DPM Shrestha stresses meditation for social transformation

By Our Correspondent,Rupandehi, Apr. 6: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha inaugurated the two-day ‘Lumbini International Peace Festival’ on Friday in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. 

Inaugurating the peace festival, DPM Shrestha emphasised that social transformation should occur through meditation.

He highlighted that meditation enables individuals to understand themselves, making them capable of advocating for the liberation of the entire human race, including marginalised groups in society. 

Stressing that Buddha’s path advocates peace and meditation, he proposed the development of Lumbini as a centre for meditation in addition to following Buddha’s teachings. 

DPM Shrestha said that meditation serves as the primary means to transition from darkness to light, from falsehood to truth, and from confusion to clarity. 

Similarly, the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, highlighted that Nepal is linked by mountains and rivers, noting Mount Everest as a symbol of the friendship between Nepal and China. He emphasised Nepal’s significance as the birthplace of the Buddha and said that as a large number of people in China follow Buddhism, Nepal and China enjoy an interdependent relationship in terms of religion and culture.

Recalling historical figures such as Bhrikuti and the sculptor Araniko, whose legacies are celebrated in both Nepal and China, Song emphasised that their stories underscore the longstanding friendship between the two nations.

He further highlighted that meditation conveys a message of peace and harmony.

The 1st Lumbini International Meditation Day was organised in front of the Mayadevi Temple at the Sacred Garden inside the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) premises.

A short discourse on the techniques of meditation was imparted by Acharya Gopal Pokhrel, followed by a 10-10-minute session of “ana paana meditation,” said a press statement issued by the Nepal Tourism Board on Friday.

Then monks and nuns from the Sangha family of the Lumbini Development Trust chanted sacred mantras and sutras for “world peace”. Almost 500 participants including officials, organisers, delegates, athletes, monks, nuns, students, media and the general public, were at the meditation programme.

Member Secretary of LDT Sanu Raja Shakya said that the peace programmes would likely put Lumbini on the global map for spiritual tourism.

A plea was also made at the programme to the United Nations to set an annual date to observe the “International Meditation Day” to be organised in Lumbini every year.

The meditation programme was a part of the 1st Lumbini International Peace Festival 2024. It will be followed by the Lumbini International Peace Marathon and Lumbini Peace Concert both at the LDT premises on Saturday. 

LDT in coordination with the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the Embassy of China in Nepal, the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC), and the Province Sports Council Lumbini, are organisers of the Peace Festival.

Co-organisers of the festival include Nepal Overseas Chinese Association (NOCA), Zhong Hua Monastery in Lumbini, and Lumbini Hotel Association.