Dear $First

California Vipassana Newsletter

News & Events

Issue 38 • May 2013

Dear Old Student,

We are happy to let you know about the latest Vipassana events and news in California, as well as a few other important events and service opportunities.

Northern California Vipassana Center, Kelseyville

Dhamma Manda

Upcoming Ten-Day Courses

May 8 - 19
May 29 - June 9

Servers are needed on all upcoming courses. Old students are welcome to serve full or part-time. Register at http://courses.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schmanda »

10-day Course in Occidental, CA: May 29-June 9

Registration is still open for this non-center course that will be held approximately 90 minutes from San Francisco in Sonoma County at a quiet rented site surrounded by redwood trees. All other 10-Day courses have waiting lists or are closed until July. To register, visit http://courses.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schmanda »

Come Help with Setup! Servers Needed in Occidental

Large offsite courses require an abundance of servers to help with facility set up and break down. Unlike Vipassana meditation centers, offsite locations have to be adapted to meet the needs of the course. Supporting large, non-center courses provides old students with a wonderful opportunity to work hard and truly benefit themselves by selflessly serving the students.

You can help in various ways, including setting up the meditation hall, cooking in the kitchen and preparing the accommodations. There will be accommodations available for servers to stay overnight. If you are interested in serving on this large course or would like to help, particularly with pre-course set-up or post-course break down, please call (631) 629-6734 or email [email protected]. Please help spread the word.

Northern California course
Pre-course set-up days: May 27-28
Post-course breakdown day: June 9, 7am-2pm

Three-Day Courses - May 2-5 and July 3-7
Open to all old students. Servers are needed and welcome. Register at: http://courses.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schmanda »

Dhamma Manda Board of Trustees meetings (trust meetings): Trust meetings are a wonderful opportunity to meditate with serious old students and assistant teachers and to find out more about how the center operates. If you are interested in serving on committees that often work and meet remotely, coming to a trust meeting is a good way to find out what committees are working on. All old students are welcome to attend. The next two meetings will take place:

Sunday, May 19
Sunday, July 21

The meeting at Dhamma Manda begins with a group sitting at 9 a.m. Lunch follows the meeting at 12 noon. There are often center projects one can participate in for a few hours after the trust meeting is over.

To let us know you’re coming, write to [email protected].

California Vipassana Center, North Fork

Dhamma Mahavana

Upcoming 10-Day Courses at CVC

Course fill up quickly and waitlists are long, so please apply early to sit or serve.
Please register here: http://courses.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schmahavana » login: oldstudent
password: behappy

10-Day Course - May 29 - June 9

Upcoming Bilingual and Special Courses at CVC
Satipatthana Sutta Khmer/English (qualified old students only): Jun 14-Jun 23
10-Day Vietnamese / English: Jun 26 - Jul 07
10-Day Persian / English: Jul 10 -Jul 21
10-Day Burmese / English: Jul 23 -Aug 03

Upcoming Service Period - May 12 - 27
For the upcoming service period the primary focus will be on brush clearing 100 feet around buildings to meet fire code. Weed whackers can be rented but if you can bring your own, it saves the center money (dana). Creative cooks are welcomed to serve the service period volunteers with tasty food. We hope to complete other projects as well, such as painting, deep cleaning residences, gardening, and some computer work.

The program includes three daily group sittings between work periods and special evening recorded discourses by S.N. Goenka. To apply, please send an email to [email protected]. Include your full name and the dates you will be attending.

Old Student with Accounting Skills Needed
CVC is looking for an old student with professional accounting skills who can help the Finance Committee prepare our annual 990 tax return as a 501c3 Corporation. We would like to find someone by early to mid-May. If you are a seasoned accounting professional with prior experience filing nonprofit tax returns and interested in this service opportunity, please email [email protected]. You will be directed to an informed member of the committee, who will provide details about the project.

Full-time Kitchen Coordinator Position at CVC
CVC is looking for someone to act as full-time Kitchen Coordinator. Responsibilities include, kitchen health and safety, server support, food ordering, kitchen equipment and design recommendations. The ideal candidate is an established old student who has long-term service experience at any of the Vipassana centers, has successfully sat at least one long course, and has professional food service experience. For more details, please email: [email protected].

