Dalai Lama to Speak at Several Events in 5-Day Visit to L.A.

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet who has won worldwide admiration for his teachings of compassion and nonviolence, will speak at several events during a five-day visit to the Los Angeles area beginning Oct. 10. He is traveling to Los Angeles to open the World Sacred Music Festival, a series of 85 concerts Oct. 9-17. The Dalai Lama initially inspired the event with his 1997 call to the world to consider using music, a universal tool of sacred expression, to usher in the new millennium. He will speak at the festival’s kickoff event, a concert of about 600 performers at the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 10 starting at 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $1,500. (213) 365-6300.

The Dalai Lama’s other scheduled lectures, which will detail his aspirations for the new millennium, are:

* Oct. 11, 10 a.m., Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. No one will be admitted after 9:50 a.m. Reserved tickets are $250; general admission is $50. (310) 230-3852.

* Oct. 11, 6:30 p.m., Stephen S. Wise Temple, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles. Tickets are $25. (202) 785-1515. Or order through the Web site at https://ict@peacenet.org.

* Oct. 12, 5 p.m., Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 3663 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Available tickets are $75 and $125. (800) 435-2116.

* Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m. at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Subscription tickets only are still available, covering four lectures for $125 or eight for $220. (800) 435-2116.

Doors generally open two hours in advance for all events; guests are asked to arrive early to clear security checks. No cameras, tape recorders, cellular telephones, or large purses and briefcases will be allowed.

The Dalai Lama’s three-day teach-in in Pasadena is sold out.

In other related events, the Los Angeles Friends of Tibet will present a screening of “In Search of Kundun, with Martin Scorsese,” a documentary on the making of a film about the Dalai Lama, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Oct. 12 at Laemmle’s Pasadena Playhouse 7 Cinemas, 667 E. Colorado Blvd.

The Chagdud Gonpa Foundation will sponsor a rare joint lecture by two renowned Tibetan Buddhist masters at the Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles, on Sunday at 4 p.m. and Monday at 7:30 p.m. Sogyal Rinpoche is the author of the international bestseller “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying,” and Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche is a meditation master, artist and physician. Suggested donation is $35 for Sunday and $20 for Monday. (213) 631-2511.

OTHER EVENTS

The Board of Rabbis of Southern California will sponsor a community forum on gun violence Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. After the shooting rampage at the North Valley Jewish Community Center last month, the board put gun control at the top of its agenda and has called for the banning and destruction of all assault weapons and Saturday night specials. (323) 761-8600.

* The Claremont School of Theology will celebrate the 105th birthday of Mildred Hutchinson, a lifelong community activist, Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at the Haddon Conference Center, 1325 N. College Ave., Claremont. Hutchinson, who has marched for migrant workers, racial justice and anti-poverty programs, has been named by the United Methodist Church as one of the church’s 100 outstanding “Women in Mission” of the century.

* Sister Catherine Marie Bazar will present a workshop on “centering prayer,” an ancient method of deepening one’s relationship with God, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 9 at St. Mel Parish in Woodland Hills. Donation is $15. (818) 992-5176.

ANIMAL BLESSINGS

Animals of all kinds will be blessed in the tradition of St. Francis at several locations today:

* St. Nicholas’ Episcopal Church, 17114 Ventura Blvd., Encino, 10:30 a.m. (818) 788-4486.

* All Saints Episcopal Church, 504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, 10 a.m., followed by a “pet wash” featuring fine shampoos and warm water. (310) 858-4536 or e-mail to jgoldsmith@allsaintsbh.com.

* The Episcopal Chapel of St. Francis, 3621 Brunswick Ave., Los Angeles, will feature a parade of pets and blessings beginning at 11 a.m. (323) 663-2063.

*

Notices may be mailed for consideration to Southern California File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or faxed to Southern California File at (213) 237-4712, or e-mailed to religion@latimes.com. Items should arrive two to three weeks before the event and should include pertinent details about the people and organizations with address, phone number, date and time. Because of the volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee publication.