About Dhamma Vesali
In the vast landscape of the Buddha’s Sasana, few places hold as deep a spiritual significance as Vesali (present day, Vaishali) the ancient city where Gotama the Buddha spent three rainy retreats (vassas).
The Buddha expounded the Kalama Sutta or ‘Charter of Free Inquiry’ in a location close to Vesali. It the Buddha’s response to the Kalama people who were confused by the many spiritual teachers around them. The Buddha tells them not to accept teachings, including his own, out of tradition, hearsay, scripture, or charismatic authority, but to examine them through direct experience and ethical consequence.
Over 2500 years later, the excavated remains at Kolhua with the Buddha’s residence ‘Kutagrasala’, close to Vesali continues to reverberate with the vibrations of the eternal Dhamma as expounded by the Enlightened One.
It was in Vaishali that the Buddha, in his last rainy season retreat, announced his passing on into Mahaparinibbana.
After the Buddha’s passing, his sacred bodily relics were cremated and divided among eight kingdoms. The Lichchavis of Vesali, noble followers of the Buddha, received one portion of the relics.
For over two thousand years, this entire portion of the Buddha’s relics belonging to the Lichchavis remained intact, safely enshrined in a stupa in Vaishali. The sacred relics are enshrined in a location just 500 metres from Dhamma Vesali, allowing all who meditate nearby to feel an unbroken, direct connection to the Enlightened One himself.
Vesali was the place where the Buddha first allowed women to enter the Sangha, an act of great compassion and equality.
This centre, generously donated by Vietnamese nuns and fully renovated, offers a serene environment for serious practice. The AC Dhamma Hall is equipped with special soundproofing to silence worldly distractions. Comfortable accommodations and amenities support 20 male and 20 female students, with courses offered in major foreign languages.
The simple accommodation, amenities and above all the proximity to the Buddha’s relics, provide a supportive atmosphere for meditation.