Extension Archives - Dhammacari Vipassana Meditation Center

Report about construction site and Call for Dana

Dear friends in the Dhamma,

As mentioned in our last newsletter, the next step in the construction of the extension is now approaching: the implementation of fire protection measures.

In this phase, the fire protection elements will be installed —
6 doors and glass elements,
covering a total of 24 square meters,
combining safety with openness.

The cost is approximately €1,900 per square meter.

These costs are not insignificant —
and at the same time, we are taking care to ensure that everything is carried out thoughtfully and with a level of quality that will support this place for many years to come.

Perhaps you would like to make possible one square meter — or a part of it?

Many small offerings together allow something truly meaningful to come into being.

The door to the meditation hall

will be a special threshold — leading into stillness. In harmony with the large window front, it will also feature a gentle arch.

The cost of this special door is €3,900.

Perhaps someone would like to take on a sponsorship for this portal and help bring this entrance into being?

Who might feel called to become a sponsor for this portal?

How can you donate?

This expansion project is also an expression of joy, of working together to create something big and meaningful.

Who would like to participate?

Every contribution is welcome. Even if the amounts mentioned seem high, don’t be afraid to give if you think it’s not much.

Everyone can give what they can afford, and every contribution is welcome and contributes to the success of the project.

Please write in the reason for the payment: extension “Fire protection” or “Dor to the meditation hall”

Account details

Dhammacari Vipassana Meditation Center e.V.
Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen
IBAN: DE74700519950010183903
SWIFT-BIC: BYLADEM1ERD

With Metta
Your Dhammacari Team

Report about construction site and Call for Dana

Dear friends in Dhamma,

the work on our construction site is progressing well. The tiling work is almost complete and the installation of the wooden floors is also well advanced. Over the past few weeks, we have had a number of hard-working helpers on site who have carried out important tasks and assisted with the installation work.

The meditation room inspires joy in everyone, as well as a certain degree of “awe.”

We already use it for evening chanting, and occasionally someone sneaks in to practice.

Many thanks

to everyone who has contributed to the success of this wonderful project with their actions and donations, helping and supporting us both directly and from afar.

Traditionally, Buddhist teachings have been passed on on a donation basis since the beginning. Only through the voluntary donations of meditators and appreciative people is it possible to continue to provide access to the Dhamma and meditation practice for all interested parties.

Here at Dhammacari, we have also been offering teaching, accommodation, and meals on a donation basis since the beginning.

Twenty years ago, on February 1, 2006, we started the first retreat here at Dhammacari, and some who were there at the time will surely remember it.

Any support for the Dhamma has always been considered a great merit.

May your generosity flow back to you in many ways.

May you be carried through all the difficulties of life.

May your faith in “Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha” grow steadily.

What else requires further financial support?

The next necessary step is fire safety measures.

The building cannot be used until these have been completed.

In addition to smoke detectors, this primarily includes fire safety elements such as doors separating certain areas from one another and a metal staircase providing an escape route from the meditation room.

Another major item is the storage of firefighting water in the outdoor area, which is related to fire protection.

Outdoor properties must store firefighting water for 2 hours, measured by the size of the building.

This amount of water is not available through the existing water pipe. Therefore, tanks must be buried to hold a total of 96,000 liters of water.

A total of

approximately €95,000 is needed

to enable these important construction phases to be carried out.

How can you donate?

This expansion project is also an expression of joy, of working together to create something big and meaningful.

Who would like to participate?

Every contribution is welcome. Even if the amounts mentioned seem high, don’t be afraid to give if you think it’s not much.

Everyone can give what they can afford, and every contribution is welcome and contributes to the success of the project.

Account details

Dhammacari Vipassana Meditation Center e.V.
Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen
IBAN: DE74700519950010183903
SWIFT-BIC: BYLADEM1ERD

Regular donations

Monthly donations have been particularly helpful for more than a year. Some regular donors have now ended their standing orders after the promised year, while others have pledged further support.

Who can contribute a monthly amount toward the completion of the extension?

When making your transfer, please state the

purpose as “Regular donation for the extension.”

