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Buddhism in CT, Part II: Dalai Lama Takes the Stage

Check in with Patch daily for a roundup off all Dalai Lama coverage.

There won't be a red carpet required for this visit.

Just the most austere of provisions—like a meditation mat.

A long-awaited visit from one of the world's leading spiritual icons begins Thursday, when the Dalai Lama spends two days at Western Connecticut State University.

His Holiness—the unofficial leader of Tibetan Buddhism—will deliver a series of speeches at the Danbury campus.

Stay with Patch as we cover the celebrated visit, and check in with our devoted Dalai Lama page as the week progresses. We'll pen dispatches on it all—from medicine to uplifting speeches to possible traffic.

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The latest:

Richard Gere Introduces His Holiness the Dalai Lama at WCSU (Video)

Though His Holiness needs little introducing, the Dalai Lama had a household-name in philanthropy introduce him to the Western Connecticut State University crowd Thursday.

Richard Gere. (OK, some maybe he's a household name because of the acting—but here's guessing the Dalai Lama is more into his charity work.)

Check out a video of the salutation by clicking the above link.

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Before he touched on the heavy stuff—Buddhist spirituality, the inner workings of the mind—the Dalai Lama opened with a joke. He pulled out a WCSU cap, fixing it firmly to his head.

To see the caper—and rest of his speech—check out the above video.

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Dalai Lama Urges a Calm Mind and Compassion

"Maintaining a calm mind to achieve happiness."

That's one of many dictums and memorable lines from His Holiness' visit. Students and staff at WCSU are sounding off on how the iconic visit is impacting them, and Danbury.

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PC Lover May 9, 2013 at 05:50 pm
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PC Lover May 9, 2013 at 03:59 pm
Aidan ... your words are eloquent and true.
JJ May 9, 2013 at 03:50 pm
Wow, that's a lot of information. Thanks for sharing it.
Aidan May 20, 2013 at 05:54 pm
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HomeGrown10573 May 15, 2013 at 10:26 pm
Linda T., I would guess Mrs. Brakewood lives in Port Chester if she is running for the Port ChesterRead More Board of Ed. Even if the schools had to impose an austerity budget, your taxes would still go up. The state has more control in these matters than you think.
Aidan May 15, 2013 at 07:09 pm
Linda, the per pupil expenditure in PC schools is the lowest in Westchester and Rockland countiesRead More ... by about $2,000 per student. The issue is two fold. First, our property values are not as strong as our neighbors, so our homes have a higher levy in order to fund the schools. Second, and more important, is that the reliance on property taxes slams moderate income communities like PC. We need for the state to move to an income tax to fund schools. Scream at your legislators ... not the BoE.
Linda Turturino May 15, 2013 at 11:25 am
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