The University of Westminster welcomed students, colleagues and community partners to a special Wesak Day celebration at the University’s Regent Street Campus as part of the World in Westminster Festival series.
The World in Westminster programme forms part of the Westminster Programme for Enhancing Inclusion, Belonging and Sustainable Development, bringing communities together through cultural understanding, reflection and shared experiences.
Observed by millions around the world, Wesak Day, also known as Buddha Day, commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. The celebration at Westminster began with an opening welcome and prayers, followed by a ceremonial offering by Dhruv Patel CBE, the High Sheriff of Greater London, who presented a traditional Tibetan khata, a white ceremonial scarf, at the altar and lit the Tibetan lamp. The prayers were offered by Geshe Tenzin Namdak, Resident Teacher at Jamyang Buddhist Centre (JBC), and Ven Thubten Drolma, Director of Jamyang Buddhist Centre.
Attendees then heard an address from Professor Dibyesh Anand, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and Employability, who reflected on the significance of the University of Westminster as well as his own long-standing relationship with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, highlighting how it has been 13 years since the Dalai Lama visited the University.
Representative Tsering Yangkey of the Office of Tibet in London also joined the celebration and recited the official Wesak message from the Dalai Lama and shared her own reflections on compassion, peace and collective responsibility.
The programme also featured a calming sound healing session led by Kunchok Nyima, a teacher of Tibetan meditation, yoga and sound healing. Formerly a Tibetan Buddhist monk, he now lives in the UK. Along with his wife Georgie, he founded Foothills of Tibet, a Tibetan handicraft shop established in 2013. His singing bowl meditation session provided attendees with a moment of stillness, mindfulness and reflection.
The event concluded with a guided loving-kindness meditation led by the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Officer Rajat Shah, encouraging participants to cultivate compassion for themselves and others while reinforcing the themes of inclusion and wellbeing.
Rajat said: "It is my honour to organise this festival at our University. Seeing people engage with the culture and the message of Buddha, while sharing the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path through a guided loving-kindness meditation, was both lovely and deeply rewarding."
Professor Anand said: “Wesak's themes of compassion, mindfulness and shared humanity speak powerfully to what we strive for at Westminster: a community where every student and colleague feels they belong, and where our differences are sources of learning rather than distance. Celebrating festivals like Wesak alongside Diwali, Chanukah, Eid, Nowruz, Passover and Lunar New Year is how we live our commitment to diversity in practice - not as a slogan, but as the everyday work of building cross-cultural understanding.”
Tenzin added: “I was filled with pure joy and contentment during this year's Wesak Day celebration as the Tibetan Buddhist prayers, sound healing meditation and the loving-kindness meditation sessions provided a great opportunity for self-reflection and understanding the true meaning of Buddha's teachings. Marking the anniversary of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s visit to the University made the day even more special.”
Dhruv Patel CBE said: “It was a privilege to join the University of Westminster’s Wesak celebrations and to support an event centred on compassion, mindfulness and understanding between communities. One of my aims during my year as High Sheriff is to engage with faith communities across Greater London and to highlight the vital role they play in building stronger, more cohesive communities. I was particularly honoured to participate in the Tibetan ceremonial offering and to experience the warmth and generosity shown by all involved.”
Bringing the community together at events such as this directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, 4: Quality Education and 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about upcoming Equality, Diversity and Inclusion events at the University of Westminster.
