The Dalai Lama Comes to Town

Yep, apparently His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (I’m including the whole “His Holiness…” thing ’cause it’s in the press thing I got, which makes it sound like an official title & all that), will be appearing at Rice University on Tuesday, May 1st. There’re two events scheduled, one “general” event at 10AM and then a Rice-folks-only event at 2PM, and both’ll be held at Autry Court (aka, “the Rice basketball court/student gym”).

Now, I must admit that the prospect of packing in with a thousand or so(?) other people at the hot-and-steamy gym where I used to do my Phys Ed classes on a probably-hot weekday afternoon makes me grimace, but I’ve heard the place was renovated not too long ago, so hopefully the AC works better than it did back then. (Wait, scratch that — apparently they ain’t done the renovations quite yet. Hrm.)

And hey, this is the Dalai Lama we’re talking about, here — regardless of what you think of the guy (I happen to respect him quite a bit, but I’m sure other people out there feel differently), he is one of the foremost spiritual leaders in the world, up there with Nelson Mandela. I think I’d rather go see him speak than either Presidents Bush or Clinton, which is saying something.

Anyway, tickets go on sale online this coming Tuesday (April 3rd), and I’m seriously considering snatching up a couple. The affair’s being sponsored by Rice’s Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance, by the way, and they’re the ones selling the tickets — go here to purchase, but keep in mind that you won’t be able to get ’em until the 3rd, so if you go there now you’ll get an “no events on sale” error.

I dunno how often the Dalai Lama comes to town, really, but considering that he’s getting up there in years, this might well be the last chance to see him in person. (Unless, of course, you feel like waiting around to see who he happens to be reincarnated as the next time. Up to you.)