The government of the Kingdom of Bhutan has announced that it will host a Global Peace Prayer Festival in the capital Thimphu from 4–17 November, with registration now open for participants. The occasion is expected to bring together spiritual leaders, scholars, and practitioners from across the Buddhist world, with the intention of directing the transformative power of loving-kindness and compassionate awareness to manifest a more peaceful and happier world.
“This transformative spiritual gathering will unite eminent lamas, spiritual leaders, scholars, and practitioners from all vehicles of Buddhism and all schools of Vajrayana Buddhism to foster global peace and happiness through loving-kindness and compassionate awareness,” the organizer shared with BDG.
“The festival will feature the Jabshi Gyap ritual, non-sectarian Global Peace Prayers, a mass recitation of the Bazaguru mantra, public blessings, and a Kalachakra empowerment presided over by His Holiness Je Khenpo, the chief abbot of Bhutan. An exhibition of Kalachakra art and scholarly seminars will also be held, with simultaneous translations in English and Tibetan.”
Bhutan, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, and sandwiched between the two political and economic heavy hitters India and China, is the world’s last remaining Vajrayana Buddhist country. The spiritual tradition is embedded in the very consciousness and culture of this remote land, where it has flourished with an unbroken history that dates back to its introduction by Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, in the eighth century. Almost 85 per cent of Bhutan’s population identify as Buddhists, with Hinduism accounting for the majority of the remainder. Most of Bhutan’s Buddhists follow either the Drukpa Kagyu or the Nyingma schools of Vajrayana Buddhism.
The event program will include the Jabshi Gyap ritual, conducted by Buthan’s Central Monastic Body from 4–10 November; two days of non-sectarian Vajrayana Buddhist Global Peace Prayer from 12–13 November; a mass recitation of the Bazaguru mantra, bringing people together in a shared aspiration for peace; a day of public blessings by eminent lamas on 14 November; and a three-day Kalachakra empowerment from 15–17 November, presided over by His Holiness Je Khenpo. An exhibition of Kalachakra art and artifacts, as well as academic seminars will also be held alongside the prayer festival.
“The Central Monastic Body will conduct the ritual of Jabshi Gyap (བརྒྱ་བཞི་རྒྱསཔ) at Kuenselphodrang [the site of a 54-meter statue of Shakyamuni Buddha] as a part of the Global Peace Prayer Festival, dedicated to global peace and happiness,”the organizer explained. “The stupendous ritual, seldom performed on such a grand scale, combines peaceful offerings with wrathful protection—for healing, cleansing, and purifying the body, speech, and mind of negative karma.” (Global Peace Prayer Festival)
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in Dzongkha, English, and Tibetan during teachings and empowerments.
Click here for full details and to register for the Global Peace Prayer Festival
“This unprecedented gathering will unite spiritual leaders, scholars, and practitioners from every school and vehicle of Buddhism, harnessing the transformative power of loving-kindness and compassionate awareness to co-create a future rooted in peace and happiness,” the organizers added. (Global Peace Prayer Festival)
Bhutan is regularly ranked among the happiest countries in the world. With a population of just 777,000, according to government estimates for 2021, it is also one of the world’s smallest and least industrialized countries, yet it has significant experience in maintaining the delicate balance of managing economic growth in a sustainable manner, famously encapsulated in its conservative “Gross National Happiness” (GNH) approach to development. While not opposed to material development or economic progress, GNH rejects the pursuit of economic growth as the ultimate good, instead seeking to cultivate a more holistic approach to balanced development and societal well-being, translating cultural and social priorities into developmental goals to create a happier, more equitable society.
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