Dalai Lama to speak at two events at USC

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet will visit USC on May 3 for two events hosted by the USC Student Interfaith Council.

“We are very excited that the Dalai Lama has accepted the USC Student Interfaith Council’s invitation to speak on campus,” said Varun Soni, Dean of Religious Life at USC. “We see this as an extraordinary and unique opportunity and are very excited for this to take place.”

The first event will take place in the morning at the Galen Center, where the Dalai Lama will give a public talk on secular ethics, religious pluralism and the relationship between spirituality and science. A question-and-answer session moderated by Dr. James Doty, board member of the Dalai Lama Foundation, will follow the lecture.

The Dalai Lama will participate in a panel of scholars, also including USC neuroscience professor Antonio Damasio and USC professor of philosophy and law Gideon Yaffe, in an event that afternoon at Bovard Auditorium. The panel will talk about consciousness, cognition and contemplation.

Sarrah Shahawy, student leader of the Student Interfaith Council, said she believes the Dalai Lama’s choice to speak at USC is a testament to the Student Interfaith Council’s high level of involvement for advocating religious discussion.

“USC is a leader in interfaith work as a university, and we are a very active organization, especially compared to ones at other schools across the country,” Shahawy said. “We strive to work towards fostering an interfaith community, and are very committed to working across ethnic divides.”

Shahawy also said she expects student turnout at both events to be extremely high because of the Dalai Lama’s strong influence on religion in the 21st century.

“This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially since the Dalai Lama is starting to cut down on his worldwide tours,” she said. “It truly is a huge honor that one of the foremost religious leaders of our time, who has devoted his life to making the world a better place for all, is coming to our campus.”

Tickets to both events will go on sale online Sat., March 12, and over the phone Mon., March 14.

Students can buy tickets at a discounted price of $20 each for up to four tickets to each event. USC faculty and staff are eligible to buy up to two tickets for a discounted rate of $50 each for the event taking place at Bovard.

Proceeds from both events will be donated to the Dalai Lama Foundation. Students should also expect to receive an e-mail from the USC Ticket Office with additional information about pricing and availability.

More information about both events will be available at dalailama.usc.edu. The website is expected to be open to traffic tomorrow.