Buddhist Meditation in the Theravada tradition

Mindfulness meditation from the Theravada tradition for the spiritual development of people of all faiths & none. Online courses & support since 1997

"Enlightenment is always sudden. It is grace; when the conditions are right, it happens. But the path leading up to that moment is gradual. We practice, we create the field, we prepare the ground, and the mind eventually opens suddenly and spontaneously. Then again, after sudden awakening can come a gradual cultivation and ripening of the enlightened mind."

- Joseph Goldstein

Welcome to the Vipassana Fellowship.

Meditation Course

The online meditation course has been hosted here since 1997. Our 12 week course provides a clear and practical introduction to tranquillity and insight practices originating in the Theravada tradition of Buddhism but beneficial to all. The course is usually offered in January, April and September each year. Our next course begins on April 11th. Please join us.

Authentic Texts

All of the documents on this site take their lead from the Pali Canon; the most authoritative record and guide to the historical Buddha's teachings. They are part of a living spiritual tradition that continues to flourish after two and a half millennia. These documents provide contextual background for our meditation practice.

Useful Resources

We are an independent site promoting a balanced approach to the practice of meditation. We aim to offer resources to help nurture and sustain a fulfilling and effective meditation practice.

Authoritative Teachings

In addition to presenting the core texts of early Buddhism we are developing an online library featuring some of the finest modern writing on meditation.

Stay Informed

Our newsletter contains details of our new courses and items of interest to those meditating in the vipassana and samatha traditions.

In the Pali language of the early Buddhist texts, vipassana means insight. It is often used to describe one of the two main categories of Buddhist meditation (the other being samatha or tranquillity).

The southern form of Buddhism now found mainly in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. It is the oldest living tradition and its core teachings are based on the word of the Buddha as found in the earliest texts.

Definitely not! Most of our participants are not Buddhist. We always have a wide range of people of many different faiths (and of no faith) on our courses. We explain the context in which these particular meditation practices developed but our aim is to help people to learn to meditate, in a clear and systematic way, to see if it is useful in their lives - whatever their existing beliefs.