Vipassana Meditation Centre – Dhamma Modana

Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin

Duncan, British Columbia, Canada

Please feel free to email the webmaster if you’re an old student and have forgotten the login information.

Dhamma Service Overview

All courses offered at Dhamma Modana are made possible by service given by old students. Servers cook the meals, manage the course, and do everything needed so that the students can meditate peacefully.

Besides service during courses, this center has a multitude of other needs which students generously give their time to fulfill.

Opportunities to serve include:

To give Dhamma service during a course or service period please visit the Dhamma Modana Course Schedule. Click on the “Apply” link then “Serve the course” after indicating that you are an old student.

More information about dhamma service is available on the International Dhamma Service page.

Who is qualified for Dhamma Service?

  • Any student who has successfully completed a 10-day course with S. N. Goenka or one of his assistant teachers, and has not practiced any other meditation techniques since their last course.
  • If another meditation technique has been practiced we ask that you complete another 10-day course before serving.
  • If you have not sat a 10-day course in some time and have not maintained your practice, then we may ask that you sit a 10-day course to strengthen your own practice before serving others.
  • It is required that all applicants for service read the Code of Conduct for Dhamma Workers prior to filling out a Dhamma Service Application so the guidelines pertaining to serving are understood.

Contact

The Dhamma Service Committee is here to help old students get more involved at the meditation center. If you would like to learn more about opportunities to serve or if you have special skills you would like to offer, you can email the committee at dhamma-service@modana.dhamma.org.

Several Email Lists have been setup to help communicate with students.

If you would like to be contacted for future Dhamma Service opportunities, please fill out a News or Service Interest Form.(Patrick, this is a great form, can we adopt this form to our site? I wasn’t sure where it gets sent to though. Can it be sent to dhamma-service@modana.dhamma.org )

Whether during courses, between courses or during work periods, servers always sit three group meditations each day, can attend the evening discourse, and usually meet together in the evening with an A.T. The most common feedback given by servers is their appreciation of how this program helps them integrate the practice of Dhamma into their busy daily lives.

Dhamma Service Source Book

For inspirational information about Dhamma Service and its benefits, download the Dhamma Service Source Book (PDF file, 947K)

Ways to Serve

Whether during courses, between courses or during work periods, servers always sit three group meditations each day, can attend the evening discourse, and usually meet together in the evening with an A.T. The most common feedback given by servers is their appreciation of how this program helps them integrate the practice of Dhamma into their busy daily lives.

  1. During Courses: Serve a course full- or part-time. To serve a ten-day course is a very special kind of service. We all find this an invaluable tool for strengthening our own practice as well as helping others get the Dhamma. And for those of us with less time available, even serving a portion of a course is a wonderful experience. Applications should be submitted ahead of time.

Servers work long hours, but always sit at least three hours a day during group sittings and can usually attend the discourse.  Rest is always taken between 1:00 and 2:30 pm. Instructions for menus and all other tasks are very easy to follow.

Please let us know in advance when you are coming to the center. To fill out a Dhamma-service application online, visit the Dhamma Modana Course Schedule page. Click on the “apply” link next to the course dates to apply for a course.

  1. Day help to prepare meals and keep the center clean and tidy is also always appreciated by servers. When you arrive introduce yourself to one of the center managers, and they will get you oriented. Day help is most needed between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. It is always recommended to sit for one hour before giving service.
  2. Between Course Service (Apply): From Sunday morning until Wednesday afternoon there are usually some students staying on at the center preparing for the up-coming course, or working on site maintenance, grounds or other projects. All Old Students are welcome to participate. The daily program will include three group sittings with morning and afternoon work periods. On selected evenings, there will be tapes played of special discourses and talks that S.N. Goenka has given to Old Students. These short work periods represent a great opportunity for old students to give service by coming early a day or two before their course or staying on afterwards. Look for the between-course Service Period for the dates you would like to give service and click “Apply”.
  3. Dhamma Service Periods: In the spring, fall, and winter months every year Dhamma Modana holds a work period. During this time no course is held; Dhamma servers work together on projects all around the center. The jobs vary from grounds and garden work, maintenance, cleaning, and putting up tents. Meals are provided, and cooks are needed to keep the workers well nourished. The schedule includes three group sittings daily and evening discourses. An assistant teacher is also available to meet with students who may have questions about their practice.
  4. Join a Committee: Old students work together on different committees that do the work necessary to run the center. You may have a skill or expertise that you can offer a committee, or you may want to attend a meeting to learn more. The committees are: Kitchen, Maintenance, Household, Grounds, Site Planning/Building, Registration, Dhamma Service/Inreach, Technology and Outreach.
  5. Sign up for a regular task, such as watering plants, gardening, light cleaning, or registration support.
  6. Come to a Trust Meeting: Old students are appointed to the Board of Trustees. This group works together to oversee the operation of the center and guide the committees. The Trust meets every six weeks throughout the year, and all interested old students are invited to attend the meetings and learn how the center works.

8. Fill out a News or Service Interest Form (I would like this form to stay but be sent to dhamma-service@modana.dhamma.org ) to get announcements about center events and opportunities to serve.