This November, Bhutan will take the global stage as it hosts the inaugural Global Peace Prayer Festival 2025, a landmark spiritual gathering that aspires to unite hearts and voices across nations in a collective call for peace, compassion, and harmony.
From November 4 to 19, spiritual leaders, Dharma practitioners, scholars, and peace advocates from around the world will converge in Thimphu for what many are calling a profound moment in human history—a prayer not just for nations, but for humanity itself.
“This initiative is deeply meaningful, as it aspires to global peace,” said Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche on the festival’s official page. Acknowledging the limitations of ordinary beings, Rinpoche emphasized the extraordinary potential of collective prayer. “Though we lack the powers of a Tathagata or bodhisattva, united prayers can become a force greater than ourselves.”
The festival has garnered wide spiritual endorsement. Zhechen Rabjam Rinpoche hailed Bhutan’s pioneering step: “Until now, Bhutan has not hosted such a significant spiritual gathering. This great supplication addresses the conflicts and disharmony caused by natural disasters and human strife, invoking blessings for all sentient beings.”
Bhutan’s spiritual sanctity makes the setting even more profound. Blessed by Guru Rinpoche, Longchen Rabjam, and Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the land itself is seen as a natural sanctuary for invoking compassion and peace. “To attend these prayers here, with boundless aspiration, is an invaluable opportunity,” Rabjam Rinpoche added.
The festival will not only be a spiritual convergence but also an intellectual and cultural one. Shri Niraj Kumar, a Kalachakra Tantra scholar, will deliver a seminar titled “A Thousand-Year Journey of the Kalachakra Tantra and Its Vision for Global Harmony and Happiness” on November 8, tracing its influence from Kublai Khan to Bhutan’s Druk Gyalpo.
Global figures are also lending their voices. Nadya Hutagalung, UNEP ambassador and environmental advocate, highlighted the link between inner and outer peace: “We can contribute to the world’s peace by cultivating peace within ourselves.” Buddhist monk and author Matthieu Ricard reminded the world of the urgent need for compassion amidst conflict: “All those women and children suffering in senseless wars remind us that peace is not optional—it is essential.”
Spiritual masters like Kalu Rinpoche and Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoche have urged participation, describing the festival as a chance to encounter wisdom teachers who could “uplift your journey” and deepen practice.
The program includes powerful rituals such as the Bazaguru recitation, Kalachakra empowerment, and the Jabshi Dhoechog, designed to cultivate compassion, disarm hatred, and plant seeds of harmony. Organizers expect thousands of attendees, with international facilitation arranged for seekers eager to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Meanwhile, Bhutan’s Prime Minister, Dasho Tshering Tobgay extended Bhutan’s invitation to the world: “On behalf of the people of Bhutan, I welcome spiritual leaders, scholars, and peace practitioners to this sacred gathering, as we aspire together for a more peaceful world.”
As Bhutan prepares to open its sacred doors to the world, a single message rises like a prayer carried on the mountain winds: peace is possible. Through prayer, humanity remembers its shared hope; through mindfulness, it learns to quiet the noise of division; and through compassionate action, it discovers the strength to heal. The Global Peace Prayer Festival is not just an event etched on a calendar—it is a living call to conscience, a sacred summons for humanity to lay down the weapons of hatred and take up the tools of harmony. From the heart of the Himalayas, Bhutan sends forth this timeless reminder: that true disarmament begins within, and from that inner stillness can ripple outward a peace enduring enough to embrace the world.
Sangay Rabten fromThimphu
