About Vipassana Meditation in Ontario
The centre has over 140 acres of beautiful woods, open spaces and ravines. A variety of wildlife shares the land with the meditators. The surrounding countryside is mostly agricultural, but a number of small towns (Alliston & Cookstown) and the city of Barrie are nearby. Dhamma Torana is located one hour north of the Greater Toronto Area and is within easy reach of five million people. It is close to a major highway and is about one hour drive from Pearson International Airport. It is also close to the local bus line, from which pick-ups can be arranged. The first 10-day Vipassana course in Ontario was held in 1980 at a rented site north of Barrie. Periodically throughout the 80's and 90's various sites in southern Ontario were used to hold courses. The organization of the early courses by a handful of meditators was a huge task. There were many factors that had to be considered during the initial planning stages, such as finding a suitable site, arranging to bring a teacher in for the course, ensuring there was an adequate number of attending students, and putting financing in place to cover initial deposits and the ongoing expenses to support the running of the course. Finally in the 90's a suitable site was found that was available for rent on a regular basis to accommodate ongoing courses. In 2001 the Ontario Vipassana Foundation was created in order to meet the need for, and support the delivery of several courses a year. The Foundation is a registered, non-profit, charitable organization whose sole purpose is to provide Vipassana courses to the public. Since its inception, the Foundation had been actively searching for a suitable site on which to establish a permanent Vipassana centre to serve Ontario. During the latter part of 2002 a beautiful property was found near Alliston and the Foundation's purchase offer accepted by the vendors .On April 30, 2003 the Ontario Vipassana Foundation formally took possession of the property (a former Boy Scout camp) for the centre. Courses began in the autumn of 2003. Much work was done to renovate existing facilities on the site, initially allowing courses of about 30 people. After construction of the women's residence in 2004, the centre now accommodates about 50 students in the winter and up to 60 in the summer (non-winterized cabinettes in the woods provide additional accommodation for summer use). Dhamma Torana's master plan calls for further construction that will eventually allow courses of 128 plus staff.
 Phone: +1 705-434-9850
Fax: +1 866-691-5214
 E-mail: info@torana.dhamma.org Registration: +1 416-342-6229
E-mail: registration@torana.dhamma.orgWeb: www.torana.dhamma.org Privacy Policy The Ontario Vipassana Centre is owned and operated by the Ontario Vipassana Foundation which is a registered non-profit charitable organization (Charity Number BN 87365 6219 RR0001) |
Dhamma Torana (Auspicious Gateway of Dhamma) is aptly named. The nearest major city, Toronto, Ontario has been recognized by the United Nations as the most diverse city in the world, with more cultures and religions represented there than anywhere else. Goenkaji saw a Vipassana Centre amid this diversity as a passageway for Dhamma to spread to the world, and so the centre's name was born.