World Peace Meditation Day Transcends Differences and Resonates Meditative Peace and Love to the World

Shirley Chu
January 7, 2025

On December 28, Fo Guang Shan Hsi Fang Temple held the "World Peace Meditation Day", where seven religious leaders prayed for world peace. Loretta Walker of the First Presbyterian Church of El Cajon, Abbot Tikkhaviro of Dhammakaya Meditation Center of San Diego, Brother Luis of St. Augustine High School, Pastor Kathleen Owes of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, Chaplain Cottman of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints, Brother Yusef Miller of Islamic Society of North and Venerable Miaozang of the Hsi Fang Temple led the prayer and meditation with 70 participants in the event.

Chaplain Angélica led mindfulness stretching to relieve the tension and anxiety of the body and mind. Then, the leaders of the various religions pray for world peace in the languages of each religion, such as the Abbot Tikkhaviro chanting scriptures in Pali and Brother Yusef Miller reciting the Quran in Arabic.

Although each religious leader used a different language or means of prayer, they all convey the same message: that all human beings live equally without discrimination between skin color, gender, race, nationality, class, language, or culture. Eliminate wars in the world and bring peace to mankind together. Just like the prayer by Brother Yusef Miller's, there are two kinds of brothers, one is brother in religion and the other is brother in humanity, indicating that human beings should be in harmony.

Venerable Miaozang led the participants with meditative prayer and guided everyone to pray for world peace from the heart and contemplated light shining on everyone. To the sound of the violin of the youth, Shanelle Lam, playing the song "Love and Peace", everyone held LED lights and lined up the symbol of peace in the center of the main shrine, lighting up the lights symbolizing world peace.

Susan Cass, a first-time visitor to the temple, said that she works for the ICEJ, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Environmental Justice, and learned about the event from her workplace and brought her high school son to the event, which she found was very meaningful. Jacqueline Penhos, who is a frequent participant in the English classes and activities on Saturdays at the temple, brought her niece Juliet to World Meditation Day for the first time, and expressed her hope that everyone would work together to realize the vision of peaceful coexistence. Chaplain Cottman was joined by his three young children, hoping that the children would be able to witness the peaceful coexistence of different religions from an early age.