DHARAMSHALA: His Holiness the Dalai Lama will visit the UK from 27 – 30 June 2015. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate’s brief visit include a guest appearance at the Glastonbury Festival and a public teaching in Aldershot.
The key themes throughout this visit will be the promotion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message of compassion, non-violence and the oneness of humanity.
On Sunday 28 June, His Holiness will visit Glastonbury Festival as a guest of the festival. Emily Eavis said: “We’re honoured to welcome the Dalai Lama to Glastonbury 2015. He will be talking in the Green Fields and exploring the farm this Sunday as part of his trip to the UK. What a special moment for the Festival!”
The Tibetan spiritual leader will visit Aldershot on Monday 29 June at the invitation of the Buddhist Community Centre UK (BCCUK). The BCCUK is a new centre in Aldershot, which has a large Nepalese Buddhist community. This will be His Holiness’s second visit to Aldershot following the visit in June 2012.
H.H the Dalai Lama will give a public talk at the ESS Stadium Aldershot in the afternoon on the theme of ‘Buddhism in the 21st Century’ at an event hosted by the BCCUK. The audience of over 6,000 people will include many members of the Nepalese Buddhist community, and other Buddhists and followers of HH the Dalai Lama from the UK and elsewhere. The Nepalese Buddhist community, like Buddhists across the Himalayan region, consider HH the Dalai Lama to be their spiritual leader and have a deep reverence for him.
The 29 June programme will begin with His Holiness’s inauguration of the BCCUK temple followed by prayers, with the Nepalese Buddhist community and leaders of other religious faiths, for the victims of the recent Nepal earthquakes.
Kaji Sherpa, Chair of BCCUK, said: “We are greatly honoured to be welcoming His Holiness the Dalai Lama back to Aldershot. This visit is an occasion for great excitement and joy for the Nepalese Buddhist community, and for the many other Buddhists and followers of His Holiness here in the UK. We know that the prayers that His Holiness the Dalai Lama will lead during the visit to the BCCUK will provide great solace to the family, relatives and friends of the victims of the earthquakes that tragically struck Nepal recently.”
Following his visit to the UK, His Holiness fly to the United States where he will participate in a moderated discussion hosted by the George W. Bush Presidential Center and SMU at Dallas, Texas.
During his visit to the United States, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will also participate in the tenshug prayer offering.
Tibetan communities from around the United States and Canada will join together for two days of special events in New York City July 9 and 10 to celebrate the 80th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In honor of His Holiness’ 80th birthday and in the presence of the Dalia Lama, Buddhist monks will chant prayers, participants will dress in traditional regalia and vendors will offer statues of Buddha, religious scroll paintings called thangka, incense and other religious artifacts.
On the afternoon of July 10, United States officials, members of Congress and prominent religious and civic leaders are invited to attend a public reception to celebrate with His Holiness. Attendees will also celebrate by participating in an ancient Buddhist ritual that dates back centuries, as well as receiving teachings from the Dalai Lama himself.
The Buddhist ritual, Tenshug in Tibetan, is a long-life offering and a moving ceremony comprised of prayers and a procession of symbolic offerings. The purpose of this prayer is to ask for a long and healthy life for His Holiness and to preserve his Buddhist teachings.
“In many ways, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has profoundly touched not only the lives of the Tibetan people, but also countless others throughout the world,” said Tashi Namgyal, North American Representative to the Tibetan Parliament and co-chair of the Gratitude Events Organizing Committee. “This birthday celebration honors the Tibetan leader for the wisdom and spiritual guidance he has provided to both Buddhists and non-Buddhist; and for his unwavering efforts to alleviate the sufferings of all sentient beings,” Namgyal added.
His Holiness is the living embodiment of the hopes and aspirations of many Tibetans for the survival of their endangered heritage. His contributions as an architect of the non-violent and peaceful Tibetan struggle seek to end the Chinese government’s oppressive rule in Tibet. In honor of his leadership in spearheading the peaceful struggle for Tibet’s freedom, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.
Throughout the years, His Holiness has travelled to more than 67 countries spanning six continents spreading the message of universal responsibility, compassion, altruism and non-violence. Recognized as a man of peace, His Holiness has gained love and respect throughout the world and serves as an anchor for us in troubled times.
His Holiness will also participate in various talks, events and panel discussions at the Honda Center in Anaheim and the Bren Events Center at the UC Irvine Campus organized by Friends of the Dalai Lama in partnership with the Center for Living Peace and University of California, Irvine.
