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The land for a Vipassana centre in Austria was acquired just over a year ago and decisive progress has been made since then.

The first official group sittings were held on the site of the future centre during the last weekend in June. A short film of the event is now available on the Vipassana Austria website (Click to view in German or English). In October, the first 1-day course was held. Vipassana meetings also took place around both events. Many meditators took part and the different working committees of the Association for Vipassana Meditation introduced themselves and informed about their work.The provisional meditation hall, a tent, was erected on the site of the future meditation hall.

In 2019, the next step is the construction of a solid small temporary meditation hall, which can be used for a few years. The aim is a basic building that can also be used in winter with the installation of a simple heating system, allowing regular group sittings and 1-day courses throughout the year. Toilets and simple, covered dining areas will also be set up on the site. The Austrian meditators will try to erect all this by the summer or autumn of 2019, largely by means of donations in kind and their own work. They will be happy to accept suggestions or offers for any temporary buildings, such as mobile homes, living containers or the like.

About a year ago, it was decided that the first step for the development of Dhamma Muditā, and an important pre-requisite for the construction of the centre, is a paved access road to the construction site, about 375 meters long. To date, 75% of the estimated costs have been collected, with 58,000 € still to be raised. It is hoped these funds will come through donations in the coming months so that the road can be completed by the end of 2019.

With the help of a regional architect, the design planning for the centre is well advanced and it is hoped that the finished plans can be submitted to the building authorities by summer this year. It might then be possible to obtain an official building permit before the end of the year for the first two of the three planned construction phases. Construction on the centre site could then begin as soon as the financial situation allows, so that the first 10-day courses can be offered as soon as possible.

For more information and ways to support the Centre project, please visit the old student pages on the website www.austria.dhamma.org .

May Dhamma Mudita help Dhamma spread further and further.