Dhammacari Vipassana Meditation Center e.V.
Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen
IBAN: DE74700519950010183903
SWIFT-BIC: BYLADEM1ERD

Helpers

The entire project still needs helpers—whether for the construction site or for the ongoing operation of the meditation center. Please get in touch if you can come for a few days or longer to contribute.

Lots of Metta for all of you
Your Dhammacari-Team

Thank you, Best Wishes and Dana

Dear friends in the Dhamma,

we hope you had wonderful Christmas days with your partners, family, friends and beloved ones and were able to find some peace.

Here at Dhammacari, everyone is diligently practicing, and I’m taking the short retreat break to give you a quick update.

A heartfelt thank you and much Metta for your Dana for the oak flooring in the new meditation room.

In a short time, around €20,000 has been raised.

That is fantastic!

And it is already enough for the first few square meters in the report room!

Your Dana is not only a support but also an appreciation for what has already emerged here and for what continues to flourish.

It is always very touching to experience this.

May your giving come back to you many times over, and may you be carried through all difficulties and dangers.

The first stacks are already placed here, ready to be laid in the meditation room.

The Construction Site

Up until shortly before Christmas, some craftsmen were still working on the construction site:

The tilers were still able to start their work with the first bathrooms

The plasterers have completed several walls and the carpenters have already started on the substructure of the floor in the dining room.

As part of the work meditation, some things are being cleared, vacuumed, screwed, and adjusted. Work with the craftsmen will continue again in mid-January.

Donation for the Wooden Floor in the Reportroom and the Entrance Area

And of course, more square meters of wooden floorboards are needed:

Who would like to contribute to the floorboards in the report room and the entrance area?

One square meter, including installation, costs €120

The new report room measures 21 sqm

The entrance area measures 63 sqm

Who would like to donate one or more square meters of oak flooring for the meditation room?

Please specify the purpose when transferring funds to the club account

“Oak Floor Report Room or Entrance”

Bank Details:

Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen

IBAN DE74 7005 1995 0010 1839 03

BIC BYLADEM1ERD

….and presto, a bird feeder for the many little birds is made from leftover copper sheets and wooden boards.
We wish you a smooth transition into the new year and send our best wishes for happiness, health, inner and outer growth, and peace for all beings.

Your Dhammacari Team

Sponsor for doors & tiles, Helpers for construction site – update

Dear friends in Dhamma,

Here is a brief report on the progress of the sponsorship campaign:

Since our last update, we now have

20 door sponsors and 6 tile sponsors

Lot’s of metta to all who are contributing so generously to the success of this extension… we are already on the home run…

May the merit of your giving return to you in many ways.

Who would like to become a door sponsor and donate €800/dor?

For 9 additional room and bathroom doors

For 1 office door

Who would like to become a tile sponsor?

6 more bathrooms are still looking for sponsors €600

Tiles for the kitchen €950

Tiles for the sink/laundry room €650

How can you donate?

When making a transfer to the association’s account, please state the purpose
of the respective sponsorship.

Account details:
Dhammacari Vipassana Medtationszentrum e. V.
Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen

IBAN: DE74 7005 1995 0010 1839 03

BIC: BYLADEM1ERD

We are urgently looking for construction helpers

This week, lime split will be blown in as impact sound insulation. Wood fiber insulation boards will then be laid on top of this layer.

Who can help us carry and lay the boards starting on September 9? Ronald has scheduled two weeks for this.

Who can help us with this starting on September 9?

We are looking forward to hear from you.

With Metta
Your Dahmmacari Team

Sponsor for doors & tiles, Helpers for construction site

Dear friends in Dhamma,

Our appeal on July 28 is already bearing fruit:

We have already found eight door sponsors and two tile sponsors for the 30 doors of our extension.

Much metta to all who are supporting this expansion of the meditation center.
May your generosity flow back to you in many ways.

Who would like to become a door sponsor and donate €800?

There is still

1 door for the report room,

3 doors for Hildegard’s apartment,

7 x room doors

6 x bathroom doors

4 x toilet doors

1 x office door

Who would like to sponsor tiles

Tiles worth

€600 are needed for each of the 10 bathrooms.

€500 is needed for each of the 2 toilet rooms.

How can you donate?

