The centre grows and expandsA new meditation hall is planned

I N FO R M AT I O N F R O M

Nordic Vipassana CentreDhamma SobhanaVipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin

The Nordic Vipassana centre is growing!

Since the first course was held in 2007, the centre has continued growing.

Today 25 courses a year are held, including many in Danish, Norwegian and

Finnish, as well as some weekend courses for children and teenagers. In total

about 1800 people participate in courses every year and the courses fill up

immediately with long wait lists. For every 10-day course there are hundreds

who can’t get a place. In the presently used hall the students sit tight, with

little space between them, and airing the hall is difficult. For these reasons a

new meditation building is planned, with space for 120 students plus servers,

maximum 150 people. In the long term the centre plans to also build houses

with single rooms with attached bathroom and toilet for 40-50 people. In this

folder you will find information about the project.

“Don’t let this priceless human

life end in vain. Even if it is only out

of fear of the approaching death,

be engaged in meritorious deeds that

yield pleasant fruit. If we perform

unwholesome deeds, they will result

in suffering for us.If we perform

wholesome deeds, they will result in

happiness for us. This is the unbreakable

law of nature. Therefore it is better to

do wholesome deeds rather than

unwholesome deeds in order to avoid

suffering and to enjoy happiness.”

S.N. Goenka

E X T E N S I O N P L A N S – A N OV E RV I E W

1 3

42

New meditation hall New accommodation for male students

New accommodation for long term servers

New accommodation for female students

1

4

2 3

The new Dhamma Hall Many share a strong wish that the course participants are offered ideal conditions for

meditation. Many improvements have taken place during the last few years but the most

important one remains: a large and spacious meditation hall with good air quality.

The new meditation building is planned with the size of about 450 square metres (m�).

This includes a meditation hall of about 285 m�, a discourse room of about 50 m�, lobbies

View from south-west

for men and women and storage facilities. In comparison, the present meditation hall is

about 100 m�.

The new hall will have place for about 150 people. Estimated cost is about 9,5 million

Swedish kr (830 000 euros).

View from inside the Dhamma hall

The new meditation building will be built in the forest area west of the existing buildings,

between the walking areas. The house will be constructed in wood, with wood-based

insulation, on a concrete slab with floor heating. The heat- and moisture buffering capacity

of the wood will provide for a pleasant indoor environment. Quiet ventilation and an inner

ceiling height of an average of four metres will ensure good air quality. The building will

be well insulated and thus energy efficient. The meditation building will be accessible for

the disabled by handicap adapted entrances. Planning permit has been approved by the

the local city council.

Hall plan Facades

1 5

2

3

4 8

6

7

Meditation hall Storage for chairs, backrests, wooden benches, etc.

Entry for assistant teachers

Cleaning cupboard

Cushion storages Equipment room

Lobbies

Discourse room

80participants per course

1 800meditators per year

120participants per course

3 000meditators per year

C A PAC I T Y TO DAY A I M

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22

66

7

554 43 8

You can support the development of Dhamma Sobhana

T H R O U G H A D O N AT I O N

A donation, large or small, is the most wholesome way to support the project. This gives

the centre the best financial conditions to develop. A donation can be given to the centre’s

bank account or by using the PaylPal link at the centre’s website for old students. It’s also

possible to sign up to give a monthly donation.

T H R O U G H A N I N T E R E S T F R E E LOA N

Offering an interest free loan is also a wholesome way to make the project possible.

The centre has limited possibilities to borrow from banks and the interest rate is high. At

other European centres, the building of a meditation hall has often been partly financed

through interest-free loans.

T H R O U G H A LOA N W I T H I N T E R E S T

The centre is willing to take up loans at a low interest rate, maximum two per cent. To

ease the work of the centre’s finance committee, the loan must not be at a low amount

or run for a short period of time.

Financial situation

Historical surpluses have been used to improve the centre facilities.

