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

April, 2008 www.patapa.dhamma.org

First Course At Dhamma Patapa

D hamma Patapa, the official name for the Southeast Vi-

passana Center in Jesup, Geor-gia—meaning “the Majesty of Dhamma” in Pali—is quite ap-propriate given the beauty and seclusion provided by 40 acres of land surrounding the Center’s cluster of buildings. Majestic old pines, oaks, and other trees and vegetation add to an ideal envi-ronment for peaceful meditation.

The land for Dhamma Patapa was bought on December 21st, 2005; and ever since, construction has progressed unceasingly thanks to help from several old students who joined the Dhammaworker Con-struction Crew.

Three buildings rose at Dhamma Patapa during Phase One of con-struction. Building #1, the largest, houses the Dhamma workers and the Teachers, and also serves as the dining hall for the students. Building #2 can accommodate 30 students in dorm-style rooms, and includes a Dhamma Hall for as many as 40 students. The smallest building, #3, serves as a place for Registration and also as the display area for the important final day of a course, Metta Day. Peaceful, foliage-lined walking paths for students are available on both sides of

the buildings. Since space remains tight, the Center Development Committee has begun planning for a single accommodation building that will allow the comfortable addition of more students, and this plan is expected to move forward as soon as finances allow.

W eeks before Dhamma Patapa’s inaugural course,

several old students came to-gether to help get the Center ready. Wooden bed frames were assembled in the student rooms, the audio-visual system was set up in the Dhamma Hall, medita-tion cushions were freshened out in the sunshine, furniture for the dining halls was assembled, roads were dug, grass was sowed, signs were painted. The list seemed never to end, but the dedicated group finished in time for the first students to start auspiciously.

That first course at Dhamma Patapa began on March 12th and ended on March 23rd, 2008. Twenty-eight students finished the course, with six old students providing their services to ensure the endeavor’s success. Several more courses have been scheduled for throughout the year (see

2008 schedule on page 4).

The next work period at Dhamma Patapa is scheduled for April 14th to April 20th, with an Assistant Teacher in residence. A daily program of group sittings, interviews and inspirational discourses in the evenings will be part of the work period experience. Any old student—skilled laborer or unskilled—can join to help finish incomplete pro-jects and make Dhamma Patapa that much more majestic.

For more information, e-mail info@patapa.dhamma.org or call (912)

663-5646 or (770) 456-5385.

Words of Dhamma Sabba dāna Dhamma-dāna jināti;

sabba rasam Dhamma-raso jināti;

sabba rati Dhamma-rati jināti;

tanhakkhayo sabba dukkham jintāti.

The gift of Dhamma triumphs over all other gifts;

the taste of Dhamma triumphs over all sensual tastes;

the happiness of Dhamma triumphs over all sensory pleasures;

the eradication of craving triumphs over all suffering.

-Dhammapada, Verse 354

Vipassana Returns to

Donaldson Maximum

Security Prison, Alabama

M ay 20, 2007 was a very special day for a group of Vipassana

meditators in Donaldson, Alabama; special because it marked

the return of full 10-day courses to Donaldson Maximum Security

Prison. It had been five years since the first two historic Vipassana

courses. While a successful three-day course for “old students” had

been held in January 2007, doubt still lingered that 10-day courses—

not held for five years—would once again be made available to help

alleviate the deep suffering that fills the walls of every prison.

Twenty-three inmates completed the course, including six old stu-

dents who had sat a previous course in 2002. Two other old students

serving inside the course site helped with meal preparation, cleanup, and general chores; and a third acted as an outside “runner,” or con-

tact. For the first time the prison kitchen undertook the preparation of

an wholly vegetarian menu for the entire course. The presence of

established old students did much to attract and increase the confi-

dence of those were there for their first course. At the end of the

course, they reassured the freshly minted old students that the cama-

raderie and support of group sittings would carry them through the

post-course adjustment period and into a brighter life of insight and

peace. After the afternoon metta session, a 16-minute video was

shown of S.N. Goenka’s address to the students who had completed

the second Donaldson course, a talk given in that very gym-cum-Dhamma hall almost exactly five years earlier. Many of the new stu-

dents remarked that they would never have believed Goenkaji him-

self had been in Donaldson if they hadn’t seen it for themselves. Im-

mediately after this course, another was held at a medium-security

prison in Hamilton, on the other side of Alabama.

At the request of the Alabama Department of Corrections to hold two

courses per year at both Donaldson and Hamilton, two more con-

secutive courses were completed in October 2007. (Because the

Hamilton prison is a smaller institution, ongoing courses will now

continue on an “as-needed” basis.) In May 2008, the fifth 10-day course at Donaldson was held, with a record number of 13 old and 15

new students braving the crammed conditions of the prison’s West

Gym. In strong testimony to the power of Dhamma, it is the signifi-

cant changes in the old students, changes which are readily visible to

other inmates, that keeps the wait list always growing for the prison’s

next Vipassana course. Regular group sittings and half-day sittings

on the weekends continue to play a critical part in keeping the

Dhamma strong at Donaldson.

