VisionTV presents: The Dalai Lama - a 75th Birthday Tribute, starting July 6

TORONTO, June 16 /CNW/ - "For as long as space endures / And for as long as living beings remain / Until then may I too abide / To dispel the misery of the world." -- Daily prayer of the Dalai Lama

He was born on July 6, 1935, to a humble farming family in northeastern Tibet. He would become one of the world's most revered individuals: at once a serene spiritual figure and a symbol of steadfast opposition to totalitarian rule.

Tenzin Gyatso, better known as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, is the Tibetan spiritual leader and head of state. Driven from Tibet in 1959, following an uprising against the Chinese occupation of the country, he presides over a government-in-exile in neighbouring India, and champions the use of non-violence to break China's grip on his native land.

Beginning on July 6, Canada's multi-faith television network VisionTV celebrates the 75th birthday of the Dalai Lama with a series of documentary and feature film presentations that examine his life and legacy and explore the many different aspects of the Buddhist tradition.

Highlights include the network premieres of the documentaries The Path to Shaolin (airing Tuesday, July 6 at 9 p.m. ET) and The Lost World of Tibet (airing Friday, July 9 at 10 p.m. ET).

For full programming details, please visit www.visiontv.ca.

The recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, the Dalai Lama is one of the very few world religious leaders whose message has universal appeal. Traveling the world to raise awareness of his country's plight, he has reached out to other faiths and shared with millions the essentials of Tibetan Buddhism -- a spiritual philosophy grounded in compassion, tolerance and respect for all life.

VisionTV (www.visiontv.ca) is Canada's multi-faith and multicultural broadcaster, dedicated to entertaining and insightful programming that celebrates diversity and promotes understanding and tolerance among people of different faiths and cultures.

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For further information: Media Contact: David Todd, Media Relations Manager, VisionTV, Phone: [phone], ext. 207, Email: [email protected]