[Washington National Cathedral press release] Washington National Cathedral and the Office of Tibet will welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Cathedral on at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 7. This is the Dalai Lama’s fourth visit to the National Cathedral.

“We are eager to welcome the Dalai Lama back to this spiritual home for our nation,” said the Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of Washington National Cathedral. “His Holiness’ message of peace is an important one for all people of faith. We are eager to listen and to discuss how peace within ourselves can bring peace to the world.”

Through a talk entitled, “Beyond Religion: Ethics for the Whole World,” the Dalai Lama will share his vision of a path to leading an ethical, happy and spiritual life, and offer a road map to building a more compassionate and peaceful world. The program will also include a conversation between His Holiness and Cathedral Dean Gary Hall about the pursuit of peace. A question and answer session with the public will conclude the program.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the political and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. Born July 6, 1935, in northeastern Tibet to a peasant family, his Holiness was recognized at the age of two, in accordance with Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of his predecessor the 13th Dalai Lama, and thus an incarnation of Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of Compassion. Forced into exile by the 1959 Chinese invasion of Tibet, he now resides in Dharamsala, India, as the leader of the Tibetan government in exile. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his lifelong commitment to nonviolence.