Alberta Vipassana Meditation Centre

Dhamma Karuṇā

Alberta Vipassana Meditation Centre, Youngstown, Alberta, Canada

Dhamma Karuṇā means "Compassion of Dhamma" in Pali. The centre is located on 8.5 acres on the outskirts of Youngstown, Alberta – a small farming village in the Canadian Badlands. This area is noted for its wildlife including waterfowl, deer, antelope and moose. It is also famous for some of the most important fossil deposits in the world, including the Bearpaw Shale. Youngstown is three to five hours by car from four major cities: Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta, and Regina and Saskatoon in the neighboring province of Saskatchewan.


Additional information
 
Alberta Vipassana Meditation Centre
Dhamma Karuṇā
Tel: [1](403) 908-0346
Fax: [1](877) 230-9484
 
Mailing address:
Alberta Vipassana Foundation
8 Meadow Ridge Bay
Rocky View County, AB T1Z 0J2
  

 

 

Course Registration Notes

  • Throughout the registration procedure, you will receive several emails from our team. Should you not receive these messages, kindly check your spam or junk mail folders, or add @dhamma.org to your safe sender list.
  • Priority will be given to individuals who have not recently sat a 10-day course.
  • Applicants are requested to apply for no more than two ten-day courses simultaneously. Acceptance into one course will result in cancellation of any other application.
  • Please include information regarding any food allergies or specific medically necessary dietary requirements in your application, enabling our volunteers to accommodate your needs appropriately during the course.
  • Timely Cancellations Help Others Attend -Late cancellations often leave us unable to fill the vacancy, as there may not be enough time to offer the spot to someone on the waitlist. If you know you won’t be able to attend a course, please cancel your registration as soon as possible. Early cancellations help ensure others have the opportunity to participate.

Filters

37 courses
Popular courses
Other courses
New students can only apply to 10 day courses

Teenagers' and Children's Courses

0 courses
Courses for young people.
Dates
Course Type
Location
Comments
Status
No courses are currently scheduled.

Course types

All courses are run solely on a donation basis. All expenses are met by donations from those who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the same opportunity. Neither the Teacher nor the assistant teachers receive remuneration; they and those who serve the courses volunteer their time. Thus Vipassana is offered free from commercialisation.

Old students are those who have completed a 10-day Vipassana Meditation course with S.N. Goenka or his Assistant Teachers. Old students have the opportunity to provide Dhamma Service at the courses listed.

Short Courses

5 courses
1-Day, 2-Day, and 3-Day courses are short courses for old students.
Dates
Course Type
Location
Comments
Status
15 Nov
1-Day
Elbow Valley
For old students

Pre-registration is not required. Please email: [email protected] as space is limited.  Arrive at 8:45 am with an egg-free vegetarian lunch and travel mug. Filtered water and hot water are available.  Chairs are available; bring floor mat and sitting supplies. More information and directions here.

1-Day
New Women- Closed
Old Women- Open
New Men- Closed
Old Men- Open
Servers- Open
28 Nov
1-Day
Edmonton
For old students

CANCELLED

1-Day
CANCELLED
29 Nov

1-Day Old Student Course


Conrich
For old students
  • The course will start promptly at 9am and finish by 5pm. Please arrive at 8:45am and bring a vegetarian lunch (no eggs) and a beverage. 
  • Please bring sitting supplies.  Chairs and  some floor mats will be provided
  • Pre-registration is not required.
  • No conducting Assistant Teacher

More information and directions here

1-Day
New Women- Closed
Old Women- Open
New Men- Closed
Old Men- Open
Servers- Closed
2027
10 Jan
1-Day
Elbow Valley
For old students
Pre-registration is not required. Please email: [email protected] as space is limited.  Arrive at 8:45 am with an egg-free vegetarian lunch and travel mug. Filtered water and hot water are available.  Chairs are available; bring floor mat and sitting supplies. More information and directions here.
1-Day
New Women- Closed
Old Women- Open
New Men- Closed
Old Men- Open
Servers- Open
8 Dec - 12 Dec
3-Day
Youngstown
For old students

This is a 3-day course for 2027

Dec 8-12 in 2027

3-Day
Applications accepted starting 09 Oct

Course types

All courses are run solely on a donation basis. All expenses are met by donations from those who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the same opportunity. Neither the Teacher nor the assistant teachers receive remuneration; they and those who serve the courses volunteer their time. Thus Vipassana is offered free from commercialisation.

Old students are those who have completed a 10-day Vipassana Meditation course with S.N. Goenka or his Assistant Teachers. Old students have the opportunity to provide Dhamma Service at the courses listed.

1-Day
Old Student Short Courses (1-3 days) are for any student who has completed the 10-day course with S.N. Goenka and his assistant teachers. All old students are welcome to apply to attend these courses, including those where it has been some time since their last course.
3-Day
Old Student Short Courses (1-3 days) are for any student who has completed the 10-day course with S.N. Goenka and his assistant teachers. All old students are welcome to apply to attend these courses, including those where it has been some time since their last course.

