DALAI LAMA TO BLESS LARGEST BUDDHIST MONUMENT IN THE U.S.

Rocky Mountains – September 17, 2006
Visually Stunning and Historic Event

August 28, 2006 -- In an event of historic and religious significance, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will bless the largest Buddhist monument in the United States on Sunday morning, September 17 at the Shambhala Mountain Center in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Arriving in a convoy of helicopters from Denver, the Dalai Lama will be greeted by over 2,000 Buddhist practitioners. He will then proceed to The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya, one of the most noteworthy examples of Buddhist sacred architecture in the world and the largest monument dedicated to peace in North America.

In a two-hour event, the Dalai Lama will perform a traditional Tibetan blessing of the Stupa, speak to the assembly on the importance of compassion in today’s world, and receive the first Living Peace Award. The event is hosted by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, and author of national best-sellers Turning the Mind into an Ally and Ruling Your World. In addition, Queen Noor of Jordan and Rabbi Irwin Kula of the National Jewish Center for Leadership and Learning will participate in a panel discussion with the Dalai Lama and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche on the role of compassion in global leadership.

The event will be visually stunning as the Dalai Lama performs the ceremony high in the Colorado Rockies before an extraordinarily gilded architectural marvel. Surrounding the Great Stupa will be hundreds of Tibetan banners and flags. Although the Great Stupa was completed in 2001, this exceptional event is of great historic importance as it signifies a new chapter in the flowering of the traditional teachings of the Buddha in the United States.

Describing the significance of the Great Stupa, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche says, “In these turbulent times of extreme conflict and aggression threatening countless people and the planet itself, this monument to great compassion is a beacon, expressing the longing of countless Americans for peace, at home and abroad.”

The Dalai Lama’s visit is the culmination of a week of events at Shambhala Mountain Center. Two sold-out programs will attract people from all over the world, both of which will be hosted by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Compassion in the Rockies will take place September 13 - 16, and Compassionate Leadership, a seminar for corporate and non-profit leaders, will take place September 15 – 17.