Frequently Asked Questions
In this section, we’ve tried to answer some questions about Dhamma.org. If you have further questions that you would like answered, please let us know. Our aim is to be as open and clear as we can about what Dhamma.org is, and how it works.
Click on the + symbol to read the answers.
Decisions
Thomas Crisman, the founder of Dhamma.org, initially used to handle all major decisions, helped by various dedicated technical experts. In time, as technology structures grew, Thomas asked two other Teachers to help him. When he passed away, a third Teacher took his place. Later on, more teachers have been invited, thus forming a Board of Directors.
Now the Directors consult among themselves and with the Teachers from the different areas of the Vipassana community in the world to invite new Directors when needed.
In order to have more and more communication, support and participation with all areas and centres, and to improve the service we are offering to the worldwide Vipassana community, worldwide Teachers are welcome to suggest ATs and Ts who are available to help Dhamma.org.
Now the Directors consult among themselves and with the Teachers from the different areas of the Vipassana community in the world to invite new Directors when needed.
In order to have more and more communication, support and participation with all areas and centres, and to improve the service we are offering to the worldwide Vipassana community, worldwide Teachers are welcome to suggest ATs and Ts who are available to help Dhamma.org.
IVTA Directors represent different parts of the world. They keep in touch with local Teachers and Centres, in order to listen to their needs and requests in technology fields, and prioritise projects and proposals on this basis.
ATs, CTs and CATs from all over the world are very much welcome to contact Dhamma.org and propose projects, improvements, comments or criticism and to encourage old students and teachers to offer to Dhamma.org their support and participation.
ATs, CTs and CATs from all over the world are very much welcome to contact Dhamma.org and propose projects, improvements, comments or criticism and to encourage old students and teachers to offer to Dhamma.org their support and participation.
No. Dhamma.org is a technology team and follows instructions and requests from Teachers, ATs, Centres. Nor does Dhamma.org want to suggest to Teachers or Trustees how they should perform their Dhamma Service.
No, the course dates and details are entered by admins for each centre and cannot be changed by Dhamma.org. The decision to set up or remove a schedule for a location is made by the CT or CAT.
Dhamma.org follows the decision of the Teachers responsible for their areas. If there is no consensus or specific instruction to IVTA from CTs/CATs to Dhamma.org, the records remain unchanged.
M365
No, each centre is free to decide whether to use this tool (as any other service provided by IVTA/Dhamma.org) or not.
The prior technology offered by Dhamma.org and then Dhamma.org for managing mailing lists is outdated, insecure, and has become increasingly difficult to work with. It expires on April 2021. After having studied several options available, the Dhamma.org tech experts found that Microsoft365 provides the best possible security for mailing lists, personal emails, and other communication tools.
Data related to M365 are stored on servers in Ireland, in compliance with European GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
You can find more information here about M365. (username: dhammaworker; password: behappy)
Dhamma.org provides dhamma.org web domains and mailing systems to many centres worldwide. This means that Dhamma.org is legally responsible if a data breach occurs (for instance, when an individual or a centre forwards confidential emails to an unsecure site, resulting in improper use of data). Dhamma.org asks centres to share the responsibility by signing an Agreement. This does not mean in any way that IVTA wants to sue centres! On the contrary, we suggest that centres carefully inform their users to make proper use of their email communication.
- No. Dhamma.org has no right to demand prosecution in USA.
- The laws that apply are the laws of the country in which a data breach occurs.
- Risks of prosecution exist regardless of whether centres sign the Dhamma.org agreement or not. The risk of prosecution is from course applicants and students under European GDPR and similar laws in many countries. Most countries are introducing stricter local privacy legislation.
- The agreement does not relate to criminal prosecution anyway but to civil lawsuits and fines. The risk of such civil claims is from course applicants and students under European GDPR and similar laws in many countries whose personal data is misused.
- There are local laws that affect privacy, e.g., some governments require proof of origin of donations. Dhamma.org understands the need to comply with local laws and data protection requirements.
