Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet and 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate, will come to the Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington, Indiana, on Sunday, September 7, 2003, to dedicate the Chamtse Ling, an interfaith temple whose mission is to promote world peace and harmony. The dedication ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on the Tibetan Cultural Center grounds, located at 3655 Snoddy Road. His Holiness will be saying some words and confering blessing at the end of the morning program, as well as being present at our afternoon program.

At 2:00 p.m. at the Tibetan Cultural Center, Jetsun Pema, younger sister of His Holiness and President of the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala, India, as well as other panelists, including Muhammad Ali and Elaine Melencamp, will facilitate a Afternoon Program entitled “How to Find Peaceful Solutions to Conflicts.” Children from a variety of cultures living in the Bloomington area will interact with Jetsun Pema and the panelists as they discuss issues concerning Conflict Resolution and present essays they have written on this topic, "Let peace Begin with Me:I Make a Difference." The winning Youth Essays will be presented to His Holiness, who will make concluding remarks.

At the end of the day we will be having a ceremonial tree planting for world peace. His Holiness and Muhammad Ali will be doing this, and we hope to include other religions leaders. Details as we have them.

This occasion will mark the fourth time the Fourteenth Dalai Lama has come to the Tibetan Cultural Center. In 1987, His Holiness dedicated the Jangchub Chorten, a monument to Tibetan Refugees; in 1996, he laid the cornerstone of the Chamtse Ling; and in 1999, he gave the Kalachakra Initiation for World Peace and Harmony, a Buddhist ritual for world peace and harmony that took place during a period of twelve days and drew more than 5,000 persons from all over the world.

The Tibetan Cultural Center, the home of Thubten Jigme Norbu, the elder brother of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, was established in 1979 to acquaint people with the history and culture of Tibet and to support Tibetans everywhere--both in Tibet and in exile.

All those interested in details concerning the Youth Program at the TCC , and the tickets for the Chamtse Ling Dedication Ceremony should use the appropriate links at the top and bottom of this page.

To aid in your planning, here is a link to a website listing lodging in the Bloomington area: visitBloomington.com

TCC cottages are not available for rent during this event