Dalai Lama scheduled to visit Bloomington next fall

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to make a visit to Bloomington next fall on Sept. 7 and 8. The Dalai Lama will come to dedicate the opening of the Chamtse Ling Temple at the Tibetan Cultural Center in southern Bloomington.\nThe Dalai Lama named the Chamtse Ling Temple -- which translates into "field of love and compassion" -- during his second visit to Bloomington in 1996. The temple will serve as an international temple to will promote interfaith communication among people of all religions.\nAdditionally the temple will house a small Buddhist community who will offer religious instruction to the public. The main entrance to the temple will contain a traditional Tibetan Altar that is surrounded by plaques of every Nobel Peace Prize winner.\nThe Dalai Lama was scheduled to make an American tour in 2002, which would have included a visit to Bloomington in April, but his trip was canceled because of a stomach ailment and exhaustion. \nThis fall will mark the former Nobel Peace Laureate's fourth visit to Bloomington.\nThe Tibetan Cultural Center is the home of Thubten Norbu, the elder brother of the Dalai Lama. Norbu established the TCC in 1979 as a colony of Tibetan culture for the purpose of creating a sanctuary for people of all religions and to promote the importance of world peace.