When making a transfer to the association’s account, please state the purpose
of the respective sponsorship.

Account details:

Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen

IBAN DE74 7005 1995 0010 1839 03

BIC BYLADEM1ERD

A lot of work was done on the south facade last week… a particular challenge for the meditators, who had a lot of “hearing, hearing, hearing” to acknowledge.

The facade of the existing outer rooms has now also been clad with wood and blends in beautifully with the new appearance.

Inside, work is now underway on the floor construction: a layer of paper and then the slats…before the lime gravel fill can be added as impact sound insulation.

…and the call for construction helpers is still ongoing.

Who can help with the current work?

We look forward to your feedback.

With Metta,

Your Dahmmacari Team

A minor miracle

Dear friends in Dhamma,

Since our last Dana appeal, a total of €2,685 has been donated in addition to the monthly standing orders.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed.

Idaṃ dāna-kammaṃ nibbāna-paccayo hotu, no niccaṃ
May this work (kamma) of giving be a condition for Nibbāna for you forever.

As described in the previous email, financial resources are running low and further funds are needed to finance the upcoming work in August and September, in order to then also draw on the subsidy from KfW Bank.

With the completion of the work on the heating system, our heating engineer was able to invoice us for the entire job… and to his and our surprise, the total cost of materials and labor hours was considerably lower than originally calculated.

Since some of the plastering work can only be done in the fall, there is still some money available for the work in August….

So it continues!

The fact that the situation has turned out this way for August allows me to look back on the creation of Dhammacari as I, Angelika, experienced it:

When I started practicing this Vipassana technique according to the Most Venerable Ajahn Tong almost 24 years ago, with Hildegard as my teacher, after the first retreats I felt that it was not enough for these retreats to take place only twice a year in different places. It should be possible to do such retreats on a permanent basis.

When I told Hildegard about this, her response was that she had long since received a “request” from Ajahn Tong to establish a permanent place in Germany.
So now there were two of us with this inner mission.

We talked about it again and again and exchanged ideas on how to make it happen: How do you find the right place? And where will the financial resources come from? …and we also took a few concrete steps.

Then Robert began practicing meditation with Hildegard and offered to make a larger financial contribution to help realize this project.

So we were able to start looking for a suitable location… and that too is a wonderful story with many coincidences…

…and Sonnenthal was found… and there are stories of coincidences here too…

Of course, none of this happens by itself; a lot of work and effort by many people goes into this project. …and many times I felt the spiritual push: “Keep going, it wants to be finished!”

At the time, some people had doubts as to whether it was really necessary to found such a meditation center…after all, things had worked fine up to that point.

After almost 20 years, I am certain that there are many people who are glad that we followed that impulse back then.

Now, with the expansion, we are in the midst of a major growth process that is not only taking place on a material level, but also, and above all, requires spiritual growth and transformation.

We consider ourselves fortunate that we were able to consult our Most Venerable Ajahn Tong at the beginning of the expansion process. His advice and answers still guide us today.

Just as beautiful coincidences have repeatedly paved the way for us throughout this expansion process, enabling us to implement the project step by step, the latest developments show once again that it is nearing completion and that the doors will soon open for many more seekers on the path of Dhamma.

Dana for the doors

The doors should also be ordered soon.

Who would like to become a door sponsor and donate €800?

There is:

1 door for the report room,
4 doors for Hildegard’s apartment,
10 x room doors
10 x bathroom doors
4 x toilet doors
1 x office door

Dana for tiles in the bathrooms

Who would like to become a tile sponsor:

Tiles worth

€600 are needed for each of the 10 bathrooms.

€500 is needed for each of the 4 toilet rooms.

How can you donate?

When making a transfer to the association’s account, please state the purpose
of the respective sponsorship.

Account details:

Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen

IBAN DE74 7005 1995 0010 1839 03

BIC BYLADEM1ERD

Construction helpers in August

Who can help with the work in August or September?

For a few days? …a week? Longer or shorter?

Who would like to contribute to the success of the project in this way?

There are a few steps in the floor construction process that can be easily done by helpers. Currently, a layer of cardboard is being laid out and secured to prevent spillage. We are also looking for helpers to build the battens for installing the impact sound insulation…and we still need a few people to help distribute the fill for the impact sound insulation.

