Schedule change announced for the Dalai Lama’s visit

The Private Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has announced a change in schedule for His Holiness’ trip to deliver a series of teachings and a public lecture in July at Lehigh University.
Due to changes in his travel itinerary, His Holiness will arrive at Lehigh and begin the series of historic teachings on July 11, not July 10, as originally planned. However, the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center, which is sponsoring His Holiness’ visit, in collaboration with the university, has arranged a program of speakers titled, “Introducing the Path to Enlightenment.” This impressive program was proposed to His Holiness and His Holiness approved it.
The program will feature four of the world’s foremost teachers of Tibetan Buddhism:
• Venerable Thubten Chodron, “The Layout of the Stages of the Path Teachings and their Contemplative Value”
• Dr. Robert Thurman, “Jey Tsong-kha-pa and his masterwork, The Great Treatise”
• Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins, “Compassion and the Altruistic Spirit of Enlightenment”
• Venerable Doboom Tulku Rimpoche, “Reasoning about Reality: Emptiness and the Path to Enlightenment”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama will teach from July 11-15 on Tsong-kha-pa’s The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment: The Lamrim Chenmo.
The teachers now scheduled for July 10 will give the audience key background knowledge regarding The Great Treatise and provide an important foundation for the Dalai Lama’s teachings over the following five days.
His Holiness’ presentations at Lehigh represent the most extensive teaching on this classic Tibetan Buddhist text that he has presented in North America.
Joshua Cutler, director of the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center, said “As someone who worked on translating The Great Treatise for 12 years, I am very pleased that everyone who comes to the teachings will have the advantage of getting the foundation from four very knowledgeable teachers before they receive His Holiness’ clarifying insights on this great classic of Tibetan Buddhist traditions.”
Those who currently hold a single-day ticket for the July 10 session can exchange it for a ticket to the July 11 session when His Holiness will begin teaching, a ticket for another day of teaching, or obtain a refund for the July 10 ticket purchased.
Ticket holders should note:
• Tickets exchanged will not be guaranteed the same seat number or the same view of the stage.
• Ticket holders will get the best seat available at the time of exchange.
• Ticket holders will receive information on ticket exchanges and refunds Tuesday morning in a separate e-mail communication directly from TicketMaster.
• If you purchased your ticket with cash, you are required to return to the original place of purchase to exchange or refund the ticket.
• If you choose to refund your ticket, you must do so at the original point of purchase.
• All refunds must be made by 6 p.m. on Friday, June 20, 2008.
Tickets are $45-$60 per day, with each single-day ticket covering the morning and afternoon sessions. Seating capacity for the Sunday, July 13 morning session has been filled and tickets are no longer available. Tickets can be ordered from Ticketmaster online at: TicketMaster.com, by phone at (215) 336-2000, (570) 693-4100 or (610) 233-0006, and in person at any TicketMaster outlet and at the Stabler Arena box office.
In addition to the teachings, His Holiness will deliver a public lecture, “Generating a Good Heart,” the afternoon of July 13. Tickets for the public lecture are sold out.
For updated information about the event, please visit DalaiLamaJuly2008.com,
e-mail july10@dalailamajuly2008.com, or call Toll Free 1-888-815-3987.