March 12--The Dalai Lama will celebrate his 80th birthday with a three-day summit this summer in Orange County, organizers announced Thursday.
The Global Compassion Summit will begin July 5 -- one day before the Dalai Lama's birthday -- with a kick-off event at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
Over the following two days, the summit will include a series of panels, meetings and spiritual dialogue on the campus of UC Irvine.
"This milestone occasion is a joyous opportunity for people to come together in celebration of His Holiness' life and achievements," Venerable Lama Tenzin Dhonden, the head of the nonprofit Friends of the Dalai Lama, said in a statement.
The summit marks the Nobel laureate's first visit to Anaheim and his third to UC Irvine, where an endowed scholarship fund is named after him.
Among the events already scheduled are a discussion of climate change, a panel discussion with several Nobel laureates and a youth leadership lecture. No details on the speakers or performers were released.
The summit aims to honor Tibetan Buddhism's spiritual leader while also promoting compassion and peace, organizers said in a statement.
All events are open to the public, and tickets go on sale on April 2.