With Metta

Your Dhammacari-Team

Helper’s wanted

Dear friends in the Dhamma,

Great progress is being made on the building site.

The raw installation for the sanitary facilities has been completed and half of the copper pipes for the heating system have already been installed. And the rough installation by the electricians is also almost complete.

After the second action with the reed mats, there was still some follow-up work for helpers: re-stapling, the trellis wall in the new maditation room, re-cutting the edges and other tasks that could easily be done by helpers.

If we convert the volunteer hours into wages, this already adds up to a considerable Dana amount.

A huge thank you and lots of metta to Miroslav, Dusan, Petra, Lena, Lisa, Philip, Heidi, Robert, David… who have given their all to ensure that the building project continues to flourish.

And we also had great and joyful support in the garden from Noah, who worked for a whole week after his retreat, so that many areas have been spruced up again.

True to the motto of our revered teacher, the Most Venerable Ajahn Tong, who liked to recommend “sweep out and start” for new meditation locations/centers, we were able to celebrate our evening chanting in the new meditation room in the first days of April:

Helpers wanted!

We are now under time pressure due to the clay plastering work scheduled for June. As a group of new craftsmen are coming for the clay plastering work, who have already reserved the time for us for some time, everything has to be prepared for the plastering work in May.

Openings in the walls still need to be closed
Sand off old lime paint from a few walls with a sander and vacuum cleaner
After the electrical work in the first week of May, the last areas are to be covered with reed mats.
the openings in the ceilings, which were necessary for the pipes, have to be closed with concrete.
Ronald can always use helpers for simple and qualified carpentry work.
The coming weekend of May 1 – 4 or 5 would be ideal, as Daniel will be here again and can supervise the work with the reed mats.

Who has time to come for a few days or longer in May?

There are also tasks in June, probably mainly on the façade. However, as soon as the clay plaster work allows, the Fermazell panels will also be installed in the bathrooms. This requires above all a desire to get to work, to cut and screw on the panels as required. Helpers can also do this after a short briefing.

Edward has already started to close the openings in the walls, as far as report times allow:

Loans + donations + permanent donations

As already announced in the previous newsletters, we now want to continue the construction until completion…so that more places for meditators will be available as soon as possible.

This work makes it possible to express appreciation for the growth in the Dhamma. Every giving also causes an echo in the giver, the joy of giving and supporting deeply moves us and strengthens the direction in which we give this form of energy.

Who would like to participate?

There are now several ways of financing the project:

Which of you can provide loan money for this project? Please let us know how much you can provide interest-free and for how long.

There are already a few offers and we are still clarifying the form to define this clearly in writing and, above all, legally.

Who is willing to give Dana for the following works?

As always, any amount is welcome, once or several times.

And more permanent donors are needed to ensure a continuous flow of money.

Who will become a permanent donor and is prepared to give €100 or more per month for a year or longer?

How can you give?

When making the transfer, please state
purpose “Extension”
and in the case of a standing donation also
“standing order”.

We would also be pleased to hear from you if you are participating and whether you can commit for 1 year or longer.
As always, the transfer is made to the association account:

Dhammacari Vipassana Meditatioszentrum e. V.
Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen
IBAN DE74 7005 1995 0010 1839 03

With Metta
Your Dhammacari Team

Hildegard + Helper’s wanted + Further Donations – update

Dear friends at Dhamma,

Hildegard has now extended her stay at the rehabilitation facility in Tenerife until April 13th. The treatments and the climate are supporting her very well in her healing process.

Hildegard is very touched by the generous gifts of gratitude she has received for her stay and she sends metta to all.

Helpers wanted!

Preparatory work for the clay plaster is planned for the end of February. The reed mats must be stapled to the wooden walls. As the heating engineers will be installing the heating pipes on the outer walls at the beginning of March, these areas need to be worked on in advance. The interior walls can then be fitted bit by bit.

In total, there are around 1000 square meters of wall surfaces.

A little later, there will be a task in the bathrooms:

The areas that will be tiled need a substrate of Fermacell drywall panels. This is also a task for construction enthusiasts, which can be done well on their own.

