July 2024

Inspiring words

News from Dhamma Muditā

Interview with a long-term server

The new Dhamma Service Comittee

The Vipassana Community Foundation

Graphic designer m/f/d wanted

Do you have questions regarding your practice?

Dates

Inspiring words

News from Dhamma Muditā

Two and a half months have now passed since the ground-breaking ceremony and the construction of the Vipassana Centre in Rechberg is progressing rapidly. As can be seen in the current photos, the two accommodation buildings and the kitchen/dining hall building are taking shape and the shell of the buildings should be ready by September. The companies are working at full speed and making good progress – and what was unimaginable for many years, namely a regular course operation in a dedicated centre in Austria, is now within reach and is already planned from the end of May 2025!

These are the dates for the next planned service periods in Dhamma Muditā:

• 16.03.24 – 04.11.24    Extension of the meditation hall
• 02.08.24 – 04.08.24    Service period with focus on extension of the meditation hall
• 08.08.24 – 11.08.24    Service period with focus on forest & garden
• 22.08.24 – 25.08.24    Service period with focus on extension of the meditation hall

Interview with a long-term server

Stefan, this is your second time here – why did you come back as a long-term server?
Because I had the impression that I hadn’t finished yet, because I had time and because I had made good experiences with my first long-term service. I followed my heart and wanted to return to this enchanting place in the Mühlviertel with its positive, natural and powerful energy. Also to the people who want to build a meditation centre here with perseverance, love and persistence I wanted to return.

Why is it important for Dhamma Muditā that a long-term server is present on site?
Especially here, in a centre that is being set up, this is very important. To show that there is someone here, that there is a place to come to. A long-term server takes on some of the responsibility for ensuring that people can come here to help create and meditate. Without long-term servers, nothing happens here – or only sporadically. There are already structures in place in a centre where courses are running, but here everything is still in its infancy and you can support and help to build and shape a new centre.

What is the daily structure of a long-term server like?
There is a fixed daily routine. The basic structure is formed by the three daily meditations. Projects are carried out around the green area and the Dhamma Hall, food is cooked and eaten – and there is also free time. As a long-term server, I make sure that the emerging centre is open for meditators to come. There are times, short or longer, when I am here alone and when I am allowed to motivate myself. It’s important to take care of yourself and to enjoy doing the things you do so that the centre is filled with positive energy.

What else would you like to pass on to other meditators?
The right people gather in the right place at the right time, without it being planned. And this is how the good things are created, such as the addition of the lobbies in the last two months. It happens without any pressure – and for me that is a sign that something good and right is happening here. Dhamma is here to help us.

The new Dhamma Service Committee

The current construction of the new Vipassana centre Dhamma Muditā in Rechberg in Upper Austria requires corresponding association structures. A building committee has been set up for the construction and preparations are already progressing for the operation of the centre from early summer 2025. The existing committees for course organisation, kitchen, forest and garden etc. are already preparing intensively for the regular course programme at Dhamma Muditā. The supervision of the many upcoming courses by the necessary servers also requires new considerations and appropriate structures to make everything manageable. Many other centres have their own service committee to look after and coordinate the servers. A Dhamma Service Committee has now also been set up for Dhamma Muditā. The following tasks are to be coordinated in this committee:

• Supervision of the so-called “sponsorships” – these are small recurring tasks that meditators can take on at the centre or outside of it, such as regularly checking food for best-before dates, an annual check of the sharpness of the kitchen knives, regular maintenance of the garden tools and much more.
• Looking after the service e-mail address.
• Supporting meditators who are interested in providing service in the association.
• The initial support of meditators who are interested in giving long-term service in Dhamma Muditā.

The Vipassana Community Foundation

The Vipassana Community Foundation is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to receive, administer and distribute charitable donations worldwide to support the growth of the teaching and practice of Vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U B Khin. Since 2008, the Vipassana Community Foundation (VCF) has supported centres and other course locations in 32 countries in Africa, North and South America, Asia and Oceania as well as Europe and the Middle East. Investments are made in the establishment of new centres and in increasing the capacity of existing centres.

Dhamma Muditā in Austria is also supported by the Vipassana Community Foundation, and the Dhamma Muditā centre project has recently been added to the VCF website, see https://vcf.dhamma.org/austria.

Graphic designer m/f/d wanted

We are looking for a person with InDesign skills for layout tasks (posters, flyers, signs) and print jobs. If you are interested, please contact us at [email protected].

Do you have questions regarding your practice?

Then please do not hesitate to contact [email protected]. Please state in your e-mail when and where you attended your last course and provide your contact details. An assistant teacher will get in touch with you.

The course programme on the Vipassana website is regularly updated. Below you will find a current extract of the next planned courses and Vipassana meetings, i.e. the association meetings with meetings of the working committees. All old students are welcome to attend the Vipassana meetings!

For information on official group sittings and short courses in Dhamma Muditā (Upper Austria), Vienna, Dornbirn, Graz and Bolzano (South Tyrol) please follow this link and register with oldstudent/behappy.