2007

2007

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0

500 000

1 000 000

1 500 000

2 000 000

2 500 000

3 000 000

3 500 000

4 000 000

4 500 000

0

500

200 000

1000

400 000

1500

600 000

2000

800 000

1 000 000

1 200 000

2500 1 400 000

2008

2008

2009

2009

2010

2010

2011

2011

2012

2012

Income (donations) Surplus SEK

Number of students Surplus SEK

2013

2013

2014

2014

2015

2015

2016

2016

2017

2017

2018

2018

2019

2019

S O M E E X A M P L E S O F W H AT A D O N AT I O N

W I L L P R OV I D E

D O N AT I O N S

Account number: 1195 31 00414

IBAN: SE15 3000 0000 0119 5310 0414

BIC: NDEASESS (Nordea Bank)

Swish nr: 123 230 98 39

Plusgiro: 95 56 46-5

LOA N S

For loans please download a loan contract form at newhall.dhammasobhana.se and

post it to the centre, or contact finance@sobhana.dhamma.org for more information.

M O N T H LY D O N AT I O N S

To support the project on a monthly basis, please download an autogiro form at

newhall.dhammasobhana.se and post it to the centre (within Sweden) or set up a

monthly donation with your bank or through PaylPal (outside Sweden), or contact

finance@sobhana.dhamma.org for more information.

One front door 10 000 kr

One place in the meditation hall60 000 kr

Floor heating for the whole building 450 000 kr

One meditation building 9 500 000 kr

One meditation cushion300 kr

One square metre of insulation 600 kr

Ten square metres of wooden facade

1000 kr

Vipassana in the Nordic area – some important events

A P P R . 5 2 8 B C E

Enlightenment of the Buddha, in

Bodhgaya, India.

J U LY 1 9 6 9

S N Goenka conducts his first 10-day

course in Bombay, India.

AU G U S T 1 9 9 2

First 10-day course is held in Sweden,

in the Stockholm archipelago. During the

coming years one or two courses a year

are held in Sweden.

A P R I L 1 9 9 8

First 10-day course is held in Denmark.

J U N E 2 0 0 4

First 10-day course is held in Finland.

J U LY 2 0 0 5

First 10-day course is held in Norway.

JA N UA RY 2 0 07

A property is bought in Östergötland

province to establish a Vipassana centre.

Goenkaji names the centre Dhamma

Sobhana (”The Beauty of Dhamma”).

A P R I L 2 0 07

First 10-day course is held at the

centre with 53 students. This was also

the first course to be given bilingually,

in English and Swedish. During this year,

seven 10-day courses are held at the

centre, with about 400 students.

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

The annex to the main building is

renovated and starts being used as a

meditation hall for about 80 students.

The centre now holds fifteen 10-day

courses a year plus some 3-day

courses, with about 1 100 students.

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3

The centre buys forest land from a

neighbor, to be used for building a new

meditation hall.

2 0 17

The 10-day course is given in Danish,

Norwegian and Finnish for the first time.

This year the centre holds twenty

10-day courses, three 3-day courses,

one Satipatthana course and many

childrens courses, with a total of 1 700

– 1 800 students. All 10-day courses are

fully booked with long waiting lists.

2 0 1 8

The centre trust decides to build a

new meditation hall with capacity for

120 students plus servers. An architect

is hired and plans for the new hall

are approved.

2 0 2 0

Building permit is approved and entre-

preneurs are invited to send in offers.

July 1969, India. 2007, Sweden.

December 2011, Sweden.

2018, Sweden.

August 1992, Sweden.

April 1998, Denmark.

June 2004, Finland.

“A place for meditation is praised by the Enlightened Ones as the greatest of gifts.

Therefore wise people, concerned about their own welfare, should establish pleasant

dwellings where those who have heard about Dhamma may come and practice.”

Vinaya, Cullavagga

(The Buddha’s words to a merchant who had donated a meditation centre)

Dhamma Sobhana Vipassana CentreHolmen 1, 59993 Ödeshöginfo@sobhana.dhamma.orgwww.sobhana.dhamma.orgnewhall.dhammasobhana.se