If you are interested in learning vipassana meditation but do not have access to a teacher, you might consider our Dhamma Friend Program, suitable for beginning or advanced meditators. Here is how the program works: for your part, you would commit to earnestly trying to practice vipassana every day for a period of at least three months; the length of time that you meditate each day is not so important, as long as you are regular about it. However, if for some reason you must miss a day, you wouldn't be dropped from the program.

In turn you would have the support, through email, "snail" mail or telephone, of a fully qualified instructor who would guide your practice and answer any questions. This person would be your "dhamma friend" - and, indeed, the Buddhist sutras describe the meditation teacher as a "good friend," in the best sense of the phrase. The instructor might be either Bhikkhu Sopako himself, when he is available, or a senior student whom he has approved as a teacher and has studied with him for more than ten years. The requirements are only that you follow the technique and instructions given by the teacher and that you contact him or her at least every two weeks to report on your practice. You would be free to email more often, if you wished. The instructor would respond as soon as possible.

No prior meditation experience is needed for this program, which is offered free of charge. The daily practice schedule will be based on the 3-month program posted on our How to Meditate page. Adjustments will be made, however, to suit the individual meditator. To sign up for the Dhamma Friend Program, please email us at vipassanadhura@yahoo.com.