(from DIIR: Governmnent of Tibet in exile, Dharamsala, India)

Dalai Lama to Visit New York, Indiana, Illinois in August

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, will visit the United States August 12-28.

This visit is primarily to give Buddhist teachings in New York City and Bloomington, Indiana. The Dalai Lama's schedule includes a public talk in New York's Central Park, a Sacred Tibetan Buddhist teaching, Kalachakra initiation, to 10,000 people in Bloomington, Indiana, and a public talk at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. The Kalachakra is the most revered of all Tibetan Buddhist rituals and is open to persons of all spiritual traditions. The ceremony will be translated from Tibetan into English, Chinese and Japanese. The program at the Chicago Field Museum is part of His Holiness' efforts to bring greater awareness to Tibet's cultural heritage, which is facing increasing threat within Tibet.

The Dalai Lama's visit comes at a time when the Tibetan issue has become a major agenda item in Sino-US talks. The Dalai Lama last met President Clinton in November 1998 during which the President reiterated U.S. support for negotiations between the Chinese leadership and the Tibetans to resolve the Tibetan problem.

His Holiness fled Tibet in 1959, and lives in exile in India. His Holiness remains committed to the process of peaceful negotiations as a means to resolve the problem of Tibet.

Program Schedule:

* New York City

August 12-14 : Lecture on Kamalashila's Middle Length Stages of Meditation and The Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas. Venue: Beacon Theater.

August 15: Public talk on Eight Verses on Training the Mind. Venue: Central Park

Further Information: www.thetibetcenter.org

* Indiana

August 16: Public Talk at Indiana University, Indianapolis

August 16-28 Kalachakra Initiation for World Peace Venue: The Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington. Further Information: www.tibetancc.com

* Chicago, IL

August 28: 9:30 am. Public talk. Venue: Field Museum of Natural History, Stanley Hall. Further Information: www.fieldmuseum.org