The Dalai Lama will visit Vancouver from September 8–10, 2006 to host the Vancouver Dialogues 2006 -- the first in a regular series of dialogues sponsored by the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education. The dialogues will provide a unique opportunity to join with the Dalai Lama and leading global thinkers in considering issues of universal responsibility and compassion as a foundation for peace.
"It is a tremendous honour for Vancouver to be the home of the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education and host of the Vancouver Dialogues," said Victor Chan, founding Director of the Center. "The caliber of participants in these Dialogues is outstanding and showcases the vibrant interest throughout the academic, business and social communities in the Dalai Lama's message of kindness and compassion as the fundamental tools for building meaningful happiness and peace."
Educating the Heart - September 8, 2006
The Dalai Lama will share the Orpheum stage in the morning with a select group of high school students from the Lower Mainland. He will listen to the students' personal stories of acts of compassion and courage and engage in conversation with them about these topics.
In the afternoon, the Dalai Lama will engage in dialogue with leading educators, researchers and policy makers on the themes of cultivating compassion and educating the heart.
Moderated by Maria LeRose, the panelists include:
Happiness and Stress as Determinants of Mental Health - September 9, 2006
The Dalai Lama will participate in discussions at the Orpheum throughout the day with leading researchers on the topic of enhancing authentic happiness and physical wellbeing.
The dialogue, moderated by Dr. Tony Phillips, Director of the Institute of Mental Health, UBC, will include presentations by:
Public Talk: Cultivating Happiness - September 9, 2006
The Dalai Lama will present a public talk later in the afternoon at GM Place entitled "Cultivating Happiness". During the talk, he will discuss the causes and conditions for happiness, and provide guidance on developing an authentic sense of well-being that is not dependent on external circumstances.
Connecting for Change: Corporate and Social Leaders in Dialogue - September 9 & 10, 2006
The Leaders' Dialogues will start with a series of small group conversations on September 9 among prominent national and international business leaders and social innovators. On September 10, the Dalai Lama will engage in dialogue with the leaders.
Moderators of the sessions include:
The Leaders Dialogue is by invitation only, but the results of the Dialogue will be posted on-line at www.dalailamacenter.org and portions of this Dialogue will be webcast.
Tickets
Tickets will be available for purchase by the general public for all events, except for the Leaders' Dialogue, commencing Friday June 23, 2006 through Ticketmaster. Information on tickets and prices will be posted on-line at www.dalailamacenter.org and at www.ticketmaster.ca.
The Center, which is scheduled for completion in 2009, is a non-political, non-religious institution that acts as a beacon for promoting peace through education, research and dialogue. "My religion is kindness," the Dalai Lama famously stated. The Center is aligned with this ethos and to the Dalai Lama's belief that each person must "cultivate the heart, and work for peace within yourself and in the world."
The vision of the Vancouver-based Center reflects the Dalai Lama's life-long commitment to compassion and inner well-being. The Center will be a world-class institution, grounded in Vancouver yet global in nature. While its physical home will be in Vancouver, its reach will be world-wide.