Dalai Lama
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday will be celebrated with a Global Compassion Summit; July 5-7, 2015, at the Honda Center and UC Irvine. Daniel A. Anderson / UCI

Irvine, Calif., March 12, 2015 – Friends of the Dalai Lama announced today that a Global Compassion Summit will be held in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s landmark 80th birthday. The summit will take place July 5-7, 2015, and will be the official world celebration of His Holiness’ 80th birthday, featuring world leaders, Nobel Laureates, celebrity guests, speakers and performers from around the globe. Tickets will go on sale April 2, 2015.

Hosted by Friends of the Dalai Lama, UC Irvine and the Center for Living Peace, the kick-off will be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., which accommodates 18,000 attendees. The following two days of summit dialogues, panels and special gatherings will take place on the UCI campus. This will be the Dalai Lama’s first visit to Anaheim, The City of Kindness, and third visit to Irvine. All events are open to the public.

“This milestone occasion is a joyous opportunity for people to come together in celebration of His Holiness’ life and achievements,” said Venerable Lama Tenzin Dhonden, Personal Emissary for Peace to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Founder and Chair of the independent, non-profit Friends of the Dalai Lama.

“His Holiness has devoted his life’s work to positively guide audiences all over the world to open their minds and hearts to peaceful and compassionate existence. On this very special birthday, we will have a chance to celebrate his accomplishments in many areas and hear his exciting view for the years to come,” Lama Tenzin continued. “I believe 2015 is a year of great hope. On behalf of Friends of the Dalai Lama, I’d like to express my gratitude to UC Irvine and the Center for Living Peace for joining us in hosting the upcoming Global Compassion Summit in Southern California this July 2015.”

“We are humbled and honored that His Holiness the Dalai Lama will return to our campus on this special birthday. It is an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate his achievements which have inspired our students through the UCI XIV Dalai Lama Scholarship to create impactful projects to promote and celebrate compassion throughout our community and beyond,” shared Vice Chancellor Student Affairs Thomas A. Parham. “At UCI, we believe that developing global citizens must involve educating the heart as well as the mind, while we also seek to excite students’ passions and ignite their spirits.”

“Few people exemplify living peace as poignantly as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,” said Kelly Thornton Smith, philanthropist and founder of Center for Living Peace. “We feel such a deep sense of gratitude to be able to host this momentous occasion and to help inspire everyone around the globe to make Good Happen every day.”

The Global Compassion Summit is designed to foster a dialogue on compassion and peace with His Holiness’ diverse, multiethnic global audience. The event will be a celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s lifetime of devotion to the work of spreading the message of the value of peace, kindness and universal compassion throughout the world.

The program will highlight the different areas in which His Holiness has had great impact. It will be a platform for on-stage dialogue amongst friends, fellow Nobel Laureates, leaders and experts with whom he has collaborated or shares common values toward the achievement of Universal Peace. Dialogues to include:

  • Awakening Compassion: The Transformative Power of Creativity and Art
  • Compassionate Planet: The Effects of Climate Change and Taking Action to Resolve this Global Issue
  • Wisdom, Vision and Experience: A Dialogue with Nobel Laureates
  • Youth Leadership Panel: The Significance of Education in Advancing Universal Human Values

“The Global Compassion Summit provides an opportunity for people from all walks of life to learn about universal compassion – to better themselves and the world they live in,” said Lama Tenzin Dhonden. “Together we will celebrate the tireless work and accomplishments of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the official 80th birthday celebration, while sharing well wishes for a long life.”

Friends of the Dalai Lama is an independent, non-profit organization founded to amplify the positive messages of His Holiness. The organization supports important endeavors that align with His Holiness’ values of compassion and peace. The Global Compassion Summit honoring His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th Birthday is the first event presented by Friends of the Dalai Lama, and only official event of its kind taking place during his actual birthday.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama does not charge a speaking engagement fee and no aspect of His Holiness’ visit is being used to profit financially. The Global Compassion Summit and the world birthday celebration for His Holiness is a privately funded event.

For additional information please visit http://www.hhdl80.org

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About Friends of the Dalai Lama: Friends of the Dalai Lama is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2014 by Lama Tenzin Dhonden, Personal Emissary for Peace to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Friends of the Dalai Lama facilitates the participation of His Holiness in public and private events. The work it delivers is based on Six Core Value Elements that enable each audience to gain a deeper and actionable understanding of His Holiness’ message on Human Values, Secular Ethics, Inter-Religious Dialogue, Environmental Protection and Sustainability, Compassionate Education and Ethical Leadership for the sake of humanity. http://www.friendsofdalailama.org/

About UC Irvine: UC Irvine’s connection with the Dalai Lama dates back to his first visit in 1989. A subsequent visit in 2004 inspired the creation of the XIV Dalai Lama Endowed Scholarship. Since then, 12 scholars have married the values of ethical leadership, peace and positive global relations with the university’s mission of public service to the community with such projects as “Compassion in Medicine,” “Kindness Month” and the “Peace Flag Project.” The Dalai Lama spoke to a sold-out arena at UCI in 2011 and has maintained correspondence with students about gratitude and compassion in action. The Dalai Lama and UCI leadership are aligned in support of holistic education as a path to a better world. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu/

About Center for Living Peace: The Center for Living Peace is a nonprofit organization founded by Kelly Thornton Smith that creates opportunities for people to find inner peace and purpose, discover their own gifts and talents, and share them with the world. Nestled inside a unique facility near UCI, public classes and program offerings encourage the community to turn positive intentions into action and to truly be the change they wish to see in the world. Get to know more by visiting http://GoodHappens.org