Japan's First Vipassana Center, in the mountains of the Tanba region.

Dhamma Bhanu sits in the quiet Mountains of Tanba, an hour or two from Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. Established in 1989 and built by meditators, it serves a mixed community of Japanese and international students, with courses offered in both Japanese and English. 

Where things stand (August 2026)

Dhamma Bhanu first set out to reinforce its buildings against earthquakes, after a specialist found that the original structures were not adequately earthquake resistant. That work is still needed, but its scope has grown. Under revised local regulations, any major renovation of the old meditation hall must now bring the entire building up to current structural and fire safety standards. A detailed analysis showed that doing so would cost nearly as much as building a new hall.

These possibilities open a new direction for the master plan and give the center a clearer vision of what Dhamma Bhanu could become.

Recent progress

The center has bought three neighboring parcels of land, stretching from the low ground at the foot of the site up into the mountain forest. The new land made room for parking, a wider walking area for male students, and a protective ring of trees now surrounds the grounds.

A town road runs between the new land and the existing grounds. A land surveyor has advised that the center may be able to acquire that road, along with a flat parcel further east. That would bring the grounds together into one course area, with the male students' walking area and the server facilities on safer, flat ground instead of the steep mountainside.

What dana supports now

Danā for Dhamma Bhanu currently goes toward the groundwork for the renewed master plan:

• The land already acquired, and further parcels if they become available

• The surveys and planning that come before any construction

The center estimates this groundwork at about US$50,000.

Further ahead, the connected grounds could allow Dhamma Bhanu to rebuild as a somewhat larger center, with a new meditation hall for more students and a new building with meditation cells. These plans are still at an early stage. The center is recalculating the cost of the hall under the new requirements, and this page will share it, along with how the work will be phased, once Dhamma Bhanu confirms it.

Directing your danā

The Vipassana Community Foundation (VCF) serves as a bridge, helping old students direct danā across borders to Dhamma projects such as this one. Danā flows when an old student chooses to direct it, and giving through VCF complements giving to the center directly. Anyone with the volition to give is welcome to take part, and no offering is too small to be meaningful.

May all who offer their time, energy, or volition at Dhamma Bhanu grow in wisdom and compassion. May all beings benefit and be happy.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide. You will receive a U.S. tax-deductible receipt upon donating**. And if you have any problems or questions with your donation, you can email us at donations@vcf.dhamma.org.

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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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