His Holiness the Dalai Lama is unable to travel due to ill health. His scheduled appearances at UCLA on Monday, May 2, have been cancelled.

However, the afternoon symposium in Royce Hall will go ahead without the Dalai Lama's participation. Geshe Thupten Jinpa, a principal English translator for His Holiness and Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Cambridge University and Robert Thurman, Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, will join the discussion with UCLA neuroscientists.

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The original event description follows.

Public Symposium with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama:
"Buddhism and Neuroscience: a Discussion on Attention, Mental Flexibility and Compassion"

“I am convinced that a close collaboration between our two investigative traditions, Buddhism and science, can contribute significantly to developing an understanding of the complex inner world of subjective experience that we call the mind.”

Tibetan Buddhism and Western neurosciences offer distinctive but complementary perspectives on the importance of attention, mental flexibility, compassion and creativity. How do these capacities enrich our professional competence, mental health and quality of life? What can we do to improve them? In a two-hour symposium in Royce Hall, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will interact with four world-renowned UCLA researchers in a dialogue about the effects of Buddhist meditative practices on the power of concentration and, in turn, on suppleness of mind, creativity and compassion.

When:
Monday, May 2, 2011, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. (no entry after 1:15 p.m.)

Where:
UCLA Royce Hall Auditorium

Presented by:
UCLA Center for Buddhist Studies
UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

This program is also supported by a gift from The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism.

Speakers:

Robert Bilder, UCLA, Michael E. Tennenbaum Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Psychology

Susan Bookheimer, UCLA, Joaquin Fuster Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience

Lobsang Rapgay, UCLA, Research Psychologist and Director of the Clinical Training program for Mental Health Professionals at the Mindfulness Awareness Research Center

Robert Thurman, Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University

Robert Buswell (moderator), UCLA, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Buddhist Studies

Tickets: $100, $65 and, for UCLA students, faculty and staff with current ID, $20. Limit 4 per person and 1 per UCLA ID holder. Ticket sales for the general public and students begin on March 16. Any surplus funds from ticket sales will be donated to charitable endeavors sanctioned by His Holiness.

Please note: Tickets to this event are sold out.