As with any 10-day course, held in a prison or elsewhere, many sto-ries arise of struggles and of triumphs. An outside Dhamma server

shared this: Immediately after the Donaldson course’s Vipassana

instructions, a 30-year-old convicted of double homicide gathered up

his clothes and bedding and made a beeline toward the exit. Although

the student was an intimidating figure, the server tentatively inter-

cepted him and gently encouraged,

“No, no, you can't leave now. This

is just a storm that's come up. Take

your things back to your bed and

come and have some tea. You'll see,

this will change.” To the server’s surprise, the student did just as he suggested: He turned around, put

his stuff down, had a cup of tea, and returned to the hall for the 6:00

pm group sitting. After the course, the student approached the server

who had encouraged him and said, “I thought I was a pretty tough

guy, but this Vipassana really humbled me.”

The Joy of Service

U pon jubilantly completing my last course I decided that I wanted

to make Vipassana a larger part of my life, but I was not ready

to return for another 105 hours of pain. I chose to serve a course, and

it was a far more expansive experience than I had ever expected.

I knew that serving would be

an excellent way to give dana

and help others experience

the wonders of Vipassana, yet

I had no idea how much it

would expand my practice.

Serving changed my concep-

tion of Vipassana from an

intense personal experience

on the cushion, to a commu-

nity experience more easily

integrated into my life. After

sitting a course it is difficult for me to incorporate the practice into

daily life. Familiar surroundings and interactions at home quickly

distract me, and the old habit patterns of my mind come streaming

forth. While serving, the novel setting and emphasis on awareness

allowed me to utilize the practice throughout the day. Each day I be-

came more conscious of my sensations outside the Dhamma hall.

Within the center I was able to bring the immediate chaos of "normal"

life into the hall.

One sensitive morning another server compassionately suggested that

I sit an extra hour that day. Having others tell me I need to sit more is

one of my larger pushable buttons, and the sensations within my body

took a quick turn. Fortunately this was just prior to a group medita-

tion, and I sat with the experience of anger for an hour. That interval

allowed me to drop a portion of my resistance towards the experience

and befriend the anger as a teacher. When sitting a course I find my-

self working with the subtler constructs of my reality. Serving was

different in that my interactions with others brought forth very obvi-

ous issues that I frequently face in life. Confronting those limiting

patterns, while still sitting three hours a day and living within a sup-

portive atmosphere, gave me a better understanding of how not to

react to, but rather grow from, those difficulties.

Spending ten days alongside

similarly motivated individu-

als was surprisingly inspir-

ing. Having shared their ex-

periences both on and off the

cushion, I now feel part of a

supportive community. I

know from direct interaction

that I am not the only one out

there who finds this practice

extremely difficult and won-

derfully beautiful. It makes

each step down this path a little easier, each stride a little longer.

I cannot explain the joy I experienced seeing 91 meditators complete

the course. I guess that is the power of dana. It was wonderful to see

so many smiling faces, to hear of their paths and newfound liberation.

It is amazing how powerful it is to share the most precious part of my

life. Looking back at the end of the course, I was surprised by the

depth and breadth of experience those ten days provided. No one told

me I would grow and expand my practice in such directions.

-Anonymous

The Dhamma Brothers &

Letters from the Dhamma

Brothers

T he Dhamma Brothers is an award-winning documentary film about the first Vipassana courses held at Donaldson Prison. It tells

a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely documents the stories of 36 prison inmates who enter into the arduous and intensive Vipassana meditation program. It challenges assumptions about the nature of prisons as places of punishment rather than rehabili-tation and raises the question: Is it possible for these men, some of whom convicted of horrendous crimes, to change? The Dhamma Brothers will be in theaters across the country during April and May. To watch the trailer, find theaters, and learn more, visit dhammabroth-ers.com. The recently released book Letters from the Dhamma Brothers gives us direct access to the thoughts, struggles, dreams, and triumphs of the inmates who completed the first Vipassana course at Donaldson,

through letters they sent to those who brought the Vipassana course to the prison in 2002. Each man shares his own story of finding the cour-age to keep sitting; of resisting the temptation to fall back into old hab-its and negative ways of coping with prison life; of reconciling his past actions with their effects on himself, family, friends, and the victims of his crimes; and of experiencing a bond with the other student inmates that extended far beyond the intense experience of the 10-day course. The Dhamma brotherhood survives even when the Vipassana program itself is suspended and some of the men find it too difficult to keep the practice going. When the prison once again invites the Vipassana Prison Trust to con-duct a three-day course for the old-student Dhamma brothers in Janu-ary 2006, there is a joyful homecoming and a revival of Dhamma prac-tice and enthusiasm. Six years on and counting, these letters written by the inmates will give readers the chance to decide whether Dhamma can grow even in the most unlikely soil. Letters from the Dhamma Brothers is available through Pariyatti Press, online at http://www.pariyatti.org.

