Australia’s first Goenka tradition centre opened its first course in November 1983… course costs covered entirely by donations from graduates
A little over two hours west of Sydney by train lies Blackheath, a mountain village in the Blue Mountains. Within walking distance of the station, surrounded by the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park, is Dhamma Bhūmi, a Vipassana meditation centre. The name means ‘land of Dhamma’.
The courses held here are 10-day residential programmes. There is no fee. Accommodation, meals and instruction are provided without charge, while running costs are covered entirely by donations from people who have completed the course.
First course held seven months after land bought in 1981
According to records from the Vipassana Research Institute (VRI), the story began in 1980. S. N. Goenka, who had inherited the lineage of Sayagyi U Ba Khin in Myanmar, began holding courses outside India in 1979. In 1980, he visited Australia and led courses in Sydney and Perth. Participants began discussing the need for a permanent centre.
Land in Blackheath was purchased in 1981, followed by seven months of intensive construction. Even digging the foundations proved difficult, and records show that severe winter cold and ice held up the work. The first buildings were a wooden dormitory and meditation hall. The first course was held in November 1983.
The facilities expanded in stages. The dining hall and kitchen were enlarged in 1986, and a pagoda with 36 meditation cells was completed in 1990. In 1992, rooms were added when the centre held its first 30-day long course. A new meditation hall with capacity for 250 people was completed in 2000, and eight cells were added to the upper level of the pagoda in 2007.
A site 1,065 metres above sea level, surrounded by World Heritage-listed forest
The centre stands on a cliff 1,065 metres above sea level. It overlooks the Grose Valley, with Blue Mountains National Park on all sides.
Sources give slightly different figures for the size of the site. VRI records put it at about 38 acres, while the centre’s official website lists 40 acres.
The facilities include a large meditation hall and pagoda, individual meditation cells for experienced meditators, a kitchen run by volunteers, accommodation with single and shared rooms, and separate accommodation for volunteers. The centre’s official website says it can currently accommodate about 100 meditators.
Ten days starting at 4am
A day on the 10-day course is long. According to the official Vipassana guidance, the schedule begins at 4am and ends at 9.30pm. Participants meditate in the hall or in their rooms from 4.30am to 6.30am, followed by alternating periods of meals, rest, group meditation and lectures. From noon to 1pm, they can have individual interviews with the teacher.
During the course, participants observe Noble Silence. This includes silence of speech, body and mind. Every form of communication, including gestures and written notes, is prohibited, and participants may speak only when necessary to teachers and management. Silence continues until the morning of the final full day.
Participants observe at least five precepts during the course: abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual activity, lying and the use of intoxicants. The official guidance clearly states that people experiencing mental health problems are not advised to attend. In other words, meditation is not presented as a solution for every condition.
Why there is no course fee
There is no fee for the course. The official Vipassana guidance says the courses operate entirely on donations.
There are rules governing donations, too. First-time participants may donate only after completing the course. The system allows people who have experienced the full 10 days and decided what it was worth to contribute towards providing a place for the next participant. Donations to fund future courses are open only to people who have already completed a course.
Volunteers run the kitchen. The system is sustained by people who have completed courses returning to prepare meals and maintain the facilities.
There is a centre following the same tradition in South Korea
Vipassana courses are held in the same format in many countries around the world. The course structure, rules and policy of charging no fee are applied consistently at each centre. The international organisation’s centre directory (dhamma.org/en/locations/directory) lists centres and schedules by country, including courses held in South Korea.
If travelling to Australia is difficult, one option is to try a 10-day course first at a centre in South Korea or elsewhere in Asia, then visit a place with a different setting such as Blackheath. Although the course content is the same, the combination of a 1,000-metre-high cliff and World Heritage-listed forest is unique to Dhamma Bhūmi.
Who can attend?
The centre says it welcomes everyone regardless of religion, gender, race or nationality. Before applying, however, applicants must read and accept the Code of Discipline, the course checklist, guidance on what to expect from the course, and information about course finances.
There is one condition on applications: applicants may apply for only one course at one centre at a time. The rule is intended to prevent people from applying to several centres simultaneously and holding multiple places.
The language of instruction is English. As the 10-day schedule involves no contact with the outside world, people travelling from South Korea need to set aside nearly two weeks, including travel days before and after the course.
Getting there and applying
The centre’s address is 212 Station Street, Blackheath NSW 2785. It is about 110km west of Sydney, and the official guidance gives the journey by train as two hours and 15 minutes. Visitors can take the Blue Mountains Line to Blackheath station and walk from there. The centre says parking is limited and asks visitors to use the train where possible.
Courses are also held at hired venues outside the centre in various parts of Australia and New Zealand. If the Blackheath schedule is unsuitable, applicants can check those dates instead.
When people think of a meditation holiday, they often picture comfortable accommodation and a carefully designed programme. Dhamma Bhūmi offers the opposite. There is no price list and few comforts. It is open only to those prepared to endure 10 days of silence, but once they cross that threshold, they are not asked to pay.
Official website: https://bhumi.dhamma.org/
Course schedule: https://www.dhamma.org/en/schedules/schbhumi
Applications: https://bhumi.dhamma.org/apply-for-a-course
Telephone: +61 487 510 407