Dalai Lama to Speak at UC San Diego Commencement

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February 4, 2017;

By Lauren Holt – February 2, 2017 (San Diego Guardian)

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will be making two speaking appearances at UC San Diego for the start of his U.S. tour at the end of the academic year, the Office of the Chancellor announced this afternoon. His Holiness will first speak at a public event on June 16, followed by the keynote address at the invitation-only UC San Diego All Campus Commencement on June 17.

Khosla praised the exiled religious leader in a campuswide email, saying the values he advocates align with UC San Diego’s philosophies.

“We are honored to host His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at UC San Diego and thankful that he will share messages of global compassion with our graduates and their families, as well as with a broad public audience,” Khosla wrote. “A man of peace, the Dalai Lama promotes global responsibility and service to humanity. These are the ideals we aim to convey and instill in our students and graduates at UC San Diego.”

The visit is in partnership with the The Friends of the Dalai Lama Foundation, a nonprofit established by Ven. Lama Tenzin Dhonden in order to better assist the Dalai Lama in spreading his ideas of peace and compassion.

“This shall be a very special visit. San Diego loves His Holiness,” Lama Tenzin Dhonden said in a statement. “His Holiness will come to San Diego to share an authentic message of peace and human value as the students enter their professional lives. The seeds of kindness and compassion shall sprout through their future work and spread these basic values throughout the world. Parents and members of the community will be able to share the celebration of graduation while receiving this message.”

The Dalai Lama previously spoke at UC San Diego in 2012.