Dhamma Pajjota

The first Benelux Vipassana centre was established in June 2000 in Dilsen-Stokkem. S.N. Goenka has given the centre the name Dhamma Pajjota, which means Light or Torch of Dhamma.

The centre is situated in a rural area in Belgian Limburg, close to the borders of the Netherlands and Germany.

It is one of many centres around the world dedicated exclusively to the teaching of Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin.

Courses at Dhamma Pajjota are taught in two languages; English/Dutch, English/French or English/German.

The centre is administered by the Vipassana vzw, a Belgian non-profit organisation. Old students (i.e. students who have completed at least one 10-day course in this tradition) support the operation of the centre.

Courses are held all year round and the centre can accommodate about 110 students. Each year more than 2000 people from all walks of life come here to meditate and learn this technique.

The centre has a specially designed meditation hall in which all course participants meditate together. Students established in the practice may be offered a cell to deepen their meditation.

 

Students and servers sleep in simple, but comfortable rooms. There are several single and double rooms and a few triple rooms; most rooms have an attached bathroom. There are two rooms with disabled access

 

On the line that divides the terrain into a male and female area is a large building with spacious dining rooms for men and women, and a well-equipped kitchen. Its location parallel to the road makes it a natural barrier shielding the centre from traffic noise.

The 11-acre site has ample walking areas, with many bushes and mature trees. Across the road is a parking lot and a building with quarters for long-term servers, a workshop and tool storage.