Dalai Lama to visit New Orleans
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}April 18: The Dalai Lama, seen in northern Ireland, is set to visit New Orleans. (Reuters)
The Dalai Lama is visiting New Orleans less than a week after gunfire at a Mother's Day parade injured 19 people.An entourage of Tibetan monks Tuesday will create an elaborate sand mandala to commemorate the Dalai Lama's visit.
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his nonviolent struggle in protest of Chinese rule of Tibet. He is bringing his message of nonviolence to New Orleans, a city plagued by high murder rates.
Although his visit falls less than a week after the shooting, the trip has been more than a year in the planning. He is making two public appearances: one Friday and another Saturday. He is also scheduled to speak at Tulane University's commencement on Saturday in the Superdome.