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Vipassana Meditation Center
The Vipassana Meditation Centre in *Yavniel is open throughout the whole year You can start your course at any time, as long as there is space available.
The vipassana meditation practice method that we teach in the course is passed on in the same way as it is traditionally practiced in the temples in Northern Thailand under the guidance of the Ven. Ajahn Tong (Phrathepsiddhajahn). It is an intensive form of the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition with walking and sitting meditations.
*Yavniel located in the eastern Lower Galilee in northern Israel between Kfar Tavor and Kinneret
Vipassana Course
Basic course – 14-day personal course during which each student lives in his own room and practices independently of the other practitioners.
The 10-day retreat (plus arrival and departure day) is open to all meditators who have already completed the basic course.
Individual days of practice – It is also possible to come for a few days of meditation. However, please note that we give preference to meditators signing up for a basic course or a 10-day retreat. we can take reservations for individual meditation days on short notice only.
Course description
Most of the day is devoted to practicing meditation in walking and sitting intermittently.
Each day the student meets with the the tacher, in which he reports on his experiences during the day of his practice, depending on the student's situation, the instructor changes the meditation method, the duration of the practice and the object of meditation.
Each day begins at 4:00 AM and ends at 10:00 PM. Breakfast is served at 6:30 AM and lunch at 11:30 AM which is the last meal of the day. In the afternoon you can eat yogurt, and hot and cold drinks are available all day long.
The food is vegetarian.
During the entire course the participants should commit themselves to adhere to the eight Buddhist rules of moral conduct:
- to abstain from killing any living creature
- to abstain from taking what is not given
- to abstain from all sexual activity
- to abstain from speaking what is not true
- to abstain from all intoxicants (alcohol, drugs)
- to abstain from eating solid food after 12 noon
- to abstain from sensual entertainment (dancing, singing, reading, listening to the radio), and bodily decoration (jewels, perfume, cosmetics)
- to abstain from sleeping on high or luxurious beds
THE THREE REDUCTIONS
We subtract three elements:
Food – We do not eat after half the day (12 noon).
Sleep – we do not sleep from the time of waking until ten at night (although we can rest, lie down, and extract bones as much as we want).
Speech – We maintain the principle of noble silence – we do not speak during the בourse, when necessary and personal conversations can be spoken to the teacher or with the staff.
Clothing:Meditators should wear white clothes and should cover the shoulder and the knees and not be see-through.
Meals: You are not allowed to eat after 12 o’clock. Nevertheless there are some things which are allowed in the afternoon (i.e. yoghurt, chocolate, honey) and will be provided for you in the fridge for the meditators. Hot and cold drinks are allowed all the time.
Dinner is only allowed to people with special needs.
Telephone: Meditators are not allowed to use their mobile during the course and need to give it to the staff in the beginning. If necessary relatives can call to Liora.
Working meditation: The meditation retreat includes one hour (not more) of working meditation each day. This is to help us with the daily maintenance of the house and the garden, and also helps you to develop mindfulness when carrying out daily tasks. You can dress non-white working clothes for this period of time. The staff will inform you about your daily task.
If you have any special needs regarding food or anything else, please let us know as soon as possible and before starting the course.
Dana
The Buddha's teachings are offered according to the principle of Dana, an ancient Pali word meaning generosity, giving or gift.
The Newman Center is a private center. We are not a non-profit organization and we do not have any support or funding from outside. All of our expenses are funded by us (Itamar Leora Newman).
Until now we have operated according to the best tradition of monasteries and centers around the world, and we did not collect payment from the participants, but rather let them decide how much they would give, believing that their generosity would cover the expenses and provide the necessary support
Unfortunately, in Israel this is apparently not the case, and in most cases, at the end of a course, we found ourselves being paid out of our pockets for their stay in the center,
We therefore decided to charge the participants a minimum price to cover their expenses at the center.
Accordingly, we also decided to collect registration fees due to last-minute cancellations that cause considerable inconvenience and unnecessary financial expenses
The calculation for covering the costs of a practitioner in a day at the center is 250-225 NIS minimum
Payment to the practitioner to cover his expenses in a personal course for 14 days is 2950 NIS including VAT
Donation to teachers are not related to the center's expenses
Beyond this amount, at the end of a course, Dana can be left to a teacher who devotes his time to teaching and imparting knowledge in Dharma
In the end of the course you will be given the opportunity to give donation to the
teacher
2020 Upcoming courses
Individual days of practice
August 30 – September 3
6-10 September 2020
Full 14 day Basic course dates
July 30 – August 12, 2020
16-29 August 2020
10-23 September
15-28 October
A continuation of Schedule 2020 will be announced soon
Details Phone Liora 0547980147
Registration
If you are interested in doing a basic course or retreat, please fill out the registration form and I will return to you with all the relevant details