Uniting with all of earth as we still our minds

• World Meditation Day is tomorrow, 21 December
• To commemorate the day in Sri Lanka, the 2nd World Meditation Day Global Conference is organised by the Centre for Meditation Research (CMR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, in collaboration with UNESCO and the Rekhi Foundation for Happiness, USA
• Following the 2025 theme, Meditation as a Path to Global Harmony, the conference will be held at the main auditorium of the University of Colombo Faculty of Medicine (UCFM) tower from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on 21 December

By the Harmony Page team

When a human being directs the hugely potent mind and breath empowered energy within, into a silent and awareness based state we can assume that it synchronises with the breath of the cosmos representing the vibration of all earth-life. Although the ‘breathing’ of the earth may seem a farfetched description in the artificial and disconnected consciousness that we live today, in some meditation practices, especially linked with the ancient Sanathana Dharma (Hinduism), the sound ‘Aauumm’ is understood as the resonance of the universe in sound as it vibrates/hums as consistently as a human breathes. It may be relevant for us to think how religions such as Christianity has the sound ‘Aum’ linked to its prayer closing sacred word pronounced as ‘Amen.’

There are diverse meditation traditions across cultures, including especially Buddhism, and they all contribute towards the goal of cleaning the human mind and directing it through various means to a peaceful state. 

Meditation was officially accepted as important to human life when the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 6 2024, declaring December 21 as the annual ‘meditation day,’ recognising its role in health, well-being, and global spiritual unity. This landmark resolution was sponsored by countries like Sri Lanka, India, and Liechtenstein, marking the first official commemoration in December 21 2024. The date was chosen coinciding with the Winter Solstice which astronomically marks earth entering the phase of winter. Many cultures across the world see winter as a time when the sun being lowest in the sky prepares humans through resilience in facing harshness of the cold, towards a journey of renewal where there will be light once again.

Meditation as a Path to Global Harmony is the theme this year in the backdrop of increasing climatic disasters around the world and ongoing wars in different locations. 

One of the main events to commemorate the day in Sri Lanka is the 2nd World Meditation Day Global Conference, organised by the Centre for Meditation Research (CMR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, in collaboration with UNESCO and the Rekhi Foundation for Happiness, USA. 

This Lankan event is aimed at promoting meditation, inner peace, and mental well-being commencing with a formal inaugural session featuring an address by the Director of the Centre for Meditation Research, Prof. Dilshani Dissanayake. The inaugural session will also include addresses by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, Prof. Vajira H.W. Dissanayake, the Guest of Honour, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Prof. Indika Karunathilake, and the Chief Guest, Senior Prof. Prabhath Jayasinghe, Secretary-General of the Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO. 

The keynote session will feature two distinguished international speakers. Dr. Matthew D. Sacchet, Associate Professor and Director of the Meditation Research Program at Harvard Medical School, USA, will deliver a keynote address titled “Advanced Meditation and the Third Wave of Meditation Research,” highlighting cutting-edge scientific insights into advanced contemplative practices. The second keynote address, “Meditation for Global Harmony,” will be delivered by Prof. Saamdu Chetri, Director of the Yogananda School of Spirituality and Happiness, India; former Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office of Bhutan; and Founder Director of the Gross National Happiness Centre, Bhutan.

The conference program will also include a guided meditation session, two thematic symposia—Meditation for Environmental Harmony and Inner Peace for Global Harmony—as well as panel discussions, audience interactions, poster presentations, and additional meditation sessions. The event will conclude with a moderated discussion focusing on evidence-based approaches to meditation as a tool for fostering global peace.

Many global religious as well as secular spiritual movements will be commemorating World Meditation Day in diverse programs. The Heartfulness meditation centre (which has several centres in Sri Lanka) is non-religious in essence and headquartered in Kanha Shanthi Vanam, with a large campus near Hyderabad, India, will commemorate meditation day on December 20 with community meditation workshop for Peace, Compassion and Unity. 

This year as we commemorate meditation day, in Sri Lanka many are homeless and seriously harmed by the recent climatic disaster. As we engage in our meditation practices on 21 December, may we unite our minds to our fellow beings and to the heart of the earth so that our actions towards each other and a harmed planet becomes gentle.

The conference can be attended online. For registration use the following link: https://forms.gle/d4s4DV1eJcMtedq77