September event with spiritual leader sold out
By Patty Machelor
Even the waiting list is sold out for the Dalai Lama’s three-day session in Tucson next September, leaving a separate talk the only chance for Tucsonans hoping to see the spiritual leader of Tibet.
His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso is scheduled to be in town Sept. 16 for three days of Buddhist teachings focused on meditation, followed by a public talk Sept. 19.
There are more than 500 names on the waiting list for the meditation session, said Ken Bacher, executive director of Arizona Teachings Inc. No more requests are being accepted.
Arizona Teachings Inc. formed to coordinate the Dalai Lama’s last visit 12 years ago.
Bacher said those on the waiting list already have a chance of getting in if people cancel their reservations, which happened before the Dalai Lama’s last visit in 1993.
“What we discovered in the last experience is we thought we had this enormous waiting list and then in six months, more than 300 people determined they couldn’t come,” Bacher said. “We’re going to try to get everybody into that room that we can.”
The three-day event will be held at JW Marriott Starr Pass, he said.
Judy Brewer, a board member of Arizona Friends of Tibet, doesn’t know when tickets for the Sept. 19 talk will go on sale, but encourages people to check the group’s Web site at www.afot.org for more information in the weeks ahead.
The Sept. 19 talk will be held at the Tucson Convention Center, and seats range from $10 to $100.
“There are over 6,000 seats for the public talk, and we think that everyone that’s interested will be able to be accommodated,” Brewer said.
Friends of Tibet works to educate people about Tibet’s culture and the plight of its people, now under Chinese rule.
His holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, is considered the living embodiment of Chenrezig, one of the principal students of the Buddha, who himself achieved enlightenment.
In 1950, the People’s Republic of China invaded and occupied Tibet. A popular uprising in 1959 failed, and religious leaders fled. Since 1960, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Parliament have been in exile in Dharmsala, a small town in northern India, from which they lobby the world to help regain Tibetan autonomy.
The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his nonviolent efforts to free Tibet from Chinese rule.
Both Brewer and Bacher said hearing the Dalai Lama speak will be especially inspiring considering current world crises, including the war in Iraq.
“I admire the Dalai Lama and his kindness and compassion, and his ability to not feel animosity toward the Chinese.” Brewer said. “After what his people have gone through, he still wants to find a peaceful means for everyone to live together.”
Bacher said people interested in learning more about the Dalai Lama and his teachings can find additional information at www.arizonateachings.org.