Who would like to help?

This is also a great dana for growth in the Dhamma.

Please let us know on which days/how long you can come.

We look forward to your feedback!

Further permanent donations...

The number of permanent donors has now grown to 57….

Great joy!

Robert has already given another big Dana of 300.000€ in January.

This covers most of the ongoing work, such as windows, roofing and some of the plumbing/heating work.

We are very touched by all the gifts that are flowing into this building.

May all who support this project be blessed and sustained in many ways.

Loans + donations + permanent donations

As already announced in the previous newsletters, we now want to continue the construction until completion…so that more places for meditators will be available as soon as possible.

There are now several ways of financing the project:

Which of you can provide loan money for this project? Please let us know how much you can provide interest-free and for how long.

There are already a few offers and we are still clarifying the form to define this clearly in writing and, above all, legally.
Who is willing to give Dana for the following works?

As always, any amount is welcome, once or several times.
And more permanent donors are needed to ensure a continuous flow of money.

Who will become a permanent donor and is prepared to give €100 or more per month for a year or longer?

How can you give?

When making the transfer, please state
purpose “Extension”
and in the case of a standing donation also
“standing order”.

We would also be pleased to hear from you if you are participating and whether you can commit for 1 year or longer.
As always, the transfer is made to the association account:

Dhammacari Vipassana Meditatioszentrum e. V.
Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen
IBAN DE74 7005 1995 0010 1839 03

....an a short report from the construction site

“The curtain rises”….the large window in the new meditation room will soon be glazed and preparations are already underway.

We have now called in a local carpentry firm to work on the roof. The roof will soon be covered with tiles. A crane has been set up again for this and Robert is already practicing so that he can transport the pallets with the roof tiles onto the roof with pinpoint accuracy.

With Metta
Your Dhammacari Team

Hildegard + Our Construktion Site + Further Donations

Dear friends in the Dhamma,

We hope you had a good start to the New Year.

Hildegard started the new year with a journey. During her visiting days here at Dhammacari around Christmas, she found a suitable healing place on Tenerife: a rehabilitation clinic that specializes in neurological cases, among others. She receives suitable treatments and therapies there to improve her physical situation.

The clinic is, of course, barrier-free, which means Hildegard can move around more independently again.

The warm temperatures are very beneficial and allow her to spend a lot of time outdoors
The original reservation until the end of January has now been extended until February 11 and Hildegard is still waiting for the confirmation until the end of February.

She can still finance part of her stay from the dana she received for treatment at the TCM clinic in 2023. There have already been meditators who have given her more dana for this. If you would like to support Hildegard, please contact us by e-mail for the account details.

Our building site

The building site itself is still a little quiet. Ronald has been back here since January 7th, working on some areas and preparing the next major work steps. Last week Daniel, a meditator who contributes his skills as a carpenter, was here for a few days. The canopy for the new entrance area has already been installed.

Here you can already see the roofing for the new entrance, which Ronald and Daniel installed last week.

…and here is a view of the canopy that will be added to the south side.

Some of the windows have already been installed….

When Hildegard arrived here on December 20th, the windows were installed in her new rooms on the same day.

The large window openings in the meditation room and the dining room have been announced for February.

There will be further construction meetings over the next few weeks so that the following trades, such as plumbing, electrical and heating, can start work in February. There are many details that need to be carefully discussed with the architects and tradesmen

…and in all of this you can feel the good spirit that accompanies the whole project.

Further permanent donations...

The number of permanent donors has now grown to 56…
lots of metta again for this great support for the building project.
Sabrina canceled a few unimportant insurance policies and was able to round up her permanent donation to €100….

A generous Dana of €15,000 was also given by Valentina and Sever. Both have been giving generously every month since the start of construction …

And Michael has also given a generous dana of €12,000, moving the project closer to completion.

We are very touched by all the gifts that are pouring in for this building, which indicates a clear growth for the Dhamma in our Western Sangha.

May all who support this project be blessed and sustained in many ways.

The next stages of construction

Our credit is now shrinking and we need further large sums for these trades.

