Ven. Geshe Thupten Dorjee, University of Arkansas Professor Sidney Burris, and others are in the process of founding the Tibetan Heritage Institute of Arkansas.  The Institute is devoted to education and the preservation of Tibetan culture.  The following excerpt is from their new web site, located at http://www.tibetanheritageinstitute.com/ :

The Tibetan Heritage Institute of Arkansas is dedicated to helping the Tibetan people preserve their culture within the emerging global village. This is a task that requires both a facility with the technology that supports such a village and the practical hands-on management skills that characterize the most productive relief efforts. We are convinced that the preservation of Tibetan culture is more than an act of historical preservation.  The Tibetan voice has proven itself over the millennia to be a vital voice, and one whose counsel and vision should be a major component of our attempts to solve the unique problems that confront us as we enter the 21st century.

The Institute believes that the most effective way to accomplish our purpose is through education, through providing the public with teachings, demonstrations, exhibits, lectures, films, study trips — in short, with any activity that artfully showcases one of the world’s oldest and most comprehensive civilizations. Accordingly, we share many of the same goals of similar organizations both in this country and around the world, and we are convinced that, working together, we can make real progress in reaching those goals.

We are currently a fledgling organization. But with our two resident monks, Geshe Thupten Dorjee and Rinzin Dorjee, who are teaching at the University of Arkansas and working both within the larger community of Fayetteville and the state of Arkansas, we believe that we are establishing a firm foundation on which to grow.

For more information about the Institute and to learn about ways you can support their work, visit http://www.tibetanheritageinstitute.com/

The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology is planning a march and rally on March 11th, which marks the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

The theme for the rally is: “Not one more death, not one more dollar.”

His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama has been named Presidential Distinguished Professor at Emory University, the first university appointment accepted by the 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate and leader of the Tibetan exile community.

The Dalai Lama will deliver his inaugural lecture during an Oct. 20-22 visit to Emory, during which he will participate in a conference on science and spirituality, and an interfaith session on religion as a source of conflict and a resource for peace building. His Holiness is scheduled to give a public talk, “Educating the Heart and Mind,” at an Emory-sponsored event in Centennial Olympic Park Oct. 22. For information, go to http://www.dalailama.emory.edu/.

“To have a colleague of the Dalai Lama’s stature in our community will be a constant source of inspiration and encouragement to our faculty, staff and students as we strive to realize the vision of educating both the heart and mind for the greater good of humanity,” says Emory President James Wagner. “His presence will contribute significantly to fulfilling the university’s strategic goals, including bringing engaged scholars together in a strong and vital community to confront the human condition.”

“I look forward to offering my services to the Emory students and community. I firmly believe that education is an indispensable tool for the flourishing of human well-being and the creation of a just and peaceful society, and I am delighted to make a small contribution in this regard through this appointment,” says the Dalai Lama. “I have long believed in and advocated a dialogue and cross-fertilization between science and spirituality, as both are essential for enriching human life and alleviating suffering on both individual and global levels.”

The Dalai Lama’s appointment is the most recent outgrowth of the Emory-Tibet Partnership, which was founded in 1998 to bring together the best of Western and Tibetan Buddhist intellectual traditions.

Emory is recognized as one of the premier centers of study of Tibetan philosophy and religion in the West, primarily due to the university’s extraordinary relationship with Tibetan Buddhist institutes of higher learning based in India, including the Drepung Loseling Monastery and the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile. One of the most ambitious projects of this partnership is an historic initiative to develop and implement a comprehensive science education curriculum for Tibetan monastics.

“I deeply appreciate that Emory University has made a commitment to fully collaborate with the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives to develop and implement a comprehensive and sustainable science education program for Tibetan monastics,” says the Dalai Lama.

Many of Emory’s university-wide strategic plan initiatives address the interface between religion and science. His Holiness has pioneered in promoting a genuine and substantive dialogue between science and spirituality. Emory’s commitment to developing and implementing a science education program for Tibetan monks and nuns will help realize the Dalai Lama’s vision of offering comprehensive science education within the monastic curriculum.

