The Dalai Lama Down Under - June 2007 No sooner had the doors been closed on the last event of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 2002 tour, than thousands of Australians were anticipating his next visit which happens this month.

Detailed planning by organisers, coupled with increasing interest in the Dalai Lama from within the broader community, has resulted in a dynamic schedule of events for the June 6 - 16 tour.

The Dalai Lama will bring his messages of 'Open Arms - Embracing Kindness' to a diverse mix of audiences across the country from young people to business people and from multi faith to multinational audiences.

With events to be held at venues such as the Crocoseum at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast, Sydney's Domain and Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena, the 2007 tour - eight destinations, 11 days, 22 public events - is set to be twice as big as the 2002 tour.

Free public events continue to lie at the heart of His Holiness' visits to Australia, setting them apart from visits to North America and Europe, where a charge is usually imposed.

The free public talks address tour themes of compassion and kindness in various ways, and His Holiness will take these opportunities to explore how we might understand our world and our relationships in ways which achieve happiness and peace. These include Ethics for the New Millennium (Perth, Wednesday June 6), Universal Responsibility (Melbourne, Saturday June 9), A Human Approach to World Peace (Geelong, Monday June 11), and the Power of Compassion (Sydney, Saturday June 16).

The teachings in Melbourne (June 8-10) are the spiritual core of the tour, offering people an extended opportunity to hear the Dalai Lama set out his philosophy and talk about how we live our lives.

Strong environmental themes also run through the tour, the first ever to be declared carbon neutral. Through a partnership with Greening Australia, carbon emissions created by travel undertaken for the tour will be measured and offset by a significant tree planting program at a Greening Australia site in West Sydney.

Conservation and sustainability messages will be at the core of many of the Dalai Lama's speeches, culminating in his significant address on 'Peace Through Inner Peace' at the One Earth Public Talk and Tribute Concert (Friday, June 15) at Sydney's Domain.

The tribute concert, presented in partnership with the Australian Conservation Foundation, will feature some of Australia's leading acoustic musicians - Ben Lee, Lior, and Mia Dyson have all donated their time to participate in what is set to be a highlight of the tour.

Strong community support has been a trademark of all visits by the Dalai Lama to Australia, and on this, his fifth, and possibly last, visit to the country, this support is looking stronger than ever.

For more information on the tour visit www.dalailama.org.au