A three-day summit will be presented by Friends of the Dalai Lama in partnership with UCI (University of California at Irvine) and
the Center for Living Peace.
Friends of the Dalai Lama announced that a
Global Compassion Summit will be held in honor of the current Dalai Lama’s landmark
80th birthday. The summit will take place
July 5-7, 2015 and will be the official world celebration of his birthday. It will feature world leaders, Nobel Laureates, celebrity guests,
speakers, and performers from around the globe. Tickets are on sale. (Contact local Buddhist temples for free tickets, as available).
This Southern California event is hosted by Friends of the Dalai Lama, UC Irvine, and the Center for
Living Peace, after the kick-off was held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, which accommodates 18,000 attendees. The following two days of
summit dialogues, panels, and special gatherings will take place on the
UCI campus. This will be the Dalai Lama’s first visit to Anaheim, "The
City of Kindness," and his third visit to Irvine.
All events are open to the general
public.
“This milestone occasion is a joyous opportunity for people to come
together in celebration of His Holiness’ life and achievements,” said
Venerable Lama Tenzin Dhonden, Personal Emissary for Peace to His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Founder and Chair of the independent,
non-profit Friends of the Dalai Lama.
“His Holiness has devoted his life’s work to positively guide
audiences all over the world to open their minds and hearts to peaceful
and compassionate existence. On this very special birthday, we will have
a chance to celebrate his accomplishments in many areas and hear his
exciting view for the years to come,” Lama Tenzin continued:
“I believe
2015 is a year of great hope. On behalf of Friends of the Dalai Lama,
I’d like to express my gratitude to UC Irvine and the Center for Living
Peace for joining us in hosting the upcoming Global Compassion Summit in
Southern California this July 2015.”
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| The 14th Dalai Lama may or may not be the last in a line of Tibetan Buddhist leaders. |
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Vice Chancellor Student Affairs Thomas A. Parham added, “We are humbled and honored that His Holiness the Dalai Lama will
return to our campus on this special birthday. It is an extraordinary
opportunity to celebrate his achievements which have inspired our
students through the UCI XIV Dalai Lama Scholarship to create impactful
projects to promote and celebrate compassion throughout our community
and beyond.”
“At UCI, we believe that developing global citizens must involve
educating the heart as well as the mind, while we also seek to excite
students’ passions and ignite their spirits,” he also shared.
“Few people exemplify living peace as poignantly as His Holiness the 14th
Dalai Lama,” said Kelly Thornton Smith, philanthropist and founder of
Center for Living Peace. “We feel such a deep sense of gratitude to be
able to host this momentous occasion and to help inspire everyone around
the globe to make Good Happen every day.”
The Global Compassion Summit is designed to foster a dialogue on
compassion and peace with his diverse, multi-ethnic, global
audience. The event will be a celebration of the Dalai
Lama’s lifetime of devotion to the work of spreading the message of the
value of peace, kindness, and
universal compassion throughout the world.
The program will highlight the different areas in which the Dalai Lama
has had great impact. It will be a platform for on-stage dialogue
amongst friends, fellow Nobel Laureates, leaders, and experts with whom
he has collaborated or shares common values toward the achievement of
Universal Peace. Dialogues to include:
- Awakening Compassion: The Transformative Power of Creativity and Art
- Compassionate Planet: The Effects of Climate Change and Taking Action to Resolve this Global Issue
- Wisdom, Vision, and Experience: A Dialogue with Nobel Laureates
- Youth Leadership Panel: The Significance of Education in Advancing Universal Human Values
“The Global Compassion Summit provides an opportunity for people from
all walks of life to learn about universal compassion -- to better
themselves and the world they live in,” said Lama Tenzin Dhonden.
“Together we will celebrate the tireless work and accomplishments of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama at the official 80
th birthday celebration, while sharing well wishes for a long life,” he added.
Friends of the Dalai Lama is an independent, non-profit organization
founded to amplify the positive messages of the Dalai Lama. The
organization supports important endeavors that align with his values of compassion and peace. The Global Compassion Summit honoring
his 80th birthday is the first
event presented by Friends of the Dalai Lama, and it is the only official event of
its kind taking place during his actual birthday.
NOTE: The 14th Dalai Lama
does not charge a
speaking engagement fee, and no aspect of his visit is being
used to profit financially. The Global Compassion Summit and the world
birthday celebration for His Holiness is a privately funded event.
More
Friends of the Dalai Lama is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in
2014 by Lama Tenzin Dhonden, Personal Emissary for Peace to the 14th Dalai Lama. It
facilitates the his participation in public and private
events. The work it delivers is based on Six Core Value Elements that
enable each audience to gain a deeper and actionable understanding of his message on Human Values, Secular Ethics, Inter-Religious
Dialogue, Environmental Protection, Sustainability, Compassionate
Education, and Ethical Leadership for the sake of humanity.
The Center for Living Peace is a nonprofit organization founded by Kelly Thornton Smith
that creates opportunities for people to find inner peace and purpose,
discover their own gifts and talents, and share them with the world.
Nestled inside a unique facility near UCI, public classes and program
offerings encourage the community to turn positive intentions into
action and to truly be the change they wish to see in the world.
UC Irvine: UCI’s connection with the
Dalai Lama dates back to 2004 when he first visited the campus and
inspired the creation of the XIV Dalai Lama Endowed Scholarship. Since
then, 12 scholars have married the values of ethical leadership, peace,
and positive global relations with the university’s mission of public
service to the community with such projects as “Compassion in Medicine,”
“Kindness Month,” and the “Peace Flag Project.” The Dalai Lama spoke to a
sold out arena at UCI in 2011 and has maintained correspondence with
students about gratitude and compassion in action. The Dalai Lama and
UCI leadership are aligned in support of holistic education as a path to
a better world.
HH the 14th Dalai Lama, Ven. Tenzin Gyatso, joins in two discussions, one on "Robotics, Telepresence, and Artificial Intelligence" and another on "Sickness, Aging, and Health" at De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, Netherlands, European Union, on September 15, 2018.
Zen for Nothing, West Coast premiere
“This milestone occasion is a joyous opportunity for people to come
together in celebration of His Holiness’ life and achievements,” said
Venerable Lama Tenzin Dhonden, Personal Emissary for Peace to His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Founder and Chair of the independent,
non-profit Friends of the Dalai Lama.
However, his constant backing by celebrities (and his own celebrity behavior) frequently puts him in the news. That's the first thing; WQ covers him because his PR machine puts him in a position to be covered. Second, Chinese officials are furious with him -- instigating a massive propaganda campaign to discredit him, a computer spy ring to subvert his sophisticated worldwide operations, and unrelenting attacks on Tibet to forget him complete with a dictator-approved replacement (Panchen) Lama.
Exile Tibetan traditional dancers prepare to perform next to a photograph of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, at an event commemorating 50 years of struggle for Tibet's independence, in Bangalore, India, 3/31/09. On this day, 50 years ago, Lama set foot in India as an exile (AP/Aijaz Rahi).
