Dhamma Sobhana

Dhamma Sobhana ('beauty of Dhamma', a name given by S. N. Goenka) was established in February 2007 as the first Vipassana centre of this tradition in the Nordic area. The centre is in the countryside of central Sweden, roughly halfway between Stockholm and Gothenburg, surrounded by forest and farmland and close to Lake Vättern and Lake Tåkern, a bird sanctuary. The property was first a village school, and later a rehabilitation centre and a youth hostel. It is about 15 km from Ödeshög, 20 km from Vadstena, 25 km from Mjölby and 60 km from Linköping, and about two and a half hours by car from Stockholm and Gothenburg. A shared taxi bus runs from Mjölby station on the afternoon a course starts. The centre holds about 100 students per course and runs 20 to 25 courses a year for about 2,000 students. Courses are usually in English and Swedish; some are in Danish, Norwegian or Finnish. Besides 10-day courses, the centre holds Satipatthana Sutta and 3-day courses for old students, and Anapana courses for children and teenagers taught in Swedish; its schedule also lists 1-day courses for old students in towns around the Nordic countries. As of 2026, registration for English/Swedish courses opens three months ahead and places are then allocated by electronic random selection. Courses run on donations, with no charge for food or accommodation. The centre is run by the Swedish Vipassana Foundation, a non-profit organisation.

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).