- It is reasonable that centres take responsibility for data security breaches that they cause or contribute to if they use dhamma.org services such as email addresses or a dhamma.org subdomain or online course applications.
- The Dhamma.org indemnity clause is similar to the terms of use that all users must sign to get an address from private email providers (refer to Google and Amazon examples).
The Dhamma.org admin tech team will support the centre decision and will facilitate the requested steps.
- Transformational change is necessary. We live in a time of rapid technological change. It is critical for the protection of teachers, centres, Trusts and students to be aware of these changes and respond to them accordingly. Teachers, centres and Trusts must be aware of data protection policies both locally and abroad (teachers and students travel extensively and no one is immune from data protection regulations). Litigation could easily be very costly to our centres and put our ability to offer courses in jeopardy.
- The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has been in full force and effect now since May 2018 and any organization that violates its provisions is subject to penalties and damages. The GDPR rules are mandatory and any organization that ignores them or delays seeking appropriate agreements and protections does so at considerable risk to itself. IVTA, as well as any other Centre/Trust in areas where GDPR or similar regulation exist cannot afford to assume such risks.
- Already a number of legal challenges have been made by students in Europe and fortunately, so far they have been resolved by the European authorities without penalty.
- For more than a decade dhamma.org took the risk even though the services are provided free. But in view of the new laws, Centres should take on the legal and financial responsibility of their own actions as they are most able to ensure that teachers, trustees, registrars and servers comply.
Data
No, all data and information belong to and are managed by centres and their trusts.
For instance, local teams can handle mailing lists for their centres.
Dhamma.org simply provides a subdomain and support if needed, the content is decided by each center.
No. Student course applications are forwarded to the various different registration systems (CALM, DhammaReg, Dipi, etc.). Long course applications are handled by Dhamma.org who forwards them to centres worldwide.
No. Student course applications are forwarded to the various different registration systems (CALM, DhammaReg, Dipi, etc.).
Long course applications are handled by Dhamma.org who forwards them to centres worldwide.
- Teachers and centres are already exposed to litigation from students or applicants. Dhamma.org is simply trying to limit its own exposure to such risks world-wide and to protect users of its service.
- Dhamma.org complies with the strictest privacy regulation in the world, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union. By complying with GDPR, there is more protection for teachers, centres, and students. By not complying with data protection laws globally, we are all more at risk to litigation.
There is a different confidentiality agreement for ATs because they deal directly with a student’s private information and should be responsible for it.
- We cannot find any clause in the proposed Indian PDP Bill at https://dataprotectionindia.in/act/ specifying that all Indian personal data must be collected in India only.
- The Joint Parliamentary Committee is still deliberating on data localisation requirements and the Bill is not passed.
- dhamma.org (IVTA) will be happy to cooperate to comply with any new proposed Indian legislation. Already application form data for countries using CALM registration are collected by CALM for 10-day and other courses.
- Dhamma.org currently has Data Servers in Europe to better satisfy the European GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations).
- Dhamma.org does not retain a student’s application information, but instead transmits this to the registration system or center immediately. This data is deleted on confirmation that the receiving center/registration system has received the information.
- The current proposed Indian Law does not apply to these data transfers; it only applies to storage of certain forms of sensitive data.
Copyright & Trademark
VRI (Vipassana Research Institute) owns the copyright to all of Goenkaji’s written and recorded materials.
The purpose of trademarks is very different from copyrights. Trademarks prevent another organization or individual from using a specific name or description for their business or operations. The term ‘Vipassana Meditation as taught by SN Goenka’ is not a copyright. It is a trademark.
Dhamma.org is the lawful registered owner of the trademark ‘Dhamma.org’ and of the 'Wheel' logo.
- It is possible to pay for an “International Trademark” which covers up to 123 countries, but it still has to be registered separately in each country and is very expensive.
- It would be beneficial to coordinate the process as all the centres offer the same courses worldwide and sharing of knowledge can help avoid costly mistakes and pool the expenses of defence.
This is a serious issue and it is important to remedy unlawful infringements of these rights.