REDLANDS, Calif., March 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- His Holiness the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, will visit the University of Redlands on March 23 and 24 and offer a live-streamed public lecture in his only Southern California stop during his rare two-month trip to the United States.

The Karmapa – a 29-year-old Buddhist spiritual leader who heads the 900-year-old Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and guides millions of Buddhists around the world – will accept an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, presented by University President Dr. Ralph W. Kuncl. The Karmapa will then give a free public lecture, "Living Interdependence," at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24 in Memorial Chapel.

More than 1,700 people will watch the sold-out ceremony at the University. The lecture also will be live streamed via the Karmapa's webcast page.

The Karmapa's two-day visit is a reflection of his special connection to the University of Redlands and its students. In 2011 and 2013, two groups of students from Dr. Karen Derris' Johnston Center May term seminars traveled to India to study with the Karmapa. His conversations with Redlands students in 2011 formed the basis of his book, The Heart is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside and Out (Shambala, 2013), which was co-edited by Derris. A second book is forthcoming based on the group that went in 2013 and will also be co-edited by Derris.

"We are honored that His Holiness the Karmapa has chosen to visit the University of Redlands to re-unite with our faculty and students and share his vision of education, social justice, and peace,'' Kuncl said. "His leadership has shaped lives, not only for those of our students and faculty he taught, but for millions worldwide."

University of Redlands Provost Dr. David Fite said, "The University is proud to bestow the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters upon His Holiness in recognition of his deep commitment to building a compassionate world by illuminating and encouraging the interconnections that unite us across differences of language, culture, religion or worldview.  By welcoming two groups of University of Redlands students to learn from him at his temporary home of Gyuto Monastery in India, His Holiness inspired our students to define a meaningful life.  He models for us how the efforts of one person to work for environmental protection, gender justice and intentional use of resources in a consumer-driven globalized world inspires our entire University of Redlands community."

Besides receiving the honorary degree and offering the public lecture, the Karmapa will meet with now-Redlands alumni who studied with him, as well as with Redlands educators.

"The Karmapa's visit to the University of Redlands continues the relationships between His Holiness the Karmapa and our students that began when they first studied with him in India,'' Derris said. "His Holiness shared his perspectives on how we can compassion to transform ourselves and the world with compassion. Now, we are given the opportunity to welcome him to our campus to share the ways we educate students to take up that work."

The University will be the Karmapa's second stop on his third U.S. tour starting in mid-March. He will mainly visit universities, and deliver lectures on topics ranging from environmental responsibility to compassionate use of technology to Buddhist perspectives on gender. For more information on the U.S. tour, visit www.karmapaamerica2015.org.

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS:
The University of Redlands is a private, independent undergraduate and graduate institution located in the historic heart of southern California near mountains, beaches and desert. Founded in 1907 and situated on one of the most beautiful campuses in the region and state, Redlands is consistently ranked among the best universities in the nation. Redlands offers more than 40 undergraduate majors as well as graduate programs in business, communicative disorders, education, geographic information systems (GIS) and music. The University blends liberal arts and professional education, applied and theoretical study, traditional majors and an alternative degree program. For a select group of highly motivated, self-driven students, the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies allows undergraduates to negotiate their own course of study with a faculty/peer committee and receive narrative evaluations rather than letter grades. Recognized for having one of the highest study abroad participation rates among its peers, Redlands students travel the world, choosing from more than 100 programs. Redlands' Community Service Learning program receives national acclaim each year as students complete over 100,000 hours of public service annually around the world. The new Master of Science in GIS program is an intensive, one-year residential program that draws international acclaim, in part due to the University's close collaboration with Redlands-based Esri, the world's leading GIS company.

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SOURCE University of Redlands