Ten Day & Other Adult Courses

32 courses
  • Courses open for applications at approximately 8:00 AM Mountain Time (MT) . If you do not see the 'Apply' Link at 8:00 am, close your browser and re-open the page.
  • All ten-day courses begin on the evening of the first day, continue for ten full days and end on the early morning of the last day.
  • During the registration process, you will be receiving a number of e-mails from us. If you don't receive these emails, please check your spam/junk mail box.
Dates
Course Type
Location
Comments
Status
7 Nov - 22 Nov

14-Day Gratitude Course 🙏🏼


Youngstown
Old Student Course Qualification Requirements

Male servers required.

Servers are asked to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1).

14-Day Gratitude Course
In Progress
22 Nov - 2 Dec

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students
Work Period
Servers- Open
2 Dec - 13 Dec
10-Day
Youngstown

3 full-time servers needed.

Servers are asked to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1).

10-Day
Open
13 Dec - 23 Dec

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students
Work Period
Servers- Open
23 Dec 2026 - 3 Jan 2027
10-Day
Youngstown

Due to the long waitlist for this course, applicants that require very short notice to attend (3 days or less) will be considered for cancelled spots.

Servers are asked to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Women- Long Wait List
Men- Long Wait List
Servers- Open
2027
3 Jan - 20 Jan

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Servers- Open
20 Jan - 31 Jan
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 21 Nov
31 Jan - 17 Feb

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 02 Dec
17 Feb - 28 Feb
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 19 Dec
28 Feb - 10 Mar

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 30 Dec
10 Mar - 21 Mar Note: New Dates!
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 09 Jan
21 Mar - 14 Apr

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 20 Jan
14 Apr - 25 Apr
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 13 Feb
25 Apr - 19 May

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 24 Feb
19 May - 30 May
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 20 Mar
30 May - 16 Jun

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 31 Mar
16 Jun - 27 Jun
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 17 Apr
27 Jun - 14 Jul

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 28 Apr
14 Jul - 25 Jul
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 15 May
25 Jul - 30 Jul

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 26 May
30 Jul - 8 Aug
Satipatthana Sutta
Youngstown
Old Student Course Qualification Requirements
  • Please click on link to the left for requirements
Satipatthana Sutta
Applications accepted starting 31 May
8 Aug - 18 Aug

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 09 Jun
18 Aug - 29 Aug
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 19 Jun
29 Aug - 15 Sept

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 30 Jun
15 Sept - 26 Sept
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 17 Jul
26 Sept - 20 Oct

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 28 Jul
20 Oct - 31 Oct
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 21 Aug
31 Oct - 17 Nov

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 01 Sep
17 Nov - 28 Nov
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 18 Sep
28 Nov - 8 Dec

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 29 Sep
12 Dec - 22 Dec

Service Period - Part Time Welcome


Youngstown
For old students

 

Work Period
Applications accepted starting 13 Oct
22 Dec 2027 - 2 Jan 2028
10-Day
Youngstown

It is helpful for servers to arrive a day before the start of the course (Day -1), if possible.

10-Day
Applications accepted starting 23 Oct

Course types

All courses are run solely on a donation basis. All expenses are met by donations from those who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the same opportunity. Neither the Teacher nor the assistant teachers receive remuneration; they and those who serve the courses volunteer their time. Thus Vipassana is offered free from commercialisation.

Old students are those who have completed a 10-day Vipassana Meditation course with S.N. Goenka or his Assistant Teachers. Old students have the opportunity to provide Dhamma Service at the courses listed.

10-Day

10-day Courses are an introductory course to Vipassana Meditation where the technique is taught step-by-step each day. The courses begin after a 2 - 4 pm registration period and orientation, followed by 10 full days of meditation, and end the morning of the 11th day by 7:30 am.

14-Day Gratitude Course 🙏🏼

The 14-Day Gratitude Course was previously called the Teacher's Self Course. One of the qualities we develop as we meditate is gratitude - gratitude towards one’s teachers, Goenkaji and Mataji, and towards the long tradition of Vipassana teachers, right back to the Buddha.

The course is open to old students who are active in giving service. Requirements include 3 x 10day courses plus one Satipaṭṭhāna course, being active in Dhamma service, trying to maintain two-hour daily practice since last 10-Day course, and trying to maintain the five precepts to the best of one's ability. Local teacher’s recommendation is required. The course follows the usual format of 3x group sittings with instructions in the day, but students work more independently and the teaching materials are drawn from the 20-day course. This is a half-way step to help students mature for long courses, and serves to inspire students to work more deeply in Dhamma.

Satipatthana Sutta

Satipatthana Sutta Courses have the same timetable and discipline as 10-day courses. The difference is that in the taped evening discourses the Satipatthana Sutta is carefully examined. This is the principal text in which the technique of Vipassana is systematically explained. These courses are open to serious old students who have sat (not including courses served) at least three 10-day courses, have not been practising any other meditation techniques since last 10-day course, have been practising this technique of Vipassana for at least one year, and who are trying to maintain their meditation practice and the five precepts in their daily lives, at the very minimum from the time of applying to the course.

Service Period - Part Time Welcome

Work Periods have been set aside to work on a variety of Centre maintenance, construction, household and gardening projects. All Old Students are welcome to apply. The daily program will include three group sittings with morning and afternoon work periods. On selected evenings, there will be tapes played of special discourses and talks that S.N. Goenka has given to Old Students.

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