Invitation to Serve on Trust Committees Trust committees are organized by the trust and comprised of trust members and old students, who support the center by overseeing various aspects of operations. Many committee tasks can be done off-site. CVC trust committees include Accommodations, Administration, Development, Finance, Kitchen, Land Stewardship, Maintenance, Dhamma Service, Outreach, Safety and Technology.

Learn more about specific committee responsibilities at:
http://www.mahavana.dhamma.org/os/service/staying_informed_of_service.htm »
login: oldstudent
password: behappy

If you would like to join a committee or for more information, please email:
[email protected].

Extended Sitting & Service Opportunities
Old students who are interested in developing their practice may stay at the center on a course-by-course basis to sit and serve. Students should be trying to establish their daily practice and keep the five precepts. For more information, please email [email protected] .

To view a list of service projects that you can help out on, please visit:
http://www.mahavana.dhamma.org/maintenance/Maintenance%20Projects.html »

Southern California Vipassana Center,
Twentynine Palms

Dhamma Vaddhana

Upcoming Bilingual and Special Courses at SCVC

10-Day English/Sinhalese course: May 8 - 19
3-Day course (old students only): June 5 - 9
10-Day English/Farsi course: June 26 - July 7
Satipatthana Sutta English/Burmese (qualified old students only): July 12 - 21

Upcoming Dhamma Service Period - May 22 - 27
Old students are welcome to come to SCVC during the service period and help out with a variety of maintenance, administration and landscaping projects, as well as meal preparation. No special skills are required. The program includes three daily group sittings between morning and afternoon work periods. To apply to participate, please go to http://courses.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schvaddhana » and indicate the dates you would like to attend.

Annual Trust Retreat/Planning Weekend - June 1 - 2
The Annual Trust Retreat & Planning Weekend will take place at Dhamma Vaddhana on June 1 - 2, from Saturday at 9.00 a.m. to Sunday at 1:00 p.m. This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for old students who are interested in Dhamma Service in Southern California to learn about how the center is run and what is going on with the next phase of development at SCVC. It is also a time to find out about volunteer opportunities and join any of the various committees that may interest you and suit your skills, and/or help out with weekend service projects or meal preparation. The aim of the weekend is to inspire participation in the work of running the center, and to deepen your practice by giving the dana of service. There will be three group sittings per day between meeting sessions. Accommodations are limited. Apply at: http://courses.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schvaddhana »

Dhamma Vaddhana Board of Trustees Meeting - Sunday, June 2
8:00 – 9:00 Group Sitting (note earlier than usual start time, due to planning weekend)
9:15 – 12:00 Trust meeting
12:00 - Lunch and Clean-Up
The monthly meeting of the Southern California Vipassana Center Trust is the forum where continuing operations and development of Dhamma Vaddhana are discussed. It is an excellent opportunity to learn and also to become involved in whatever way you are available.

Dhamma Service Contact List
SCVC is in the process of updating our Dhamma Service contact list. If you would like to let us know about your Dhamma Service interests, skills, and availability, please take a moment to fill out this online form ».

Ongoing Service Opportunities Regionally and in 29 Palms
- Serve a course
- Serve between courses
- Join a committee
- Come to a Trust meeting
- Serve a children's course
- Attend a service period
- Become a Long Term Server
- Serve a One-day course in your area

Learn more on SCVC's old students page. Check back regularly for new content.
http://www.vaddhana.dhamma.org/os/osindex.htm »

International Vipassana Newsletter

www.news.dhamma.org »
username = oldstudent
password = behappy

The online International Newsletter site is updated every few weeks as we have new material to post. Every three to four months, we publish some of that material in a printable PDF issue. Please check regularly for updates, or subscribe to our RSS feed to receive notification automatically whenever we post something. You can also subscribe to receive email notification when a PDF issue is published.

Please also consider contributing material for posting. It could be a news story, photos, your own reminiscences or more. Write to [email protected].

Best wishes,

California Vipassana eNewsletter Coordinators.

Northern California Vipassana Center
P.O.Box 265
Cobb, CA 95426-0265
Ph: 707-928-9981
Email

California Vipassana Center
P.O. Box 1167
North Fork, CA 93643
Ph: 559-877-4386
Email

Southern California Vipassana Center
P.O. Box 486
Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Ph: 760-362-4615
Email

This notice is sent to old students of Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka in the North American Old Student Contact Database. You may also receive occasional messages from centers and newsletters via this database. If you don't wish to be contacted by us please click here.