Dhamma Līḷhā: A Home for Dhamma in Northern Europe

Dhamma Līḷhā (the beauty of Dhamma) is situated in the village of Miguicionys, in southern Lithuania, about 70 kilometres southwest of Vilnius and roughly an hour’s drive from the capital’s airport. Each year, Dhamma Līḷhā welcomes hundreds of people from Lithuania and around the world to its Vipassana courses.

The first course in Lithuania took place in 2004 and the registered Vipassana foundation was established. In 2017 the Vipassana Association was formed to create a member-based legal structure that could handle larger-scale projects. In September 2022, the Association acquired a countryside guesthouse complex with the aim of developing it into a permanent Vipassana center. Months of preparation and renovation followed, made possible by dāna, loans, and the work of old students. The first ten-day course at Dhamma Līḷhā was held in 2023.

Where the work stands

The meditation hall now seats 70 students, with additional space for 12 servers and two teachers. In spring 2025, four new accommodation houses were completed, each accommodating six students in three double rooms, with two bathrooms.

Until now, the center has had accommodation for only one teacher. Major progress has been made in renovating the old farmhouse behind the Dhamma hall and converting it into two Assistant Teacher residences. The building will also include an interview room, which will serve for meetings with students and for foreign-language discourses. We hope to complete this part of the project once sufficient funds have been received.

What comes next

The main structure is complete. What remains is to bring the new facilities fully into use, improve the student accommodation, and acquire adjoining plots as they become available:

• Complete and furnish the interview room and Assistant Teachers’ residences, and finish the kitchen tiling.

• Purchase and install the heating and cooling units. The pipes and connections are already in place; once the units are installed, the interview room and residences can be used comfortably from spring through late autumn, including during Lithuania’s increasingly hot summers.

• Finish the roof soffits and eaves and install gutters and downpipes to protect the completed renovation from moisture.

• Insulate the attic ceiling.

• Build safe paths and steps to the Assistant Teachers’ residences, with outdoor lighting for the darker months, when teachers and servers move between buildings before dawn and after dark.

• Purchase the plot adjoining the center to the north, which is currently available.

• Prepare one of the accommodation huts for course managers and install sanitary facilities in one of the accommodation units.

• Move the trailer currently used as teacher accommodation to the male area.

The estimated cost of completing this next stage is $26,800.

Looking further ahead

The association would also like to acquire additional adjoining plots if and when they become available. Two plots of particular interest are approximately three hectares to the south and four hectares to the west. Together, they could provide space for a future purpose-built meditation hall and larger walking areas for students during courses.

MAKE A DONATION

Directing your danā

The Vipassana Community Foundation (VCF) serves as a bridge, helping old students direct danā to Dhamma projects such as this one when direct giving isn't possible or practical. VCF does not decide where funds go. Danā flows only when an old student chooses to direct it, and giving through VCF complements giving to the center directly. Anyone with the volition to support is welcome to participate, and no offering is too small to be meaningful.

Danā directed through VCF is eligible for U.S. tax relief on charitable giving.

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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.