Serving at Dhamma Patapa

T here are opportunities to serve the Southeast Vipassana Associa-tion in the following areas:

Outreach Activities (e.g. organize public talks; write articles)

Inreach Activities (e.g. write for newsletter; serve part-time or

full-time at 10-day courses)

Finances (e.g. manage Donation Table)

Kitchen Management (e.g. planning menus, kitchen inventory)

Course Set-Up (setting up course on Day 0)

Course Break-down (clean-up on Day 11)

If you are interested in serving in any of these areas, please contact info@patapa.dhamma.org or your local area contact person for more information on how you can help.

Join the Skills Database

I f you have particular skills, talents and expertise which might be

helpful in building or developing Dhamma Patāpa and would like to

provide your skills to Dhamma work, please send an e-mail to

info@patapa.dhamma.org with your name, contact information and a

brief description of your skills and expertise.

Giving Dana In the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, there is no fund raising or solicitation of any kind. The responsibility of the Southeast Trust is to inform students of the facts. Understanding this, old students then

have the opportunity to give dana according to their means and

volition. For more information on how to contribute, contact: Rashmi Desai: 704-544-0790 or 704-277-5013

Assets

Total Cash and Bank Accounts 59,220.87

Other Assets

Pre-Paid Expenses 4,515.00

Land 112,500.00

Buildings 1 & 2 96,438.48

Vehicle Assets (Truck & Trailer) 15,650.00

Accumulated Depreciation -783.00

Total Other Assets 228,320.48

Total Assets 287,541.35

Liabilities & Equity

Liabilities

Payroll Taxes & Workers Comp 3,782.35

Loan from Bank 112,095.78

Student Loans 25,000.00

Total Liabilities 140,878.13

Total Equity 146,663.22

Total Liabilities & Equity 287,541.35

Income

Dana for Non-Center Courses 12,100.00

Dana for Center 15,810.00

Dana-in-kind 179.09

Total Income 28,089.09

Expenses

Expenses for Non-Center Courses 8,142.36

General 5,839.64

Construction* 62,075.79

Total Expenses 76,057.79

Net -47968.70

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO AN OPEN HOUSE AT THE

SOUTHEAST VIPASSANA CENTER

ROGERS BREAK ROAD

JESUP, GA

SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2008

1:00-5:00 pm

Introductory Sessions throughout the day

Open to Public

Southeast Vipassana Center Newsletter Dhamma Patapa — Jesup, Georgia Post Office Box 351 Social Circle, Georgia 30025

Contacts for One-Day Group Sittings

for Old Students in Southeast USA Birmingham, AL - Pradeep (pjonnala@gmail.com) Jacksonville, FL - Mayu(mayusakae@hotmail.com)

Miami, FL - Maurice (305-279-2295)

Atlanta, GA - Alok (abhardwa@gmail.com) Smyrna, GA - Jo’son (seamansails@gmail.com)

Savannah, GA - Kim (picklemetea@yahoo.com)

Black Mountain, NC - John (john@integritive.com) Charlotte, NC - Rashmi (rbddesai@yahoo.com)

Work Periods and Meetings for Old Students

April 14 - April 20 2008 Work Period (Open to All Old Students) Sept 7 - Sept 11 2008 Work Period (Open to All Old Students) Sept 11 - Sept 14 2008 Trust Retreat/ Meetings (Open to All Old Students)

Children & Teenager’s Course

June 29 - July 1 2008 Children’s Course (8 to 12 year olds) August 10 - August 12 2008 Teenager’s Course (13-18 year olds)

Ten-Day Courses at Dhamma Patapa

May 7 - May 18, 2008 English 10-day May 21 - Jun 1, 2008 English 10-day Jun 4 - Jun 15, 2008 Mandarin/English 10-day Jun 18 - Jun 29, 2008 Spanish/English 10-day

Jul 2 - Jul 13, 2008 English 10-day Jul 16 - Jul 27, 2008 English 10-day Jul 30 - Aug 10, 2008 Hindi/English 10-day Aug 13 - Aug 24, 2008 Vietnamese/English 10-day

**Full-time and part-time servers are needed for all courses.

Aug 27 - Sep 7, 2008 English 10-day course Sep 17 - Sep 26, 2008 Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta Course

Oct 1 - Oct 12, 2008 English 10-day Oct 22 - Nov 2, 2008 English 10-day Nov 12 - Nov 23, 2008 English 10-day Dec 3 - Dec 14, 2008 English 10-day Dec 24, 2008 - Jan 4, 2009 English 10-day @ Fort Yargo, Winder, GA