Tathagata Meditation Center San Jose

Welcome

Tathagata Meditation Center (TMC) and its retreat organizers gladly welcome all meditators (yogis) to the intensive Vipassana (Insight) Meditation retreat. We hope this retreat will provide a good opportunity for meditators to develop mindfulness necessary for spiritual insights that lead to enlightenment.

On the first day of the intensive retreat, meditation teachers will give instructions on sitting meditation, walking meditation as well as observing other daily activities. During the retreat the meditation teacher will advice yogis on how to develop progressive insights according to yogi’s report during the interview. The information on this page was extracted from the Retreat Manual (for Intensive Vipassana Retreat) with the following information:

Purpose

With enlightenment as the ultimate goal in life, the Vipassana Meditation Group was formed under the spiritual guidance of the late Venerable U Silananda in 1987. The group progressed until 1991 when it founded Tathagata Meditation Center (TMC).

TMC is located on more than 2.5 acres in San Jose, California. The facilities consist of a Sangha quarters for monks, a meditation hall, separate men and women’s quarters, and a kitchen and a dining area.

The late Venerable U Silananda Sayadaw was the Chief Meditation Teacher of the Center and Venerable U Thuzana Sayadaw is the Abbot. The Advisory Sangha for TMC are Venerable U Pandita Sayadaw, Venerable Khippa Panno Sayadaw and Beelin Sayadaw.

Under the spiritual guidance of TMC’s Sangha, the Board of Directors outlines TMC’s policies and the Executive Branch directs the center’s operations according to the following guidelines:

• TMC is an environment for mental cultivation and the establishment of mindfulness for reaching Nibbāna, ultimate wisdom, and enlightenment.
• The purpose of TMC is to promulgate the original teachings of the Buddha and Vipassana Meditation as the only way to attain enlightenment as taught by the Buddha.
• The mission of TMC is to serve people spiritually by creating suitable conditions for learning the Buddha’s teachings and practicing Vipassana Meditation. This includes organizing Dhamma classes, the free distribution of Dhamma books, and organizing Vipassana meditation retreats.

Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana Meditation is the unique meditation discovered by the Buddha. He practiced this technique to attain enlightenment and then taught it to his disciples and lay devotees. This meditation has been continued and maintained until today. The ultimate goal of Vipassana Meditation is Nibbāna or enlightenment. In the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (The Great Discourse on the Foundation of Mindfulness) the Buddha taught:

TMC organizes regular (weekend) and special retreats to provide meditators with opportunities to practice Vipassana meditation. Regular retreats take place twice a month, usually two weeks apart, on the weekend. They begin at 5 AM on Saturday and end at 5:00 PM on Sunday. Meditators are welcome to arrive and stay at TMC on Friday night before the retreat starts. The regular retreats are free of charge.

In addition to regular retreats, there are four special retreats each year. The length of each retreat is about one month. For the special retreats, meditators are asked to make donations to cover the retreat expenses such as food, traveling expenses for the meditation teacher and his assistants, and the utilities.

Meditators are advised to bring sleeping bags, blankets and other personal necessities.The retreat program consists of Vipassana meditation practice, Dhamma talks, interviews, and question and answer sessions. The daily practice during the retreats includes taking precepts and periods of continuous sitting meditation, walking meditation, and mindfully observing all other activities while dining, resting…