June 2023
Vahī huā sukha-śānti kā, saccā śāhaṃśāha.
He who has found the way to uproot the miseries;
Has become the true emperor of tranquility and joy.
Group Sitting Updates
We are pleased to announce that after the COVID pause in regular group sittings, we have reached out to our generous hosts, who are prepared to welcome you for group and one-day/half-day sittings to help strengthen your practice. Practicing with other meditators can help us weather storms or find new opportunities in our daily practice. You can find the listing of group meditation opportunities at the Dhamma Pubbananda old student website. If you would like to start a group or one-day sitting, please reach out to Priya Jindal at [email protected] and we will work with you to ensure that the requirements are met and to include your information on the website and dhamma.org app.
One Day Meditation Session Announcement
Starting in June, 2023 Tom Dorfler will be hosting one day self-courses once a month either on a Saturday or Sundays starting in June. These will be held in Nellysford, Virginia. Please call or text Tom 813-586-3882, leave a message with contact information (phone number and email) and he will call or email you back with the day and time details.
Dana Opportunity:
Flooding at Dhamma Atala (Italy)
Dhamma Atala (Italy) has suffered severe damage during the recent floods that have wreaked havoc in central Italy in late May of this year. On day nine of a course, local officials ordered Vipassana students to evacuate the center due to the hazardous conditions. As students left the center on foot and then by helicopter, they left behind cars and personal belongings as torrential rains caused rivers to rise and break their banks, flooding large areas. Landslides and mudslides also caused roads to be blocked or even washed away.
In the aftermath of the floods, Dhamma Atala has now begun to survey the damage that has been incurred. Sadly, the center has suffered extensive damage with landslides on the slopes near the Dhamma Hall and several walkways covering or compromising the center’s structures. The access road to the center has also been destroyed.
The Dhamma Atala center has served old and new students since 2008, standing on the side of a remote valley in a hilly area of Lutirano, Marradi. Some twenty 10-day courses are held annually, plus Satipatthana, short, and children’s courses. Currently all future courses have been canceled, and the center is still determining when they will reopen.
If you would like to support Dhamma Atala with their recovery efforts, click this link to learn more: https://vcf.dhamma.org/italy. Also, please note that 100% of all dana is passed directly to Dhamma Atala. Dana is sent anonymously (unless otherwise requested); and U.S.-based old students receive a tax-deductible receipt.
First Dhamma Pubbananda Summer Picnic
You are invited to join other meditators on July 16, 2023 between 11am and 2pm for a picnic get-together at Ridley Creek State Park, Pavilion 11 A; 1023 Sycamore Mills Rd; Media, PA 19063.
Feel free to bring families and non-meditators to spend some time socializing. The location is approximately 30 minutes from Dhamma Pubbananda and Philadelphia.
You are invited to sign up to support set up/clean up, bring food to share, or even give a ride!
Please see the evite to sign up and learn more!
Goenkaji’s birthday celebration
Our dear teacher, S.N. Goena was born in January 1924. In light of his 100th year of life, Dhamma Dara hosted a virtual one-day course followed by Q&A with a senior Vipassana Teacher was hosted on May 6, 2023. This followed Buddha Purnima – the full moon day that commemorates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. As we continue to grow on the path, we honor our teachers from the Buddha through to individual course teachers, and S.N. Goenkaji.
Financial Information
Here are updates from Finance Team about total Dana received and expenses.
| Start Date: October 1, 2022, End Date: March 31, 2023 | |
| Total Dana Received: | $ 311,000 |
| Total Expenses: | $217,000 |
| As of March 31, 2023 | |
| Funds allocated for construction | $574,000 |
| Funds allocated for Operations | $63,000 |
| Funds allocated for Loan Repayments | $50,000 |
| Old Student Loans balance | $1,447,000 |
Dhamma Story - The Taste of Dhamma
During Lord Buddha’s time, there was a rich nobleman by the name of Jawtika. He lived in a magnificent house with his wife Atupakari who was exceptionally beautiful. The walls of the house were so studded with gems and precious stones that no lamp was necessary to light its interiors. Yet with all his wealth and other attractions, one day while visiting a monastery and paying respects to the Buddha, he forsook the life of a layman and became a monk. With only the robes he was wearing and his bowl to collect food he lived the life of a monk just like the monks today. One day, with the other monks, while following the Buddha on their daily alms round, they happened to pass his former home.
On seeing Jawtika’s house the young monks thought that he would be yearning for his old lifestyle and talked quietly among themselves. The Buddha heard them and upon reaching the monastery asked them what they were talking about. The young monks replied that they were talking about Jawtika and the Buddha told them that Jawtika was an arahat and that as such had no attachment whatsoever for his old lifestyle or its attractions. He had only the taste of Dhamma. “Sabbe rasam Dhamma rasam jinati.”
Among all the tastes and happinesses, the taste and happiness of Dhamma is the noblest, the highest, and the best. It is thousands of times better than that of kings, including the kings of the devas and bramhas. It is the taste of phala sampatti. If this taste had not been far higher than the enjoyment of his previous possessions, you can rest assured that Jawtika would not have given them up. What is more, it is possible to enjoy phala sampatti even during this very life.