Khula Dhamma Eco Community

The eco community Khula Dhamma is situated outside East London, South Africa. The community is off the grid by collecting rain water&using their own pump and producing its own solar power. All newly built houses have been constructed using natural materials from the land where possible.

Eco housing at Khula Dhamma

Khula Dhamma has been established 11 years ago around the practice of Vipassana meditation. The name Khula Dhamma “…combines the Xhosa word “khula”, meaning “to grow” and the Pali word “Dhamma”, meaning “the way” or “the path” to highlight our vision – to grow on the path of awakening”. The use of drugs – including alcohol – as well as eating meat is not allowed at Khula Dhamma. These restrictions go in line with the thinking of dhamma meditation and the path of awakening. On this path we seek to understand the causes of suffering and try to avoid those in order to establish peace and harmony for all beings. That the path of enlightenment and Vipassana meditation play a central role at Khula Dhamma is reflected not only by the rules and the peaceful atmosphere throughout the community, but also by this beautiful Buddha statue, which peacefully sits under the Bodhi tree, the same tree the original Buddha is said to have been meditating under and receiving his enlightenment more than 2000 years ago.

Buddha under Bodhi tree

Throughout the years different people came, built houses, and left again… One of the issues why people find it hard to stay at Khula Dhamma is that – like many eco villages – Khula Dhamma is far away from any income opportunities and also never reached a substantial number of members. Founder Ole, the last man standing, now tackles this problem. He and his wife Zanele now focus more on what needs to be done to get the community going on a more self-sufficient level.

new chicks

Their strategy involves two components: The creation of an Eco Farm that will eventually provide all food needs and the establishment of a Retreat Centre that will host different seminars. The lovely couple Tim Wigley, South Africas pioneer of Permaculture, and his partner Anne Keating now live down the hill to establish a food forest and the growing of numerous vegetables and fruits. Khula Dhamma is actively looking for more people to come and join in to FARM! 🙂

come and join!

The retreat centre is also already up and going and hosted its first seminar “The Heart of Permaculture” taught by Tim and a 10 day Vipassana meditation. By now there have been three jobs established (general caretaker, retreat centre manager and volunteer coordinator) and with that, next to Ole and his family, Anne & Tim, also two more men and a small family live at Khula Dhamma.

Khula Dhamma members

There are more empty houses looking for inhabitants, empty gardens looking for vegetables and hands to grow them, and empty plots looking for first occupants… To find out more take a look at Khula Dhammas website! If you are not ready to join it, you should at least visit Khula Dhamma or volunteer for some time – it’s totally worth it! I spent some of my volunteering by helping Tim in the garden…

in the garden with lovely friend

… making dreamcatchers…

first selfmade dreamcatcher!

… but mostly reorganising the amazing library! 🙂

library