[Bergen], August 7, 2009: Tens of thousands of Buddhists in more than 40 countries will meditate simultaneously for three days and nights for more compassion amongst people, starting Sunday evening August 9. Diamond Way Buddhist centers Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger will participate in this activity. The worldwide meditation marathon will be generated in Immenstadt in the South German Alps, where the 17th International Summer Course with more than 3000 participants from all over the world is currently taking place. The course has been organized by Diamond Way Buddhist centers around the world. The Tibetan teacher Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche and the Danish Lama Ole Nydahl will start the meditation with participants in the evening of August 9. There will be live coverage of the event via Internet streaming to the centers joining in from throughout the world.

The meditation on the Buddha of Compassion (Sanskrit Avalokiteshvara, Tibetan Chenrezig) is one of the main practices of Diamond Way Buddhism (Sanskrit Vajrayana). Diamond Way Buddhism originates from the historical Buddha, flourished in India, and was first brought to Tibet in the 9th century. The participants will recite the mantra of compassion, “Om Mani Peme Hung” for 72 hours, starting Sunday 9 pm CET. The repetitions will be counted and collected at the International Summer Course in Immenstadt. The organizers hope to collect more than 100 million mantras in total.

Buddhists are convinced that this practice strengthens compassion in their own minds as well as having a positive influence on society. “It is not so much about pity,” explains Lama Ole Nydahl. “Compassion in Buddhism rather means to benefit people in the long term by acting confidently from a basis of clarity.”

The International Buddhist Summer Course in Immenstadt will continue to take place until August 16. The event, which is located in an especially constructed tent area, includes lectures, guided meditations and Buddhist ceremonies. From August 14 – 16, Shamar Rinpoche, the second highest teacher of the Karma Kagyu Tradition, and the Tibetan meditation master Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche will conclude the course. The Karma Kagyu Tradition was founded in the 11th century and is one of the largest schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In the Western world – especially Europe – it is one of the most widely practiced Buddhist traditions.