Reportage – 2007

Dalai Lama to visit Hawaiian island Maui in April

Dorjee Tsering, Lama Gyaltsen and Tenzin Dolma poses in front of the new Stupa being built at Paia [ click here for print size   3.8M ]

KEHENA BEACH, Hawaii, 26 January 2007 — The Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Maui, one of the eight Hawaiian islands, in April according to a resident teacher of a Dharma centre.

"We are 99% sure that His Holiness will visit Maui in April for two days," said Lama Gyaltsen, the resident teacher of Maui Dharma Centre.

On 24 April, he will give a free talk on "The Human Approach to World Peace" at the Maui Arts & Cultural Centre.

A teaching on 25 April by reservation, also at the same venue, he will give a discourse on "Eight Verses for Training the Mind".

The Dalai Lama will consecrate a stupa being built at the Maui Dharma Centre in Paia.

The Maui Dharma Centre, the Tibetan Cultural Conservancy Centre of Maui and Ala Kukui-Hana Retreat Centre requested his visit to the island.

There are 11 Tibetans, including two monks, living on Maui, which is the second most favourite tourist destination among the eight Hawaiian islands. Honolulu, the capital of the Hawaiian islands (or the state of Hawaii) is located on Oahu. The total number of Tibetans in the whole of state of Hawaii is around 15.

"We are preparing a traditional Tibetan dance presentation for His Holiness," says Dorjee Tsering, one of the Tibetans.

The Dalai Lama will then depart to the US mainland to go to San Francisco, California and Madison, Wisconsin, where he will give more public talks and teachings until 5 May.