His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Washington, DCMonday, 5 October 2009, 9:09 a.m.
New York: His Holiness the Dalai Lama is scheduled to arrive in Washington D.C. in the afternoon of 5 October 2009 from New York. This will be the last leg of his current visit to the United States and Canada. His Holiness will be here till 10 October 2009.During his stay here, His Holiness will receive the first Lantos Human Rights Prize established by the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. The Foundation furthers the work of the late Congressman Tom Lantos, distinguished Chair of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Co-Founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and the only survivor of the Holocaust to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Members of Congress and other dignitaries are scheduled to attend the ceremony.His Holiness will also bestow the International Campaign for Tibet’s Light of Truth awards to two recipients, which includes a group of Chinese intellectuals, who have contributed in putting the spotlight on the issue of Tibet and to help promote a non-violent resolution of the problem.His Holiness will participate in the 19th series in the Mind and Life conferences organized by the Mind & Life Institute. The conference series promotes interaction between Tibetan Buddhists and modern scientists and the theme this time is “Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century: Educators, Scientists and Contemplatives Dialogue on Cultivating a Healthy Mind, Brain and Heart.”Leading educators, scientists and policy makers will discuss the importance of researching the effects of mindfulness programs and curricula on educational environments, especially for students exposed to risk factors such as poverty, violence and divorce. Some US Administration officials, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, are also scheduled to participate in this two-day conference.His Holiness will be giving a half day lecture on “Finding Wisdom in the Modern World” at the Bender Arena in American University. This event is organized by the Conservancy for Tibetan Art and Culture (CTAC), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. CTAC also organised such a teaching by His Holiness in November of 1998 at the same venue.His Holiness’s last program for this visit is a meeting with the Tibetan community, which is being organised by the Capital Area Tibetan Association.–Report prepared by Mr. Bhuchung K. Tsering of ICT
