Dhamma Siri

Dhamma Sirī ('prosperity of Dhamma'), the Southwest Vipassana Meditation Center, was established in 1990 near the end of a quiet rural road a few miles south of Kaufman, Texas, about 45 minutes from downtown Dallas and less than four hours from Austin, Houston and Oklahoma City. Official sources differ on its size: dhamma.org gives 186 acres, while the centre's own site describes 34 acres of farmland (20 bought in July 1990 and 14 added in 2014). A meditation hall completed in 2012 seats about 150 students, and a round, two-storey pagoda, similar in design to the one at Dhamma Giri in India, has 94 individual meditation cells. Men have 75 single rooms, 50 with private bathrooms; women have 50 single rooms, each with a private bathroom. According to dhamma.org the centre holds about 25 courses a year for over 2,500 students; its own site gives an average of 20 courses and over 1,000 students a year. Besides 10-day courses there are Satipatthana, 30-day and 45-day courses for experienced students, short courses for old students and overnight courses for young people aged 8 to 17. Courses are mainly in English, with bilingual courses each year, and instructions can be given in over 40 languages. Courses run solely on donations. When enough students need it, the centre may arrange a shared shuttle from Dallas.

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).