Madison Welcomes His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Saturday, 19 July 2008, 11:01 a.m.
 Sopa, director and abbot of Deer Park Buddhist Center, Senator Fred Risser, Senate President, Wisconsin State, Rep. Joe Parisi, Tashi Namgyal, coordinator, North American Tibetan Association and Lobsang Tenzin, president of the Wisconsin Tibetan Association greet His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Madison Airport/Phayul photos |
Madison: After successfully
concluding his one-day program in New York, His Holiness the Dalai Lama
arrived Friday morning in Madison, Wisconsin.
His Holiness was welcomed at the Madison airport by a number of
dignitaries, including Wisconsin State Senate President Fred Risser,
Geshe Llundup Sopa, director and abbot of Deer Park Buddhist Center,
Tashi Namgyal, coordinator, North American Tibetan Association and
Lobsang Tenzin, president of the Wisconsin Tibetan Association, Phayul
reported.
Scores of Tibetans attired in their traditional costumes waited
at Deer Park to greet His Holiness. Cultural performance by Tibetan
artists in snow lion costumes filled the aura with traditional
festivity. At the end, His Holiness was ushered into the monastery
under a golden umbrella by the monastic officials.
 Membersof students of Wisconsin Tibetan cultural school welcomes His Holiness the Dalai Lama by offering traditional Drotsol Chema |
His Holiness will consecrate a new temple complex at Deer Park
Buddhist Center on Saturday morning. Later in the afternoon, His
Holiness is scheduled to deliver a public talk at the Alliant Energy
Center Coliseum.
The highlight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s five-day visit
will be the long life prayer offering ceremony to be organized by the
North American Tibetan Associations (NATA) and Geshe Lhundup Sopa of
Deer Park Center on 24 July.
Beginning Sunday, His Holiness will confer four-day teachings
on Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (chodjug) by
Shantideva and Kamalashila’s Middle Stages of Meditation (gomrim barpa)
by Kamalashila at the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum.
Earlier on Thursday, some 6000 people thronged Radio City Music
Hall in New York City to hear His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Lord
Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, Phayul online repoted.
His Holiness underlined the efforts to preserve one’s own
traditions and culture but said it is wrong to close door to the
outside world. His Holiness said that one should strive to become a
21st century Buddhist with both traditional values and modern
education.
His Holiness appreciated the ‘genuine interest’ in Buddhist
tradition shown by the people of Himalayan region. The Tibetan
spiritual and temporal leader lauded the people of Himalayan region for
their unwavering faith in Buddha Dharma and Buddhist tradition.
The Himalayan Buddhist Community of New York comprises of
organizations of people from Chum, Dolpo, Gyalsumdo, Manang, Nupri,
Mustang, Sherpa, Tamang, Thakali, Walung and Yolmo. All these peoples
live in Nepal today, and have close religious and cultural ties with
the Tibetans. His Holiness called Nepalese people and Tibetans ‘twin
bother and sister’.
