History

Vipassana courses have been held in Russia since 1993 with the use of various rental camps. Starting in 2001 there have been 6–8 courses per year, including 10-day and 3-day courses, holding on average 120–180 students each course.  In the spring of 2010, the first Satipatthana course was taught.  The demand for courses has been steadily growing with more and more aspirants not being able to secure sits during each registration time.  In the last two years the registration had to be closed within a few hours (and sometimes minutes!) resulting in long, hopeless waiting lists for those who could not secure a spot.

It has taken a lot of money in fees and an enormous effort from the Trust team to create a good environment for meditation in spite of the constant change of location over these years. The first attempts to establish a permanent centre are dated back to 2003.  Only now has it become possible.

After the long and difficult process of finding the right place near Moscow, and as a result of the combined effort of the Trust team and old students, we are happy to share with you that an appropriate property has been found and the purchase Contract has been signed. This is a significant step forward in spreading Vipassana teachings in Russia and we hope that this centre, once built, will be effectively operating for many years for the good of all meditators from Russia and other countries.

New Centre outlook

Our Teacher, S.N. Goenka, has named the new site “Dhamma Dullabha”. In the Pali language spoken by the Buddha, this means 'Rare', 'Extraordinary' (difficult to obtain) Dhamma, which resonates very well with all of the effort it has taken to establish the first permanent Vipassana Centre in Russia.

The future centre is a 2-hectare (5-acre) property that used to be a children’s health-improvement and recreation camp. It is located inside a wooded area with beautiful old pine trees, oaks, and other varieties of trees and vegetation.  Its peaceful environment and seclusion are ideally suited for serious meditation.  At the same time, it is only 1.5 km (about a mile) away from the nearest village and only a 25 minute walk to a railway station, which has suburban trains connecting to and from Moscow.  It is located 100 kilometers (70 miles) East of the Russian capital.

The property already has 3 main residential buildings with enough room to accommodate 120–150 people. The kitchen and dining cottage serve up to 60 people. There are some minor residential and general purpose units, which along with the main buildings amount to 1 200 sq. meters (approximately 13,000 sq. ft.). The property has electricity and two wells with clean artesian water.  All the infrastructure systems and buildings require some repair or partial replacement.

Initially, the territory of Dhamma Dullabha will be used to conduct 10-day courses only during the summer and will provide shelter for up to 70–80 students.  Some necessary repairs will be done and a temporary Meditation Hall will be constructed.  Since our budget is very tight, not all modern conveniences will be provided right away.

In the long run, the centre will be able to accommodate comfortably up to 120 students and courses will be held year-round.