Posted on Nov 10, 2009
Maya Safira Muchtar, Chair of Anand Ashram Foundation
The International Bali Meditators’ Festival was held in Ubud on 14-15 November 2009, bringing together local and foreign experts and practitioners to promote meditation as a way of life.
The festival featured panel sessions and workshops to enlighten participants about meditation, as well as share experiences and cross-cultural understanding. Initiated by noted spiritualist Anand Krishna, the two-day festival aims to create an enlightened society through meditation.
Anand said meditation did not just correspond to physical health, but also involved higher consciousness.
“Meditation is not merely about sitting silently and concentrating; it’s an expansion of consciousness to reach samadhi or self-balance to make you feel no restlessness, worry or fear,” said the spiritualist, author of more than 130 books on meditation.
“Once you have attained self-balance, you begin your new life.”
Bali was chosen to host the inaugural festival due to the island’s strong spiritual base. “Although there have been some setbacks and defiances of values, the base remains strong, and we have to preserve this,” Anand said.
Anand was the keynote speaker at the Saturday morning session, followed by a panel discussion featuring Balinese spiritualists Ratu Bagus and Prabu Darmayasa.
Ratu champions a creative approach to awaken desire for freedom and cosmic awareness toward a better and harmonious world, while Prabu eschews Anka-dhyana (meditating on numbers), a simple but powerful meditation method to attain divine love.
Another panel on Saturday presented the founder of the Bali Usada Meditation group, Merta Ada, and the founder and chairman of the Ashram Gandhi Puri, Indra Udayana.
The second day of the festival included two panels, the first featuring Ida Pedanda Made Gunung on the topic “Meditation is a necessity of life” and US Islamic scholar Amina Wadud on “Remembrance as a Spiritual Exercise: Zhikr”.
The second session featured psychiatrist L.K. Suryani speaking on “Meditation towards a happy life” and France’s Margot Anand with “A sound and light journey through the Chakras”.
Six workshops were also held over the weekend, including “Living in Meditation” by Anand Krishna, “Self Healing” by Marilyn Salas, “Meditation with Natural Elements” by Surpasari Megumi, “Japa Meditation” by Hare Krishna, “Sufism and the Alchemy of Happiness” by Saddiq Pablo, and “Cahaya Padma” by I Made Astawa.
Evening sessions included various musical and dance performances at “The Evening of Devotion” on Saturday, as well as “Sufi Night” by the Nyanyian Darma group on Sunday. Bazaars and community events also enlivened the festival.
