A little over a year ago, University of Arkansas Chancellor David Gearhart announced that the Dalai Lama had accepted an invitation to visit the university campus in Fayetteville.
Now that His Holiness is finally in town, we’ve put together this guide full of information related to the remaining events surrounding his visit including the morning panel discussion and afternoon keynote address on Wednesday, May 11.
General appearance information
Dalai Lama / Jan Michael Ihl
The University of Arkansas will be hosting two events with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Doors open at 7:00 a.m. for the morning session and at 12:00 p.m. for the afternoon session.
Those attending both events must vacate the arena after the morning session and pass through the security check again, beginning at noon, for the afternoon event.
» Security information
» Parking information
UATV to provide live broadcast of events
UATV will be broadcasting both the 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. events live on Cox digital 214 and online at uatvonline.net.
Other TV stations will likely be covering the event, but UATV is the only station to provide wall-to-wall coverage for both events.
Schedule of events
Wednesday, May 11
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Tibetan Vendors – Razorback Park, just south of Bud Walton Arena
Vendors will be selling and displaying native Tibetan crafts.
Sand Mandala / UA Newswire
9:30 to 11 a.m. – Panel discussion, “Turning Swords into Plowshares: The Many Paths of Non-Violence” – Bud Walton Arena (Tickets $15-18)
The Dalai Lama will be joined on stage by two iconic figures of non-violence: Sister Helen Prejean and Vincent Harding.
1:30 to 3 p.m. – Keynote address, “Non-Violence in the new Century: The Way Forward” – Bud Walton Arena (Sold out)
6 p.m. – Fundraising dinner for the Tibetan Culture Institute of Arkansas – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
An informal dinner to include Tibetan, Indian, and American food, vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare. Cost will be a donation which will go to TCIA’s Tutors for Tibetan Children fund, a program that provides after-school tutors for Tibetan children living in exile in refugee camps in India. A short program will include a presentation by Lama Karma, a slide show on the Tutors for Tibetan program, and a live auction with special items.
Butter sculpture / UA Newswire
Thursday, May 12
3 p.m. – Sand Mandala closing ceremony – Helen Walton Reading Room, Mullins Library
Mystical Arts of Tibet present the destruction and closing ceremony of the sacred mandala of Avalokitesvara. The event is free and open to the public. Monks will dismantle the Mandala, sweeping up the colored sands to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists. Half of the sand will be distributed to the audience; the rest will be carried in a procession by the monks, accompanied by the public, to Wilson Park, where it will be poured in Scull Creek.
Other exhibits
Multiple exhibits will be on display at the Walton Reading Room inside Mullins Library on the UA campus including the Tibetan Buddhist butter sculpture, a display of photographs from Tibet by Sonam Zoksang, photographs of Tibetans in exile in India by Stephen Ironside, and a collection of ceremonial artifacts from Tibet, along with descriptions of their significance in the Tibetan culture.
The exhibits may be viewed all hours the library is open. For a complete schedule, see the library hours.
Commemorative t-shirts
Dalai Lama visit t-shirts
T-shirts commemorating the visit of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to the University of Arkansas on May 11, 2011 are available at various locations around town including:
Fayetteville Visitor Center – 21 S. Block Ave.
Himalayan Mountain Shop – 100 W. Center St., # 105
University of Arkansas Bookstore – 616 N. Garland Ave.
Zortees – 10 E. Township
Links
» Official University of Arkansas Dalai Lama website
» TIBETSPACE, a blog with recent attention on the Dalai Lama visit
» Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas
Flyer Wire
For a live stream of tweets related to the Dalai Lama’s visit, head over to the Flyer Wire at fayettevilleflyer.com/wire.
The Flyer Wire will be up and running for the next day or so and will display all tweets posted to Twitter that are marked with the #HHDL hashtag.
