Plans Announced for Dalai Lama Visit to Philadelphia


With all the hysteria talk about Pope Francis, some of you may have forgotten that another enlightened one, the Dalai Lama, is coming for a visit of his own on October 26th and 27th.

He will be in town to receive the 2015 Liberty Medal, which, as we reported in June, is presented annually by the National Constitution Center to individuals “who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.” That ceremony will take place October 26th from 4 to 6 pm at NCC.

In addition to that ceremony, The Tibetan Association of Philadelphia and the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia will take advantage of the Dalai Lama’s visit to host two public events at which he will be in attendance: At 1 p.m. on Monday, October 26, the Dalai Lama will lead a public teaching on the “Eight Verses for Training the Mind” at La Salle University in the Hayman Center. The next day, Tuesday, October 27th, he will stop by Temple’s Liacouras Center for a forum on “Finding Happiness in Troubled Times: Educating the Heart in the 21st Century.”

“It is our hope for His Holiness to have a successful trip to Philadelphia and that his visit and his presence will be beneficial and meaningful for the people of the City of Brotherly Love,” says the Venerable Lama Losang Samten, spiritual director of the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia. “We hope to work with the City and many organizations to create an environment of kindness during the visit. Kindness is something that Philadelphia should never be in short supply of.”

Tickets will go on sale starting on Wednesday, August 12, at DalaiLamaPhilly.org.