Dharamshala, July 21 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be in Germany on a three day visit from 26-28 of this month. His Holiness will be in the German town of Wiesbaden at the invitation of H.E. Roland Koch, Minister-President of the State of Hesse.

His Holiness will receive the Peace Prize from the Hessian Institute of Peace and Conflict Research. His Holiness will also meet with various leaders including members of the state parliament. The American Chamber of Commerce in Germany will host a luncheon reception in honour of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

This is His Holiness’ first foreign visit after the Tibetan leader turned 70 on 6 July and the exile Tibetan government and its people began the yearlong celebrations of his 70th year on earth as a collective expression of gratitude for his leadership.

A cultural troupe of fifteen members from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) will join the forthcoming celebrations scheduled in Germany.

tibet.net, the official website of the exile Tibetan government describes celebrations as “recognition of His Holiness’ unflinching leadership of the Tibetan people, his commitment towards finding a peaceful and mutually acceptable solution to the Tibet issue and promotion of human values and cooperation among various faiths”.

Before leaving for Italy on 29, His Holiness will give a public talk on 28 July at the Kurpark, Wiesbaden.

His Holiness will be in Switzerland to give teachings on Shantideva's Bodhicharyavatara (Living the Bodhisattava Way of Life or Choejuk in Tibetan) and Kamashila's Bhavanakrama (Middle Stages of Meditation or Gomrim Bharma in Tibetan) from 5 to 12 August. The teachings are to be held at the Hallenstadion (Indoor Stadium) in
Zurich.

A Public Talk will also be given on 7 August 2005.