The Dalai Lama of Tibet will return to Bloomington on Sept. 7 and 8 to dedicate a new interfaith temple at the Tibetan Cultural Center south of the city.
The event will be part of the Tibetan leader’s first U.S. visit since he had to cancel a North American tour that included a Bloomington appearance in April 2002. At that time, the religious and political leader of the Tibetan government in exile was suffering from a minor stomach ailment and exhaustion.
“I am happy to announce I was most recently in India, (where the Dalai Lama lives in Dharamsala),” his nephew, Jigme Norbu of Bloomington, said last week. “He’s well rested, in good health and back to his very busy schedule, which is booked years in advance.”
In September, the Dalai Lama will dedicate the new Chamtse Ling Temple, which will include a great hall, library, meeting rooms, living quarters for the resident abbot and living space for the Tibetan leader when he visits Bloomington.
The upcoming appearance by the Nobel Peace Prize winner will mark his fourth in Bloomington. He also traveled to the Tibetan Cultural Center and home of his older brother, Thubten J. Norbu, in 1987, 1996 and 1999, when he conducted the rare Kalachakra initiation for world peace in a ceremony lasting 12 days.
More information about the Dalai Lama’s visit can be obtained from the Tibetan Cultural Center at (812) 331-0014 or www.tibetancc.com
