Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by Korean Dharma master and prominent social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim, will co-host the 2nd World Meditation Day Forum on 20–21 March at its headquarters, the Jungto Social and Cultural Center in Seoul. Titled “The Unified Mind: Bridging Science and Tradition for the Future of Meditation Globally,” the forum is organized in cooperation with the World Meditation Day Committee (WMDC) and will be live-streamed worldwide.
The United Nations designated 21 December as World Meditation Day to foster the exchange of perspectives across religions, academic disciplines, and nations. World Meditation Day is aimed diagnosing global crises and seeking collective solutions. The 1st World Meditation Day Forum, held in October 2025, launched the organizing committee and established a scientific approach to meditation as a core agenda.
“Guided by the vision of ‘The Unified Mind,’ the World Meditation Day Forum convenes as a landmark international gathering, dedicated to weaving the distinct threads of scientific, religious, and secular thought into a coherent tapestry of understanding,” the WMDC stated. “Building on the success of its predecessor, this second edition moves beyond dialogue toward integration—seeking to establish a common identity for meditation that is both empirically sound and wisdom-informed. By uniting meditation masters, neuroscientists, researchers, and practitioners from across the globe, the forum aims to forge a shared path forward, laying the foundational framework for a unified global meditation ecosystem.” (World Meditation Foundation)
The WMDC detailed that the forum proceedings are focused on the core objectives of: synthesizing a unified understanding of meditation across scientific, religious, and secular perspectives; identifying the core human qualities that meditation cultivates, alongside developing standards for assessing its impact; and fostering a collaborative ecosystem to mainstream meditation worldwide, and translate insights into actionable collaboration.
The two-day gathering will feature 26 religious leaders, scientists, meditators, and social activists from 12 countries, who will gather online and in-person to explore meditation as a practical tool for personal and societal change.
The two-day forum features five specialized sessions:
Opening: Keynote address by Ven. Hyeguk, spiritual master (josil) of Geumbong Seon Center, Sukjongsa Temple.
Session 1: Marc Jose Reinhardt, Sunni meditation leader, and Prof. Jagpreet Chhatwal of Harvard/MGH, discuss narrowing the gap between modern science and the spiritual world.
Session 2: Presentations on traditions from Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Daoism.
Evening Session: A dedicated space for the public to experience various meditation methods firsthand.
Session3, Scientific Foundations: On the second day, neuroscientist Dr. DongSeon Jang, Happiness University founder Lin Huang, and Dr. Nathan Jishin Michon will join virtually, alongside five other experts to present research on meditation as a catalyst for human well-being.
The in-person forum will be hosted at Jungto Social and Cultural Center in downtown Seoul. For international participants and viewers, the event will be live-streamed on YouTube at the following links:
Friday, 20 March
Opening Ceremony and Session 1 (9:30am–11:30am KST)
Session 2 (1:30pm–5pm KST)
Evening Session (7pm–8:45pm KST)Saturday, 21 March
“This forum focuses on meditation as a practical alternative for addressing the psychological stress and identity crises of modern individuals, as well as collective challenges such as the climate crisis, social conflict, and human rights issues,” said Jungto Society founder and guiding Dharma teacher Ven. Pomnyun Sunim, co-chair of the Korea Committee. “It is highly significant to bridge diverse traditions with scientific interpretation to make meditation more accessible to everyone.”
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim is a widely revered Korean Dharma teacher and social activist. He has founded numerous organizations, initiatives, and projects across the world, among them: JTS Korea, an international humanitarian relief organization working to eradicate poverty and hunger; Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddha’s teachings and dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering; EcoBuddha, an organization focused on environmental ethics and sustainable living based on the teachings of the Buddha; and Good Friends, which promotes reconciliation and cooperation between the North and South Korea, and provides humanitarian aid to North Koreans. Ven. Pomnyun Sunim also works closely with the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB).
The convocation will also feature an address by WMDC Committee Representative Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, secretary general of the Monastic Interreligous Dialogue, and Catholic Benedict meditator; Khenpo Rinchen Choezang, abbot of Buddha Dordenma Kuensel Phodrang in Bhutan, who will present on “The Meaning of Meditation and the Three Supreme Methods to Know the Nature of Mind;” and Most Venerable Dhammajiva Maha Thero, chief preceptor of Sri Lanka’s Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya, who will speak on “The Solution To All Problems: The Here, Now, I Am Dimension.”
The World Meditation Day Forum was established to bring together voices from across the scientific, religious, and secular worlds around the subject of meditation. Organized under the theme “The Unified Mind”, this second gathering is convened with the aspiration to move the global dialogue on meditation beyond discussion and toward a more concrete, shared identity that its organizers intend to be rooted in ancient wisdom traditions and supported by evidence-based science. The ultimate ambition for the forum is to lay the groundwork for a unified international meditation ecosystem.
See more
World Meditation Foundation
World Meditation Day
World Meditation Day: 21 December (United Nations)
The Unified Mind: Bridging Science and Tradition for the Future of Meditation Globally – The 2nd World Meditation Day Forum (World Meditation Foundation)
Jungto Society
Jungto
Pomnyun
International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB)
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