Reference

NEWS FROM THE CENTRE

5 issues per year

Summer 2024

Two three-day courses, one Satipatthana and four 10-day courses filled the summer season at Dhamma Suttama. In other words, just over a thousand people came to recharge their batteries in Vipassana learning, either by serving or meditating a course.

Autumn began in the middle of the twelve-day seasonal service period, which was preceded by an Open House on Sunday September 15. The weekend of September 28 and 29 will be dedicated to classes for children aged 8 to 12 on Saturday, and 13 to 17 on Sunday.

OSSC

The Old Student Support Committee makes a major contribution to planning the seasonal service period or finding a professional who, through his or her Dhamma service, will help maintain the centre's assets. This committee coordinates all the skills offered in the MDSI (My Dhamma Service Information), a list of students available to serve (which you can sign up for), looking to match them with a project, for example, the one-off need for a cabinetmaker or the longer-term need for a kitchen coordinator, or any other need to be filled. This list is thus a valuable tool that enables people wishing to serve through their skills to develop in the Dhamma.

End of June 2024

A LOOK BACK AT THE SEASONAL SERVICE PERIOD

The seasonal service period from May 26 to June 7 was very successful. More than 45 people, some of them professionals in their field (painting, sewing, carpentry, plumbing, etc.), pooled their efforts, talents, and energy to improve the material conditions offered to meditators who come for courses of 10 days or more.

Local contractors were also hired for work requiring permits and special skills.

The new horticulture committee has been busy transplanting plants removed for the major excavation work and rearranging the spaces.

All these lovely people were fed 3 times a day thanks to the efforts and creativity of many of the participants, including a vegetarian sushi offered by our great meditating friends from Cambodia who have been coming to make this much appreciated donation every year for over 10 years!

Here are a few examples of the work completed or in progress :

Fitting a bathroom on the 2e floor and adding a bedroom downstairs (servers' residence)
Waterproofing of the courtyard-side building foundation and installation of a French drain
Repairs to the building's roof-edges, installation of snow barriers (Men's meditation pavilion)
Removal of wooden floor and application of epoxy paint (Men's meditation pavilion)
Conversion of the alarm system
Painting and various repairs (curtains, windows-closing mechanisms, etc.)
Deep cleaning (kitchen, fans and bathroom drains)
Improvements to the drinking water system
Internet cabling and launch of the website redesign project

A LOOK BACK AT CHILDREN AND TEEN COURSES

Just over 70 young people aged 8 to 17 took part in the Anapana classes this past June 8 and 9. The children and teenagers enjoyed learning the technique, which, for some, will help to concentrate ahead of end-of-year exams, and, for others, will help to be calmer in their lives.

Around thirty volunteers served in the kitchen or with the participants, providing adequate supervision and entertaining activities during the breaks. And the menu was tailored to the tastes of the youngsters: pasta with primavera sauce or a veggie burger.

Parents who have already taken a 10-day course can serve this course in the kitchen and enjoy the centre by doing group meditations in another room. At the end of their child's course, it is possible to practice Mettabhavana with them, as this meditation of compassion will also be taught to them.