About Dhamma Bodhi
Dhamma Bodhi is the Vipassana meditation centre in Bodh Gaya, Bihar — the holiest site in all of Buddhism and the very place where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree over 2,500 years ago. To sit in Vipassana meditation near this spot is an experience unlike any other on earth. The nearby Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contains the descendant of the original Bodhi tree and draws pilgrims from every Buddhist nation on the planet.
Courses at Dhamma Bodhi are conducted in the tradition of S.N. Goenka, passed down to him by Sayagyi U Ba Khin of Burma. The technique is pure Vipassana — the insight meditation taught by the Buddha himself: observing the impermanent, unsatisfactory and non-self nature of phenomena as they arise and pass within the field of bodily sensation. The ten-day format provides the minimum time needed to learn and begin experiencing the technique meaningfully.
All courses are conducted on a strict dana (donation) basis — tuition, accommodation and vegetarian meals are provided entirely free of charge to students. The cost is borne by the dana of previous students who benefited from the technique and wished others to have the same opportunity. There is no charge of any kind for any course.
The 10-Day Course: Day by Day
Daily Schedule
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 4:00 am | Morning bell |
| 4:30 – 6:30 am | Meditation in hall or room |
| 6:30 – 8:00 am | Breakfast & rest |
| 8:00 – 11:00 am | Group sitting + individual meditation |
| 11:00 am – 1:00 pm | Lunch & rest |
| 1:00 – 5:00 pm | Individual meditation + group sitting |
| 5:00 – 6:00 pm | Tea break |
| 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Group meditation |
| 7:00 – 8:15 pm | Evening discourse (video) by S.N. Goenka |
| 8:15 – 9:00 pm | Final group sitting + Teacher Q&A |
| 9:00 pm | Lights out |
Students meditate for approximately 10–11 hours each day. There are no exceptions for late rises.
Code of Conduct
- Noble Silence: Students refrain from all communication with other students — verbal, written, gestural, or physical — from the evening of Day 0 through the morning of Day 10. Communication with the teacher or course manager is permitted.
- Vegetarian diet: All meals are strictly vegetarian and served free of charge. No outside food, alcohol or intoxicants are permitted on the premises.
- No phones or reading: Mobile phones, books, journals, laptops and all electronic devices must be surrendered on arrival. The practice is the only activity permitted.
- Sīla (five precepts): Students undertake to abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech and intoxicants for the duration of the course.
Location & Practical Details
What Meditators Say
I was completely unprepared for what ten days of silence would reveal. By Day 5 something cracked open and I understood in a way I cannot fully put into words why the technique is taught exactly as it is. Being in Bodh Gaya — knowing where you are sitting — adds a dimension that no other Vipassana centre in the world can replicate. The most important thing I have ever done.
This was my third 10-day course and my first at Dhamma Bodhi. The difference in atmosphere from other Goenka centres is palpable — perhaps the location, perhaps the pilgrims arriving at all hours to the Mahabodhi just a few kilometres away. After graduation on Day 10 I walked to the temple and sat under the Bodhi tree for an hour. There are no words.