Help Establish Dhamma Ariya, Central America's First Vipassana Center

A seed of Dhamma has taken root in Central America. We have a wonderful opportunity to help it grow.

In 2021, the Asociación Vipassana Costa Rica (AVCR) purchased about 34 acres in the Orosi Valley, bordering a large national park reserve. The land lies about 75 minutes from San José and 25 minutes from Cartago. Until then, Central America had no permanent Vipassana center.

Where the work stands

Construction began in May 2023. The first 3-day course on the land was held in December 2023, and the first 10-day course for old students in April 2025.

Over the past year, the community has focused on the Dhamma hall and the kitchen. The hall seats up to 40 students and servers and has already hosted six courses to date (Oct, 2026). Volunteer service, a donated roof, and mud and wood from the land itself kept its cost to roughly US$61,000. When a permanent hall is built higher on the land, this one will be converted into 14 individual rooms.

The kitchen is now enclosed and equipped, with a dining room and a servers' room beside it. A solar system powers the kitchen and dining area, bringing electricity to the center for the first time. A temporary glamping area hosts visiting teachers.

What comes next

Old students have carried this work through their danā and their service. Two larger steps lie ahead.

Securing the land use Dhamma Ariya needs. The property is reached through an agricultural easement, which limits what can be built. To develop the center in its full form, AVCR hopes to acquire an adjoining piece of land that connects the property to the main road, and then begin the permits and studies the next stage of building requires. The total cost is estimated at more than US$100,000. If the purchase does not come through, the same resources will go toward specialized legal, technical and permitting advice to find another way to reach the same goal.

Facilities for teachers and more students. AVCR's Center Development Committee has costed the next facilities:

• A teacher cottage with a bedroom, interview room and private bathroom, built with earthen walls for quiet and thermal comfort (US$33,000)

• A septic system for the camping areas and Dhamma hall, designed for the site's dense clay soil and slopes (US$31,000)

• Three toilet blocks with nine flush stalls across the camping areas (US$22,000)

• Twenty all-weather glamping tents with mattresses and solar lighting (US$10,000)

Together, these bring Dhamma Ariya closer to its planned capacity of 50 meditators, and allow it to welcome teachers of all ages and comfort needs.

How to support

Volunteer Your Time and Skills

Much of the progress so far has been thanks to dedicated Dhamma servers. We warmly welcome volunteers to help build the Dhamma Hall, maintaining a meditative atmosphere with daily group sittings. Natural building techniques are being used, and all levels of experience are welcome.

Offer Dāna

Every offering—large or small—supports this collective effort and helps bring the Dhamma closer to meditators in Central America.

Offer a Loan

If you’re interested in supporting the center through a loan, please contact us directly for more information.

With mettā, let us join together to help Dhamma Ariya take root and grow for the benefit of many.

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If you have any problems or questions with your donation you can reach us at donations@vcf.dhamma.org

*Note that VCF can also receive dana in the forms of: cash, check, wire transfer, crypto currency, securities, or other complex donations. Feel free to reach out to us if you would prefer to donate via one of these alternative methods. Also, VCF allocates 2% of any international donations to the admin fund to help cover any operational & legal costs related to international giving.

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