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2. Change in the board
For personal reasons, Francien Wever stepped down from the board of the Mahasi Sayadaw Foundation this spring. We thank her for her dedication during her short time as a board member. We are delighted that Jerome Stoel has accepted the invitation to return to the board.
3. 60-day retreat in California
According to Sayadaw U Pandita, anyone who leads retreats should spend at least one month a year on retreat themselves. Please be assured that I do not see this as an obligation, but as a warm bath! This year, for the first time since 2020, I will be doing another 60-day retreat. Not in Burma, but in the heart of Silicon Valley: the Tathagata Meditation Centre in San José, California.
In 1979, following Mahasi Sayadaw’s visit to the US, the senior monk Sayadaw U Silananda (1927-2005) remained there to serve the Burmese community in the San Francisco Bay Area. The centre was then founded in 1991 by Vietnamese Americans. The retreat is led by Sayadaw U Thuzana (Burma, 1954), who has been the head of the centre since 2013, and Sayadaw U Nyanavudha (Nepal, 1987). I know both of them from my 60-day retreats in Burma between 2012 and 2020, and I have great confidence.
4. Vassa in Lumbini
On 3 August, Sayadaw U Vivekananda turned 70. Here is the card with best wishes, which was put together by a grateful yogi from Switzerland, with contributions from several others.
After more than three months of teaching in Europe, Australia and the US, there is lots to organise in terms of maintenance work for Sayadaw and Sayalay during the rainy season retreat (Vassa). On 1 September, Panditarama Lumbini will reopen to meditators until 31 March 2027.
Below is a photo showing the progress of the construction of the 250-metre-long wall surrounding the centre, which we reported on in the previous newsletter.
5. Again, a 30-day retreat in Burma is possible
For the first time since 2020, a special retreat is being organised at the Panditārāma Hse Main Gon Forest Meditation Centre in Bago, Burma. Meditators from all over the world are warmly invited to take part from 1 to 31 December. Those interested can register via the Saddhamma Foundation’s website.
6. Pian dei Ciliegi celebrates its 30th anniversary
The Pian dei Ciliegi (Garden of Cherries) meditation centre is situated 30 km south of Piacenza in northern Italy, at an altitude of 600 metres at the foot of the Apennines. Since its foundation in 1996, the centre has increasingly focused on insight meditation as taught by Mahasi Sayadaw. Gianni and Sandra constitute the heart of the centre, which is supported by many volunteers. It is housed in a former family hotel.
To mark its 30th anniversary, a documentary has been produced, which also features English subtitles. See also the photo gallery of the centre, the Sangha and the surrounding area.
The Mahasi Sayadaw Foundation has donated €1,000 as a congratulatory gesture towards the ongoing fundraising campaign to purchase the main building. For us, Pian dei Ciliegi, together with Satipanya in the UK and Dhammaramsi in Belgium, is a source of inspiration for establishing an own centre.
7. Retreat with Ayya Virañani 14–30 March 2027
From 14 to 30 March 2027, we are organising a retreat with the American nun Ayya Virañani at Centrum Savita, Winterberg-Niedersfeld.
Ayya Virañani is a disciple of Sayadaw U Pandita and Sayadaw U Janaka. Jerome Stoel has undertaken several extended retreats with her in recent years, and he currently regards her as his principal teacher. In his words:
“For me, Ayya Virañani embodies loving-kindness, compassion and wisdom in a special way. Her teaching is deeply rooted in the Dhamma and, at the same time, surprisingly practical and humane. With familiar examples and her warm sense of humour, she manages to approach even severe suffering with a certain lightness, without losing sight of its depth. From my own experience, I can therefore wholeheartedly recommend a Vipassana retreat with her to anyone who wishes to deepen their practice further.”
8. Upcoming English spoken retreats – see the CALENDAR for international dates
November 21 – December 5: 14-day retreat with Guus Went, Satipanya UK
March 14 – 30: 15-day retreat met Ayya Virañani, Centrum Savita, Winterberg-Niedersfeld (Germany)
June 1 – 12: 10-day retreat with Sayada