In October of 2012, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet and winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, visited the Middlebury College campus.

This was the Dalai Lama’s third visit to Middlebury; he participated in symposiums at the college in 1984 and 1990.

For more on the visit, see the press release and related article in the Middlebury Newsroom.

Theme of His Visit

Do spiritual and religious traditions offer guidance that inspires action?

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet and winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, explored this thought-provoking subject during his visit. He delivered two lectures―one to the campus community and another to the public―on October 12-13, 2012.



Middlebury faculty, staff and current undergraduate students attended his talk, “Educating the Heart,” at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. His lecture at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, “Finding Common Ground: Ethics for a Whole World,” was open to the general public. Both events took place in Nelson Arena, with a live stream available in other venues on campus.

The theme of his visit, “Cultivating Hope, Wisdom, and Compassion,” encompassed both of his lectures. According to then Middlebury College President Ron Liebowitz, the purpose of the talks was to help people explore resources for hope, optimism, and cooperation, while challenging them to lead lives of courage and engagement.