By Mike Leonard
Anticipation of the Dalai Lama of Tibet’s Sept. 7 visit to Bloomington increased Wednesday when it was announced that Muhammad Ali also will attend the events planned for that day.
The Dalai Lama will dedicate the new, 10,000-square-foot Chamtse Ling interfaith temple on the Tibetan Cultural Center grounds.
Ali, boxing champion and peace advocate, will attend to show his support for the exiled Tibetan leader, the Tibetan people and the mission of the temple to promote world peace and harmony.
“It will be the first time the two have met,” the Dalai Lama’s nephew Jigme Norbu said. “We’re honored that he is taking the time and making the effort to be with us.”
Since retiring from boxing, Ali has devoted himself to supporting causes such as hunger and poverty relief, support of education and efforts to promote peace. Despite suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Ali still travels as many as 200 days a year to promote the causes he believes in.
A primary project of the former heavyweight champion is the construction of the $41 million Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, Ky. The center is being established not only to preserve the legacy of the man who became “the most recognized human being on Earth” but also the ideals of respect, hope and understanding among the peoples of the world.
Ali will stay in the new Chamtse Ling Temple, which also includes residential quarters exclusively reserved for the Dalai Lama.
Local religious leaders and Indiana Gov. Frank O’Bannon are also being invited to participate in the temple dedication and related events on Sept. 7.
The temple dedication will begin at 10 a.m., with the gates to the TCC opening at 5 a.m. Because the exiled Tibetan leader and 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner is considered by the U.S. government to be a visiting head of state, security precautions under the direction of the U.S. State Department will include the use of metal detectors, bomb-sniffing dogs, bag searches and pat-downs.
Jetsun Pema, the Dalai Lama’s sister and head of the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala, India, will participate in afternoon programs directed at youths. The programs will include a panel discussion on “How to Find Peaceful Solutions to Conflict” and awards to area youth who participated in the arts-based competition on the theme, “Let Peace Begin With Me: I Can Make A Difference.”
The Indiana University Children’s Choir also will perform.
Film star and well-known Tibetan activist Richard Gere is expected to attend as well.
Several events also are being planned for a “Spirit of Tibet Week” prior to the Dalai Lama’s visit. Among them will be an address by Robert Thurman, an expert on Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism from Columbia University and the father of film star, Uma Thurman.
Admission to the TCC grounds will be $75 per person, with all proceeds going to help defray the costs of bringing the Dalai Lama to Bloomington and providing security and other event-related costs. Any revenue in excess of those expenses will be applied toward debt incurred in building the interfaith temple.
Attendance will be capped at 5,000.
The Dalai Lama was scheduled to dedicate the temple in April, 2002, but illness forced him to cancel. Work on the temple was essentially suspended until local officials confirmed that the Dalai Lama would make his fourth visit to Bloomington in September.
The Dalai Lama’s older brother, retired Indiana University professor Thubten J. Norbu, suffered a serious stroke last September but is expected to participate in events to the extent his health will allow. Norbu, who will turn 82 in August, is the founder of the TCC and the Tibetan Independence Movement.
“This has been my father’s dream for such a long time,” his son, Jigme, said on the steps of the Chamtse Ling Temple Wednesday as workers hurried to complete construction and decorative details on the temple.
Norbu’s goal is for the temple to host interfaith conferences, workshops and presentations as well as sectarian events devoted to world peace and understanding.
Reserved seating for the Chamtse Ling Temple dedication can be purchased in advance by sending a check, money order or credit card information (and a self-addressed, stamped envelope) to the Tibetan Cultural Center, P.O. Box 2581, Bloomington, IN 47402.
More information can be found on the Internet at www.tibetancc.com or by calling Sandy at (812) 334-7046.
Mike Leonard can be contacted at leonard@heraldt.com (812- 331-4368)