Around €150,000 for the heating and €100 – 150,000 for the electrical installation, depending on the progress of the construction and when the individual work steps can be carried out.
The carpenters’ work on the roof and the roofing will incur further costs.

At the same time, the first work on the sanitary facilities is also necessary,

…so further costs here too.

Loans + donations + permanent donations

As already announced in the previous newsletters, we now want to continue the construction until completion…so that more places for meditators will be available as soon as possible.

There are now several ways of financing the project:

Which of you can provide loan money for this project?

Please let us know how much you can provide interest-free and for how long.

There are already a few offers and we are still clarifying the form to define this clearly in writing and, above all, legally.

Who is willing to give Dana for the next trades?

As always, any amount is welcome, once or several times.
And more permanent donors are needed to ensure a continuous flow of money.

Who will become a permanent donor and is prepared to give €100 or more per month for a year or longer?

How can you give?

When making the transfer, please state
purpose “Extension”
and in the case of a standing donation also
“standing order”.

We would also be pleased to hear from you if you are participating and whether you can commit for 1 year or longer.
As always, the transfer is made to the association account:

Dhammacari Vipassana Meditatioszentrum e. V.
Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen
IBAN DE74 7005 1995 0010 1839 03

With Metta
Your Dhammacari Team

Shell construction & Dana Call – Progress

Dear friends in the Dhamma,

Before we retire to the retreat, here is a construction report:

Last Saturday the roof was closed with the last panels.

Robert in action with the last plate, sure-footed and free from giddiness…

The afternoon coffee could therefore take place on the roof…. and somehow Angelika was also conjured up on the roof…

And here everything is well packed again…

he last timber delivery will arrive next Friday and there will now be a break in work for about a week. The work will then continue until shortly before Christmas, and the roof covering with tiles is planned for next year.

The topping-out ceremony is planned for December 18, with the craftsmen and planners also attending. This is a traditional ceremony at which a topping-out speech is spoken by the carpenters to bless the new building and the builders express their appreciation for everyone involved in the construction work.

We are looking for 100 long-term donors

The number of monthly permanent donations has now grown to 49….almost half!

Maximiliano has pledged a permanent donation of a
further €1,000 for one year.

….thus 10 places of the permanent donations have been taken over

And Ronald, our master carpenter, has also pledged a permanent donation.

We are delighted together with them and with everyone else who supports this project.

Why does it need long therm donors?

In order to be able to carry out the other trades following the shell construction,

such as exterior cladding, heating electrical installations, plumbing, flooring, etc., the further financial resources are required.
We will announce the expected costs shortly.
The contracts will then have to be awarded to the contractors soon.

As we now want to complete the construction without further breaks, we will also accept private loans if necessary. The KfW grant of €375,000 must be drawn down by April 2026 at the latest. This is only possible if the building is fully functional.

In order to repay these loans step by step, we will need continuous donations:

If someone wants to end after 1 year, he/she should be replaced by new permanent donors.
Of course it is also welcome to give a higher monthly amount.

Who is willing to support this growth for the Dhamma in this way?

This project can be shared by many people.
Everyone can play a part in creating this “rock in the surf” in these turbulent times.

Another 51 permanent donors are needed

Who will join in?
Who will become a permanent donor with €100/month for a year or longer?
As always, every contribution is welcome!

Furthermore, one-time or repeated offerings of Dhamma in any amount are also welcome and meritorious. Everyone can make a contribution within their means to make the Dhamma accessible to many people.

How can you donate?

Please indicate in the bank transfer
purpose “Extension building”
and in the case of a standing donation also
“standing order”.

We would also be pleased to receive a message from you if you are participating and whether you can pledge for 1 year or longer.

As always, the transfer is made to the association account:

Dhammacari Vipassana Meditation Center e. V.
Sparkasse Erding-Dorfen
IBAN DE74 7005 1995 0010 1839 03
BIC BYLADEM1ERD

As in previous years, we have scheduled a special retreat time from 6.12. – 6.1., when only experienced meditators are in the house and we therefore also have the opportunity to do one or more retreats.

I – Angelika – am particularly looking forward to this, as hardly any breaks were possible last year and I feel really “retreat-ready”…

We also wish you a truly silent time
With Metta
Your Dhammacari-Team