Winter 2026

Dhamma words

What has happened in recent months?

• bark beetle-infested trees were felled by hand
• the doors and windows in the lobbies of the meditation hall were framed with wood
• the wood panelling on the ceiling on the women’s side of the meditation hall was completed
• practical and sturdy storage shelves were installed in the kitchen
• the new office container was equipped with homemade shelves
• all rooms were thoroughly cleaned

Last year, twelve 10-day courses were successfully held at Dhamma Mudita. This provided valuable experience in terms of what has proven successful at the centre and where there is still room for improvement.

One important area for improvement that has emerged is the expansion of the accommodation facilities. This would reduce the number of people in shared rooms and allow more single rooms to be made available.

The construction of an additional accommodation building would significantly improve conditions for experienced meditators and older people. This is important because the more experienced older students are particularly important for the serious atmosphere in the meditation hall – and we would also like to be there for all age groups with our course offerings.

Therefore, our next major goal, which we intend to tackle starting NOW, is the construction of the third accommodation building, ‘M5/6,’ with an estimated total cost of approximately €1.2 million. This building would enable us to:

• provide at least 20 additional single rooms with bathrooms for course participants (this would mean that almost 40% of the accommodation at the centre would be single rooms)
• convert the majority of the bunk beds into single beds
• admit up to 10 more students per course
• this would allow the maximum capacity of the meditation hall to be fully utilised

If at least half of the projected construction costs for the new building are raised by the end of 2026, work on the shell can begin as early as 2027. All further construction steps can be completed gradually as further donations are received. Our desired goal would be to start using ‘M5/6’ from 2028 onwards. This improvement in the accommodation situation would be another big step forward, which would greatly improve the conditions for meditation at Dhamma Mudita.

Dhamma Mudita will be getting a new website in the near future. To implement this project, we are looking for motivated meditators with expertise in web development and web design for a WordPress website. Would you like to support the implementation of the new website? Then please write to [email protected].

Concrete plans have already been drawn up and preliminary work has been done for the following projects to improve conditions at Dhamma Mudita. Most of the financing has also already been secured:

• asphalting the road to the centre
• roofing over footbridges and stairs to protect against snow and ice in winter and strong sunlight in summer
• handrails on steep sections of the men’s walking area
• additional visual barriers between the men’s and women’s walkways
• planting shade trees to further enhance the walking areas
• raising the wooden biotope walls at the boundaries of the walking areas in the forest
• creation of accommodation facilities for long-term servers outside the centre grounds

Practical assistance in realising these projects during the service periods is, as always, very welcome – not least because it saves dana, which can then be used elsewhere.

Dates for the next service periods:

• • 31 Jan – 11 Mar (flexible participation possible)
  • 20 Feb – 22 Feb
  • 02 Mar – 04 Mar
  • 05 Mar – 08 Mar (focus course organisation)
  • 22 Mar – 25 Mar
  • 05 Apr – 19 Apr (flexible participation possible)
  • 19 Apr – 20 Mai

Registration via the course programme

Long-term service at the centre is also a valuable opportunity to deepen your own meditation practice while helping others to grow in Dhamma. Here you can find more information about long-term service at Dhamma Mudita.

An overview of the various Dhamma service opportunities can be found here. (Log in with oldstudent & behappy)

“At the end of 2025, I had the opportunity to spend three weeks as a long-term volunteer at Dhamma Mudita. I was immediately given a lot of trust and was allowed to take on the responsibility of centre manager during this time. This gave me my first insights into the organisation of a Vipassana centre.

During a brief period of kitchen and forestry and gardening service, the cooking area was thoroughly cleaned and reorganised. We also installed new shelves in the storage room to create more order.

In the forest, I spent a day helping to safely fell diseased and dead trees that were endangering the road below.

Most of all, I enjoyed working in the meditation hall. We were able to finish the ceiling panelling and start on the missing door and window frames. It was a very exciting and thoroughly intense experience for me to spend so much time in the Dhamma hall and work there.

During these three weeks, I gained a lot of new experiences and learned to take better care of my body and take more breaks.

An assistant teacher put it so beautifully after a group session: “The most important thing during a service period is daily meditation practice. This is to maintain the good vibrations between courses. Physical work always comes second.”

II’m already looking forward to next time. In this spirit: Be happy!”

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

Further dates and registration options can be found in the course programme.