Press Releases

Venerable Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche to Speak
at Inaugural John and Bayard Cobb Peace Lecture

In conjunction with Naropa University’s newly minted Peace Studies undergraduate major, an annual lecture on peace, tolerance and positive activism will feature significant figures from cooperative movements around the world.

Presenting the lecture this winter is Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, head of Shambhala International and son of Naropa University founder Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He will speak at the Events Center at Nalanda Campus on Wednesday, December 5, at 7 p.m. His presentation is titled The Wisdom and Strength of Peace.

"There is no better person anywhere in the world to offer the initial talk in this series,” says Naropa University President Thomas B. Coburn. “In addition to the Sakyong’s lineage connection to Naropa University via his father, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the university’s founder, he has a deep personal involvement in the cultivation of peace, as exemplified in his recent inauguration of the “Living Peace Award,” given to the Dalai Lama. This cultivation is exactly what we aspire to for the students in our new Peace Studies program.”                                                            

Conceived and endowed by former university president John W. Cobb and his wife Bayard, the John and Bayard Cobb Peace Lecture will heighten awareness of peace-oriented philosophies and innovative conflict-resolution strategies, based on everything from psychological perspectives, to religious themes, to socioeconomic activism and more. “Distinguished thinkers, practitioners, activists and scholars from diverse backgrounds will be invited to give the annual lecture,” says Sudarshan Kapur, chair of the Peace Studies Department.  

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Peace Studies Lecture Series
December 5, 2007
Naropa University Nalanda Campus
6287 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder