The first Nordic Vipassana centre was established in February, 2007. S.N. Goenka has given the centre the name Dhamma Sobhana, which means ”Beauty of Dhamma”.

The centre is situated in central Sweden, approximately halfway between Stockholm and Göteborg (Gothenburg). The nearest towns are Ödeshög, Vadstena, Mjölby and Linköping. Close to the centre lie two lakes: Lake Vättern, Sweden’s second largest, and Lake Tåkern, a bird sanctuary. 

Globally there are over 200 centres in this tradition, out of which 14 are in Europe. Dhamma Sobhana has been established to serve mainly the Nordic countries but students come from around the world.

The centre is in the countryside, in a peaceful location. It is surrounded by forest and farm land. The property was originally a village school, and has previously also been a rehabilitation centre and a youth hostel.

Courses at the centre are conducted bilingually, generally in English and Swedish. Some courses are held in Danish, Norwegian or Finnish. Dhamma Sobhana has a capacity of about 100 students per course.

The centre is administrated by The Swedish Vipassana Foundation, a non-profit organization.