Dalai Lama in Philly next week to discuss Buddhism
Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, will discuss Buddhism Wednesday in an address in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, will discuss Buddhism Wednesday in an address in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
His appearance is sponsored by the Kalmyk Brotherhood Society of America. He will discuss "Buddhism in the 21st Century" in a talk beginning at 12:30 p.m.
The Kalmyk Brotherhood of Philadelphia is preparing a sand mandala in his honor at its Temple of St. Zonkava in Feltonville.
By Buddhist tradition, the intricate mandala, made of colored sand, is a symbol of the transitory nature of things and will be destroyed after its display.
Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. He was forced to flee Tibet after the Chinese invasion in 1950, and set up the government of Tibet in exile in Dharamsala, India.
He has traveled extensively in the West, including the U.S., spreading his message of universal responsibility, secular ethics and religious harmony, and urging support for Tibetans.
He is a charismatic figure and a compelling speaker. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.
The Kalmyk Brotherhood was founded by and for the Kalmyk Mongol people living in the Philadelphia area. *
- John F. Morrison
