New York Vipassana Association

Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin

New York Metro Area, USA

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10-Day Courses in Fishkill, NY

May 11 – May 22, 2024

May 28 – Jun 08, 2024

Applications accepted starting Jan 2024.

Due to high demand, students will be accepted using a lottery-style admission system. Courses will open for 24 hours beginning 6:00am (ET) on the day specified. Please note these course are tentative and may be subject to change. 

Since 2017, the New York Vipassana Association (NYVA) has offered residential 10-day courses at Sharpe Reservation, in Fishkill, New York, about 70 miles north of New York City, and only 8 miles from the Beacon, New York station on the Metro-North Hudson rail line. We currently offer two to four 10-Day Courses per year.

Sharpe Reservation encompasses 2,000 acres of beautiful, gently rolling wooded terrain, punctuated by lakes, ponds, and streams. Owned and operated by the Fresh Air Fund, the Reservation directly borders the 14,337-acre Clarence Fahnestock State Park and consists of five different camps.

The camp where our courses are offered accommodates about 70 students and consists of a large dining room, with adjoining meditation hall, a commercial kitchen, and rustic cabins for sleeping and bathroom facilities.

Note: The camp covers a large area, and students must be able to walk 5 – 10 minutes over uneven terrain, as they move from one part of the camp to another.

Main Building

Entrance
Main Building
Outside Cabin
Inside Cabin
Bathhouse
Inside Bathhouse

Accommodations

Student accommodations are in wooden cabins outfitted with electricity, but no insulation or climate control. In other words, there is no heating or air conditioning. It can get cold at night and hot during the day. Average nightly temperatures are around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and can sometimes drop into the 40’s. Cabins have beds with mattresses and mosquito nets. Students must bring their own bedding: sheets, pillows, pillow cases, and warm blankets and/or a sleeping bag. 

Toilets and showers are located in cabins between 20 to 100 feet away from each cabin cluster. The bathhouses are not heated, but have showers with warm water. If you are worried that these accommodations may present difficulties, we encourage you to sign up for a course at one of the more established centers nearby, either Dhamma Dharā or Dhamma Pubbananda.

Transportation & Directions

Sharpe Reservation is located about 70 miles north of Manhattan, so is convenient to the following area airports: Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York (20 miles), Westchester Airport (41 miles), LaGuardia airport (65 miles), John F. Kennedy airport (72 miles), Newark Airport (72 miles), Bradley Fields airport (84 miles), and Albany Airport (96 miles). 

The address for Sharpe Reservation is: Camp Hayden Marks, Sharpe Reservation, 436 Van Wyck Lake Rd, Fishkill, NY 12524.

Driving from New York City

  • Take the Taconic State Parkway North until the Miller Hill Rd Exit in East Fishkill.
  • Take a left onto Miller Road and continue onto Shenandoah Road, before turning left onto East Hook Cross Road, and then right onto East Hook Road.
  • Take a left onto West Hook Road, before taking a right onto Van Wyck Lake Road. The entrance to Sharpe Reservation will be on your left.
  • Upon arrival, you will need to give your name to the camp security guard, and let them know you are here for the meditation course.
  • Once you have been admitted into Sharpe Reservation, follow signs to Camp Hayden Marks.

Driving from the west

  • Take I-84 eastbound to exit 46 for U.S. 9 toward Poughkeepsie/Peekskill.
  • At the traffic light, drive straight across U.S. 9 onto Snook Road.
  • Continue about 2 miles to 436 Van Wyck Lake Road to the Sharpe Reservation.
  • Upon arrival, you will need to give your name to the camp security guard, and let them know you are here for the meditation course.
  • Once you have been admitted into Sharpe Reservation, follow signs to Camp Hayden Marks.

Rideshare Board

  • A link to the rideshare board is given out in the course acceptance letters; you may request a ride to Sharpe Reservation, or offer rides to others. 
  • If you do share a ride, please note that each person should have an emergency exit plan, for example if a driver or passenger needs to leave early due to illness.

By Train

  • Take the Metro-North Hudson line train from the Grand Central station to the Beacon station. The train ride is approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes.
  • From there it will be necessary to hire a taxi or rideshare service to “Camp Hayden Marks, Sharpe Reservation, 436 Van Wyck Lake Rd, Fishkill, NY”. The drive from the Beacon station to Sharpe Reservation is approximately 20 minutes.
  • Metro-North Railroad (MNR): MTA Schedules and Map showing Beacon Station and Sharpe from NYC

Questions 

If you have questions regarding any aspect of the course, please do not call Sharpe Reservation. Instead, email NYVA’s Registration Team at registration@ny.us.dhamma.org or call +1 (212) 575-2400, Ext. 2.