Tibetan monk to discuss human-rights issues April 23

Geshe Dakpa Topgyal, a Tibetan monk and spiritual director of the South Carolina Dharma Group of Columbia, will give a public lecture April 23 on recent human-rights events in Tibet at the University of South Carolina.

Topgyal will speak at 7 p.m. in Gambrell Hall, Room 153. The event is free and sponsored by the university’s student chapter of Amnesty International.

Topgyal also is resident teacher of the Charleston Tibetan Society. He has written several books, including “Essential Ethics: A Buddhist Approach to Modern Day Life and Social Action,” “Holistic Health: A Tibetan Monk’s View” and “Diamond Key for Opening the Wisdom Eye: A Guide to the Process of Meditation.”

Born in western Tibet, Topgyal fled to India with his family at age 6 and entered Drepung Monastery four years later. He was ordained by the Dalai Lama and served as an official translator for the Mystical Arts of Tibet and taught Buddhism in Europe before coming to South Carolina.

For more information, contact Dr. Michael Scardaville at 803-777-7611 or via e-mail at scardavm@gwm.sc.edu.