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The meditation center "Kyoto Dhamma Bhanu" of the Japan Vipassana Association is located in the quiet mountains of the Tanba region in the southern part of Kyoto prefecture, and can be reached from Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe in about an hour or two.
The land of Dhamma Bhanu was purchased in January 1989, but because the price of the land was very high at that time, first about two of third of an acre of land was purchased, and then in January 1991 about a half of an acre of land was added.

Meditators from various countries, with little help from a couple of outside professionals, gathered to help build the center. In a short period of about 4 months, a facility constructed that can accommodate about 70 people.

In the first phase of this construction, a large two-story building was built with cedar walls. There is a meditation hall and accommodation for men and women. A kitchen and dining room were built next to the main building.

The landscaping plan, which began in the spring of 1990, has made the limited land of the center look wider and more aesthetically pleasing. Creating a meditation center from scratch has been a rewarding task for meditators.

In September 1989, Mr. Goenka from India visited Japan and held a three-day course for the older students who started Dhamma Bhanu. When he returned two years later, he visited Dhamma Bhanu again and conducted the first half of the 10-day course.

Initially, courses were held only six times a year, but these days, there are 10-day courses twice a month and various courses for older students. 80% of the course participants are Japanese, and 20% are people of various nationalities. All courses are offered in two languages, Japanese and English.

Additional accommodation was also built in 2014 and 2016 for the servers and for use during long courses. In the future, it is expected to build cells for meditation and additional private rooms. A "long-term planning committee" has been set up to consider purchasing adjacent land.

Dhamma Bhanu
2-1 Iwakamioku - Hatta - Kyotanba-cho - Funai-gun - Kyoto 622-0324 - Japan
Tel:0771-86-0765 - Fax: 0771-86-0460 - Email: [email protected] , [email protected]