Dhamma Vaddhana

Dhamma Vaddhana ('growth of Dhamma', which dhamma.org also gives as 'spread of Dhamma'), the Southern California Vipassana Center, is just north of Joshua Tree National Park in Twentynine Palms, about two and a half hours' drive from Los Angeles and San Diego. It opened for courses in May 2011 with room for 60 students; places for 10 more were added in 2013, and the centre plans to expand to 140 when funds allow. The 154-acre desert property has ten purpose-built, air-conditioned buildings, including the meditation hall, student residences and a kitchen and dining building, with views of the desert and, in winter, snow-capped Mount San Gorgonio. The centre warns that summers are very hot and the climate very dry. Besides 10-day and Satipatthana Sutta courses it runs 3-day courses for old students, some bilingual 10-day courses (English with Khmer or Persian) and one-day Anapana courses for children aged 8 to 12; its one-day courses for old students may be held elsewhere in Southern California. All courses run solely on donations. Palm Springs is the nearest airport, about an hour away. Reaching the centre by public transport means several buses on a limited schedule and a full day of travel, so the centre recommends its rideshare board instead. All visitors must be approved in advance.

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).