His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrives in Philadelphia Wednesday, 16 July 2008, 6:09 p.m.

Dharamshala:  and love in Lehigh valley, where he conferred six days of teaching and a talk on “Generating Good Heart”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama greets a young girl at Lehigh University’s Stabler Arena on the last day of his visit to the Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. (Michael Kubel, Allentown Morning Call / 15 July 2008)

The centerpiece of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit will be an early afternoon lecture on “Buddhism in the 21st Century”, at the Kimmel Center, where he is expected to introduce listeners to some of the basic tenets of Buddhism, Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday.

His Holiness will also meet with members of the Tibetan and Kalmyk Buddhist communities.

The local Kalmyk community is upbeat on His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit.

“Our culture, our religion, is fading away,” Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Telo Tulku Rinpoche, the spiritual head of the Republic of Kalmykia as saying. He hand-delivered a letter to His Holiness 2 1/2 years ago, asking him to come.

“I said we needed a figure who could guide us,” Telo Rinpoche said last week. “It was an immediate yes.”

“We wanted to share his wisdom with the rest of the community,” said Telo Rinpoche.

Founded by refugees from World War II, the local Kalmyk community numbers about 2,000 across three generations.

During his visit to Madison, Wisconsin, on 19 July, His Holiness will give a public talk at the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum.

From 20 – 23 July, His Holiness will deliver a four-day teachings on Shantideva’s “A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (chodjug)” and Kamalashila’s “Middle Stages of Meditation (gomrim barpa)” at the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum.

On the morning of 24 July, the North American Tibetan Associations and Geshe Lhundup Sopa of Deer Park Center, will offer long life offering prayers (tenshug) to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.