Residents of Vancouver, BC and those visiting the province came out in numbers to hear His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak at UBC’s Chan Centre and the Orpheum Theatre. He was in town to continue the peace dialogue he started in 2006, inviting well-known peace pundits to join him on stage for some laughter and serious conversation.
“Let’s take this idea of compassion and translate it into very real and concrete solutions,” said Victor Chan, Dalai Lama Centre trustee, in his introduction.
Some of his renowned guests included:
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu (by video from South Africa) and his daughter Rev. Mpho Tutu
- Blue Man Group, musicians and minds behind the recently-created Blue Man Creativity Center and Early Childhood Program in Manhattan
- Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now and A New Earth
- Maria Shriver, journalist, author, member of the Kennedy family and wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Peter Buffett, son of Warren Buffett
- Sir Ken Robinson, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, leader in developing creativity and New York Times best selling author
- Kim Campbell, first woman Prime Minister of Canada
- Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, author, translator and photographer
- Nobel Laureates Jody Williams, Murrary Gell-Mann, Mairhead Maguire and Betty Williams were all present
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Officially called the Vancouver Peace Summit: Nobel Laureates in Dialogue, one to one-and-a-half hour sessions were conducted at UBC’s Chan Centre and the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver over three days.
The theme of peace was divided into four main sessions plus His Holiness’ appearance at “We Day” at GM Place, a gathering of social change activists and musicians. Sessions included:
- World Peace Through Personal Peace with Reverend Mpho Tutu, Eckhart Tolle and Matthieu Ricard. Sir Ken Robinson moderated.
- Nobel Laureates in Dialogue: Connecting for Peace with Mairhead Maguire, Betty Williams and Jody Williams. Mary Robinson moderated.
- Educating the Heart: Creativity and Well-Being with Sir Ken Robinson, Daniel Siegel, Blue Man Group, Eckhart Tolle and Murray Gell-Mann. Matthieu Ricard moderated.
- Heart-Mind Education with Clyde Hertzman, Kim Schonert-Reichl, Adele Diamond, Stephen Covey and Mairhead Maguire was part of the Educating the Heart session. Marth C. Piper moderated.
- Women and Peace-building with Ela Bhatt, Fazle Hasan Abed, Jody Williams, Kim Campbell, Peter Buffett and Swanee Hunt. Susan Davis moderated.
Dalai Lama Tickets / The Dalai Lama Centre
All of this was presented by the new Vancouver-based Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education. Although without a home at the moment, they are searching for a space in Vancouver to continue "educating the heart.”
For now, those visiting Vancouver can sign up for their e-newsletter at the above website and be privy to all of the events, workshops and projects from this spectacular initiative. Dalai Lama tickets for sale are announced through the website and a Dalai Lama video of the conference is also available for those who couldn’t attend.
Lori Henry - A travel writer, Lori flits between exploring the world with incessant curiosity and huddling over her laptop writing.
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