As the Dalai Lama hits a milestone birthday next week, the International Campaign for Tibet will host an online event to celebrate his many decades of inspiring people throughout the United States.
The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism—who received the US Congressional Gold Medal and routinely ranks as one of Americans’ most admired people in the world—turns 85 on July 6, 2020.
To honor the occasion, ICT will hold a special livestream that day at 12 noon EDT/9 am PDT, featuring ICT’s founding President Tenzin Tethong, who served as the Dalai Lama’s representative to North America from 1973-86 and special representative in Washington, DC from 1987-90. Tethong will describe the Dalai Lama’s first trips to the US.
Eight ICT members from across the country will also take part in the event. They include a Christian hospital chaplain, a professor, a physician and a novelist, among others.
The ICT members will share personal stories of how the Dalai Lama impacted their lives and inspired them to support ICT, which serves the vision of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.
The tribute to the Dalai Lama’s birthday will be part of ICT’s Tibet Talks, a series of live conversations about Tibet with inspiring thinkers, leaders, activists and artists.
“We are so excited to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 85th birthday with ICT members and Dalai Lama followers around the country and the globe,” ICT President Matteo Mecacci said. “It’s impossible to overstate how much the Dalai Lama has meant to people across the United States since he first began visiting here more than four decades ago. We look forward to looking back on that incredible history, and looking ahead to the future of the Dalai Lama’s vision for Tibet and our world.”
More details about the event are below.
WHAT: Celebrating the Dalai Lama’s 85th Birthday on a special Tibet Talks
WHO: Several speakers will take part in the event
- Tenzin Tethong, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to North America, 1973-86; special representative of His Holiness in Washington, DC, 1987-90; and founding president of ICT
- Eight ICT members from around the United States who will describe how the Dalai Lama influenced their lives
- Matteo Mecacci, president of ICT
- Tencho Gyatso, ICT’s director of outreach
WHEN: Monday, July 6 at 12 noon EDT/9 am PDT
WHERE: The event will stream live at www.https://savetibet.org/live and on ICT’s Facebook page.