The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, delivers a talk entitled Compassion: The Foundation of Well-Being.

The event will open with songs from the Tibetan Community in Britain.

The Dalai Lama will give this talk mainly in English. There will be an interpreter on stage to translate from any Tibetan into English. BSL interpretation will also be available.The talk will be followed by Questions and Answers. Information on how to submit a short written question can be found on your ticket.

Born in 1935 in a small village in Eastern Tibet and recognised at the age of two as the incarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama received a traditional Buddhist monastic education. As a teenager, aged only 15, the Dalai Lama assumed his political responsibilities as leader of his country during the turmoil of the Chinese military invasion. In 1959, as Tibet was plunged further into crisis under Chinese occupation, he made a daring escape over the Himalayas to India; many thousands of his countrymen have since followed in his footsteps to his exile home in Dharamsala, Northern India.

In 1989 the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to try to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing human rights tragedy in Tibet. In 2006 he received America's highest civilian honour, the Congressional Gold Medal, in recognition of his advocacy of peace, non-violence, human rights and religious understanding. In addition to bringing his message of peace to the wider world, the Dalai Lama campaigns on environmental issues, while also contributing to the mutually enriching dialogue between science and Buddhism – appreciating both disciplines as means of deepening our understanding of the nature of reality.

In 2011 HH the Dalai Lama completed the process of democratisation of the Central Tibetan Administration by devolving all his political authorities to the elected leadership.

In May 2012, at St Paul's Cathedral, the Dalai Lama received the Templeton Prize, which honours "entrepreneurs of the spirit" – outstanding individuals who have devoted their talents to expanding our vision of human purpose and ultimate reality.

Describing himself as 'a simple Buddhist monk', the Dalai Lama is revered as one of the great spiritual teachers of our time, reaching out to people of all faiths and no faith. Now approaching his eighties, his wisdom, compassion and warm-hearted humour continue to touch and inspire people all around the world. He has visited the UK many times over the past 30 years. On his most recent visit this June, a week before his 80th birthday, he appeared at the Glastonbury Festival where he gave a talk on Happiness, made a brief appearance on the main Pyramid Stage and took part in a debate on climate change.