In late April 2004, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Vancouver and the University of British Columbia. He came to lecture and teach, to receive an honorary degree, and to participate in a roundtable dialogue titled “Balancing Educating the Mind with Educating the Heart.” More than a year in advance, preparations were already in high gear, and at times the level of publicity and celebrity attached to this event seemed scarcely credible – for example, one heard of tickets to his largest public teaching being auctioned on e-Bay for $1,000 each. There were also times when it all seemed a bit surreal, as when an email to participants in the related Conference on Tibet in the Contemporary World showed itself to come from “HHDL Info,” and under the rubric “Conference Extras” noted that “Specially designed conference T-shirts and monk's bags will be available for purchase at the conference.”

One could only empathize with the other scheduled distinguished honorary degree recipients and participants in the roundtable dialogue – fellow Nobel Laureates Professor Shirin Ebadi, His Excellency Vaclav Havel (who was unable for medical reasons to be present), and His Excellency The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu – none of whom were invited to deliver a keynote address, or even had their own individual posters (the Dalai Lama had no fewer than two in conjunction with the events at UBC).