You are invited to a special

Open House

for Old Students 

Where:
The Illinois Vipassana Center (Dhamma Pakasa)

10076 Fish Hatchery Road, Pecatonica IL. 61063

When:     
Sunday, May 7^th 9:00 am - 5:30 pm (includes lunch)

After the fire that destroyed our original Dhamma hall, the generosity of old students made it possible for us to rebuild and refurbish the Center. Now we want to welcome you to come to Dhamma Pakasa to meditate together in the new Dhamma hall, and to share a delicious meal and snacks in the beautifully refurbished dining hall. There will be guided walking tours and opportunities to meet and chat with Trust members and other old students. Participants will get a close-up look at how the Center has been renewed, how courses are made possible, and what the future may hold.  

The new Dhamma hall

To register go to the Dhamma Pakasa website course schedule page https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schpakasa

and select Old Student Program. Please indicate whether you want to come for the weekend or just for the open house on Sunday. 

We are especially in need of volunteers to help host the Open House with greeting participants and assisting with tours and meals, set-up and clean-up. If you would like to be an Open House volunteer, please make a note on your application form and include some days and times when we can contact you.  

Here is an overview of the activities we have planned for the May 7th Open House:

For more information and directions to the Center go to www.pakasa.dhamma.org.  

But there's more!  

The Open House on Sunday the 7th is the culmination of a between-course service period that begins on Wednesday, May 3^rd. Here is an abbreviated schedule of the week's events: 

Wednesday - Friday,  May 3, 4, 5:  Service Period***
Saturday & Sunday May 6 & 7:  Old Student Program 

(includes the Open House on May 7th).  

To register for the work week and/or for one or both days of the Old Student weekend go to the Dhamma Pakasa website course schedule page
https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schpakasa.

***Throughout the Service Period, participants will  

• Meditate together at least 3 times a day.  An AT (Assistant Teacher) will be on site to conduct sittings, hold interviews, and answer questions throughout the workweek and the Old Student weekend.  
•  Share three wholesome meals and snacks every day 
• Work together on projects and tasks to prepare the Center the for the Spring and upcoming courses 
• Dhamma videos and books are available on loan 

Outdoor work projects include:

• Grounds spring clean up 
• Mowing, weed-whacking, and light tree-trimming  
• Leveling, raking, seeding etc. around the new Dhamma Hall 
• Got building skills, or interested in building? We hope to start construction of a proper, cold-weather workshop in the back of the garden barn.

• Kitchen cooking meals, organizing and cleaning  
• Dorm housekeeping and light maintenance
  Saturday May 6^th  (Old Student Weekend Begins) 
• Work projects continue while Trust members meet and prepare for the Sunday Open House.    

We look forward to welcoming you at this important time at Dhamma Pakasa. If you have any questions, please contact Center management at [email protected]

Center Manager Positions Available:
Dhamma Pakasa still has an opening for a Center Manager. If you have considered this kind of full-time service at a Center and want to know more about it, please contact Terri or John at [email protected]. Please include your first and last name and a number and some times when you can be reached.   

Courses Need Server Support 
Now that the new Dhamma hall is open, Dhamma Pakasa is able to hold courses for more students seeking to walk the path of Dhamma.  However, every course depends on the selfless service of Old Students who volunteer to support a course by preparing meals, assisting the AT, and keeping the Center environment suitable for meditation. It is a rare opportunity to strengthen your practice as you put it into action on Dhamma land.  

You can register to serve a course here
https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schpakasa.
If you are considering serving a course and just want more information, please contact the Center managers at [email protected].  
Please include your first and last name and a number and some times when you can be reached. 

All of this work is made possible through the continuing generosity of old students. If you have the volition to provide financial support, the following link will give you access to the various methods in which to contribute. 

https://pakasa.dhamma.org/os/osportal/donation/

The practice of generosity (Dana) was a primary teaching of

the Buddha, one of the Ten Qualities (parami) that help a meditator pass through suffering and experience Nibbana. It helps the householder meditator realize they are not only working for their own benefit and financial success, but that our success is also built on the efforts and success of so many others in this life and we share our Gratitude for this. Providing Dana (financial support or service) for Center development generates merit for the donor from the thousands more students who will be allowed to enter on the Path of Dhamma in ensuing years, as well as by developing a greater maturity in Dhamma from working in the best possible environment for meditation.

Best wishes

Illinois Vipassana Meditation Center, Dhamma Pakasa

Street Address: 10076 Fish Hatchery Road, Pecatonica, IL 61063

Tel. [1] 815 489-0420 Fax [1] (360) 283-7068

www.pakasa.dhamma.org

This notice is sent to old students of Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka in the North American Old Student Contact Database. You may also receive occasional messages from centers and newsletters via this database.