water comes from deep boreholes, and fruit trees still grow around the grounds. Most courses are now led by local assistant teachers. It is owned and run by the Vipassana Association of South Africa Trust.

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).