Tibet House is an international, loosely affiliated group of

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

cultural preservation The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include prev ...

organizations founded at the request of the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

, to

preserve The word preserve may refer to: Common uses * Fruit preserves, a type of sweet spread or condiment * Nature reserve, an area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or other special interest, usually protected Arts, entertainment, and media ...

, present, and protect

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

's ancient traditions of philosophy, mind science, art, and culture due to the

Chinese invasion of Tibet Tibet came under the control of People's Republic of China (PRC) after the Government of Tibet signed the Seventeen Point Agreement which the 14th Dalai Lama ratified on 24 October 1951, but later repudiated on the grounds that he rendered his ...

in 1950 and subsequent

Tibetan diaspora The Tibetan diaspora are the diaspora of Tibetan people living outside Tibet. Tibetan emigration has three separate stages. The first stage was in 1959 following the 14th Dalai Lama's defection to Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, India. The se ...

. The first Tibet House was founded in New Delhi, India in 1965. Tibet_House_US_(48072663106)

Tibet Houses include:
Tibet House
in New Delhi, India founded in 1965.

Tulkus A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. High-profile examples ...

Gelek Rimpoche Kyabje Nawang Gehlek Rimpoche () was a Tibetan Buddhist lama born in Lhasa, Tibet on October 26, 1939. His personal name was Gelek; ''kyabje'' and '' rimpoche'' are titles meaning "teacher" (lit., "lord of refuge") and "precious," respectively; he ...

and Dagyab Kyabgoen Rinpoche were early directors. Geshe Lhakdor was a translator and research assistant from 1986 to 1989. The house was designed by

Shiv Nath Prasad Shiv Nath Prasad (born 1922) was an Indian architect and urban planner known for his Brutalist architecture designs. He was also called the "Le Corbusier of India". Biography Shiv Nath was born in Varanasi, British India in 1922. His work is ...

in 1970 in the

Brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

style. The current director is Geshe Dorjee Damdul. * Tibet House Japan, founded in 1975 in

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

, Tokyo. *

Tibet House US Tibet House US (THUS) is a Tibetan cultural preservation and education 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 in New York City by a group of Westerners after the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, expressed his wish to establish a cultural insti ...

was founded in 1987 by scholar

Robert Thurman Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman (born August 3, 1941) is an American Buddhist author and academic who has written, edited, and translated several books on Tibetan Buddhism. He was the Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at ...

, actor

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

and composer

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

in downtown Manhattan, New York City. Menla, a retreat space located in the Catskills near Phoenicia, New York, is an offshoot of Tibet House US. The project was spearheaded by Robert Thurman and Nena Thurman. * Casa Tibet México, founded in 1989 in Mexico City. * Casa del Tibet Barcelona, founded in 1994 in Spain. * Tibet House Trust, founded in 1994 in London, England. * Tibet Haus Germany, founded by Spiritual Director Dagyab Kyabgoen Rinpoche in 2005, in Frankfurt. and * Tibet House Moscow, founded in 2004 in Russia. * Tibet House Brasil, in São Paulo, Brazil. Its stated purpose, as taken from the Tibet House US website:

* To present Tibet's ancient traditions of art and culture by means of creating a permanent Cultural Center, with Gallery, Library, and Archives, and developing traveling exhibitions, print publications and media productions * To preserve and restore Tibet's unique cultural and spiritual heritage, by means of developing a Repatriation Collection for future repatriation of outstanding examples of Tibetan art, creating an archive of rare photographs, opening a research library, making a Web site on the Internet for the wide distribution of information, and providing support to conservation activities both inside and outside of Tibet * To share with the world Tibet's practical systems of spiritual philosophy and mind sciences, and its arts of human development, intercultural dialogues, nonviolence, and peacemaking, by means of innovative programs in cooperation with educational and other cultural institutions.

See also

References

External links