As Presidential Distinguished Professor, the Dalai Lama will continue to provide private teaching sessions with students and faculty during Emory’s study-abroad program in Dharamsala, as well as provide opportunities for university community members to attend his annual teachings. He also will make periodic visits to Emory to participate in programs. Emory will establish a fellowship in the Dalai Lama’s name to fund annual scholarships for Tibetan students attending Emory undergraduate and graduate schools.

The Dalai Lama has devoted his life to the non-violent resolution of the Tibetan-Chinese conflict and to the preservation of the Tibetan history, education, culture and traditions. The 1959 occupation of Tibet by China forced the Dalai Lama to flee his country and take exile in India, where he serves as the political and spiritual leader of six million Tibetans worldwide, including the Tibetan community and government-in-exile based in Dharamsala.

In September 2006, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to award the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor in the nation, for his advocacy of religious harmony, nonviolence and human rights throughout the world, and for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Tibet issue through dialogue with Chinese leadership.

Emory University is one of the nation’s leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country’s top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state’s largest and most comprehensive health care system.

Washington, DC (September 14, 2006) – The House of Representatives approved legislation last night to award the Congressional Gold Medal to His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in recognition of his advocacy of peace, tolerance, human rights, non-violence, and compassion throughout the world.

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who introduced the legislation in the Senate with Senator Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.), today welcomed the passage of the bill. The Senate approved the legislation on May 26.

“The Dalai Lama is a worthy recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. He is one of the world’s greatest religious leaders and has used human compassion, courage and conviction as his tools in carving a path for peace. For half a century, he has struggled to better the lives of the Tibetan people. In doing so, he has been a shining light to all those fighting for freedom around the world,” Senator Feinstein said.

The “Fourteenth Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Act” was introduced in the House by Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Tom Lantos (D-Calif.). It passed yesterday evening with a voice vote. The bill now moves to the President’s desk for his signature.

Congressional Gold Medals require approval from at least two-thirds of the Members of both the Senate and House of Representatives.

For more than two centuries, Congress has expressed public gratitude on behalf of the nation for distinguished contributions through the occasional commissioning of individual struck gold medals in its name. This award, which initially was bestowed on military leaders, has also been given to such diverse individuals as Sir Winston Churchill and Bob Hope, George Washington and Robert Frost, Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa, and other Nobel Peace Laureates, such as Elie Wiesel and Nelson Mandela.

Background on the 14th Dalai Lama

In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled his Tibetan homeland for neighboring India, where he established a government-in-exile. Since embracing the “Middle Way” approach in 1989, he has worked arduously to find a reasonable and peaceful solution that provides for cultural and religious autonomy for Tibetans, within the People’s Republic of China.

In 1989, the 14th Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to bring democracy and freedom to his people. In their recommendation, the Nobel Committee wrote: “The Committee wants to emphasize the fact that the Dalai Lama in his struggle for the liberation of Tibet consistently has opposed the use of violence. He has instead advocated peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people.”

In April 1991, Congress welcomed the Dalai Lama in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda that was attended by the entire Congressional leadership. When the Dalai Lama addressed the gathering, he reflected on a gift sent to him as a small boy in Tibet by President Franklin Roosevelt – a gold watch showing phases of the moon and the days of the week. “I marveled at the distant land which could make such a practical object so beautiful. But what truly inspired me were your ideas of freedom and democracy. I felt that your principles were identical to my own, the Buddhist beliefs in fundamental human rights freedom, equality, tolerance and compassion for all.”

The Dalai Lama has also made it his life work to promote harmony and respect among the different religious faiths of the world. In his own words: “I always believe that it is much better to have a variety of religions, a variety of philosophies, rather than one single religion or philosophy. This is necessary because of the different mental dispositions of each human being. Each religion has certain unique ideas or techniques, and learning about them can only enrich one’s faith.”

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette published a nice article about the nwabuddhist.info web site and the Meditation and Contemplative Groups In and Near Northwest Arkansas print brochure in its Saturday, August 19, 2006 edition.

Guide leads spiritual seekers to various meditation groups
Abstract: Area residents searching for a meditation or contemplative group have a new resource to help in their spiritual journey — a guide, both printed and available via the Internet. The guide and Web site include information on a variety of groups, including, Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian…
Date: 08/19/2006
Section/Page: Religion
Byline: BY CHRISTIE STORM ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Democrat-Gazette subscribers can view the entire article here.

Look for another upcoming article in the August 26, 2006 edition of The Morning News.