Practitioners attend a Dhamma talk prior to Vipassanā-Kammaṭṭhāna meditation.

Lao, Thai Buddhists join Vipassana meditation in honour of late sangha leader

More than 200 Lao and Thai Buddhists shared in a special Vipassanā-Kammaṭṭhāna meditation session in Vientiane on May 18, held to pay tribute to the late President of the Central Buddhist Fellowship Organisation (CBFO), His Holiness Phramahā Bounma Simmaphom.
The session took place at the Mahā Bodhi Roukkhā Dhammāram Meditation Centre, the main hub of the CBFO in Vientiane.
It was led by Prof. Dr Phra Medhivajarapundit, widely known as “Chao Khun Hansa”, who is the Abbot at Mai Yai Paen Monastery and Director of the International Buddhist Studies College under Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University in Thailand.

Meditation practitioners earnestly focus their minds and hearts.	Prof.Dr Phramedhivajjirabundit (Hansa Dhammahaso), Director, IBSC, and Abbot of Wat Maiyaipaen.

Participants included monks, novices, laymen, and laywomen from Laos and Thailand. The meditation followed teachings from the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, aiming to honour the Lord Buddha on Asalha Puja Day, which commemorates the Buddha’s cremation eight days after his passing into nibbāna.
Senior monastic leaders including Most Venerable Phramahā Veth Masenai, Vice President of the CBFO, and Most Venerable Dr Puangpaserth Phoumavong, Acting Director-General of Sangha Education, fully supported the initiative.
Organisers said the merits generated from the meditation were dedicated to His Holiness Phramahā Bounma Simmaphom, whose cremation took place on May 17.

Prof. Dr Phra Medhivajarapundit demonstrates a mindfulness meditation method.	Monastic and lay practitioners engage in mindful walking.

Phra Medhivajarapundit said the session reflects the growing interest among Lao Buddhists in Vipassanā meditation.
He stressed the importance of cultivating trained meditation teachers to guide both clergy and laypeople, noting that the practice complements the merit gained from almsgiving and moral discipline, while contributing to national development through mental wellbeing, economic stability, and social harmony.
This collaborative activity was conducted under a Memorandum of Agreement signed on May 10 between the CBFO’s Committee for Sangha Education and the International Buddhist Studies College, during the International Vesak Day celebrations at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.
Venerable Pherb Viengsavanh, a senior member of the CBFO’s Committee for Sangha Foreign Affairs, served as the lead coordinator for the programme.

Merits dedicated to the late His Holiness Mahā Bounma Simmaphom, former president of the Central Buddhist Fellowship Organisation of Laos.

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update May 22, 2025)